Each park in Chicago has the right to have an "Advisory Council" to help guide decisions by the Park District in regards to that particular park. The Humboldt Park Advisory Council (HPAC) meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 6:30 PM at the Fieldhouse. Anyone can become a member, but must attend 6 of the previous 12 meetings in order to vote during the annual board elections.
Here is a re-cap of the Humboldt Park Advisory Council (HPAC) meeting from April 16th 2009:
The HPAC currently has zero dollars. In order to open a bank account, HPAC would either have to spend the money to become a 501c3 non-profit, or go under the Parkways Foundation Charter and use their status. Also, in order to open a bank account, there needs to be a minimum of $100. Questions arose about going to the aldermen for a donation to reach the $100 minimum: Manny Flores would be willing to pitch in. However Billy Ocasio, Rey Colon, would not be able to at this time.
There will be a committee started for fundraising, and one of the first events to raise money would be a banquet on the veranda of the fieldhouse.
There have been over 300 children registered to play little league baseball at the new "Little Cubs Field" (registration is almost filled, $100 per child). The field is almost complete, but because of the added cost to make it handicapped accessible, there is no money to improve the washrooms(which are in a nearby almost 100 year old building). The field is also available for rentals, at $65 per 2 hour slot. This is meant primarily for other little leagues, because the filed is too small to accommodate adult leagues. There is an opportunity for concessions to be sold there, and the HPAC is putting in a bid to sell concessions as a way to fund raise. The field is set to open on Saturday May 16th.
HPAC will be contacting senior citizens to see if there is something that the park should be doing for them, such as different activities and classes.
Apparently the fieldhouse has a roof that leaks, and has leaked for some time. It was the general consensus that HPAC should NOT have to raise funds for the repair, and that the Park District itself should repair the roof. HPAC President Lucy Roman has sent a letter to the Superintendent asking for the repairs. No word back yet.
This brought up the general discussion of the budget for Humboldt Park. Park supervisor Nereida Aviles stated that Humboldt Park is the 3rd highest income producing park in the central region, primarily because of all of the baseball and softball leagues. However, Humboldt Park is not getting proportional monies back from the Park District for its' budget. The board will try to get a Representative from "Friends of the Park" to come and explain exactly what the revenue and budget is for Humboldt Park. Nereida also stated that she doesn't even know how much money is taken in from all of the festivals being held in the park.
A question was raise about recording the HPAC meetings. A member suggested that these meetings should be conducted under the rules from the "Open Meetings Act of Illinois" and therefore attendees should be able to record the proceedings. The board will look into this.
Finally, there was presentation concerning the "Sundays Parkways" events held twice in 2008. This was a day when the boulevards were shut down for 4 hours on a Sunday so bikes and pedestrians could roam from Logan Square to Little Village without the threat of cars . Approximately 10,000 people attended each day. This year the organizers are looking to hold the event on one day instead of two, and have it on a Saturday instead of Sunday. Several people spoke up questioning the move. We'll see what happens.
The next HPAC meeting will be in Thursday May 21st at 6:30Pm at the Fieldhouse, 1402 N. Humboldt Blvd. See listing on calendar for google map.
