UpdatedTue, May 25, 2021 at 8:11 pm CT
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Advocates of abandoning Evanston s policy of charging for beach access describe it as racist and exclusionary. (Jonah Meadows/Patch)
EVANSTON, IL The Evanston City Council voted Monday to phase out the city s policy of charging its residents for access to public beaches.
Starting this week, Evanston residents will no longer need a pass or a token on Saturdays, Sundays or Mondays to visit one of the six public swimming beaches operated by the city.
Aldermen also directed staff to come up with a plan for free beach access to all Evanston residents every day for the 2022 season. Previously, only Clark Street Beach was free to Evanston residents and only on Mondays in June and July.
City Council approved an ordinance Monday to further discuss the tax increment financing district in the 5th Ward, and to confirm a public hearing and Joint Review Board meeting to discuss logistics and feedback with community members.
In TIF districts, property tax revenues above a certain baseline are reallocated for public works or economic development improvements in the area. Outgoing Ald. Robin Rue Simmons (5th) said the ordinance has the potential to help the city increase affordable housing and economic opportunity.
Simmons voted in support of the plan and said it’s still in its early phases.
“What’s most important is that this is a necessity for us to understand what our options are. This is not an action,” Rue Simmons said.
Family Focus Evanston honored residents and organizations during its annual benefit event Thursday.
The event, themed “Evanston’s Black Heroes,” featured students from Family Focus’s after-school program who performed biographies of prominent Black Evanston residents from both the past and present.
Family Focus President and CEO Dara Munson said she is proud of the role that the organization plays in supporting Evanston’s Black community. Its Evanston center has operated out of 2010 Dewey Ave. for over 40 years, serving as a central point of resources and programming for the 5th Ward. Family Focus has since expanded, adding six other centers across the Chicago area.
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