An Augusta Boulevard bike lane is reconfigured to hug the sidewalk, away from traffic. East Village Association membership meeting May 1, 2023, at Roots Pizza, 1924 W. Chicago Ave. Presiding: Christina Slaton, president By Jenifer Goldsmith EVA hosted aldermen Daniel La Spata (1st) and Gilbert Villegas (36th) for an update on ward news and introduced the new officers and plans for a neighborhood block party on Aug. 19. 1st Ward: Bike lanes, LaSalle II field, migrant needs La Spata reviewed plans for the new protected bike lane on Augusta Boulevard from Western Avenue to Milwaukee Avenue. He is hopeful for connected bike access through the neighborhoods, but pointed out each alderperson is responsible for coordinating in their own ward, which makes it difficult to design citywide. He is looking into creating safe north-south routes with a focus on moving forward on Wood Street. Three different designs will be revealed for the project in late May. La Spata will be serving on the...

East Village Association membership meeting July 8, 2019, Happy Village, 1059 N. Wolcott Ave. Presiding: Michael VanDam, president Wells High School creative arts students will write and produce a musical. Drama, music, dance and art teachers are lined up for the coming school year, principal Michael Stosek told EVA members in a relaxed July meeting in the Happy Village beer garden. "We are the arts school for the North Side going forward," Stosek said. Wells will have 30 to 60 students in the magnet cluster and is making connections to the Chicago theater community. Wells also will work with the College Board to focus instruction in key skills through its new pre-Advanced Placement program. Its law and gaming programs will continue, and Stosek isn't ruling out out a future language academy bid.

Chicago Public Schools career-office director Rita Raichoudhuri and CEO Janice Jackson present the report at Wells High School, 936 N. Ashland Ave. A Chicago Public Schools study suggests that more than elsewhere in the district, families here reject local schools for top-tier alternatives nearby. The Mid-North Side region has lost 13% of its student population in four years, according to a Nov. 15 presentation by Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson at Wells High School, 936 N. Ashland Ave. High schools are half-full; 58% of high school students travel outside the region, and only 16% attend their designated neighborhood school. Turnarounds are a challenge when more families are leaving the city than are moving in, Jackson admitted. Combined with birth-rate trends, she expects Miami-Dade County to overtake Chicago as the third-largest public school district. With state funding still tenuous, Jackson says long-term capital plans will require a stronger fiscal footing.

Ballfields will be lighted for night games at Wells High School. East Village Association membership meeting Sept. 11, 2017 Happy Village, 1059 N. Wolcott Ave. President's Welcome Michael VanDam called the EVA community meeting together with a reminder: The board meets at 6:30pm Monday, Sept. 18. Meeting locations have been moving around, so watch Facebook for notifications. Field of Hope Rita Raichoudhuri, principal at Wells High School, discussed ballpark development behind the building at 936 N. Ashland Ave. Timeframe for completion is by Halloween. Initially, specs were to include a soccer and a baseball field. Zoning allows only an Illinois High School Association regulation-size soccer field. The baseball team can only practice but not play official games on the field. Two sets of bleachers, each holding 75 persons, will be on the East side of the field. Neighbors in attendance raised concerns regarding the recently installed field lights. Lights will be use...

Construction equipment prepares Wells grounds for artificial turf. Outgoing Wells High School principal Rita Raichoudhuri will discuss Field of Hope ballfield construction, school issues and her new Chicago Public Schools job at Monday's East Village Association meeting. Artificial turf for soccer and baseball are being installed in a $3 million project behind the school at 936 N. Ashland Ave. Graduation rates rose this spring in citywide Chicago Public Schools statistics. University of Illinois at Chicago found better school effectiveness . Wells' results improved the school environment while its enrollment slipped to 365 last year. This is Raichoudhuri's last month as principal . She has been named executive director of the Chicago schools Office of College and Career Success , which is in charge of guidance counseling and special academic programs. Wells runs advanced placement courses as well as technology and law academies. Monday's meeting starts...

The East Village Association has asked 1st Ward Ald. Proco Joe Moreno to support creation of a citywide college preparatory program in foreign languages at Wells Community Academy High School, 936 N. Ashland Ave. President Michael VanDam sent Moreno this statement on March 10: "I am writing on behalf of the East Village Association to express our strong support for the selection of Wells High School as the charter location for the proposed World Language Academy currently under consideration. "After hearing from Principal Raichoudhuri at our meeting on March 6, 2017, the members of EVA voted unanimously to express support for this initiative. "We believe that the Language Academy would be an excellent complement to their current Computer Science and Law Academies, and that Principal Raichoudhuri, as one of the primary driving forces behind the Language Academy pilot program, is uniquely qualified to ensure its success. "We also wanted to express our than...

