Campaigns | Park Facilities | Celotex | Coverage - Events - Research
 Celotex clean-up site tour with Caroline
LVEJO's new Celotex Organizer is Selene Gonzalez. |
Celotex Land Clean-up Campaign |
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| LVEJO and the Open Space Campaign would like to thank Lorena Lopez and Mauricio Roman for their work on the Celotex Campaign over the last three years. Without their work and dedication this campaign would not be where it is today. |
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LVEJO would like to thank the owner of Jesse’s Flower Shop: Flowers and More...on 25th and Christiana (Victoria) for the donation of a beautiful bouquet of flowers. These flower have been given to the owner of Sacramento Corp as a gesture of good fate in our campaign for a park to be built on the Celotex site. |
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Friends of the Parks
Day Camp Scholarship and Other Grant Opportunities PARKWAYS FOUNDATION PROVIDES OVER $200,000 FOR CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT DAY CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Parents Can Confirm Eligibility March 18 & 20 at 9 Citywide Locations Release Date: 03/10/10 Thanks to a grant of over $200,000 from Parkways Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Chicago Park District, eligible Chicagofamilies will receive scholarships for the popular summer day camp program. The grant will allow the Chicago Park District to subsidize eligible children at a rate of 50% or 75% of the cost to attend the six-week long session. "Few of us remain unaffected by this difficult economy," said Chicago Park District General Superintendent and CEO Tim Mitchell. "As a result, many families must eliminate the expense of summer programs in order to afford their basic needs. This scholarship will help eligible families participate in day camp at a fraction of the cost." To apply for a scholarship, families must show proof of participation in the federal free or reduced-lunch program. Families who do not participate in the federal lunch program can submit their most recent federal 1040 tax form and copies of their pay stubs for the last 30 days, or their AFDC/TANF case number, as proof of income. The information submitted is confidential and may not be a matter of the public record of the Chicago Park District. Scholarship awards are only available to City of Chicago residents. Applicants must have current proof of residency such as a driver's license,state identification card, Medicaid card, rental lease, mortgage statement or utility bill. On Thursday, March 18 from 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. and Saturday, March 20 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m., parents can submit required paperwork to see if they qualify at designated "scholarship processing centers" at nine citywide parks. Applicants must bring copies of documents listed above to one of the following processing sites:
| Fosco Park 1312 S. Racine Ave. 312.746.5086 Columbus Park 500 S. Central Ave. 773.287.7641 McKinley Park 2210 W. Pershing Rd. 312.747.6527 White (Willye B.) Park 1610 W. Howard St. 773.262.5051 Mozart Park 2036 N. Avers St. 312.742.7535 |
Portage Park 4100 N. Long Ave. 773.685.7235 Marquette Park 6734 S. Kedzie Ave. 312.747.6469 Washington Park 5531 S. Martin Luther King Dr. 773.256.1248 Tuley Park 501 E. 90th Pl. 312.747.6763 |
If approved, parents can apply their scholarship at any Chicago Park District day camp location pending availability. Scholarship award approval does not guarantee a slot(s) in the day camp programs applicants specify on their scholarship form. The applicant is responsible for registering in-person at the related park(s) for the programs. In-person registration begins on Saturday, April 24 at most parks. To receive the scholarship award, the applicant's copy of the approved scholarship form must be presented to the park(s) when registering. Scholarship award usage is only available for in- person registration. It is not available for on-line registration. Deferred scholarship awards are limited and subject to availability, without regard to race, color, nationality, religion, gender, age, or disability. Patrons that do not qualify for the scholarship program can participate in the "payment plan" option that is only offered when registering in-person. It is not available for on-line registration. .A minimum of 50% of all camp fees are due at the time of registration. In-person registration begins at the parks Saturday, April 24. .The final balance due must be paid in full by June 14, 2010. .A 15% charge will be applied to all refund requests. Refunds will not be issued once camps have started. For more information, call the scholarship information line at 312.742.5734. Parents can start planning for summer by viewing summer day camp and program offerings beginning Monday, April 5 on-line. Each summer, the Chicago Park District provides more than 30,000 campers ages 6-12 with a season of supervised activity at more than 200 local parks. Standard day camps are six-week sessions running June 28 - Aug. 6. ABOUT THE CHICAGO PARK DISTRICT For more information about the Chicago Park District's more than 7,600 acres of parkland, 570 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, 10 museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, nearly 50 natural areas, thousands of special events, sports and entertaining programs, please visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com or contact the Chicago Park District at 312/742.PLAY or 312/747.2001 (TTY). ABOUT PARKWAYS FOUNDATION Parkways Foundation invests in Chicago's parks to enrich communities through historic preservation, environmental initiatives, capital projects and youth/family programs. Parkways is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to working with the Chicago Park District in a true public/private partnership. * Contact Phone: 312.742.7529 * Publication Date: 03/10/10 Join Our Mailing List
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(Open Space Display; Elvia and Martha at the Gallery; Eliseo y Jaime at the Volunteer Dedication Wall; Young men participating in the model activity )
This past weekend LVEJO’s Open Space took the Celotex Campaign on the road! In an all weekend event, along with artists from all over little Village, we had an educational exhibition aimed at recognizing our dedicated volunteers and fostering more awareness about our campaign. All of the objectives were meet along with a delightful array of networking that took place both days. Special thanks is being extended to the DePaul interns and LVEJO youth who volunteered their time to make the event run as smooth as possible.
