Friends Of Meigs Field Wows Chicago Budget Hearings

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has a problem. The man who bulldozed Meigs Field earlier this year with the intention of turning the lakeside airport into a park doesn't have enough money to pay for the pet project.

Awwww.

To do so means increasing mooring fees along Lake Michigan and increasing local property taxes to fund the Parks Department.

Enter the Friends of Meigs Field (FOM). They're here to help. The group presented its proposal, “Parks and Planes,” at the Chicago Park District board budget hearings Thursday, following up with a request to aviation enthusiasts everywhere to express their support through a special message to the board, accessed from its website. FOM wants to combine a re-opened airport with new parkland—the Bessie Coleman Skypark—and a new Chicago Air Museum. 

 
The proposal includes tens of millions of dollars in federal aviation funding that could be used for improving other parks in the system. The cash-strapped park district faces a $30 million deficit and proposes tax and fee increases along with spending cuts to make up the difference. FOM estimates that their proposal could bring in at least $41 million and as much as $139 million or more for city parks.

The park board gave FOM a full 15 minutes for their presentation. Most speakers were limited to between 2 and 5 minutes. Group president Rachel Goodstein and chairman Steve Whitney made the presentation, complete will full-color illustrations, receiving loud applause at the end of their remarks. The park commissioners listened attentively to the presentation, some even appearing to nod in understanding or approval. A significant number of the other speakers also praised the plan, each receiving loud ovations. The few opponents were greeted with silence from the crowd.

The Friends of Meigs urges all aviation supporters to visit their website, in the coming days and compose a message of support for the plan on the site’s automatic “Send a Message to the Chicago Park District” form. Next Wednesday, December 17, while the world celebrates the centennial of powered flight, the park board will vote on the proposed budget. A vote for the present budget—one that excludes re-opening Meigs—would not kill the proposal, but would not move it forward.

FMI: www.friendsofmeigs.org