Wells Community Academy High School principal Rituparna Raichoudhuri East Village Association minutes for March 6, 2017, by Daniel Navarro Officer Elections President - Michael VanDam Vice President - Daniel Navarro Treasurer - Peter Gariepy Secretary - Michelle Hayward Call for nominations from the floor - no such nominations. Call to vote - all approved. Stephen Rynkiewicz appointed webmaster/newsletter editor. Discussion with Principal Rita Raichoudhuri of Wells High School Progress on World Language Academy at Wells: Several elementary school teach foreign language, but there is no high school college-prep program for language. Initial thought was to a new building as a language academy; this was changed to moving it towards an existing facility. Wells has improved to a level 2+, close to a level 1. Wells needs students, as more students = more funds. The language academy would assist in bringing more students. Parents vote at end of March to pursue a pilot progra...

EVA has championed redevelopment of St. Boniface Church since it closed in 1990. East Village is a magnet for young professionals and the developers who follows them. EVA's most popular posts of 2016 follow the progress of St. Boniface, Pure Dairy, Ace on Ashland and other developments. Neighbors fight new St. Boniface apartment plan March 31: Neighbors of St. Boniface organized to save St. Boniface Church at 1358 W. Chestnut St. A threat to raze the church drew new interest in preserving the site, an EVA goal since the church closed in 1990. Stas Development finally stalled demolition in a last-minute deal to buy the site. An open house this coming Tuesday will preview the construction timeline for condos and a music hall . Planning, Preservation & Development Ongoing: Expansion of Chicago's Transit Oriented Development rules, which waives parking space requirements near rail lines, drew contractors to EVA's development guidelines, which discourage one-off...

Wells High School is at one-third capacity in a school district analysis. East Village Association board minutes for Jan. 11, 2016, by Michael VanDam Cleos late-night license Cleos' application for a 4am liquor license has been submitted. That implies signatures have been collected from 50% of registered voters living within 500 feet of the establishment at 1935 W. Chicago Ave. Scott Floersheimer, owner of Cleos, will be meeting Jan. 19 with Chicago Grand Neighbors Association. Ald. Proco Joe Moreno is scheduled to attend as well. CGNA is unsure what its position will be with Cleos. Neal McKnight will submit a FOIA request for the application and relevant support material. Ace Hardware condo development Brian Foote has requested additional information about the project at 1023 N. Ashland Ave. Developers of the former Ace Hardware site should be prepared to present plans at the Feb. 1 EVA general meeting. Schools Stephen Rynkiewicz discussed the recent Chicago Public...

West Town schools don't have enough students, according to a Chicago Public Schools assessment, with 11 of 16 schools considered "underutilized." Wells High School, 936 N. Ashland Ave., is at one-third capacity, the analysis says. The neighborhood high school for East Village is angling for designation as a citywide language academy to fill classrooms. In the past, CPS also has addressed space needs by removing temporary structures and "co-locating" separately run schools in the same building. Another designated neighborhood high school, Clemente at 1147 N. Western Ave., was rated only 24% full. Chicago Arts, Prologue and Ogden high schools also on the underutilized list. Two East Village elementary schools that feed Wells also are deemed "underutilized," with Talcott at 58% and Otis at 63%. Chopin, De Diego and Lozano also are on the low-enrollment list. At 120% of targeted enrollment, Columbus is rated "efficient." So is Mitchell,...

Rituparna Raichoudhuri and Ernesto Matias of Chicago Public Schools East Village Association minutes for Nov. 2, 2015, by Michael VanDam Wells High School Principal Rituparna Raichoudhuri and former principal Ernesto Matias discussed the current state of Wells High School. Topics included academic improvements at the school, the impact of charter schools on public high schools and the potential to add a World Language Academy track to the high school. Raichoudhuri urged parents to visit the school and to consider it seriously. She would like the school to remain a vital part of the neighborhood and a school of choice.

West Town schools: Hover over the dots and click for more information. How would you score neighborhood schools: They strive to reach their full potential? Or, they need improvement? Wells Community Academy, the default high school for East Village teens, could draw either comment. Illinois School Report Card Rita Raichoudhuri, its principal, will talk Monday with East Village Association members about progress and challenges at Wells and the city's other open-enrollment schools. She'll be joined by Ernesto Matias, her predecessor as principal, who is working on a bid to launch a citywide language academy . The 7pm meeting is at the Happy Village, 1059 N. Wolcott Ave. The Illinois School Report Card , issued Friday, gives the school at 936 N. Ashland Ave. high marks for professional development and teacher collaboration. Wells' learning environment is graded on the 5Essentials scale, which the University of Chicago developed to predict student success. Wells co...

