Please join us and LifeStorage River North for our next community meeting on Thursday, September 19th from 5:30-7:30pm. In the heart of River North, LifeStorage is conveniently located at 333 West Ohio St. on the corner of Ohio and Orleans Streets. Enjoy complimentary drinks and food provided by Bull & Bear while socializing with your neighbors and learning what’s going on in River North. We will be honoring our local charities: Gilda’s Club, Anti-Cruelty Society, Friends of the Park, Immerman’s Angels, Open Books. We hope to see all of our wonderful Taste of River North volunteers. This is a free event for all those who live and work in River North.

The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) will close the Grand Avenue Bridge over the North Branch of the Chicago River this weekend in order to paint and make repairs to the structure.

The bridge will again be closed starting at 9:00 p.m., Friday, September 20th through 5:00 a.m., Monday, September 23rd for additional repairs.

Automobile, bicycle and pedestrian traffic will detoured around the bridge via Halsted Street, Chicago Avenue and LaSalle Street for both closures. Bus traffic will be rerouted via Halsted, Chicago and Kingsbury.
For more information.

Grassroots Effort Defeated Costly Sprinkler Mandate; Benchmarking Ordinance Latest Threat
At the July 24, 2013 City Council meeting, Alderman Reilly and 11 of his colleagues delayed the vote on the Emanuel Administration’s “Building Energy Use Benchmarking” ordinance that would require all commercial and residential buildings over 50,000 square feet to provide energy consumption data to the City of Chicago on an annual basis. The proposal requires each building’s data to be posted on a public website; and each building’s energy consumption would be rated and assigned a performance score.
Alderman Reilly does not support the proposed ordinance in its current form, as it could impose a costly mandate on condominium owners in the 42nd Ward and across the City of Chicago. A champion of several innovative energy efficiency and demand management programs already underway in downtown Chicago’s 42nd Ward, Alderman Reilly supports the concept of “energy benchmarking.” Benchmarking can be a powerful tool to help accelerate the market for energy efficiency, when scaled and implemented properly.
However, Alderman Reilly will continue to oppose the “Building Energy Use Benchmarking” ordinance until it is amended to:
(1) prevent the further marginalization of older buildings in the local real estate market; and (2) better shield condominium and co-op owners from the financial burden of costly mandates associated with the ordinance.
This ordinance will be voted on at the next City Council Meeting on Wednesday, September 11, 2013. Because the ordinance was deferred at the last City Council meeting it cannot be deferred again and there will be no debate allowed on this proposal – only a simple roll call vote of aldermen.
Alderman Reilly hopes that, with your help, we can work collaboratively with Mayor Emanuel to craft a more responsible and reasonable Energy Use Benchmarking ordinance that provides property owners with the valuable data they need to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings without burdening them with additional costly government mandates and exorbitant building retro-fit costs.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP?
Respectfully share your concerns with the Emanuel Administration and request an opportunity to make minor, reasonable changes to the proposal that would protect condominium and co-op owners from additional costly mandates.To contact the Mayor, e-mail:

letterforthemayor@cityofchicago.org and cc: mayor.emanuel@cityofchicago.org
You can also send letters to: Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Mayor’s Office – City Hall, Room 500, 121 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60602. If you wish to use social media to register your objections, you can post them via Twitter: @chicagosmayor or on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoMayorsOffice.

For information about the next City Council Meeting on September 11, 2013 click here.

Chicago Public Schools’ first day of school is Monday, August 26th – one week ahead of the traditional post-Labor Day start. The public school for most of River North children is The Ogden International School of Chicago.Parents should visit their school and/or visit www.cps.edu/B2S, or call the back-to-school hotline at (773) 553-3CPS (3277) for additional information.

Four Star Bike & Chow Bicycle Ride

This Sunday, August 25th, the Active Transportation Alliance holds their Four Star Bike & Chow ride through streets in the 42nd Ward.
Four different route options (12-, 22-, 35- or 62-mile) all start from UIC and head north through the Loop past Merchandise Mart through River North, Near North and Dearborn Street. Select routes will make their way back south along the Kinzie Bike Lane and Dearborn Bike Lane.
Note: All streets along this bike ride will remain open for vehicular traffic.
For detailed route information, please click here

The BEST Live music, the BEST Restaurants, the BEST artists and merchants were all on hand at our 12th Annual Taste of River North! Thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors and volunteers. And a BIG thank you to our Executive Committee for putting it all together with the support of Ravenswood Events. Stay tuned for more pictures capturing ALL the fun at this year’s Taste. Hosted by your River North Residents Association.

We hope to see you next year!

DIVVY Bike

The City of Chicago’s new bike sharing program arrives in River North with sharing station installations all around the neighborhood. The Divvy program is set to begin on June 28th. Annual memberships to Divvy cost between $75 to $125. each. The memberships will allow for unlimited uses of up to 30 minutes. Overtime charges will apply after 30 minutes. Daily passes will cost $7 for 30 minutes. For more info, please go to www.divvybikes.com.

On July 24th, River North Alderman Brendan Reilly was joined by 11 of his colleagues when he employed a procedural tactic in the City Council Rules (called “Defer and Publish”) to delay a full City Council vote on “Building Energy Use Benchmarking” ordinance until the next City Council Meeting scheduled for September 11, 2013.

Mayor Emanuel’s proposed “Building Energy Use Benchmarking” ordinance would require all commercial and residential buildings over 50,000 square feet to provide their energy consumption data to the City of Chicago on an annual basis.  The proposal would require each building’s energy consumption data to be posted on a public website; and each building’s energy consumption would be rated and assigned an energy performance score.

Alderman Reilly hopes with help from residents, “we can work cooperatively with Mayor Emanuel to craft a responsible Energy Use Benchmarking ordinance that provides property owners with the valuable data they need to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings, without burdening them with additional costly government mandates.”

To share your concerns with Mayor Emanuel and request an opportunity to make reasonable changes to the proposal that would protect condominium and co-op owners from additional costly mandates, e-mail: letterforthemayor@cityofchicago.org

and cc: mayor.emanuel@cityofchicago.org. For more information about the proposed ordinance, please visit the Alderman Reilly’s “virtual office” at  www.ward42chicago.com.

Free Family Fun Festivals begin every Wednesday from June 12 through August 18th at 10 am in Millenium Park. These annual summer events for children features educational activities, arts and crafts and games. Children interested in music can enjoy The Wiggleworms at 10 a.m. everyday, which features Old Town School of Folk Music instructors who lead children in a sing-a-long and reading circle. Each week features a different theme hosted by museums and organizations throughout the city (themes TBA).  The park is located at 201 E. Randolph St. Millennium Park

Read more at Chicago Metromix.