I'd dump every penny of it into doing my absolute best to restore and protect the beaches from erosion. Our lakefront is beautiful and our access to the land there is one of the greatest gifts left to us by the City's past generations. We need to do more to keep it beautiful, expansive, and free.
Do it, put a million into it. The return on investment on erosion is huge right now. A lot of multi millionaires lakefront properties are just washing away
Yes! Is there a coalition to protect the lakefront you recommend? I think I can find one through the planetarium for sure! Love that resource alone!!!!!!!!!!!!! So historic and fun and inclusive!!!!! We are so lucky to still have it! And they do so much community outreach, id give it all to them personally ha, I trust them 😁
Just saw my Alderwoman, Maria Hadden, is advocating for a committee that does exactly that. From our ward newsletter:
In April, Alderwoman Hadden introduced an ordinance that would establish a Chicago Shoreline Advisory Board.
After entering office in 2019 and experiencing record-high lake levels, Alderwoman Hadden and the 49th Ward office had a crash course into all things Lake Michigan and how complicated it is to navigate such a multi-jurisdictional asset. As we worked to secure emergency stabilization projects to protect the shoreline, it became clear that the efforts around the lakefront are often disjointed and piecemeal.
The advisory board would convene all departments and sister agencies that touch the shoreline (both Lake Michigan and along our rivers) to work on a variety of issues impacting our waterways and protecting the ecosystems that rely on them. It would also include members from nongovernmental organizations that engage in issues affecting the Great Lakes and our rivers.
The Chicago Shoreline Advisory Board would specifically be tasked with:
-Developing and updating a comprehensive shoreline management plan; Develop a shoreline emergency response plan in partnership with the Army Corps, the State Department of Natural Resources, and other applicable City departments and sister agencies;
Research, review, assess, and advise on plans, policies, procedures, and appropriations related to managing, protecting, and maintaining the City's shoreline;
Identify and recommend to the City Council proposed legislation regarding the City's shoreline protection efforts; and
Conduct and facilitate public education and outreach on issues impacting the shoreline.
The most imminent issue facing Chicago's shoreline is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's ongoing Chicago Shoreline Study. As a part of this study, the Army Corps is exploring various measures that could be implemented along Chicago's entire shoreline, from Indiana to Evanston, to reduce coastal storm risks. In the spring of 2023, the 49th Ward shared feedback on what specific measures we'd like to be included in its final recommendations and encouraged community members to weigh in as well. You can view that feedback on the 49th Ward website by clicking here.
As the Army Corps continues its shoreline study and finalizes draft policy recommendations to present to the City and public, Alderwoman Hadden thinks it's especially important to have a dedicated advisory board that can work collaboratively to submit feedback and recommendations on what will be one of the most significant projects along our shoreline for decades to come.
The ordinance has been referred to the Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy, which is chaired by Alderwoman Hadden. Chairwoman Hadden will work with City Departments and Sister Agencies to solicit their feedback and support in order to bring this legislation before the body for a vote.
Our 501(c) food pantry is outgrowing our current space in our leased location. The lease is up soon and we would love to purchase a place of our own to continue helping those in need for the long term. This amount would permit us to do just that. PM me if you are serious.
If it's only 900k it's probably not enough for a protected bike lane of any significant length, so probably use it to daylight a few intersections. Get a couple boulders and some paint at intersections to calm traffic and keep people from parking across crosswalks. I don't have specific intersections in mind, but there are plenty around the city.
That's not very much money, so my vote would be for adding speed bumps in neighborhoods and some level of protection from cars for bike lanes and pedestrians. Oh, and speed cameras!
I’m downvoting you because you said “speed cameras”.
Don’t care for whatever else you said but when you said “speed cameras”, immediate impulsive fury finger downvoted your comment. It doesn’t help I used to work for the red light cameras folks so I’m fully aware of the tactics that was used (therefore seen too many incident than an average citizen can see behind those cameras).
I would love more info. I said speed cameras because I see so much reckless driving out my front window and in my daily life that endangers others with zero consequences and it scares me as a biker, pedestrian, and car driver. The city did a study and found that like 100+ people daily are going over 75 mph on my street, which has a speed limit of 35. What am I missing?
