Alderman Reilly is happy to announce than an iconic public art piece, Ginny Sykes’ Rora mosaic, has been fully restored and was reinstalled this week at Erie Terrace located at Erie Street and the Chicago River.

The tile glass mural was commissioned in 1998, as part of the construction of Erie Terrace, through the City of Chicago’s Percent for Art Program. Rora’s consists of three mosaic segments – two horizontal elements on the upper level reflect ecological and natural elements of the Chicago River.  These flank the stairway leading to the lower level, where the circular centerpiece depicts an abstraction of industry and the City, with high-rises, bridges and other urban elements.  The design also reflects the dual nature of the site.

In collaboration with the Chicago Department of Transportation, Department of Cultural Affairs, Wolff Clements and Associates, and Chicago Public Art Group, Rora at Erie Terrace received an Honor Award from the Illinois Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1999.

Shortly after the project was completed, the abutment started cracking, which created breaks in the mosaic and caused the tesserae to fall out.  Repeated repairs were made, but the cracks continued to reopen.  The mosaic was removed in 2011.

Rora has been repaired and mounted to a stable background.  The mosaic now hangs like a painting secured to a wall and will no longer suffer any damage as the infrastructure continues to settle and shift.

RNRA encourages the creation and improvement of public space by acknowledging the owners and managers of properties throughout River North for outstanding achievement in landscape beautification.

As you’re strolling our beautiful neighborhood, take a picture of space you think is worthy of recognition.  Use the link below to submit your nominations!  All nominations must be submitted by September 29.

To nominate your candidates, click here.

Earlier this week, the new Washington/Wabash CTA Station opened – the first new downtown ‘L’ station to open in 20 years!  Featuring a strikingly modern design, the new Washington/Wabash Station serves as the gateway to Chicago’s magnificent Millennium Park, and sits just steps away from historic Jeweler’s Row, the vibrant New Eastside neighborhood, and Michigan Avenue.

For more information about this unique new station, visit: transitchicago.com/washingtonwabash

The NEW My River North mobile app is FREE to RNRA members and provides convenient access to River North news, events, and resources, plus special discount offers at nearly 50 participating local businesses. The app is compatible with virtually any mobile device.

Special discounts are only available to RNRA members. If your building is not yet an RNRA member, talk to your Property Manager about joining today. If your building is already a member, your Property Manager will provide you and your neighbors with an invitation link.

Register for the app here

Donors Charles and Susan Schwartz have announced a MATCHING DONATION CHALLENGE in support of Friends of the Parks!  Through the end of August, any donation you make to Friends of the Parks will be matched by Charles and Susan Schwartz up to $10,000.  Help us meet our $10,000 goal by donating today!  You can double your impact simply by donating to Friends of the Parks today.  Many thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz for their generosity and support.

Congratulations to Daliah Saper!

Daliah made the cut!

Crain’s Chicago just included Daliah Saper on its list of the 60 most influential women lawyers in Chicago, highlighting her “cutting-edge internet and social media law practice.” Check out it out here, or see the full list here.

For more information on Saper Law, click here.

Convenient, easy-to-use transit app allows CTA, Metra and Pace users to pay their fares, manage their account and more

Less than two years after being launched, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra and Pace announced that the Ventra transit app has been downloaded more than 2 million times and used to purchase nearly $250 million in fares.

Providing transit riders with a convenient “one-stop shopping” experience, the Ventra app is the first transit app in the nation allowing customers to pay for rides on multiple transit systems. The free app was developed and launched by the CTA in partnership with Metra, the Chicago area’s commuter rail system, and Pace, the suburban bus system.

“The fact that the Ventra app has been downloaded more than 2 million times in less than two years demonstrates why CTA is leveraging technology to improve the transit experience for our customers,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. “By making transit easier to pay for and more convenient to use, we help encourage people to take advantage of great public transit in the Chicago area.”

The Ventra app, which launched in November 2015, offers a wide range of functionality that helps users pay their fares and manage their accounts. App users are also able to load transit value/passes, buy and display mobile tickets on Metra and receive real-time account notifications when it’s time to purchase new passes or refill their accounts.

“The Ventra app has proven to be extremely popular with Metra customers in such a short time,” said Metra Executive Chairman/CEO Don Orseno. “Already, more than a third of our customers are buying tickets through the app, making it our largest sales channel in terms of ticket sales. We’re pleased to offer such a fast and convenient app for the benefit of our riders.”

The Ventra app also provides access to real-time transit tracker information for CTA, Metra and Pace in one convenient location. Future phases will offer additional services and conveniences.

“The Ventra app has made our transit system easier and more convenient to use,” said Pace Executive Director T.J. Ross. “We’re proud to be a part of the Ventra team and extend our gratitude to everyone who worked to achieve this success.”

The free Ventra app is available for download and use on Apple and Android smartphone and tablet devices via www.ventrachicago.com, the App Store and Google Play.

Residents encouraged to share input during 30-day public comment period.

• Engaging a broad group of community stakeholders willing to act as community liaisons to introduce new police officers to their assigned district
• Developing a systematic process for community input in major policy changes that would impact the Department’s implementation of community policing
• Creating Youth Advisory Councils, representing the diversity of the city, to discuss ways of improving the relationship between youth and the police
• Revising in-service and new-recruit training to incorporate community policing principles into all segments of police curriculum
• Improving coordination between CPD and other City Departments and sister agencies to address neighborhood concerns that impact residents’ sense of safety, security and quality of life
• Leveraging technology to enhance the Department’s ability to implement, monitor and measure community policing

Alderman Reilly is very pleased to announce the installation of pedestrian countdown signals at two key intersections on North Michigan Avenue: at the intersection with Huron Street and the intersection with Ohio Street.

Alderman Reilly requested that the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) review these locations to determine if countdown signals were warranted to improve the pedestrian crossings.

CDOT recommended countdown signals be installed for all directions of pedestrian traffic at the intersections of Michigan and Huron, and Michigan and Ohio.

The Alderman allocated a portion of the Aldermanic Menu to fund these significant neighborhood safety improvements.

• Michigan and Ohio, facing south
• Michigan and Ohio, facing east
• Michigan and Huron, facing east
• Michigan and Huron, facing south

Clean Streets return to River North

We are thrilled to announce the return of our popular weekend street cleaning program. River North Clean Streets, a nonprofit jointly managed by RNRA and RNBA, has partnered with Cleanslate Chicago to help keep our neighborhood cleaner, safer, and more beautiful.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, our friendly, well-trained crews will pick up and dispose all trash, recyclables, and pet waste on one side of each sponsored block. The low weekly cost of just $20 per block is entirely underwritten by responsible local businesses and residents – and best of all, the program provides potentially life-changing support, training, and temporary employment for hardworking interns who are eager to become self-sufficient.

We wish to express our appreciation to our Founding Program Sponsors, Chicago Health, Wintrust Bank and an anonymous donor, as well as our Founding Block Sponsors, Ashford General Insurance Agency, Best Western River North Hotel, Bottled Blonde Chicago, Cushing, Erie-LaSalle Body Shop, Hubbard221, P&W Partners, Sedgwick Development, Sound-bar and Spybar Chicago.

River North Clean Streets is proud to have earned the endorsement of 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly and 18th District Commander Paul Bauer. We’re eager to expand our service area. To learn more about the program and sign up to sponsor a block, please visit us online at RNCleanstreets.org.