Friends of Eckhart Park will bring neighbors together at a happy hour Nov. 5 at Bow & Stern Oyster Bar, 1371 W. Chicago Ave. The event features oysters, appetizers and a silent auction to raise some funds for Eckhart Park's fitness center. For more information, visit the event's SquareUp page .

Building on previous surveys , the Polish Triangle Coalition is aligning community input with upcoming Blue Line renovations and public space improvements coming to the Ashland-Division-Milwaukee area over the next two years. Results of this poll will be posted on the Polish Triangle Coalition website in early November. Take the Polish Triangle Design + Development survey

Will a young Division Street pub crawl behave like a grownup? Chicago Christmas Crawl, slated for Dec. 13, gets an early test Monday: a membership vote at the East Village Association 7pm meeting. Candidates for alderman also will address EVA. Andrew Hamilton (1st Ward) and Steve Niketopoulos (2nd Ward) will speak Monday, with others to follow before the Feb. 24 city election. EVA also is organizing a candidates' debate with neighboring groups. There'll also be an update on Polish Triangle developments for Division Street, including the CTA's Blue Line renovation plans. The Christmas Crawl's modeled after Wrigleyville's large and rowdy Twelve Bars of Christmas, known for mass consumption of alcohol and breakfast cereal, sometimes at once . Crawl organizer Jess Loren, a former TBOC promoter, will field questions before the vote at Happy Village, 1059 N. Wolcott Ave. Loren tells RedEye it's aimed at an older, over-25 crowd. The Division Street e...

East Village Association board minutes for Sept. 15, 2014, submitted by Catherine Garypie COUNCIL OF ASSOCIATIONS The council's organizing aldermanic debates for the 1st & 2nd wards. Format: Moderator (possibly moderator from last Ukrainian Village Neighborhood Association debates) Submit questions in advance to screen repetitive questions Same question for each candidate Time limit for candidates to answer Have candidates provide a personal statement in advance (post them, hand them out to crowd) Question ideas include public safety, zoning, planning, education President Neal McKnight has reached out to Wells High School. Another possible location is the theater at Northwest Settlement House.

East Village Association minutes for Sept. 8, 2014, submitted by Catherine Garypie WEST TOWN ALDERMANIC DEBATES FOR 1st & 2nd Ward Membership consensus: It's a good idea. Chicago Grand Neighbors Association , Wicker Park Committee and Ukrainian Village Neighborhood Association (Niketopolous is recusing himself since he's running) are likely to work with EVA. Discussion on dates: Best time believed to be end of February 2015 for two debates (one for each Ward), one week apart, maybe at Wells High School. Some controlled questions will be used. Questions in advance could be solicited from each neighborhood association. Petitions are due on Nov. 24. Some candidates may drop out. President Neal McKnight will work on the logistics. EVA also will invite aldermanic candidates to speak for 10 to 15 minutes at upcoming meetings starting in October, two candidates each month.

Ald. Proco Joe Moreno will support zoning changes for a 59-unit apartment building at 1822-50 W. Chicago Ave. Current zoning allows 39 apartments. The project's in the City Council's Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards committee, and is expected to come before the Plan Commission this fall. East Village Association members voted against the zoning changes on May 5. A letter to the alderman notes members' objections, and efforts to develop the property as an extension of Commercial Park . The developer is being allowed to "buy out" of two of the six affordable units that would be required with this zoning change. It appears that Moreno will require Fifield to build four of the six apartments, but simultaneously allowed the developer to reduce a pledged contribution to Commercial Park from $200,000 to $100,000.