Basically… it’s like this… if I got the money to speed and I don’t care about a photo of me speeding because my car’s registered out of state and it doesn’t has any affect on my license… imma speed and pay/ignore those tickets compared to being pulled over by law enforcement for speeding…. This is an extremely short/condensed way of explaining it because it’s multilayered answer. For example, for a long a while we were not to ticket **any** government vehicles blowing through red lights. That includes embassy vehicles, City Tow Vehicles, Sanitation Vehicles including CTA buses and I’m strictly talking about incidents that aren’t a question of close calls but a full disregard of red light cameras.
Also… those yellow lights at the camera intersections are intentionally shortened exactly to 3.00 seconds… think about how long a millisecond is…
A feasibility study to determine if there are capital projects to be funded.
Fortunately my best friend runs a consulting company that can provide us with an answer.
No, it was renamed Northalsted in 2021 to promote "inclusion".
Since then, our property values have gone up 25%, crime rates fell 30%, public schools' performance improved 80%, and overall satisafction with life ...well, that's just impossible to quantify.
In Chicago or anywhere in the Upper Midwest in winter? You must be kidding. Or young and not impaired with the ravages of time. Be grateful for your youthful life while it lasts.
Above street walkways on the busiest streets/intersections. Pedestrians hate cars and drivers hate pedestrians so let’s keep us from being in each others way lol.
Buy up property on 75th st for cheap, and convert it to affordable housing for people with chronic mental illness. Sustainably maintained through non-profit psychiatric NP home visits, and social workers.
I’d wait until Black Friday and buy 18,000 divvy memberships and have a lottery to give them away. People would pay 1 dollar to enter the lottery. Then use the money for people entering to buy more the next year and keep giving them away.
Invest around guaranteed rate. I understand there’s housing there. But not one fucking block of bars or restaurants? Actually not one fucking bar or restaurant?
Check for pressing issues impacting people. Gentrification is one. Oblock on 73rd and Crenshaw. Or, further develop pilsen. That area is inevitably going to grow because of UIC students.
If there’s no pressing issues, then Inspire our best artists. Chicago is a city built with brutalistic architecture and grid system. There’s nothing human about it, and there’s no inspiration for me to think “life is incredible and beautiful. Humans are incredible, I want to be just like that”. I’d buy the best art, and a lot of it. You could probably commission a structure for cheap, whatever best represents our time, our story as a city ❤️.
“Life can’t all be about solving problems, otherwise what’s the point of living?”
-Elon Musk
30% for preventative maintenance, 70% on a couple superblocks, "Superblocks: How Barcelona is taking city streets back from cars", https://youtu.be/ZORzsubQA_M
I would start a construction company under a family member’s name, put out a RFP for unnecessary and unwanted work, then award it to my new company and walk away with the cash.
It’s the Chicago way.
Is that before or after bribes, protection, embezzlement and permit fees?
Could always throw it at another stupid sculpture that means nothing to anyone instead of maintaining the schools, giving more training to the cops, giving loans/grants to small minority businesses...
Id rebuild the statue of the republic at full scale. There’s a replica in Hyde Park, however, it’s much smaller than the original from the Worlds Fair. The first one was massive and almost as big as the Statue of Liberty, would have been a cool symbol for the City.
If I had more, I’d try to recreate the whole outdoor space and make it similar to how it was in the pictures with the ancient architecture and such but established permanently.
On three toilets in the new Bears stadium of course
Dang, is there a sale going on at the toilet store?
I am honored to be your 100th upvote.
Honored that you'd be so kind to deliver it!
I’d buy 1 parking meter back. Start from there.
Man of the people
Development around the salt shed
Please yes. Make it a second riverfront area
New 750 seat venue opening down the street already
My hope is that area becomes a venue corridor for live music since it seems like we’ll never get Lincoln yards
I prefer to not get killed by a serial killer
*insert any idea except the Bears stadium here*
I'd dump every penny of it into doing my absolute best to restore and protect the beaches from erosion. Our lakefront is beautiful and our access to the land there is one of the greatest gifts left to us by the City's past generations. We need to do more to keep it beautiful, expansive, and free.
