By Joe Hunnewinkel Ald. Scott Waguespack covered a lot of ground as the May 6 guest speaker for the East Village Association:
32nd Ward infrastructure. Waguespack noted that since his election in April 2007, he has issued guidelines for new constructiond an proposed garage construction rules to improve alley conditions. The greatest improvements in road issues have been in the last 6 months, he said.Olympics pre-planning. How will expansion affect neighborhoods and park lands? Waguespack said he supports Chicago's 2016 Olympics bid only if land use is carefully planned for future use.Digital billboards. Waguespack proposed limits to keep the signs from becoming a nuisance to residents.920 N. Winchester. This building has been vacant for 20 years. The city cited the owner and discovered he owns many other abandoned properties.Landmark issues. Waguespack feels contractors are ignoring landmark protections in his ward and that the stop-work orders that enforce them are being ignored. Homeowners are not educated properly on what builders can and cannot do. The city's landmarks department is extremely understaffed and not empowered to address many violations.Green building. First Ward Ald. Manuel Flores requires new construction to follow city Green Homes program and believes the city should offer permit incentives for sustainable development. But his neighboring alderman feels many zoning concessions will be made to contractors who agree to follow guidelines. (Also at this meeting, Greg Nagel reported on a meeting with Flores and a group of contractors regarding green building and landmark issues.)Zoning. Future population expansion and current underused spaces are among Waguespack's concerns. He hopes to push for revitalization of the city's industrial corridors in the hope that more jobs can be created.Chicago Children's Museum. Waguespack opposes moving the museum to Millennium Park from Navy Pier. He feels that green space needs to be preserved.
By Joe Hunnewinkel 
