PLEASE CALL MAYOR'S OFFICE NOW AT 312-744-3300
We urge you to call Mayor Daley’s office staff at (312) 744-3300 and simply give them your name and address, indicate your dissatisfaction (or support) with the museum moving to the protected land of Grant Park. We have learned that the museum people are telling the Mayor’s staff that only a FEW nearby residents object to their move to public park land. On Monday, the museum folks claimed not to know the percentage of opposition after the 8 meetings, but Alderman Reilly stepped back to the microphone, and revealed to the audience that the written surveys he had collected indicated about 85% opposed the Randolph location. The museum people are reportedly telling the Mayor a totally misleading story, and they know it is not true.

PLEASE EMAIL MAYOR'S REPRESENTATIVE NOW
The Mayor’s office is also tabulating support or opposition, and has suggested using the email address of the Director of Planning and Development, Arnold Randall, to summarize the opinions of citizens like you. You can click on this link arandall@cityofchicago.org and quickly indicate your opposition (or support) to the Mayor’s representative. You should do it RIGHT NOW, because Alderman Reilly stated at Monday’s meeting that he would be announcing his decision in a week, and we want to insure the Mayor has the same information as our alderman, and has not been misled by CCM.

MAY, 2007 PLAN BIGGER OBSTRUCTION THAN 2006
The museum folks were not telling the truth to Alderman Reilly in May, and returned Monday with a THIRD new plan that was MORE UNDERGROUND. However, it still violated the Illinois Supreme Court decisions protecting public open land for the PUBLIC, and cautioning against giving public park land to any pay-for-entry PRIVATE corporation.

CCM WANTED TO FILL ALL SEATS
At 2pm on Monday, there were already 50 CCM persons in the meeting room seats and more “CCM supporters” arriving by busses to fill all the seats. The park district security personnel removed those invading persons from our reserved public meeting room, and they lined up outside the 3 doors. As the 5:30 door opening approached, museum staff members were seen moving supporters up in line to insure that most of the seats would be filled, to force New Eastside residents to stand in the hallway for their own meeting.

"BUILDING" ABOVE SLOPED GROUND, NOT JUST TOP OF HILL
The latest building proposal increases our 10,000 sq.ft. field house, to a 120,000 sq.ft. combined building, PARTLY ABOVE THE SLOPE OF THE PROTECTED GROUND. The "building" would be an obstacle to the “open water vistas” guaranteed in the 1973 Lakefront Protection Ordinance.

A CHICAGO FRONT YARD ISSUE - NOT JUST A LOCAL ISSUE
This is not only a neighborhood issue, it is a Chicago issue to protect Chicago's open, free, and clear front yard. Since the original dedication plat in 1836, it has always been convenient available land for any worthy civic project.

CCM NOT "MOST ENTITLED" TO PROTECTED PUBLIC LAND
Of the 39 “Museums” listed in the April, 2007 Yellow Pages, the Chicago Children's Museum is not listed. CCM refuses to explain why they should be “entitled” to the sacred land of Chicago’s front yard, over other presumably less worthy private museum corporations.

WE VALUE CCM CONTRIBUTIONS TO CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Alderman Reilly, the Chicago City Council, and the Chicago Park District DO NOT have a difficult decision. The CCM people should be advised to move to the Museum Campus or the legally available Northerly Island Park. We all recognize the valuable work CCM does for many Chicago children. We must focus on their worthy educational and civic contributions, and not let this ill-advised move to Grant Park tarnish their reputation.

We have to get over the frustration of our community NEAR meeting being hijacked, and move on - working to keep our New Eastside neighborhood a great place to call home.

The text of our PowerPoint slides used last Monday is available online at CCM9-07



Richard F. Ward, President, NEAR
155 N. Harbor Dr. #5101
Chicago, Illinois 60601
(312) 938-0884
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See Kristine Chen's post at http://www.windychat.com/arnold-randall-127.html (Arnold Randall) regarding item two below. by the way, tell Arnold to talk to the mayor, this was apparently his suggestion that people write to him with their opinion on the topic :-( sorry Mr. Randall if you were not expecting this from the Mayor