Check out our Education Update website for what's happening in our local schools.  This week's new additions are below.

Please read a blog post about Ravenswood Elementary School; which Tom Brown says is "a hidden gem among CPS public neighborhood". Check it out! 

The Ravenswood School Drama Department presents Senora Tortuga, a short-form play by Roxanne Schroeder-Arce Friday, November 16 in the Ravenswood School Gym. Three performances: 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. (run time is under an hour)

Audubon School has a request for Science Fair Judges (No Experience Necessary) on November 15th.    An Audubon Parent Teacher Partnership Announcement from Principal Fitzner.  Did you miss out on the Scholastic Book Fair at Audubon last week? Is there a book you forgot to purchase that your student JUST CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT? You are in luck. Visit Audubon's online Scholastic Book Fair now through November 6th. Just enter zip code. Your order will be shipped to Audubon for free and will continue to support Audubon classroom libraries. 

Here are the current German School Chicago newsletter and Waters Elementary newsletter. 

Come celebrate the 90th birthday of the oldest chamber of commerce in Chicago with your colleagues, neighbors, partners, spouses and Uptown United/Business Partners members while enjoying sweeping views of the city from The Admiral At The Lake's 6th floor lake front patio, library and dining room, while drinking glasses of bubbly and booze, eating magnificent fare offered up by Head Chef Bradford Shovlin (previously of North Pond in Chicago), dancing to one of The Green Mill's favorite jazz bands and chatting the night away with all of the gab that you can handle! What more could you ask?

Save the date: November 7, Wednesday  5:00-9:00 pm at The Admiral at the Lake: 929 W. Foster Avenue

All inclusive tickets to this event are $100 per person. Click here to get your tickets today! 

Contact: Lisa Wagner at Business Partners - The Chamber for Uptown: 773. 878. 1184 or lisa@uptownbusinesspartners.com .

Want to Save Money? Please remove leaves from the gutters. The city does not vacuum leaves up and they can break the street sweeper. Unswept gutters lead to the sewers getting clogged with leaves and debris. This costs us all money!  Please "adopt" your sewers and catch basins - keep the tops clear of leaves and litter. This will cut down on flooding. If the drain appears to be clogged after removing leaves from the surface, and water does not drain within 12 hours of rainfall please call our office so we can schedule the sewer for cleaning. To learn more about what you can do for storm water management please click here.

Dog Lovers! Big News for Horner Park! There is a proposal to take a 1.89 acre section at the south end of Horner Park and create a dog friendly area. (Please see here: map of the proposed area, a flyer, as well as a Q & A article that reflects the first conversation with the community). Interested community members have formed a committee and they could use your help. The Dog Friendly Area Committee (the "DFAC") has many tasks to complete.  Would you like to help make a Dog Friendly Area in Horner Park a reality?  Get involved by sending an email.    

New "Companion Animal Central" Monthly Report. We are happy to debut this new regular report on animal rescue efforts in our community authored by 47th Ward volunteer and animal activist Susan Russell. Susan will bring us information about homeless companion animals in Chicagoland, the organizations and individuals that are working hard to save their lives, and find them homes; and the many, many ways you can help. 

Kidical Mass family bike rides. There are Kidical Mass family bike rides in 3 neighborhoods throughout Chicago. We are fortunate to have one of them right here in the 47th Ward; thanks to dedicated family-bicyclist Nate Hutcheson.

Kidical Mass/Lincoln Square is planning to keep the ride going all winter (conditions permitting) ice on the streets or sleet in the air are two no-go situations. Weather cancellations will be posted here.  They meet at the Welles Park Gazebo, at 10am the 3rd Saturday of the month. The Kidical Mass website shows all the rides in different cities/neighborhoods. There are some great photos that will give you an idea of how much family fun Kidical Mass promotes.    

DFSS Fall 2012 Senior Life Enrichment Guide Now Available. The fall issue of the Chicago Department of Family and Support Service's Senior Life Enrichment Guide is now available at our office, at the department's regional and satellite senior centers, libraries and many other locations. Inside the guide, seniors will find information about health and wellness, educational, recreational and many other types of events, trips, classes and lectures, along with schedules and registration details. Most of these are free or at a nominal cost. This issue also highlights holiday season activities at DFSS senior centers throughout the City, and includes a special section on how to avoid Medicare and medical equipment marketing scams. The contents of the guide are also posted online.

Your Neighborhood Needs YOU! There are many opportunities to volunteer in the 47th Ward. Whether you would like to serve on a committee, organize in your community, work on a specific type of project, give an hour or two of your time or if you have an idea for an initiative, we want to hear from you. Volunteer work is excellent for resume-building, a great way to meet people and helps keeps you open to new career opportunities. If you would like to be involved or if you know anyone who would, please email dara@chicago47.org.

November Reminders!

• Turn off water to any outside hose lines
• Clean out your roof gutters and gutters along your street 
• Mulch your outdoor plants with leaves or organic matter
• Bring in your indoor plants
• Put storm windows down
• Caulk around any cracks and crevices that leak air
• Buy an ergonomic snow shovel
• Shop local using your feet or bicycle

For more tips on saving energy this winter click here.

Check out the infrastructure map on our webpage!

Sewer Mains for Wolcott and Ravenswood

City Contractor is making connection to the existing sewer at the intersection of Addison and Wolcott. The work will be done in late November. In early December, City crew will start installation of sewer pipes on Wolcott (Addison to Bradley) and Ravenswood (Belmont to Roscoe). The installation will be completed by the end of February and restoration will follow in Spring 2013.  

Water Mains for W. Winnemac, Ashland to Ravenswood

City crews will be replacing this old 1894 main starting in October.  The project will be completed sometime in December and restoration will follow in the spring.  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 by mid-November.

Peoples Gas Main Replacement (Restoration) 

Connecting the new main to individual address is ongoing on Irving Park, Lincoln and Montrose.  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.    

Metra Traffic Closures and Detours   

Metra's switch over the outbound platform at the  Ravenswood station to the temporary platform has been delayed.  Stay tuned for more information and look for notices at the station about this change.     

• The bridge at Foster and Ravenswood will have a FULL CLOSURE from 10/29/2012- 11/3/2012 to install the drilled shafts at the abutments. Partial closure and detour will remain in place until 11/9/2012 
• Work on the bridge at Ravenswood and Winnemac will continue through 11/9/2012. 
• Irving Park to Berteau detours will be up intermittently through early December.
• Berteau to Montrose on Ravenswood wall installation on south end of block will continue through November with parking restrictions posted as needed.  
• 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. 
• 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.