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Residents press alley safety and school netting; board OKs ceramic-studio tax break and issues community proclamations
Summary
Public commenters urged the village to hold a developer accountable for alley and parking hazards and to press the high school to raise baseball netting; the board approved a Cook County Class 7C tax designation for a new ceramic studio and adopted proclamations recognizing mental-health and small-business observances.
Several residents used the public-comment period to push the board on neighborhood safety and communication, while trustees approved economic and community recognition items.
Jennifer Ban, who lives adjacent to the Pete’s Fresh Market development on South Euclid Avenue, told trustees construction crews recently dug up a newly finished alley without notice, left a construction vehicle occupying multiple spaces and created a hazardous short-cut for speeding vehicles. "Someone is absolutely going to get hurt," Ban said, urging the board to enforce contract provisions and require safety measures such as signage and a visibility mirror.
Neighbors from Frank Lloyd Wright Lane described repeated foul balls from a nearby high-school baseball field landing in backyards. Trenace Ford said his wife was nearly struck and that a child was recently hit, and he asked the village to press the school to raise netting height. Tori Redmond said management documented 17 incidents affecting eight units and reported a nine-year-old was treated in an ER; she asked the village to intercede with the district.
On consent, the board approved an ordinance consenting to a Cook County Class 7C designation to support a minority- and woman-owned ceramic studio and education center at 222 Lake Street. Staff said the project will fund roughly $610,000 in building rehabilitation and align with the village’s economic-vitality goals; the owner described plans for classes and a soft opening later in the year.
Trustees also adopted proclamations recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month, May as Building Safety Month and May as National Small Business Week, and invited providers—NAMI, Thrive Counseling Center and Mosaic Counseling—to share upcoming resources and events.
Next steps: staff said they will follow up on the public-safety complaints and will invite the new studio owner to future planning discussions and ribbon-cutting events.
