[CIMC-work] Evanston marina at Calvary Cemetery

[donald goldhamer]

This issue might become worthy of feature attention.
--Don
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 From: "Bunting, Robert" <Rob.Bunting at uop.com>
 To: NWRC list-serv <nwrc at lobot.itcs.nwu.edu>
 Subject:  Evanston marina at Calvary Cemetery
 Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2004 12:04:52 -0600

The message below concerns the proposed Evanston marina at Calvary 
Cemetery.  This project is at the "feasibility study" stage.

Note:  Public meeting Feb 26 @ Evanston Public Library 7-9 pm

There are serious concerns regarding the environmental impact at the
shoreline and the water itself, the impact on other recreational uses of
the lakefront, and related parking and traffic considerations.  The "scale"
of this proposal is critical - how many boats and cars would and people
would be attracted to this Marina?

Please direct your questions to Don Gordon fit4life at the-gordon-family.net
<mailto:fit4life at the-gordon-family.net> .

FROM INFORMAL MEETING MINUTES (sorry for bad formatting):
Normally I would send an attachment with detailed notes of the 
minutes of our meeting.  This email will vary from that approach.  
Our meeting this past Monday, though well attended (~40 people), was 
quite open to intense discussion regarding Evanston's marina proposal 
and to summarize this meeting like the others would be less than 
candid and forthright.  

One administrative note here: the following new individuals signed in but
didn't leave email addresses.  If anyone receiving this email knows of
these individuals, please print and forward a copy to them.  Though they
put in addresses, we do not use snail mail for communication.: Swanette
Triem, Phil Roxworthy, John Paterson, Bobbie Patzold, Jane Rae Brown and
Jackie Sloan.

We followed the agenda and began the meeting with discussions of
Administrative items and the Beaches task group letters.  Jamie Anderson,
from the Park District was present, to address the issues but most of the
responses were provided by Jerry Gavin, Captain from Leone Park Lifeguard
Program.  Progress is being made toward public diaglogue of the issues
addressed in the letter and a formal response had been sent that day to
Alderman Moore's office.  I will share that response as soon as I get a
copy.

The meeting ended with lively discussion of our current list of ideas for
our Vision Statement for the 49th Ward parks and beaches.  What transpired
in between these discussions was quite heated and emotional.

The marina issue is real and it is growing in citizen interest on both
sides of the border.


First, let me state that I have attached a document giving Dan Dooley's
(Marina Task Group Leader) cogent and concise summary of what
transpired. All of you received a copy of my flier that I put out this past
weekend in anticipation of the meeting.  Fliers are meant to grab attention
to an issue and for that reason are often exclamatory rather than tactful
utterances of decorum.

This flier was meant to get people's attention, because the City of
Evanston has gone out of it's way to keep this idea quiet.  Our friends in
southeast Evanston (Citizens for Lakefront Preservation) have also been
doing their part to get the word out that their city has been, at best,
hesitant to disclose.  The intent of the flier was to "stir the pot" and we
have an obligation in a participatory democracy to do that.  A major
accomplishment from last night's meeting was to "wake people up".


Let there be NO DOUBT.  There is a proposal to build a marina off the shore
of Calvary Cemetery.  This may not be a formal document at this stage but
there is confirmed interest in building out into our serene and tranquil
lakefront, that we share with Evanston, a structure of vast expanse to
accommodate large boats and the needed parking for those boats.  The Army
Corps of Engineers is spending $100,000 of yours and my tax dollars to
study the feasability of doing this.  They're not looking at the canal
along McCormick or the Skokie Lagoon or Montrose Harbor or Gilson Park.
They are looking at ONE site - Calvary Beach.

Let there be NO DOUBT.  Members of this Committee, primarily our Marina
Task Group, along with numerous Evanston residents from Citizens For
Lakefront Preservation having been working to investigate and unearth
information on this proposal for over 7 months.  This in NOT conjecture
based on some rumors from uninformed residents or misinformation directed
by the Evanston City Council.  The idea exists, the City Council secured
public funding for the study from the 9th District with Jan Shakowsk's
assistance and numerous public officials, not just one or two, have spoken
to one or more of us to the REAL proposal of doing such a project.

