RSS feed
|
(Above) A Chicago Water Taxi approaches the Wabash Avenue Bridge on the Chicago River last July. 10-Mar-10 – The president of Wendella Sightseeing Company, which has been operating tour boats and water taxis on the Chicago River for 75 years, says closing the Chicago Lock and Chicago River is “a bad idea,” and the way to fight Asian carp is to over-fish. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying the impact closing the Chicago River to boat traffic would have. Asian carp have been found in the Illinois River, connecting the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan, and the Environmental Protection Agency believes the fish pose a “significant threat” to the Great Lakes eco-system. Asian carp are large, prolific, and hungry. According to the EPA, they can be four feet long, weigh up to 100 pounds, and consume “vast” amounts of food. Researchers believe once the carp reached the Great Lakes, they would disrupt the food chain. Catfish farmers, says the EPA, imported the carp in the 1970s to remove algae and other matter from ponds. When ponds overflowed during floods in the 1990s, the Asian carp made it to the Mississippi River and have been steadily swimming north.
A possible recommendation from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers is to close locks on Illinois waterways, including one near Navy Pier, as many as four days a week. That would affect tour boats and water taxis, hurting companies such as Wendella. “Permanent, temporary or intermittent closure of the Chicago Lock will do nothing to prevent the migration of Asian carp into Lake Michigan,” says Michael Borgstrom, “especially since the Asian carp are more than 45 miles away.” Borgstrom says he has been “deeply involved in this fight” for more than a month. He fears closing the lock would allow biologists to search for the carp using electro-netting – temporarily stunning fish with a mild current – and by using rotenone, a chemical substance poisonous to fish. “Rotenone poisoning,” he says, “would kill all aquatic life in the Chicago River, reversing the decades of work by Friends of the Chicago River and others.” DNA testing of fish would not provide enough clues
“e-DNA testing has indicated the presence of Asian carp...however it does not explain how the DNA got there or how long it has been present. In other words, e-DNA proves nothing.” According to the web site Asian Carp Management, all fish, including Asian carp, release DNA into the environment. Filtering water samples, and then extracting and amplifying short fragments of the DNA that was shed can detect the presence of an individual species. But e-DNA, says Borgstrom, as it is being applied. has not been peer-reviewed or independently vetted. “In an attempt to verify the e-DNA results,” he explains, “the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has been fishing for Asian carp for more than two weeks. No Asian carp were caught and no live carp have been seen within 45 miles” of the Chicago Lock. The answer, he believes, is over-fishing. “Closing the Chicago Lock and the Chicago River is a bad idea. If we want to stop the Asian carp, we need to fish them where we know they are, in the Illinois River.” By over-fishing, it is believed the number of Asian carp could be reduced to an acceptable level. “Fishermen have overfished entire species in the Atlantic and the Pacific. In fact, Asian carp have been overfished in China. I am certain that with a coordinated effort, Asian carp can be eradicated from the area while providing needed jobs and new industries.” Recommendations from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers are expected by April 1. 9-Mar-10 – Hotel Palomar has announced its 260-room hotel on North State Street, two blocks from Marina City, will open on March 24. An adjacent restaurant, run by the same company that is managing the hotel, will open on the same day. A spokesperson for Hotel Palomar says the announcement was made Monday. According to the hotel’s Facebook page, Palomar moved into its space at 505 North State Street over the weekend. “Furniture is being placed, art work is getting hung, and floors are getting polished.” The hotel describes itself as “four-star-caliber” and “art themed.” Interior décor will include images depicting the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World’s Fair.
Construction of the 36-floor, 420,000 square foot building started in early 2008. There had been plans to build a smaller companion to the AMA Building going back to 1990. The project was revived in 2001 and won approval from the Chicago Plan Commission in July 2001. The estimated value of the project is $80 million. Hotel rooms will be located on floors 7-16. Above them will be two levels of meeting rooms, pool, fitness facility, dog run, sun deck, and ecologically friendly “green” roof. Elsewhere in the building are 124 corporate-owned rental units and 119 parking spaces. 505 North State Street is the first high-rise design in Chicago by GREC Architects, LLC. The firm also designed Amalfi Hotel Chicago nearby on West Kinzie Street. Palomar will be operated by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. The San Francisco-based company runs three other hotels in Chicago – Hotel Allegro, Hotel Burnham, and Hotel Monaco. Founded in 1981, the company says it was the first to bring the “boutique” hotel concept to the United States. Opening on the same day will be Sable Kitchen & Bar, which describes itself as “a gastro-lounge where glamour of the 1940s mingles effortlessly with old Hollywood charm, modern industrial touches, and classic Chicago hospitality.”
