WPB adds two new commissioners and elects new leadership

John Paige (l) and Sam Marts engage in empassioned discussion

WPB (SSA #33) added two new commissioners,  Sam Marts and John Paige who have been waiting in the wings for City Council to approve their seats on the commission for the last several months. In addition new officers were elected and some committee chairs were reassigned.

The five standing committees and their chairs are: 1. Guide Development, John Paige and Laura Weathered; 2. Promote: WPB, Sheila Kailus of Joseph Freed & Associates; 3. Promote: The Arts, David Ginople and Sam Marts; 4.Transportation: Pedestrians, Passengers & Bikes, Brent Norsman of Norsman Architects and Joe Hall; and 5. Clean, Green & Safe, Wayne Janik and David Ginople.

WPB commissioners (l to r) Laura Weathered, Joe Hall, Sheila Kailus, Wayne Janik, David Ginople and Brent Norsman

David James Ginople of store B vintage on Milwaukee Ave. heads up the Commission as the new Chairmen and last night Laura Weathered, Near North West Arts Council (NNWAC) and the Wicker Park Arts Center, was elected as Co-Chair. Sam Marks will be taking over Larry Griffin's job as Recording Secretary. Wayne Janik, Janik's Café, continues as Secretary and Joe Hall of Quick Release Bike Shop continues as Treasurer.

Ginople, a sixteen-year resident with businesses in the neighborhood for eight years, looks forward to nurturing and strengthening relationship between the businesses, residents and the arts. One of his goals is to have this vibrant and  diverse  area recognized as a destination where the aesthetics of architecture, urban forest and art blend into a supportive background for successful commerce and community involvement.  "I look forward to interacting with all parts of our community."

Marts, an architect, moved into Bucktown in 1987.  Then in 1994, he moved his offices into the area. He has been part of the BCO's (Bucktown Community Organization) Zoning and Planning Committee for about a dozen years. His love of gardening led to his being one of the organizers of the Bucktown Garden Walk and his legendary position as "god father" of the Churchill Park flower border. He is also active with the Wicker Park Garden Club. Professionally, Marts has participated in Design Charrettes for new communities in Michigan, Colorado and Alaska.

"I love the Wicker Park and Bucktown area, it's history, its diversity and its vitality, and I want to be involved and help the community as much as I can," says Paige who has been a resident and business owner in the area since 1980. One time owner of a neighborhood tavern, Paige who is an urban planner now has heads his own firm, Urban Planning Services, Inc. which is a certified urban planning consulting firm. He was Director of Planning for the regional planning commission in Chicago for twenty-eight years.

Paige has been a member of WPB's Guide Development Committee for the last two years. He also serves on the NNWAC board and is a member of the BCO, Wicker Park Committee (WPC) and the WPB Chamber of Commerce. An active member of the Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail, he is involved with a small group attempting to establish a community garden adjacent to the Bucktown/Wicker Park Library. Six times a year Paige can be spotted as the tour director for the Chicago Architecture Foundation's Wicker Park tour.

Peyton Chung and Claudia Skylar-Mastro talk about their legacy with the Commission

Three of the original commissioners from 2006 who left the commission at the end of 2010 are Peyton Chung, Claudia Skylar-Mastro and Jessica Peterson. In looking back at the Commission's work Chung said, "I think that we have come a long way in building trust within the organization and helping to identifying a shared vision for what we hope the Wicker Park and Bucktown community can be in the future. The legacy that Claudia and I can leave is, through the process of the Master Plan, a neighborhood that can gather in enjoyable public spaces."

Jessica Peterson served as the Commission Chair

When asked about her comments about getting other people engaged in the Commission and its work, Skylar-Mastro expressed her disappointment about a lack of participation. "One would expect that people who pay the tax for this Commission would be more involved but they have not been. We did get more participation during the master planning but it was not necessarily across everyone in the community. It seems that most people do not want to give time for the public good."

You have an opportunity to show that there are lots of people who are interested in giving of your talents for the public good. There are vacancies on the Commission. To be eligible, you must live, have a business or be the owner of property in the WPB district. The application is online.

The Commission holds their meetings the second Tues. of each month, see the Our Urban Times Calendar for details. The meetings are open and residents and businesses are encouraged to attend.