Chandler Users are Evanston Wide

Submitted by Jim Hughes on Mon, 06/20/2011 - 02:36

On May 16, City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz spoke at a Special City Council Meeting on the 2012 budget.  He said:

"If you look at our collection of community centers around Evanston, Arts Centers the Ecology Center I think that the Chandler/Newberger Community Center is the one that has the least connected mission with the community.”

On June 16 at a 7th Ward meeting, data compiled by Evanston Parks and Recreation staff about Chandler-Newberger Center users residing in Evanston was distributed. 

There are hundreds of Chandler users in every ward of the city.

 

Click 'Read more' below to see the data and read about Families for Chandler-Newberger:

 

 Chandler-Newberger Community Center Users 2008-2011

 Ward    Users       %

  1          202        5.1
  2          401      10.1
  3          467      11.7
  4          401      10.1
  5          284        7.1
  6          783      19.7
  7          643      16.1
  8          367        9.2
  9          435      10.9
TOTAL* 3983     100.0

 * Please note these figures do not include daily users for drop-in programs, rental users, or league spectators

Here is the map:

 

(Click on the map to download a larger version)

 At the meeting, Families for Chandler Newberger distributed a flyer identifying concerns about the City Managers plans.  These included:

 

Chandler-Newberger participant fees currently cover 93% of expenditures.  If the city can no longer afford this support, the community must explore all feasible options to reduce CNC's reliance on this small subsidy before any consideration is given to closing the facility.

  1. Chandler-Newberger's mission supports critical elements of the City of Evanston's strategic plan.  With almost 8,000 program and camp registrations annually and programs serving children ages birth through adults, Chandler regularly engages Evanston youth and young adults to become active and productive citizens of the Evanston community.
  2. Public gym and recreation space in Evanston is already far too limited to afford the loss of Chandler-Newberger.  As one of only three recreation facility gyms available to our youth through the recreation department, CNC serves an important role in making sure Evanston remains an attractive city for families with children.
  3. Changing the land use of the Chandler-Newberger site would be a short-sighted, irreversible mistake.  Evanston's density and lack of available land virtually ensures that any loss of recreation space on the chandler site would be permanent, resulting in lost recreation programs in the city for generations to come.

Familes for Chandler-Newberger has a new FaceBook page and an email address:

savechandler1028@gmail.com

They ask that if you are interested in saving Chandler-Newberger, that you send your name and email to that address. 

Comments

psanche

Tue, 06/21/2011 - 09:37

First, we should have our city manager explain to us what he means by "least connected mission with the community." Certainly how many people use a city facility is an important consideration. Yet, perhaps the most compelling reason to keep Chandler-Newberger open is that it provides a broad publc good. The Center has a variety of programs for both adults and children. One of the most important measures of a good community or city is whether or not it provides a broad range of activities for its residents. Many people move to Evanston or want to live in Evanston because it isn't just a place to live but a community filled with activities and services, not just restaurants and condos. If we destroy this aspect of our community, to resolve a short-term budget crisis, then we are undermining the character and intrinsic value of our community. From an economic standpoint, selling public property in a depressede maket is folly and only good for those who are able to buy it at bargain prices. And, once public assets are sold, will we ever get them back?