(Above) Photo by Steve Johnson of Amano dining area, published by Zagat Survey in September 2008. 4-Mar-10 – The challenge of filling nearly 10,000 square feet with customers every night caught up with Amano Italian Trattoria this week. Despite good reviews and by all accounts, good traffic, the Marina City restaurant will close on Saturday. Owner Dan Sachs broke the news Thursday afternoon on the BIN 36 Facebook page. He blames the economy and calls their efforts “nothing short of ambitious.” “I can’t help but think if the economy hadn’t fallen like it has, that if we’d opened the restaurant at the same time as we opened Bin Wine Cafe, things might’ve been different.” Amano opened in October 2007 on North Dearborn Street in space below BIN 36, a restaurant Sachs has co-owned since 1999. He does not believe the location, partially hidden from traffic, hurt the restaurant. “In the end, the space was just too big for the concept,” Sachs told Marina City Online. “When we signed the lease four years ago, 10,000 square feet seemed manageable.” A 2007 review by Zagat Survey described 9,500 square feet of space as a blend of “old and new, with reclaimed and distressed wood, blackened steel, Carrara marble tabletops, a 30-foot granite bar and an elevated lounge.” “In this day and age of foodie proliferation we often forget [that] a restaurant is a business,” wrote Sachs to his Facebook fans, “and in order to stay open, a business simply has to make money. Obviously, we weren’t able to meet that need.” Served Italian treats and wine Amano, named for an Italian phrase meaning “by hand,” had its own wood-burning pizza oven and called itself “a truly authentic urban Italian Trattoria.” It featured Italian-style foods such as salumi, a meat product, hand-made pasta, and antipasto, an appetizer. It had 150 selections of Italian wine, according to the 2007 Zagat Survey, 25 of which were served by the glass. The restaurant received favorable comments by Bon Appetit, Chicago Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Social, Chicago Sun Times, and Midwest Living. On January 8, 2010, it was called “a hidden gem in downtown Chicago” in a segment taped last summer for WTTW’s Check, Please! Hosted by Alpana Singh, the show features reviews of Chicago restaurants by everyday people. On January 16, 2009, a pipe that was part of a sprinkler system burst due to bitter cold weather, severely damaging wood floors at Amano and closing the restaurant for six weeks. Although he will miss Amano “tremendously,” Sachs says he and his team have “really hunkered down and are moving full-steam ahead with our revitalized efforts at BIN 36.” The normal hours of operation for Amano on Saturdays are 5:00 to 11:00 p.m. Related stories:
LaSalle Hotel Properties purchased 12 floors in the neighboring building in 2008, intending to turn them into a super-luxury hotel. A fast-track development schedule slowed to a normal development schedule and then was temporarily suspended last April. “Clearly it’s on hold right now,” says Michael Barnello, “We believe in the long term value of that project. We love the location. We love what the project’s going to be. It just doesn’t make sense to do it right now. But that doesn’t mean we’ve lost enthusiasm for the project.” LaSalle paid $46 million for floors 2-13 of the 52-story building, and had planned to spend another $100-200 million renovating before the hotel opened in 2011. In a conference call with investors Friday morning, Barnello, who was named CEO last September, said demand at the company’s 31 upscale hotels was up in December for the first time since July 2008, and the trend has continued in January and February. But supply is up, too, he says, and average daily rates are weak, sending the company’s revenue-per-room in 2009 down 17 percent from the year before to just $120.80. Occupancy was 70 percent, down about four percent. For the year, LaSalle, based in Bethesda, Maryland, reported a net loss to common shareholders of $18.8 million. The previous year, they made $10.6 million. The problem is still with group sales. Corporations in particular, says Barnello, have dramatically reduced the number and size of their meetings, number of employees attending meetings, and length of stays. Chicago still a weak market Washington, D.C. has been a good market for LaSalle. Chicago has been a disappointment. Poor convention business and widespread discounting has made Chicago one of LaSalle’s weakest markets. Occupancy at LaSalles’s two hotels in Chicago was up almost one percent but rates were down. Hotel Sax and The Westin Michigan Avenue were among seven hotels Barnello called his company’s weakest properties in the fourth quarter of 2009. He described “struggles” Chicago has had, with union issues and trade shows pulling out. “Some of these things actually happened after 9/11. There were some problems with a number of the unions [and] Mayor Daley had to get involved again. They ultimately did get worked out and Chicago got much stronger again.” “We’re optimistic that between Daley’s intentions and the fact that Chicago wants to right this problem, that they will be strong again,” said Barnello in response to a question from the investment firm Raymond James. “But we do see it as a struggle in the short term and certainly the publicity they’ve had has not [helped] things.” Barnello notes a more diversified demand in Chicago. “We do have corporate demand in Chicago...and we do have strong leisure demand. There are more components there. It’s a more diversified market.” Over the course of 2010, Barnello expects to see a gradual pick-up in all forms of hotel demand – leisure, transient, corporate, and ultimately, group. The industry, he predicts, will regain some of its loss from 2009 and demand will grow three to five percent this year. “We believe 2010 will be a gradual recovery year, in which occupancy climbs slowly, ultimately allowing some pricing power, most likely toward the end of the year.” With supply growth low over the next three to five years, that could “set the stage for a strong and long recovery as demand returns with economic growth.”
