By Stephanie Flinchbaugh Great events this spring at the West Town Branch Library include a special local history presentation from the folks at Forgotten Chicago. Also, don't forget about Mom: the Letter Writer's Alliance will be with us in early May to help craft cards for Mother's Day. Money Smart Week: First-time homebuyers Join us at 2pm Saturday, April 5 at 1625 W. Chicago Ave. as we kick off Money Smart Week Chicago . Participants will learn about the homebuying process and requirements for ownership, including budget preparation, credit management, documentation and the actual costs of owning & maintaining property.

East Village Association board meeting minutes, March 10, 2014 Submitted by Catherine Garypie Fifield Cos., 1822-50 W. Chicago Ave. Steven Fifield made a presentation to the board on his current development plan. He's seeking a "no objection letter" for his zoning package, and wants to go before the full EVA membership April 7. Details include the following: Rental only, not condo. 4 stories, frame construction, parking behind building. Floor 1 is commercial, floors 2-4 residential. 59 units: 40% studios & 1-bedroom, 60% 2- and 3 bedroom. Likely 1st floor commercial tenants are: daycare to the west, restaurant to the east. 2 shallow storefronts not yet filled. Flexible on how to direct traffic to parking. Suspects that Zoning Commission will not require 1:1 parking because of the number of studios & 1-bedrooms. 5-6 ft of green wall between the building and the park. May replace sidewalk & alley surface depending upon condition. Leasing agent ...

Epic Spices, 1725 W. Chicago Ave. East Village Association membership meeting minutes, March 3, 2014 Submitted by Meghan Quinn Business Minute: Epic Spices, 1725 W. Chicago Ave. Owner Steven Tobiason lives in the neighborhood and has formal culinary training. He trained in the spice industry for 14 years and can duplicate spice from taste. He acquires products from all over the world and processes them in house, giving his customers maximum freshness. Since there are so few people involved in the process, he is able to keep prices surprisingly low. Tobiason also provides spices for many high-end restaurants in the area, such as Girl & the Goat and Nico Osteria. The store is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11am to 7pm, and Tobiason welcomes neighbors to stop in and chat. Members attending the meeting touted the exceptional quality of Steven’s products and mentioned that he also sells ready-made spice mixtures for easy dinner preparation.

Guest speaker for Monday's meeting is Matthew Sharp, who's leading Friends of Wells. The new group plans to connect students to West Town businesses for vocational apprenticeships by this fall. It has Wells administration support and is looking for ways to to work with EVA. There will also be a presentation on revised plans for the Forbidden Root brewpub, and a new-business introduction from Epic Spices , 1725 W. Chicago Ave.

East Village Association members will vote Monday, March 3 for the group's president, vice president, treasurer and secretary. Additional nominations will be accepted before the vote. Meet your neighbors and take part at 7pm in the Happy Village, 1959 N. Wolcott Ave. These people have volunteered for this year's EVA board of directors. Neal McKnight, president – McKnight has led EVA for the past year after co-chairing its Planning, Preservation & Development committee. The longtime resident of Chicago is active in a number of civic activities, and is a founding partner of the law firm McKnight, Kitzinger, McCarty & Pravdic. McKnight's practice focuses on insurance coverage disputes and commercial litigation. This background provides him with a unique understanding of Chicago’s diverse communities and the culture of Chicago’s legal community. The Tulane University law graduate is a member of the Illinois bar, the trial bar for United States District Court for th...