Category: Uncategorized

The Jackson Park Advisory Council is completely volunteer-driven. Nothing happens simply because it "should" - things get done when people step up to do them! As of early summer 2025, we are looking for volunteers who want to engage in the following areas: --Historic Bridges: This is a current and active committee, whose main focus at this time is on the much-needed restoration of the Darrow Bridge. --Walk & Report: This is our ongoing effort to systematically assess the park and report on issues that need to be fixed, and help direct the attention and resource of the Park District to the most urgent problems. --External Relations: We are hoping to establish a new committee that focuses on communicating beyond our existing audience of JPAC members and email newsletter subscribers. This would include efforts to engage new people in our work, ensure that we are communicating more effectively to the surrounding communities, and work to make sure our key messages reach relevant public officials...

JPAC Board elections will take place at our regular November meeting (Monday, November 4). Nominations will be accepted during the regular October meeting (Monday, October 7), as well as from the floor during the November meeting. Candidates may self-nominate. You do not need to be present to be nominated. Candidates nominated at the October meeting will have the opportunity to write a candidacy statement that will be made available on the JPAC website ahead of the November election meeting. Per JPAC bylaws, in order to be eligible to vote, you must have attended at least 2 meetings during the prior 12 months. If you are not certain of your voting status or attendance record, please email [email protected] and the Membership Committee will follow up with you. You may also check your voting eligibility status on the sign-in sheets at monthly JPAC meetings, including at the upcoming October meeting....

The JPAC Golf Committee is excited to present a survey to gauge golfer sentiment around course improvements. The input received through this survey will be synthesized and used to advocate for and prioritize future improvements to the Jackson Park golf course. Click here to take the survey >>...

The Park District has engaged a consultant team led by SOM to help develop a plan to install interpretive materials or carry out programs to commemorate and present the cultural and natural historical contributions of Jackson Park and its use by South Side residents. The plan for interpretive materials may encompass different formats for interpretation such as a digital program components and interpretive displays. This interpretation is a "mitigation" of the impact of the construction of the Obama Presidential Center and related projects on the historic resources of the park.  Read an overview of the plan here >> Review the PDF of the proposed plan here >> If you have comments about the proposed plan, submit them here by August 5 >>...

PLEASE JOIN US FOR WALK & REPORT! JPAC is facilitating an ongoing citizen-led study of Jackson Park entitled WALK & REPORT.  We need your help to make our park a better place for nature and visitors to thrive! The goal of WALK & REPORT is to document landscape issues & inconsistent maintenance throughout our beloved 540-acre park. JPAC wants to collect your observations of the landscaping and bring this data to the Chicago Park District (CPD) to assist in efforts to budget and schedule work.  The 2024 focus of WALK & REPORT is on three main areas:Landscape: trees, shrubs, plantings, irrigation, mowed areas, pond edges…Hardscape: sidewalks, paths, lighting, signage, fencing, benches, garbage cans, artwork/statues/plaques, drinking fountains…Parking: pavement, striping, flooding, sewer grates, broken curbs… In May, JPAC completed a WALK & REPORT pilot of approx. 35 acres in Area 1. Using phones we took pictures and wrote up brief notes about issues. Subsequent WALK & REPORT days in June, July and August covered additional...

The Advisory Council is now testing our new internal reporting tool to help us organize reports of problems in the park. Visit reports.jacksonparkadvisorycouncil.org to view and make problem reports. This site is a project of the Jackson Park Advisory Council. Its goal is to allow users of Jackson Park to report issues that they would like the council to amplify. The council will review issues periodically and decide on how to move them forward. We encourage users to report issues to Chicago 311 and the Park District....

Attached is the Memorandum of Agreement for work on the Metra station at 59th/60th Street - JPAC membership will be able to vote on signing this at our April 1 meeting. We are a "consulting party" and therefore we have a signature page, but it will have the same force whether or not we sign. Metra-59-60-Street-Station_MOA_FINAL_2-29-2024Download...

Trish Morse Herald article about the Darrow Bridge Marc Monaghan Herald article about Jackson Park ITEP Report: Itep-Chicago-DOT-Columbia._Download...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrioUW-UZpU History of the Clarence Darrow Memorial Bridge in Jackson Park. Presentation on September 26, 2023 by Tim Samuelson to the Jackson Park Advisory Council, with Q&A afterward. Recording of a Zoom session....

JPAC's Historic Bridge Committee received a copy of the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP) fund request for the Columbia Bridge (Darrow Bridge) project. The committee is concerned that this funding proposal calls for demolition of the historic bridge and that the reconstruction will not respect the historic design of the bridge. Contact the Historic Bridges Committee to learn more or get involved....