49th Ward residents pitch projects for $1 million budget 

The 16th annual participatory budgeting town hall meeting for the 49th Ward took place Nov. 4 at Gale Community Academy located at 1631 W. Jonquil Terr. 

Individuals presented project proposals for how the $1 million budget allocated to the 49th Ward should be used for the 15th cycle of participatory budgeting. Proposals focused around enforcing pedestrian safety, enhancing public parks and expanding accessibility for cyclists. 

Participatory budgeting is a process where community members decide how to spend a public budget. The budgeting process model started in Brazil in 1989 and was then introduced to the United States when the 49th Ward became the first to implement it in 2009, The Phoenix reported. Since then, public entities across the country have adopted the method.

In the 49th Ward, the process starts with idea collection, allowing community members to submit plans. Then, the ideas are shaped into proposals based on feasibility. 

The current stage of the process is community presentations, where the developed ideas are explained to the community involving the budget and main idea of the projects. 

Voting follows, with individuals selecting a certain number of proposals to continue forward with. 

The top-voted projects who will receive funding from the ward will be announced shortly after voting closes, and the construction timeline of those projects will vary. 

Present at the meeting was 49th Ward Alderwoman Maria Hadden and Illinois State Rep.Kelly Cassidy. Cassidy commented on what issues she wants to address going into her next term, including Medicaid cuts and regulating data centers. 

Under the Streets and Infrastructure Committee, 49th Ward residents Lee Akala, Gavin Chuck, Ken Baij and Susan Bivers introduced their project proposals.  

Akala proposed the installation of raised crosswalks around Gale Community Academy — a kindergarten through eighth grade Chicago Public School located in Rogers Park. 

The crosswalks would be installed on North Marshfield Avenue and North Ashland Avenue, which border the school and are intersected by West Jonquil Terrace and West Juneway Terrace. The raised crosswalk on Marshfield would connect Gale’s main building to its annex building. 

Akala said the raised crosswalks would improve safety of the students and surrounding community members by adding visibility. According to the Federal Highway Administration, raised crosswalks can reduce pedestrian crashes by 45% by calming traffic with elevated crossing. The project has an estimated cost of $280,000.

“The intention is that people can move through that space throughout the day with increased safety,” Akala said.

Arts Administrator and Professor Gavin Chuck, 56, proposed an east-west bike route connecting North Sheridan Road to North Ridge Boulevard. The proposed routes would run along West Greenleaf and West Lunt Avenues, building on the existing north-south path on North Glenwood and North Greenview avenues. 

If approved, the Chicago Department of Transportation would determine whether the route would be designated as a marked shared lane, contraflow or advisory lane. This bike path has an estimated cost of $200,000. 

“Talking about safety, there are many ways that people move around our neighborhood,” Chuck said. “Bicylists should deserve to be safe moving around our neighborhood.” 

A similar pro-biking project was introduced by Baij. He proposed adding a marked shared bike lane on North Wolcott Avenue from West Pratt Boulevard to North Rogers Avenue, along with extending the pre-existing bike lane on West Morse Avenue to North Wolcott Avenue. The project is estimated to use $90,000 and would ensure cyclists are safer in the community, Baij said. 

“This marked shared bike lane would let potential cyclists see a good place to ride,” Baij said.

Travel agent Susan Bivers, 67, proposed new lighting on West Chase Avenue from North Sheridan Road to the viaduct, a concrete underpass where pedestrians can walk underneath the CTA trainline. 

The project’s $300,000 cost would cover new poles, piggyback lights and wiring. Piggyback lights are fixtures mounted lower to the ground which more effectively illuminate the sidewalk and streets for pedestrians. Biver’s proposal is a continuation of an ongoing effort to improve street lighting fixtures in the ward. 

“We’ve been upgrading in this ward for many years now,” Bivers said. “We still have a lot to do.” 

The next round of proposals revolved around the parks and environment with 49th Ward residents Kevin Avila, Manuel River and Viral Mistry presenting their project proposals. 

Avila proposed the transformation of Touhy Park’s west side which would turn underused space near North Clark Street into a community hub for families and neighborhood residents. 

The first phase of the project would add public seating and tables, laying the foundation for future renovation. Other planned features include a children’s playhouse and a community performance stage. The proposed space aims to accommodate family activities, remote work and local community events with an estimated cost of $300,000. 

“For generations, Touhy Park has given our kids a place to play and our neighbors a place to breathe,” Avila said. “Activating the west side is about honoring that legacy.” 

AI Program Manager and Business Consultant Rivera, 65, proposed installing a mini soccer field and soccer goals into Touhy Park east of the baseball diamonds. He said providing children with a positive place to play sports and spend time outdoors would benefit the community and improve residents’ overall well-being. The installation has an estimated cost of $50,000. 

“We already have a bunch of kids that play soccer at night, and these kids don’t have a goal,” Rivera said. “I believe that every park in our community needs to have facilities so children can go and play sports and stay away from bad influences.”

Closing the discussion, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biology at Loyola, Mistry, 29, proposed the installation of new outdoor exercise equipment at Triangle Park, located at 1750 Juneway Terr. The project is estimated to cost $125,000 and aims to increase community health and outdoor recreation in the neighborhood. 

“The exercise equipment at Loyola Park is sort of a shining example of participatory budgeting, but it’s really important that our neighbors up in Triangle Park and surrounding areas have access to exercise equipment as well,” Mistry said.  

Residents of the 49th Ward aged 14 and older can vote on the proposals and how to spend the budget. Voting began Oct. 17 and ends Nov. 15. 

Residents can either vote online by filling out a form found on the 49th Ward website or in-person at the ward office, located at 1447 West Morse Ave.