City of Evanston Blog
Articles Posted in: Forestry and Recreation
Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks In Good Shape
Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director Doug Gaynor tells me that the City's three outdoor ice rinks at Ackerman Park, Baker Park and Dawes Park Lagoon are in good shape for skating and temperatures should allow good skating through the end of January. I had received several complaints from folks about the condition of the rinks. Part of the problem has been the flux in temperature and part of the problem has been staff resources to keep up flooding and…
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Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks Firming Up
Maybe it is just me, but it seems that these rinks are a well kept secret. See info below: Due to the early cold snap, residents are already taking advantage of the ice-skating rinks at Evanston parks. As weather permits this winter, skating rinks will be created at three parks: Ackerman Park, Central St. at McDaniel; Dawes Park Lagoon, Sheridan Rd. at Church St.; and Baker Park, Forest Ave. at Keeney St. . Please be aware that there are no…
Shani Davis Wins Gold Medal
Congratulations to Evanston's own Shani Davis for his gold medal performance in the 1000 meter speedskating event at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Davis got his start skating at the Robert Crown Center.…
NBC 5 Brings Winter Olympic Spirit to Evanston
WMAQ-TV Channel 5 is bringing their 5 AM to 7 AM early news show to Evanston Friday morning. They will be broadcasting their 6 AM to 7 AM hour "on ice" from the outdoor ice rink at Dawes Park as NBC prepares to begin its coverage of the Vancouver Winter Olympics.…
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Affordable Living Fair Today
Today the City is presenting a fair at the Fleetwood Jourdain Center, 1655 Foster Street with weatherization tips, home improvement do-it-yourself demonstrations, cost-cutting solutions, healthy and affordable meal ideas, tax help, and home safety information. The fair is part of the City's on-going sustainability program with a particular focus on making people aware of free weatherization assistance programs available to Evanston residents. Simple weatherization work on homes can save significant costs on home energy use.…
Outdoor Ice Rinks Update
From Director of Parks/Forestry, Recreation and Facilities Management Doug Gaynor: "During the past few days staff in our department received inquiries about the outdoor ice rinks and I thought it would be good to share this information: Making Ice Outdoor Ice Rinks It takes about three consecutive days of temperatures 15 degrees or lower to have sufficient frost penetration of the ground. It then takes at least six days of applying water to have ice thick enough to skate upon.…
Evanston Christmas Tree
The Evanston Roundtable website has an excellent video documenting the work of the City's Forestry Division as they cut down and moved the City's Christmas tree now on display in Fountain Square. The tree was donated by a local resident.…
Are You a Wireless Telecom Professional?
The City is renegotiating the lease of cell site on City property. We are trying to get the best deal and it was suggested at City Council last night that staff look for "professionals in the field" to help us out to get the most money for the site. I do not have a budget to hire a consultant for this ($8 million deficit and all), so am looking for some free volunteer help from an Evanston resident or Friend…
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City Receives Funding for Lakefront Bike Trail
The State of Illinois has awarded Evanston $720,000 to fund the reconstruction of the lakefront bike path from Lee Street to Clark Street. Awarded to the City's Parks Division, the funding is given through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP), which uses federal funds to promote transportation enhancements, such as bike trails. When combined with a previous award of $550,000, Evanston has now received a total of $1,270,000 in ITEP funds for this project, which is scheduled for construction in…
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Beach Openings and Closings
Beaches in Evanston close for the season at 7:30 PM next Monday, September 7. In addition, some beaches will be closed during this week due to limited lifeguard availability. For the latest, check out our Beach Status Website.…