8-Mar-10 – A security officer at Marina City has filed a lawsuit against owners of commercial property and the condo association at the River North complex. Tara Collins claims that on May 17, 2009 at about 1 p.m., while working in the security office at the base of the east tower, she tripped over a low-hanging chain near the entrance ramp from State Street. She apparently was trying to stop a bus from entering the complex, which is not allowed. In her lawsuit, filed on February 10, Collins says a low-hanging chain caused her to “trip, slip, and fall...sustaining severe and lasting injuries.”
She is seeking $50,000 from Lasalle Hotel Properties, owner of Hotel Sax and commercial property at Marina City, Marina Towers Condominium Association, System Parking, and the commercial property manager, Transwestern Commercial Services. Collins claims in her lawsuit that she was not warned about the chain and that it should not have been placed there, as security personnel have to move quickly from one side of the chain to the other. A status hearing is scheduled for May 26.
They are still trying to serve a summons on Rikki Jones, a south side Chicago resident and former HOB security officer accused in a lawsuit of assaulting a patron last July. A special process server, licensed but not employed by the county, was appointed on January 13. That lawsuit, filed on October 8, accuses Jones of taking Kristin Chopp to an isolated room at HOB on July 20, 2009, and holding her there against her will. Chopp says she was then “battered about the face and body, placed in imminent fear of additional bodily harm, and intentionally subjected to other extreme and outrageous conduct” by Jones and other HOB employees. She is seeking $50,000, claiming battery, false imprisonment, infliction of emotional distress, and negligence. The court also authorized parties in the lawsuit to receive medical records pertaining to Chopp’s injuries. A status hearing was scheduled for Friday morning. Meanwhile, in the lawsuit involving Brittney Hernandez, whose October 12 assault by former HOB security officer Darrell Gibson was captured on cell phone video, the issue is too many people have been served. On December 23, according to court documents, a deputy mistakenly served a summons on Gibson’s father, who shares the same name. The older Gibson is a 53-year-old retired postal employee and licensed minister. But when he sent a letter to the court trying to explain what happened, the letter was mistakenly entered as an appearance and answer to the complaint. That meant that the younger Gibson could not immediately file an appearance until the matter was sorted out.
Representing House of Blues Chicago in both lawsuits is Robert J. Meyer of the Chicago law firm Swanson, Martin & Bell. He declined comment when reached by email on Friday.
|
10-Mar-10 – An announcement last night by 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly that the Gold Coast Art Fair would no longer be held in River North was greeted with applause. “I’m excited about that, too,” said Reilly. After about 30 years in River North, the annual art festival, that showcases the work of about 350 artists each year, was not invited back. The fair will open in August at Butler Field in Grant Park. “River North has changed dramatically in 30 years and the fair has continued to grow,” said Reilly at a community meeting of the River North Residents Association. The fair, he says, was creating conflict with residents and merchants, blocking driveways and interfering with deliveries to businesses.