Let there be NO DOUBT.  There will be a forum to bring this proposal and
its discussion into the public space where it should have been brought long
before $100,000 of yours and my tax dollars were so easily authorized to do
this study.  $100,000 may not buy much in Army Corps of Engineer's time and
effort, but it CAN buy an awful lot of Park programs, whether for Evanston
or Chicago. This forum has been set for February 26th, 7-9pm, at the
Evanston Public Library.  Fliers for this forum are almost complete and
will be distributed through both communities.  The forum will cost $0 of
taxpayer money and will provide the public discourse needed to determine
whether additional money should be spent on more studies and challenge why
we spent the $100,000 to begin with.

Let there be NO DOUBT.  Our mission on this issue is to get the information
out and diligently do our homework, which is quite extensive.  We will
continue to assault this issue with our Evanston neighbors until all
discussion has been truthfully and cogently disclosed in the public space.
Your time and this space is limited, but allow me to share just a few
quotes from just a few individuals out of the many who have been contacted
over the past 7 months:

Julie Hamos - State Representative, 18th District "Evanston is in a tough
position as it wrestles with the challenges presented by soaring property
taxes and its financial needs.  As the City attempts to determine the best
approach towards development, I understand why it would undertake a
feasibility study for a marina."

Doug Gaynor - Director, City of Evanston Parks/Forestry and Recreation
Department "The United States Army Corps of Engineers will conduct a random
telephone attitudinal survey of area residents from beginning Monday, Oct.
27 regarding the potential of a boat marina off of Lake Michigan's
shoreline."

Donna Stuckert - Community Information Coordinator, City of Evanston
"BACKGROUND - Interest in a Marina in Evanston was first expressed by a
City Council member as a reference at a Council meeting.  In addition, one
of the goals expressed in the last strategic planning session by the City
Council was to conduct a feasibility study for a marina in Evanston.  It
was also expressed as a goal at the Department Head retreat.  Finally, one
of the small group sessions during the budget process in 2002 requested a
marina as a goal for the City.

Evanston Roundtable Publication - Quoting an October 8th, 2003 article "The
engineering and design process would take at least a year.  At
construction, which could take up to three years, approximately one-third
of the cost is recovered from the local entity, which could be paid for
with a combination of in-kind services and General Obligation bonds.  In
the first few years of operation, revenue from marina operations would be
used to pay operatin expenses and to retire the bonds.  Once the bonds are
retired, it is anticipated that there will be a significant revenue stream
from marina operations that would be used to offset operating expenses,
with the balance returned to the General Fund.

Timline for Potential Study for Marina on Lake Michigan - In a letter (July
17th, 2002) from Doug Gaynor to Roger Crum, Evanston City Manager:

Phase I 10/1/2002-5/2003  $100,000
 Economic, revenue and expense analysis.
 Preliminary Environmental analysis. Very rough sketch of proposal 

Phase II 6/2003-5/2004  $200,000
 Environmental analysis, scope letter sent to interest groups, surveys and
 public meetings, initial design concept

Phase III 6/2004-5/2005 $TBD Develop plans and specs, project cooperation
 agreement signed between Federal Government and City

Phase IV 6/2005-Project Completion  $TBD 
 CONSTRUCTION OF PROJECT

LET THERE BE NO DOUBT!
The marina issue, just like other proposals being suggested for this
community, are important to understand and to address, but our most
important challenge is to complete our Vision Statement as soon as possible
with extensive community input.  To that end I mentioned at the meeting
that I will be going to a number of community groups throughout Rogers Park
over the next two months to talk about our ideas and get additional input.
This will be in preparation for taking all of these ideas and creating a
formal plan with drawings and presenting them at a community-wide forum
that we would sponsor in early Spring of this year.

Donald Gordon