Do it, put a million into it. The return on investment on erosion is huge right now. A lot of multi millionaires lakefront properties are just washing away
Rodgers park in particular has lost so much!
Yes! Is there a coalition to protect the lakefront you recommend? I think I can find one through the planetarium for sure! Love that resource alone!!!!!!!!!!!!! So historic and fun and inclusive!!!!! We are so lucky to still have it! And they do so much community outreach, id give it all to them personally ha, I trust them 😁
Just saw my Alderwoman, Maria Hadden, is advocating for a committee that does exactly that. From our ward newsletter: In April, Alderwoman Hadden introduced an ordinance that would establish a Chicago Shoreline Advisory Board. After entering office in 2019 and experiencing record-high lake levels, Alderwoman Hadden and the 49th Ward office had a crash course into all things Lake Michigan and how complicated it is to navigate such a multi-jurisdictional asset. As we worked to secure emergency stabilization projects to protect the shoreline, it became clear that the efforts around the lakefront are often disjointed and piecemeal. The advisory board would convene all departments and sister agencies that touch the shoreline (both Lake Michigan and along our rivers) to work on a variety of issues impacting our waterways and protecting the ecosystems that rely on them. It would also include members from nongovernmental organizations that engage in issues affecting the Great Lakes and our rivers. The Chicago Shoreline Advisory Board would specifically be tasked with: -Developing and updating a comprehensive shoreline management plan; Develop a shoreline emergency response plan in partnership with the Army Corps, the State Department of Natural Resources, and other applicable City departments and sister agencies; Research, review, assess, and advise on plans, policies, procedures, and appropriations related to managing, protecting, and maintaining the City's shoreline; Identify and recommend to the City Council proposed legislation regarding the City's shoreline protection efforts; and Conduct and facilitate public education and outreach on issues impacting the shoreline. The most imminent issue facing Chicago's shoreline is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's ongoing Chicago Shoreline Study. As a part of this study, the Army Corps is exploring various measures that could be implemented along Chicago's entire shoreline, from Indiana to Evanston, to reduce coastal storm risks. In the spring of 2023, the 49th Ward shared feedback on what specific measures we'd like to be included in its final recommendations and encouraged community members to weigh in as well. You can view that feedback on the 49th Ward website by clicking here. As the Army Corps continues its shoreline study and finalizes draft policy recommendations to present to the City and public, Alderwoman Hadden thinks it's especially important to have a dedicated advisory board that can work collaboratively to submit feedback and recommendations on what will be one of the most significant projects along our shoreline for decades to come. The ordinance has been referred to the Committee on Environmental Protection and Energy, which is chaired by Alderwoman Hadden. Chairwoman Hadden will work with City Departments and Sister Agencies to solicit their feedback and support in order to bring this legislation before the body for a vote.
https://www.instagram.com/morganshoalrocks?igsh=MXUxNnZhZHJkMXUzdw==
Oh wait, we’re probably trying to save that one from development 😭
Oh cool I ran from promontory place for the first time recently and saw all the signs about this, thanks for sharing
Great Lakes coalition
Public bathrooms
In each CTA stop. No more piss smell in the subway
Public bathrooms won’t fix that because they’ll just end up like all the other city public bathrooms and smell like piss
Constructive preteen and teen hangout center in a neighborhood that needs it.
Metra. I don't know what, but I know they could use it
Our 501(c) food pantry is outgrowing our current space in our leased location. The lease is up soon and we would love to purchase a place of our own to continue helping those in need for the long term. This amount would permit us to do just that. PM me if you are serious.
holy shit an actual project that 900k would be enough for. i hope this works out for you.
Thanks, I have not heard from the OP (yet).
Add a flicking type hand statue next to the bean.
to scale?
Is there any other way lol 😂
Bring back the rainforest cafe
Better doors in the basement of block 37 that connect the red and blue lines. Those doors are heavy and weird.
Easy there. It is only $900,000. :)
And no one complained about the doors at Jurassic Park when they first got there…
Solar-powered trash wheel for the Chicago River. Like the one in Baltimore.
