Monday, December 21, 2009

Maryville Site Boarded Up


A reader sends in this photo and comments:  "Saw this this morning walking along Agatite. They are boarding up the windows of the Maryville buildings."  We wonder if this is in response to all the squatters who've been making the empty site their own since it closed and, now that it's cold out, may be moving inside.

Update:  "Dear UU, Update on the Maryville properties.

There's a group of folks who've become a real public nuisance at Clarendon Park and the adjacent vacant DCFS building. A vigilant Clarendon Park neighbor alerted us to these people who use Clarendon Park and the DCFS building as their local bar and hotel. They stash their booze in various spots, leave for the day, then burn small bonfires around the park when they return to start partying and sleeping in the early evening. In the morning, Clarendon Park becomes a public washroom. Trees have been damaged by their bonfires and there was growing concern about protecting the DCFS property from a fire this winter.

There were numerous 911 calls when someone was passed out by the DCFS building; the police and ambulances frequently were seen loading the same people into a van. We'd had enough and wanted to fix the problem. I spoke with the police and the Maryville owners and asked for their help. They had a long conversation and came up with a solution to secure the property. You're seeing the first step with the window boarding.

More security measures are on the way. I want to thank the Chicago Police and the Maryville owners for their thoughtful, immediate response to this request.

- Katharine Boyda, Clarendon Park Local Advisory Council President"

4 comments:

  1. Well done Katharine as well as the Clarendon Park Local Advisory Council. You are such an active member of the community and I very much appreciate your efforts to make it a safer place to live for everyone. Including the people who had been setting up shop there. How many could have died if the building caught on fire while they were intoxicated. Never mind the waste of city resources going to pick up the same people and take them to the hospital day after day because of their substance abuse. Again THANK YOU!

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  2. I'm glad they are boarding up that crack den. :-)

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  3. I don't believe anyone ever squatted inside Maryville. The board up is most likely due to lack of funds to move forward with the project and to get ride of the security that was still working in the building.

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  4. By law you have to board up a building, speculating why otherwise is merely a mental activity and a waste of brain power.

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