Announces Opening of City Hall Small Business Center as a "One-Stop Shop" For Licenses and Permits; Creates New Chief Small Business Officer Role To Advocate for Small Businesses

Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced this week an overhaul of the way City Hall works with small businesses in order to cut red tape and more effectively support economic development across Chicago's neighborhoods. By opening a new City Hall Small Business Center and streamlining permit and licensing reviews, small business owners and entrepreneurs across the city will have a "one-stop-shop" and dedicated staff working with them every step of the way to support their success. And under the leadership of a new Chief Small Business Officer, Roxanne Nava, City Hall will be equipped to advocate for small business owners and entrepreneurs and ensure policies and procedures are implemented in a way that works for small business.

Sulzer needs your old games.  Thanks to our neighbors who have donated games for the Sulzer's Game Night!  If you have games that your family no longer uses, please bring them to the 47th Ward Office or to Sulzer Library. Their ever-popular "Game Night" could use a few more board games like Sorry, Chess, Life, Uno, Jenga, Rummy Cube, etc.  

Please join us as we continue to plant the seeds for the future of Community Gardening in the 47th Ward.  There is nothing that's more fun than being in the company of kindred spirits who love to garden. We will learn so much, from each other, in our workshops and during our outings. In the past 12 months we visited the American Indian Center's native gardens, Water's Community Garden and Gethsemane Garden Center's greenhouse. We held workshops on corner gardening, seed gathering, caring for city trees, planting with native plants, houseplants and other timely topics.

Whether you are currently gardening, need help or not, or perhaps you have never gardened and would like to but don't have space, or if you are just interested in all that is green, wherever you're at, we want YOU! We will continue our search throughout the ward for additional space for community gardens. At our meetings, we will have forms for rebates on trees, rain barrels, native plants and compost bins, all of which are important to the well-being of the neighborhood. Please bring your thoughts, suggestions and friends to our next Community Gardening Meeting on Thursday March 14 at 6:30pm at Sulzer Library, 4455 N. Lincoln Avenue.

Animal Lovers Wanted. As part of the new Lincoln Square Friendship Center Food Pantry, we are extending our friendship to our neighbors' pets. We are creating a Pet Food Pantry and need your help. If we can help keep one neighbor from having to surrender their pet because they can't afford to feed them, then we will have been successful.

Job opportunities with Chicago Park District. You can play a role in enhancing and protecting Chicago's water quality as a Beach Ambassador or water quality lab sampler.The Chicago Park District has posted vacancies for three summer seasonal positions related to beach health and water quality. Applications must be received by the closing date of March 23, 2013 to be considered.

Please also note that employees must live within the City of Chicago while employed with the Chicago Park District. 

• Beach Ambassador
• Camp Counselor (Beach Ambassador)
• Lab Sampler

3/23 Finding Green Careers, 10pm - 12pm, 445 N. Sacramento Blvd.

Check out the infrastructure map on our webpage!

Water Main for Hermitage

City Crews from the Dept. of Water Management will begin replacing the 1890 water main under Hermitage from Irving Park to Montrose.  This work will begin in late March or early April, and will be completed by June of 2013. To see the residents' notice, please click here.  

Water Main for Marshfield  

City Crews from the Dept. of Water Management are replacing the 1906 water main under Marshfield from Irving Park to Byron.  Work will be completed by late April 2013.   To see the residents' notice, please click here. 

Water Main for Leavitt 

City contractor has replaced the 1895 water main under Leavitt St. from Irving Park to Montrose.  Crews have restored the concrete base course.  Asphalt resurfacing will come in the spring.  To see the residents' notice, please click here. 

Sewer Mains for Wolcott and Ravenswood

City crews have finished installing sewer pipes on Wolcott (Addison to Bradley) and Ravenswood (Belmont to Roscoe). Curbline to curbline asphalt resurfacing will take place in the Spring once temperatures allow.  To see the residents' notice, please click here.

Lawrence Avenue Streetscape Update

The Chicago Department of Procurement Services will soon post bid request for the Lawrence Ave Streetscape project. Their process generally takes 2-3 months so the start date will be delayed until May or June.  We expect the project to stay on schedule, completing construction between Western and Damen by the end of the 2013 construction season, however tree planting and other landscaping will probably be put off until 2014, when they will be starting construction from Damen to Clark.  This will not impact the progress of the Ravenswood Station commercial development or the Metra station project.

Metra Traffic Closures and Detours 

• Leland detours and bridge closure will be up until June 28, 2013.
• Ravenswood from Lawrence to Leland will have parking restrictions until June 28, 2013.  There is also an ongoing FULL CLOSURE for this duration on the west side of Ravenswood.  Sidewalks will remain open.   
• Foster 
• FULL CLOSURE March 12 - 14 & March 19, 2013.
• Lane restrictions at Foster March 15 - April 12, 2013.
• Irving Park 
• Westbound lane restrictions through March 8, 2013.
• Westbound CLOSURE for demolition TOMORROW March 9 - 12, 2013 & April 1 - 6, 2013
• Eastbound lane restrictions March 13 - 22, 2013
• Eastbound CLOSURE March 23, 25 - 30, 2013

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