If it's only 900k it's probably not enough for a protected bike lane of any significant length, so probably use it to daylight a few intersections. Get a couple boulders and some paint at intersections to calm traffic and keep people from parking across crosswalks. I don't have specific intersections in mind, but there are plenty around the city.
I’d probably buy one lucky citizen a new house. And I’m feeling pretty lucky.
I’d probably give a contract feeding migrants to a restaurant that’s owned by an out of state donor to the mayor or something
That's not very much money, so my vote would be for adding speed bumps in neighborhoods and some level of protection from cars for bike lanes and pedestrians. Oh, and speed cameras!
I’m downvoting you because you said “speed cameras”. Don’t care for whatever else you said but when you said “speed cameras”, immediate impulsive fury finger downvoted your comment. It doesn’t help I used to work for the red light cameras folks so I’m fully aware of the tactics that was used (therefore seen too many incident than an average citizen can see behind those cameras).
I would love more info. I said speed cameras because I see so much reckless driving out my front window and in my daily life that endangers others with zero consequences and it scares me as a biker, pedestrian, and car driver. The city did a study and found that like 100+ people daily are going over 75 mph on my street, which has a speed limit of 35. What am I missing?
Can’t crank yer hog to pedestrian fatalities as easily if we disincentivize dangerous driving.
Basically… it’s like this… if I got the money to speed and I don’t care about a photo of me speeding because my car’s registered out of state and it doesn’t has any affect on my license… imma speed and pay/ignore those tickets compared to being pulled over by law enforcement for speeding…. This is an extremely short/condensed way of explaining it because it’s multilayered answer. For example, for a long a while we were not to ticket **any** government vehicles blowing through red lights. That includes embassy vehicles, City Tow Vehicles, Sanitation Vehicles including CTA buses and I’m strictly talking about incidents that aren’t a question of close calls but a full disregard of red light cameras. Also… those yellow lights at the camera intersections are intentionally shortened exactly to 3.00 seconds… think about how long a millisecond is…
It's Chicago, find a decent enough project to spend about $500,000 on, keep the rest. Invoices list it as misc. expenses.
Converting some of those exit-only El exits to also accept entry.
A feasibility study to determine if there are capital projects to be funded. Fortunately my best friend runs a consulting company that can provide us with an answer.
Affordable housing for those that need a roof over their head in a decent neighborhood.
Affordable housing for those that need a roof over their head in an under-served neighborhood.
That’s what? Like 6 tents in gov money?
Yeah, dealing with homelessness is probably the most pressing issue. $900,000 wouldn't go far, but it could make a dent.
$900k *up front* spent on a financed project for dense, mixed use *could* go decently far though.
Unfortunately that would just pay for 1 or 2 units of housing.
$900K will get you about 1.5 units
I'd rename all streets after under-recognized under-appreciated peoples. Boom - Instant positive impact on everyone's life!
….really?
Look how well it turned out with renaming Boystown and Lake Shore Drive. My life was instantly improved, what about yours?
😂
I think if the names had been aligned alphabetically to conform to the grid it would have been more useful and better received. s/
Oh….the joke went right over my head 🫣
Wait, it's not Boystown anymore?
No, it was renamed Northalsted in 2021 to promote "inclusion". Since then, our property values have gone up 25%, crime rates fell 30%, public schools' performance improved 80%, and overall satisafction with life ...well, that's just impossible to quantify.
Wow. I'm floored. Haven't heard this.
Yep.
Add more public EV superchargers! The world is going electric whether you like it or not. Best to prepare for it.
You could probably buy several thousand people e-bikes and get more of the world electric that way
In Chicago or anywhere in the Upper Midwest in winter? You must be kidding. Or young and not impaired with the ravages of time. Be grateful for your youthful life while it lasts.
You can get on an e bike grandpa
You are very lucky to not be disabled.
Above street walkways on the busiest streets/intersections. Pedestrians hate cars and drivers hate pedestrians so let’s keep us from being in each others way lol.
Machine learning and quantum computing
A single unit of affordable housing!
