By Ben Joravsky
“I know they think we’re annoying. I know that they think anyone who wants to get involved is weird,” says Nancy Maksomowicz, who has a child in the ice-hockey program at the McFetridge skating rink. “But the real issue is information. The Park District’s a dinosaur in terms of accountability. They have to realize this is an age of accountability–it’s time the Park District opens up.”
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They cite last summer’s ill-advised proposal or plan (depending on who’s telling the story) to build a truck storage building behind McFetridge along a relatively scenic stretch of the Chicago River. According to its critics, the district botched every aspect of the matter, conceiving it in secrecy and presenting it as a done deal. Only after opposition developed from 33rd Ward alderman Richard Mell did Claypool back off, leading some critics to conclude that the Park District is run by bullies who kick around the public and kowtow to powerful politicians.
“We met with the north-side region head and he told us, ‘Forget it, it’s a done deal.’ They even had a design plan for it. He said it had to happen because the Wrightwood garage, where they store a lot of their trucks, was falling down. And they had demolished another garage they had on the lakefront. We went to Mell and he said no way. And that was the end of that.”
In particular, they wanted a copy of a report on McFetridge’s finances and operations supposedly prepared for Claypool by Unico, a private company that oversees several district ice-skating rinks. (Unico does not oversee McFetridge, which is run by district employees.)
According to Nora Moreno, the district’s chief spokeswoman, Claypool never “planned” to put the trade buildings at McFetridge–“It was only a proposal.” He moved the rink from Waveland at the insistence of the public–“First they say move it, then when we move it they complain. What’s their beef?” There is no McFetridge report–“We don’t know what in the world they’re talking about. Unico made a series of recommendations orally to Claypool, but no matter how many times we tell them that they keep asking for the ‘report.’” And if Donoghue feels some Park District officials think he’s a little weird, it’s probably because most of them do–“The guy’s a big pain in the neck. It’s a full-time job answering his questions.”
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): Nancy Maksomowicz photo by Jon Randolph.