Reilly says he decided the fair was no longer a good fit for River North after last year’s fair. He says he spent four hours one day just helping police and city transportation employees move barricades and reconfigure the site. “I spent countless hours with the 18th police district and the [Chicago] Department of Transportation, OEMC [Office of Emergency Management and Communications], trying to find a way to make these folks fit. End of the day, we simply couldn’t justify it.” The company that produces the Gold Coast Art Fair is making the best of the decision. Amy Amdur, president of Amdur Productions said in late February that the new Grant Park location “is larger and offers more artists the opportunity to showcase and sell their work.” Various news media accounts estimate the crowds at the art fair at 500,000 to 800,000 people. The fair is one of the top 20 art festivals in the U.S., according to Amdur Productions, and the third oldest, going into its 53rd year.
(Above) 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly (left) shakes hands with RNRA event coordinator Larry Janus. Reilly spoke Tuesday evening at the River North Residents Association Community Meeting, held at English Bar & Restaurant on North LaSalle Boulevard. Reilly also spoke about the City of Chicago budget, a sting operation to crack down on loud motorcycles, aggressive panhandlers, improved lighting on residential streets, improvements to L tracks along Franklin Street, new playground equipment in Erie Park, the “dog-friendly area” on North Larrabee Street, and this year’s Taste of River North.
Upper Upper Wacker Drive
An Erickson Air-crane picks up a load from a semi-trailer truck on East Wacker Drive Sunday morning. The part was for a new HVAC unit on the west tower of Hyatt Regency Chicago. Photo by Mark Ulaszek.
(Above) Even with new carpet and fresh paint, the elevator lobbies on the 20th floors of both towers are often described by Marina City residents as “depressing.” Remarked one critic recently on the blog for residents, “It’s a joke from the Lady Gaga School of Decorating.” (Click on image to view larger version.) 25-Feb-10 – Decorating ideas by Marina Towers Condominium Association are not going over well with some residents at Marina City. Owners who attended the February 18 condo board meeting say they were told a “model floor” on the 53rd floor of the east tower would have carpet similar to a dark gray pattern installed in December on the 20th floors of both towers. That carpeting, which features an abstract pattern reminiscent of an aerial view of Marina City, is being criticized by residents, who also complain that decorating decisions have been made without input from owners. On the Marina City resident blog, Marina Watchdog, complaints have dominated the discussion for weeks. One resident summed it up. “It seems everyone is mad about the decorating. I agree it looks like crap and is a complete waste of money in these tough times.” Residents have noted that the carpet seems to be of a lower quality than what was previously installed on residential floors. Still, the project to redecorate hallways could cost as much as $1.3 million, according to a resident who attended the February board meeting. Another blogger asks, “Why are they re-doing our residential floors? What is wrong with the way they are now? Why is the board spending unnecessary funds to do this?...Why are they insistent on remodeling the residential floors when there is absolutely nothing wrong with them?” The upgrades have been planned for at least a year, according to residential property manager David Gantt. In a January 14 memo to unit owners, he explained that the carpet tiles installed on the 20th floors – where laundry, fitness, storage, and meeting rooms are located – would not be the same as what will be installed on the residential floors. “The 20th floor carpet tile is impractical for use on the residential floors due to the problems encountered in matching the pattern in the round corridors.” He says the model floor will “provide insight to the future potential appearance of the 80 residential floors. The idea is that a model floor might spur sales and rentals and improve overall property values.” According to Gantt, the model floor was designed by board members Robert Abell, an architect, and interior designer Marc Straits. Unit owners, he says, will be able to view the results on the 53rd floor of the east tower or see photos of the model floor on the MTCA web site. All unit owners would then receive a survey about the proposed changes. Lighting, doors, door knockers to be upgraded Besides carpet, doors and lighting will be upgraded, according to a letter Gantt sent to residents in December. Doors will be painted gray. Door knockers will be installed – replacing doorbells – along with a new door numbering system based on a “star map” buried in the foundation of Marina City in 1962. Meanwhile, carpet on the lower concourse level will be replaced at a cost to the condo association of $42,000, according to a resident who attended the February board meeting. Although a common area for residents, many commercial tenants are located on the lower level. According to residential property manager Gantt, who declined comment for this article, the carpet was selected by architects working for the commercial property owner. At the November 19 MTCA board meeting, unit owners were told the commercial owner was going to contribute $20,000 toward new carpeting of the concourse, less than what the condo board had been expecting.
(Above) Aerial view of new carpet. After this photograph was taken, the carpet tiles were re-installed to match better along the seams.
From 1984 to 1990, he was a regular contributor to ABC Radio Networks. Dahlman has written extensively about Marina City since 2005 and is currently working on a book about its history. |
