Six restaurants in the 47th Ward made the cut for the Michelin Guide's "Bib Gourmand" list for 2014. The restaurants are Browntrout, Ceres' Table, Gather, Mixteco Grill, Opart Thai House and Spacca Napoli.  

In addition to the winners above, Elizabeth and Goosefoot restaurants were honored with the coveted Michelin star. Congratulations to these exceptional 47th Ward restaurants.  Get out in the neighborhood for a great meal! 

Alpha Bruton, one of our OpenWall Gallery curators, is the resident curator at EIU this fall. If you have a chance, visit her exhibit "Grandmother's Circle - A Tribute to Crecy's People and to Sallie Alpha" in the E-Gallery. Charleston Illinois is just south of Champaign.   

Nestled in the bustling neighborhood of Lincoln Square at 4831 N. Damen Ave is Chicago's first chemical-free spa. Noktivo's brand new space was built with eco-friendly materials blending cozy chic design with sustainable elements for a clean, comforting and eco-conscious atmosphere. They offer a full range of organic, eco-friendly and vegan spa services & non-toxic products for all your beauty needs. Want to make the switch to cleaner beauty products without sacrificing results? Come on in and learn how at Noktivo!

Coyotes are being sighted in the neighborhood.  They have been sighted at multiple locations including along the river, Grace and Lincoln, and Wrigley Field.  For more information on Coyotes, please see our website.  Please know that there has not been a documented attack by a coyote on a human in more than 30 years in Illinois.  If you see an aggressive coyote or one that returns regularly to the same location please report that to our office or 311.  

Taz Johnson is a Life Scout at St. Alphonsus Boy Scout Troop # 889 who came up with a building improvement project at the American Indian Center of Chicago (AIC) at 1630 W. Wilson Avenue. Toward attaining Eagle Scout rank, Taz was required to create, manage and complete a service project to benefit my local community. Taz choose the AIC because of his Native American ancestry and he personally knew that children's game room needed renovating for the safety and joy of the children who utilize the space.

AIC has been an important part of the Native American Community of Chicago for 60 years. With over 74,000 Native Americans living in the Chicago area, AIC provides a place for social gatherings, youth programs, free meals and clothing for seniors and others, job search assistance, and educational programs with a concentration on Native American traditions for families and youth.

Taz' project goals are to repaint the walls and floor of the game room, re-panel the ceiling, and get new chairs and tables for the children to play board games on. He would also like to replace the old pool table with a new Ping-Pong table. So far most of the supplies have been donated (like paint from Stauber's Ace Hardware) but Taz is still looking for help in getting the Ping-Pong table. For more information email tazjohnson81@yahoo.com.

North Center Market's last day is November 24 (Saturday 7AM to 1PM)

Lincoln Square Market's last day is November 26 (Tuesday 7AM to 1PM)

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.   

Check out the infrastructure map on our webpage!

The Chicago Cubs have provided some additional funding for some infrastructure improvements in the 44th 46th and 47th Wards.   In the 47th ward we will be getting new residential street lighting on: W Byron (Clark to Ashland), N Janssen (Addison to Irving Park) and N Greenview (Addison to Irving Park).

Lawrence Avenue Streetscape

The Lawrence Avenue Streetscape is underway.  We have posted a draft of the streetscape design on our website if you would like to review the details.    

Brick paver installation is underway.  Some work on the Claremont Plaza and adjacent alley was delayed to confirm an engineering issue which has been resolved.

Chicago River Work (east side) Berteau to Montrose (from Riverbank Neighbors) 

The project will be funded and supervised by the MWRD, the public entity in charge of treating our wastewater and managing the North Branch and North Channel of the Chicago River.  Riverbank Neighbors has had stewardship along this section of river bank for many years. The goal of this project is to stabilize the eastern bank, especially the northern end, from Montrose to Berteau Street. They will do this by inserting seawalls, corrugated sections of heavy iron deep into the bank some feet off shore, and pinning them into deep strata of clay with long iron holdfasts.

The top of the seawalls, when installed, will rest at normal water level, leaving them inconspicuous in their important task. From the edge of the seawall limestone fill will be added to armor the bank against scouring from flood events.  This newly created contour will also be planted with appropriate native species of forbs, grasses, shrubs and trees to provide bank stability, habitat for wild things, and beauty (for us).

All work will be done from the river side, using barges, so as not to badly impact existing plantings.  Temporary construction fencing will seal off the work area from November 17th until springtime. Pathways will not be open and access to the river's edge will not be permitted. Riverbank Neighbors understands this safety precaution and appreciates the District's plan to perform the work during the wintertime, when the site is less visited by families and friends. In the end, the project will hopefully secure the eroding bank and provide large new areas for planting, new paths and river access, more beauty and happiness for neighbors and visitors. 

The last phase of the Irving Park Streetscape is coming to a close. All that remains is some follow-up repairs we have been waiting on. Now that the new lights are on, we are being assured that these last repairs will be made by the end of November. Some remaining planting may take place in the spring.

City Crews from the Dept. of Water Management have completed work replacing the 1895 water main under Seeley Ave. from Grace to Irving Park.  Restoration should be completed soon.  Parking restrictions will be posted and are enforced during designated times M-F.  To see the residents' notice, please click here . 

Western Avenue from George Street to School Street will be reciving spot repairs over the next few weeks. This is part of the Chicago Department of Transportation's Arterial Street Resurfacing - Term North Area Project, in the 47th Ward. 

Construction has begun.  The work will include ADA sidewalk, curb and gutter removal and replacement, milling the existing asphalt pavement, asphalt paving, bus pad concrete pavement construction, and pavement markings.

NOTE: NO DEMOLITION OR REPAIRS WILL BE DONE TO THE OVERPASS AT THIS TIME.  Demolition of the Belmont overpass and reconfiguration of the streetscape has been planned and is awaiting funding approvals.  This is not expected to begin until 2015.  

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