CTA is requesting proposals from local artists for public art at the stations on the Red Line from Lawrence north to Howard. The deadline for proposal submissions is October 10th.  Click here for more information. 

WorldChicago is seeking two families to serve as host families from October 2012 - June 2013 for two high school girls in the US Department of State FLEX Program. Olga from Russia and Inga  from Moldova are currently attending Lincoln Park High School for the 2012/13 school year. With excellent English, they are both eager to learn more about the American culture while sharing their own culture with their host families.  For more information contact Peggy by email  or 312-254-1800 X101.   

Last year our office received many phone calls in support of our wonderful libraries. Did you know that there is a tax deductible foundation set up to support our libraries? You can even direct a contribution to a specific program or library. The Chicago Public Library Foundation supports collection development, programs and technology initiatives that connect library users to their community and to the world and ensure that all Chicagoans have the freedom to read, to learn and to discover at the Chicago Public Library. See .

We are still collecting towels, sheets, pillows, dog crates, cat/dog carriers, pet beds, cat food and litter, straw, heated water bowls and outdoor heating pads. 

Tree House Humane Society is celebrating National Feral Cat Day on Saturday, October 16, National Feral Cat Day; from 1-4 p.m., at Shelter Headquarters in Uptown, 1212 W. Carmen Ave. Tree House is a Sponsor Organization for Feral Cat Colony Caretakers in compliance with the Cook County Managed Care of Feral Cats Ordinance passed in November 2007. For more information, please visit our sister web site: TNRchicago.org, or contact our TNR counselors at 773-784-5488, ext. 234, or via email. Feral spay/neuter services are just one part of the Tree House Feral Friends TNR Program which includes a trap bank, post-surgery recovery space, food pantry and sponsorship of community TNR meetings and workshops and the administration of TNRchicago.org website. 

There are an estimated 60-80 million feral cats in the United States, but thanks to a growing number of organizations and individuals participating in Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) - an increasingly widespread humane method of managing feral cat colonies - there is hope that we can drastically reduce the number of cats born on the street while respecting the lives of these animals. Feral cats make up the largest percentage of animals euthanized at shelters, so successful TNR Programs are the key to reducing euthanasia and becoming closer to a no-kill city and a no-kill nation.

Neighborhood Happening: 

After a recent neighborhood work day along banks of the Chicago River, the River Bank Neighbors' Bullfrogs take time to celebrate the Autumnal Solstice.

Check out the infrastructure map on our webpage!

Water Mains for W. Larchmont, Ravenswood to Lincoln

City crews are replacing this old 1891 main, expecting completion in early October.  To see the residents' notice click here. 

Water Mains for W. Eastwood, Damen to Leavitt

City crews are replacing this old 1891 main, expecting restoration in early October. To see the residents' notice click here. 

Irving Park Streetscape

The final phase of this 2-year streetscape construction will be installation of the new curbs and gutters, and parkway permeable pavers over the next 3 to 4 weeks.

Peoples Gas Main Replacement

Connecting the new main to individual buildings begins soon on Irving Park, Lincoln and Ravenswood.  Peoples Gas is working on connecting the final customers to the new system.  If you haven't gotten a meter installed or had new service installed, please contact our office and we will link you with Peoples Gas.  Customers who do not make arrangements will have their gas service terminated.  We anticipate all restoration on Irving Park, Montrose, Western and Lincoln being completed by the end of November.    

The steel plates on Western at Grace, Belle Plaine, Cullom and Montrose have been removed.  Asphalt will be restored over the next weeks.  

Metra Traffic Closures and Detours   

• Work on the bridge at Ravenswood and Winnemac will continue through early November. 
• Irving Park to Berteau detours will be up intermittently through early December.
• Grace to Irving Park detours will be up intermittently through early December.
• Waveland to Grace, east of the tracks, will have parking restrictions intermittently for the next 3 weeks and detours intermittently through early December.
• The Ravenswood Metra Station construction has begun.
• The bridge over Irving Park Road at Ravenswood will be have a partial closure from Wednesday, October 10th - Friday October 12th and will have a FULL CLOSURE starting at 1am until mid-morning on Saturday October 13th.
• Parking restrictions and detours may be opened, when possible, and re-closed once work is ready to resume. 

For more information, visit the infrastructure section of our website  or contact Bill Higgins at bill@chicago47.org or 773-549-2745. 

Dear Alderman Pawar and the Residents of the 47th Ward:

I am still overwhelmed by the warm welcome and support of Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks at Welles Park. Your neighborhood's enthusiasm for Shakespeare was astonishing-and I am truly grateful for the time we spent together in your neighborhood. Thank you for welcoming us to your park, and now I hope you will join us as we again collaborate with the Chicago Park District. From October 10 to 21, Chicago Shakespeare Theater will once again be in the neighborhoods, as we host National Theatre of Scotland's return to the nearby Broadway Armory.

Called "one of the most richly human works of art," by The New York Times, Black Watch brings the realities of war to life through the eyes of a Scottish regiment deployed to Iraq. It will return by popular demand after a sold-out run in 2011, and I encourage you to get your tickets early. I hope you will be able to experience this remarkable story-it is transcendent.

Thank you again for the support your community gives Chicago Shakespeare Theater and the culture of Chicago.  I look forward to seeing you at the Armory!