Click on pictures for larger images
Community Meeting with Alderman George Cardenas
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(Community Meeting With Alderman Cardenas; Community Meeting With Alderman Cardenas II |
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(Javier, Benny, Elvia, Gerardo and Alderman Cardenas; Christian, Martha and Alderman Cardenas ) |
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The volunteers of Celotex and LVEJO would like to extend a sentiment of gratitude to Alderman George Cardenas, his assistant Juan Manzano, and Rocco Markese from streets and Sanitation, for attending a community meeting on the 3rd of October. During the meeting many members of the community from the 12th ward were able to ask individual questions, to which Alderman Cardenas was gracious enough to answer. If you would like to attend a future Open Space community meetings please call 773-769-6991 and ask for Selene Gonzalez.
Click on the above pictures for larger images.
© 2009 All Rights Reserved
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From: Jay Dunn [mailto:jay@jaydunn.com] excerpted... "Little Village Justice" new Jay Dunn FEATURE in "HOY" newspaper MON 9.14 View the slideshow: http://pa.photoshelter.com/gallery-slideshow/G0000hcJvWXYv6Uo/ <<< Click on Hoy image for full sized front page. |
The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, headquartered in a predominantly Mexican-American neighborhood of Chicago, campaigns not only against pollution but for clean power, park facilities, urban agriculture, and restoring public transit. Persistent grass-roots lobbying over the course of ten years for the conversion of the Celotex clean-up site into a much-needed park has kept the issue front-and-center for local politicians and residents alike. LVEJO's staff and volunteers make significant outreach and education efforts, and it is a fact that many of their most eloquent spoke-persons are teenagers – committed, passionate, and involved.
"La lucha por justicia corre por mis venas, corazon acelerrado con el ritmo de mi gentes" Para <http://pa.photoshelter.com/gallery-slideshow/G0000hcJvWXYv6Uo/> exposicion clique aqui << YAOTL (jóvenes activistas que organizan como líderes actuales) un foto-ensayo en el periodico “HOY” por Jay Dunn “La Organizacion de Justicia Ambiental de La Villita” con sede en un vecindario predominantemente mexicano norteamericano de Chicago, las campañas no sólo contra contaminación pero para el poder limpio, facilidades de parque, la agricultura urbana, y restauran tránsito público. El cabildeo básico persistente sobre el curso de diez años para la conversión del sitio de limpieza de Celotex en un mucho debía estacionar ha mantenido la frente de asunto y central para políticos y residentes locales semejantes. El personal de LVEJO y voluntarios hacen los esfuerzos significativos de alcance y educación, y son un hecho que muchas de sus habló-personas más elocuentes son adolescentes – cometidos, apasionado, e implicados. http://www.jaydunn.com/ http://jdunnphotojournalist.typepad.com
Photo-Features in "HOY" CONTACT: 1-773-817-0547
Celotex Update Continued:LVEJO would like to thank Perkins + Will and their amazing architects who donated their time and talent to work with members of YAOTL and community youth on the design of the proposed Celotex Sk8 Park. Thank you for making our vision a reality on paper and we look forward to making it a reality to skate on. Jeffery W. Saad, Daniel Ferrario, and Gelacio Arias | Kimberly Wasserman - Coordinator
September 5th
There was a community meeting for the Celotex campaign held on September 5th in Little Village. The meeting welcomed a presentation by a student and teacher from the School of Art Institute in Chicago as they offered the community members a model to aid the Celotex Campaign. Everyone in LVEJO as
well as the Celotex volunteers would like to thank Daniel Whiteneck and Brendan Post for their hard work and dedication to our cause as well as Ellen Grimes. If you would like to attend a Celotex community meeting, contact Selene Gonzalez at openspace@lvejo.org or call 773-762-6991.September 3rd
On Thursday September 3rd, 2009 a dedicated group of 10 Celotex volunteers attended their second court hearing on the case involving the property of 2800 S Sacramento where residents would like a park to be built. The Celotex volunteers arrived at court at 10a.m. sharp equipped with signatures from the
community demanding a speedy judicial process from both the city and Mrs. Urso’s lawyers. Currently, the lawyers are working on scheduling expert witnesses and project a trial sometime in February. If you are interested in attending the next court hearing or volunteering with the OpenSpace campaign,
please get in contact with Selene Gonzalez at openspace@lvejo.org or call at 773-762-6991July 22nd On July 22nd, Open Space Leaders hosted a press conference and rally at Daley Plaza to demand the owners of Sacramento Corp. sell the property at a fair price and that the city move swiftly in acquiring the land to build a park. Testimony was provided by campaign leaders, community members and organizers.
