September 27, 2006

Dear Neighbor:

Today, Mayor Daley officially announced the relocation of the Chicago Children's Museum from Navy Pier to the northeast corner of Monroe Street and Columbus Drive in Grant Park. As you know, neighboring residents made clear to me their strong opposition to the museum's initial plans to move to the north end of Daley Bi-Centennial Plaza, and the announcement of a new location for the museum is a direct result of our collective advocacy efforts.

I am happy to report that the selection of this new site respects the community's wishes. The north end of Daley Bi-Centennial Plaza will remain a neighborhood resource and Randolph Street will not be used as a thoroughfare for traffic entering and exiting the museum.

However, the neighborhood's many families will still be able to enjoy the nearby proximity of a world-class museum dedicated to children's education. The museum also plans to work with its institutional neighbors ? the Art Institute and Millennium Park ? to create cooperative programming.

Because of your feedback in the planning process, we were able to forge consensus on a site that will better serve the museum, its visitors and the city as a whole without adversely affecting the surrounding community.

Planning of the museum is still in its preliminary stages, so it remains important for us to stay engaged in the planning process. Please help me communicate with you about the Children's Museum's plans by signing up to receive e-mail updates through my website, www.natarus.com . Simply select Get E-mail Updates through the form on my home page.

Thank you for your continued devotion to making the 42nd Ward Chicago's greatest community.

Sincerely,

Burton F. Natarus,
Alderman, 42nd Ward