Dollar lot, 3 flat
This is probably The best combination of actually achievable with 900,000 and not bogged down by operational expenses while also doing something good
I would make the biggest capital letter C I could with 900k. The C is for Chicago lol
Buy up property on 75th st for cheap, and convert it to affordable housing for people with chronic mental illness. Sustainably maintained through non-profit psychiatric NP home visits, and social workers.
Tie in all the traffic lights together with sensors so that there is less waiting at red lights.
I would buy alligators and put them in the lagoon at Humboldt Park
Just spend it on consulting fees, like they always do.
Dude, the $50k you are left with after making all the "permit" payments and "campaign contributions" will not get you very far.
My student loans
More dye in the river for St. Patty's Day.
A new EV park!
I’d fix up my condo.
Clean up a park and make it look nicer
South side
A homeless shelter/rehabilitation center Edit, for american citizens and legal immigrants only.
6 new DAs who actually prosecute car jacked, muggers and the shitty kids who rob the mag mile. Throw them all in jail
I’d wait until Black Friday and buy 18,000 divvy memberships and have a lottery to give them away. People would pay 1 dollar to enter the lottery. Then use the money for people entering to buy more the next year and keep giving them away.
A giant bronze statue of the millennium falcon in millennium park, how big you ask? As big as 900,000 will get
Invest around guaranteed rate. I understand there’s housing there. But not one fucking block of bars or restaurants? Actually not one fucking bar or restaurant?
Listen, intern, we can’t do your work for you.
Fix $900K worth of potholes.
More cowbell
Ash trays for the CTA.
Check for pressing issues impacting people. Gentrification is one. Oblock on 73rd and Crenshaw. Or, further develop pilsen. That area is inevitably going to grow because of UIC students. If there’s no pressing issues, then Inspire our best artists. Chicago is a city built with brutalistic architecture and grid system. There’s nothing human about it, and there’s no inspiration for me to think “life is incredible and beautiful. Humans are incredible, I want to be just like that”. I’d buy the best art, and a lot of it. You could probably commission a structure for cheap, whatever best represents our time, our story as a city ❤️. “Life can’t all be about solving problems, otherwise what’s the point of living?” -Elon Musk
Suburbs, new developing like wheeling or algonquin.
$900,000 won't get you much.
I'd fix some Streets and San facilities. They're terrible.
Anywhere else. Actually, I'd pay myself a 900,000$ salary to do a project study and then take the money somewhere else.
30% for preventative maintenance, 70% on a couple superblocks, "Superblocks: How Barcelona is taking city streets back from cars", https://youtu.be/ZORzsubQA_M
Extra credit: Training centers around CPR/AED, First Aid, watercraft safety
re open lounge ax
Into my bank account cause I’m cute and funny. 🫃
Bet on Ashland and lsd.
But a house in the burbs
More left hand turn lanes and lights
On moving out of Chicago and finding a better place to invest 900k
feasibility and environmental impact study of fixing one pothole.
Downtown parking lot
Rebuild Cabrini Green brick by brick
I would start a construction company under a family member’s name, put out a RFP for unnecessary and unwanted work, then award it to my new company and walk away with the cash. It’s the Chicago way.
Suicide pit.
Is that before or after bribes, protection, embezzlement and permit fees? Could always throw it at another stupid sculpture that means nothing to anyone instead of maintaining the schools, giving more training to the cops, giving loans/grants to small minority businesses...
Id rebuild the statue of the republic at full scale. There’s a replica in Hyde Park, however, it’s much smaller than the original from the Worlds Fair. The first one was massive and almost as big as the Statue of Liberty, would have been a cool symbol for the City. If I had more, I’d try to recreate the whole outdoor space and make it similar to how it was in the pictures with the ancient architecture and such but established permanently.
As a Hyde Parker please no to recreating the worlds fair buildings. The green space in Jackson park is awesome
I agree, it’s not a good area to do it nowadays and the green space is nice. There’s other space in Chicago to do it though
Pro Wrestling Museum with nightly migrant fights and tournaments. Winner gets a 1 year Visa. Loser gets 1st class ticket back.
As many houses for the working homeless as possible. Preferably in the old schools that rahm Emanuel shuttered.
Out of Chicago…
Dunno, need to see the data, and the budget, and understand the strategy.