Sat. August 22nd, the Celotex campaign leaders hosted there campaign meeting to discuss campaign updates, change in organizer and plan future actions. Current actions include a active letter campaign and monthly downtown action.
If you are interested in participating please contact Selene at openspace@lvejo.org or at 773.762.6991.
5 shots for the open space campaign
These are pictures from the action that LVEJO held Saturday 06-12-09
The Little Village Residents, especially the Celotex residents are fed up and angry over the greed of the owner of Sacramento Corp and the City’s reluctance to act in the matter. In this event, the community members were informing the truckers of the owners illegal business.
LVEJO and the open space campaign
LVEJO and the open space campaign have been working towards creating more open space in the community. In working on the 31st and Kedzie site with community members a design was created from the community survey conducted by LVEJO organizers Lorena Lopez, Mauricio Roman and youth leaders as well as charettes hosted throughout the community with other organizations.
A volunteer architect designed this LEED building based on these ideas and a model prototype built. We invite the Chicago Park District to move forward with the idea of a sports facility on this corner that would be open 365 days a year and free to community members. The location is centrally located and ideal for a city wide facility.
Press Release: USEPA ignores Massive Contamination
on
the new Planned Park Site in Little Village.
Download Cleotex Protest flyer | Download Hands United for a flyer Park! (as PDFs)
Little Village Environmental Justice Organization joins community members and local representatives to demand a proper Clean Up of the Celotex Superfund Site on Saturday March 15, 2008 at 11:00 p.m. at the corner of 31st and Albany.
Saturday March 15, 2008 at the Celotex Site, w we will meet on e 31st and Albany Albany. Little Village Community Members, Elected Representatives, the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) and students from the community and around the City of Chicago will protest outside the Celotex Site to demand a proper clean up of the 24 acre USEPA toxic Superfund site. The former Asphalt Factory will be converted into a public park. The event will begin at 11:00 AM.
Little Village, a neighborhood of 95,000 residents, has been fighting for a park for over 10 years. On June 2, 2007 the City of Chicago and Chicago Park District announced they would build a park on the Celotex Superfund toxic waste site on 28th and Sacramento. “The Little Village Community is glad the City of Chicago and Park District have finally decided on a park site,” said Lorena Lopez, LVEJO Community Organizer. “However, we will not accept a park that could put our health and environment at risk.” We want a proper cap on the site, not just gravel that both was dumped with no oversight for its proposed use and that the EPA knows is not a proper cap for PAH’s. We need a park for the community that will be safe and used to its full capacity, by having the site at street level and properly capped to protect human health.
Community leaders point to a series of dangers posed by not cleaning up the cancer-causing polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) hotspots at Celotex, and possible solutions:
• The Celotex site preliminary hazardous risk score to qualify for the National Priority List’s cleanup of
contamination ranks higher than any site in the United States: of 703 sites listed when the U.S. EPA last
categorized Superfund sites.
• Surrounding Homes that have been contaminated for over 88 years by PAH’s, were cleaned up in 2007-2008
and run the risk of re-contamination with the site not being brought down to street level and capped.
• Cleaning the Celotex site and surrounding neighborhood is feasible. Barrie Park, a similar Superfund site in
Oak Park, IL, was recently cleaned up to Illinois EPA park & residential standards.
• Cleanup of the Celotex site in Little Village is affordable and will take less then $50 million, which the USEPA
is NOT enforcing.
The USEPA heard from Community members in a public meeting 10 years ago that the site should be remediated for public use. Those plans have remained the same yet the USEPA is ignoring both our health and the environment. Community members fought to enforce and won full residential Remediation without any support from the USEPA. Now we are once again fighting the Agency that is suppose to protect our human health, the USEPA is claiming that gravel dumped, with no Agency supervision is safe enough for our community. . The U.S. E.P.A. has publicly stated that the site will only be, “Tweaked from Industrial Standards and given to the City of Chicago for a park.” The intervention and negotiation by the U.S. E.P.A have been grossly negligent.