Enrollment dropped by 90 students to 467 at Wells High School, 936 N. Ashland Ave. East Village Association board minutes for Oct. 12, 2015, by Michael VanDam Library restoration Jordan Marie received an e-mail from the city Department of Buildings saying it would cost $1.5 million to restore the city-owned Goldblatt's Building at 1625 W. Chicago Ave. Gladys Alcazar-Anselmo mentioned that the building was restored only in 1999. However, windows appear to have been out of the renovation's scope. Wells High School Stephen Rynkiewicz will check with a representative from Wells Community Academy to present at the Nov. 2 membership meeting. A drop in enrollment will cost $900,000 this school year, and if not reversed makes Wells a potential target for closing. The high school at 936 N. Ashland Ave. has a number of turnaround options. It has offered to host a citywide language academy, and already provides programs in teaching, logistics and law. The open-enrollment schoo...

Peabody School will be developed as condos, its annex as a charter school. East Village Association minutes for July 6, 2015, by Michael VanDam Friends of Eckhart Park Michelle Russell and Dana Tedesco of Friends of Eckhart Park introduced the group, dedicated to improving and maintaining Eckhart Park. Upcoming events at 1330 W. Chicago Ave. include: Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks, 6:30-8 pm Aug. 14 and 15. The talented actors from Chicago Shakespeare will be performing “Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits,” combining Shakespeare’s characters and scenes with today’s popular music. Movies in the Park, 8pm Aug. 16. Join your friends in the neighborhood for “Back to the Future.” More information can be found at the Friends of Eckhart Park Facebook group or by e-mailing friendsofeckhartpark @gmail.com . Planning, Preservation and Development Update St. Boniface – A group of local property owners is dealing with Carefree Corp. on the redevelopment of St. Boniface. It remains u...

By Bob Zwolinski Students will be washing cars Saturday to help raise funds for the Rugby Club at Wells Community Academy High School, 936 N Ashland Ave. Wells High School Rugby is in the middle of its first-ever season, funded completely by private donations. The team has made massive strides, starting with six players who were just playing around with a rugby ball to now 19 players in the Illinois High School Rugby Association. Donations will go to providing mandatory insurance for each player, field time at Eckhart Park, travel costs, referees, cleats and more equipment. Car washes will be in the back of the school – $10 per wash, cash only.

By Sachin Master Wondering what the first or next step in your toddler’s education should be? Check out the preschool program at Talcott Fine Arts & Museum Academy . Learn more about the program and application process here . Talcott will host a special open house for families from 5 to 6pm on March 17 at the school, 1840 W. Ohio St. To attend, email your name, preferred email and phone number. CPS Ready to Learn representatives will be on hand to take applications from 8 to 11am March 31. The preschool program is not attendance boundaries and is open to anyone in the EVA community.

By Neal McKnight We received a question about our expenditures on the recent aldermanic debates and why we would spend money to use Wells Community Academy High School's auditorium. A total of $1,400 was spent on the two debates. Some of these expenditures will be reimbursed by our neighboring community groups and co-sponsors. The amount of reimbursements depends on what their budgets can afford. All funds were paid to Wells Community Academy High School to defray costs for custodial and security staff and building and parking operations. There were no other debate expenses. The audio equipment and setup was donated by www.zzounds.com at no cost to the organization. We had invited both CAN-TV and DNAinfo to stream the debates but they were unable to dedicate the resources. Portions of the debate were recorded and posted on Facebook and youtube. This video was provided by volunteers. Wells High School was selected based on a number of factors. First, the venue was within ou...

Epic Spices, 1725 W. Chicago Ave. East Village Association membership meeting minutes, March 3, 2014 Submitted by Meghan Quinn Business Minute: Epic Spices, 1725 W. Chicago Ave. Owner Steven Tobiason lives in the neighborhood and has formal culinary training. He trained in the spice industry for 14 years and can duplicate spice from taste. He acquires products from all over the world and processes them in house, giving his customers maximum freshness. Since there are so few people involved in the process, he is able to keep prices surprisingly low. Tobiason also provides spices for many high-end restaurants in the area, such as Girl & the Goat and Nico Osteria. The store is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11am to 7pm, and Tobiason welcomes neighbors to stop in and chat. Members attending the meeting touted the exceptional quality of Steven’s products and mentioned that he also sells ready-made spice mixtures for easy dinner preparation.