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We need LOTS of supporters to attend the
West Town SSA Reconstitution Public Hearing:
Thursday, October 2nd
at 10:00am
at City Hall 121 N. LaSalle St. (2nd Floor Council Chambers)
Bring a friend, tell a neighbor, meet us there, or RSVP for a FREE TROLLEY RIDE with complimentary bubbly & pastries
departing from the West Town Chamber of Commerce 1819 W. Chicago Ave.
at 9:00am 10/2 to City Hall and returning post hearing by 1pm.
Free parking for supportive trolley riders in the big lot across from Chamber office! We need your help!
We were told by the City DPD and Aldermen that we MUST have a strong show of support at this hearing in order to renew the SSA! You do not have to speak, but we do need you there wearing our complimentary T-Shirt:
Visit: www.westtownssa.org for more information.
This only happens once every 15 years.
YOU MUST ATTEND TO SAVE West Town SSA
Programs Vital to Economic Development:
3 days / week sidewalk cleaning, 5 days / week garbage pick up, 100 orange garbage cans, graffiti removal services, tree maintenance, street pole banners, façade rebate program, public art projects, PR & marketing, business promotions, special events, sidewalk snow removal, and more...
Click HERE to SIGN IN FAVOR!
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IF THE WEST TOWN SSA GOES AWAY....
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 100 ORANGE SSA GARBAGE CANS WILL BE REMOVED &
5 DAYS / WEEK TRASH REMOVAL SERVICES WILL END!
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 3 DAYS / WEEK SIDEWALK CLEANING SERVICES WILL END! |
 THESE STREET POLE BANNERS WILL COME DOWN!
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       FREE PR SERVICES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
AND WEST TOWN MARKETING PROGRAMS & SERVICES WILL END!
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 SIDEWALK SNOW REMOVAL WILL CEASE! |
 THE CHAMBER WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO DONATE FUNDS
TO LOCAL SCHOOLS AND PARKS :( |
If the SSA program ends, the West Town Chamber of Commerce will need to hold onto all funds raised just in order to operate with basic chamber services and will NO LONGER BE ABLE TO DONATE thousands of dollars annually to local schools and parks! Just in the last TWO YEARS the Chamber donated over $35,000 to local schools! Not only that, but upcoming West Town marketing programs and events will have to be CANCELED due to lack of funding such as the Shop West Town holiday shopping reward program and Winterfest, an all-new holiday promotion across West Town with a Santa Sprint and Fun Run to benefit LaSalle II School. The West Town Chamber will have to cancel those holiday promotions and events if there is no SSA funding in the future.
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In 2013 the West Town SSA Provided:
- 11,114 bags of trash collected
- 10,629 trash receptacles emptied
- 2,516 illegally posted signs removed
- 6,131 tree grates serviced
- 3,595 graffiti tags removed
- 22.5 inches of snowfall shoveled (from Jan. '13 - April '13)
- 38,650 pounds of de-icer applied (from Jan. '13 - April '13)
- 230 crosswalks and 150 bus stops cleared of snow (Jan '13 - April '13
Imagine what West Town could look like if the SSA goes away...
   
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MORE INFORMATION ON THE WEST TOWN SSA: The West Town SSA is going to expire at the end of 2014, and if it is NOT reconstituted, ALL of the following programs and services the SSA provides will END: * Facade Rebate Program * Graffiti Abatement Rebate Program * Public Art / Murals * Sidewalk Cleaning / Street Maintenance * Decorative Street Pole Banners * District & Long Range Planning * Special Events * West Town PR / Marketing Campaigns * Landscape Maintenance * Sidewalk Snow Removal
The current West Town SSA29 boundaries 2004 - 2014: - Chicago Avenue from Halsted Street to California Avenue
- Damen Avenue from Chicago Avenue to Grand Avenue
- Milwaukee Avenue from Racine Street to Erie Street
- Ogden Avenue from Fry Street to the Kennedy Expressway
The map below shows the FUTURE West Town SSA boundaries proposed for 2015 - 2030 (in yellow) which are:
- Chicago Avenue from Halsted to Western
- Ashland Avenue from Chicago to Division
- **West side of Milwaukee Ave. from Erie to Augusta & the east side of Milwaukee Ave from Erie to Division (as shown - wrapping around to cover portion of Division for Noble Square Cooperative)
- Damen Avenue from Chicago to Huron
- Ogden Avenue from Fry to the Kennedy Expressway
 The West Town Chamber of Commerce distributed surveys, did multiple mass mailings, went door to door, and held 5 Community Meetings in 2013 & 2014 in order to receive feedback on the West Town SSA program and create the future map, budget, and list of special services. Local stakeholders located in the SSA form the West Town SSA Commission and Advisory Committee and they exclusively vote to decide on how the SSA program is run and exactly how the money is spent. It is an effective, transparent, and efficient program for economic development! In other cities SSAs are called BIDs or Business Improvement Districts. Click Here For More Info.  | |
Special Thanks to the Current West Town SSA Volunteer Commissioners: Pete Toalson / Beauty Bar, Sarah McGinnis / Pin Curls Salon, Meghan Quinn / Resident Property Owner, Stelios Valavanis / Onshore Networks, Linda Alcala / Alcala's Boutique, Chris Hunt / Seek Vintage, Cheryl Jones / Chicago Avenue Salon, Walter Tunn / Self Reliance Ukrainian American Federal Credit Union.
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Click here to see the Power Point Presentation that was shown at the West Town SSA Community Meetings which describes the program, the budget and how it all works.
Click here to see one of the informational brochures and notices that was mailed to all of the property owners and stakeholders for more of a bullet point summary of what the SSA does and how the West Town SSA works.
Click here to go the the West Town SSA TRANSPARENCY page on the website to peruse the annual budget, audits, and learn even more.
Click HERE to SIGN IN FAVOR! We need YOU to attend the
West Town SSA Reconstitution Public Hearing:
Thursday, October 2nd
at 10:00am at City Hall 121 N. LaSalle St. (2nd Floor Council Chambers)
Bring a friend, tell a neighbor, meet us there,
or RSVP for a FREE TROLLEY RIDE with complimentary bubbly & pastries
departing from the West Town Chamber of Commerce 1819 W. Chicago Ave.
at 9:00am 10/2 to City Hall and returning post hearing by 1pm.
Free parking for supportive trolley riders in the big lot across from Chamber office!
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West Town Chicago Chamber of Commerce 1819 W. Chicago Ave. Chicago, IL 60622 312-850-9390 | |
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