The USEPA recently stated “they are waiting for the City of Chicago to purchase the property before requesting a final report”. This is a perfect example of the USEPA’s gross neglect of the primarily Mexican community of Little Village and of environmental racism. This is a historic trend by corporations to avoid cleanup in low income and minority communities.
The Little Village community demands that the entire site be cleaned up properly to street level, homes should not run the risk of being re-contaminated, and this would allow the park to have much need accommodations such as a field house, swimming pool, gym, and other facilities. This plan should be demanded now before the City acquires the property to ensure the responsible party pays for the cost and not the City of Chicago tax payers. Don’t band aid the Celotex site, clean and cap it and help protect our health.
Download Cleotex Protest flyer here as PDF
Download Hands United for a flyer here as PDF
Park!
LVEJO hosts Larry Lohman with 4 pictures
Click on any thumbnail image for a larger view
Clean-up of Homes has continued with Removal and Restoration Phases:
 |  Download full sized map (1.6 MB) Download med. resolution jpeg (104 KB) |  |
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Prior to removal action  South Troy Street - Property 1 |
Following removal action South Troy Street - Property 1 |
 South Troy Street - Property 2 |
 South Troy Street - Property 2 |
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 South Troy Street - Property 3 |
 South Troy Street - Property 3 |
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| ...and more hands-on Community Restoration | |||
Thanks to the communities hard work in organizing and negotiating with the United States Environmental Protection Agency the clean up of homes has begun. We continue to fight to get the mains its cleaned up.
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In July of 2007 LVEJO worked with youth from the Little Village Lawndale High School Summer Program. During there four class partnership LVEJO community organizers and Youth hosted the students on a youth lead Community Asset Toxic Tour. Class work and discussion was followed with workshops specifically on charretts. Students from both LVLHS and LVEJO learned how to host charrettes, in this case specifically around the Celotex park Campaign. All the students agreed that the park should be build on clean and safe land. Two weeks after, LVLHS students hosted a charrette at the HS that was open to community members. Throughout the summer, LVEJO youth worked with Lorena Lopez, Celotex Organizer to host charretts in the community.
The French word, "charrette" means "cart" and is often used to describe the
final, intense work effort expended by art and architecture students to meet a
project deadline. This use of the term is said to originate from the École des
Beaux Arts in Paris during the 19th century, where proctors circulated a cart,
or “charrette”, to collect final drawings while students frantically put finishing touches on their work.
LVEJO charrette works with community members, planners and city officials in a creative and intense workshop. This allows for a planning process that is a collaboration that taps into the talents and skills of the community and allows
for true community planning.
Celotex brochure in English and Spanish (Word docs.)
Flyer for 5.23.06 Madero Event
The Celotex site is a “Federal Government United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Superfund site: which means it has dangerous chemicals to humans and the environment”
The USEPA and Honeywell have been working to clean up the Celotex site and the neighbors’ yards for 13 years and so far HAVE DONE NOTHING!
The USEPA has held only 1 “public meeting” to discuss their proposed “clean-up plan”. The meeting was held at West Side Tech in October, 2004: OUTSIDE of the Little Village neighborhood, WITHOUT TELLING the Celotex neighbors or Little Village schools, churches or community based organizations about the meeting
In 13 years Honeywell has failed to put up a secure fence to keep children from playing on the Celotex site
Celotex makes $28.9 BILLION per year. It will cost $50 million to clean up Celotex: that’s how much Honeywell makes in 17 HOURS!†
Celotex neighbors and LVEJO won 2 victories this year 1. By getting Honeywell to agree to put up a secure fence in May, 2006 2. to have Honeywell test the soil in ALL 154 houses that are in the Celotex area (26th St to 31st St and Kedzie to Sacramento)
This is the Cleanup WE DEMAND:
† Dig Up & Get Rid of ALL the toxic soil on ALL 24 acres of Celotex: make it safe for a park
† The level of Celotex should be the same as the street, not 6 feet above it
† Test the front/backyards of all 154 homes in the Celotex Area the right way for PAH’s
† Clean up the front and back yards of any of the 154 homes that have high PAH levels
Cleanup for Honeywell is
-Leave the 24 acre Celotex site as it is (with 3 feet of gravel on the top). This is not a cleanup.
-Only clean up certain homes with their “SAFE” levels of contamination. This is still contaminated!
The cost of digging up the contaminated soil and replacing it with clean soil of 48 homes that have high PAH levels would cost $1.3 Million.
Honeywell makes that much money in 23.7 MINUTES!
For general information please email us here.
Campaigns | Park Facilities | Celotex | Coverage - Events - Research
Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO) /|
La Organización de Justicia Ambiental de la Villita
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