Roseland Heights Community Association

Abbott Park VS Harlan High

Jul 17, 2009

History of Park & High School
The land for Abbott Park was purchased in 1949 and recreational facility & pool were built in 1950. In 1956 the Chicago Park District (CPD) sold a portion of parkland to the Board of Education (BOE) for Harlan H.S.. Concerned citizens of Roseland Heights after much debate about lost of parkland were told that the only property that would be zoned and sold for school would be the "foot print" of the school building and a small parking lot to the South and that Abbott Park would be expanded from 95th Street to 98th Street to surround Harlan in parkland. How surprised was RHCA & the community last year (2008) to find that land title survey showed that part of that promised parkland belonged to the BOE. Back when the school was overcrowded the community was told this land would only be used by the Board for temporary class rooms, but would remain CPD land. However this land has been sold or given to BOE and has become Harlan property!
The community feels that a proposed zoning change will be another promise broken and that the Board of Education will "take advantage" of the zone change once it is made. The inadvertent rezoning in 2005 that now surrounds Harlan with open protected land is the gift that this community was promised years ago and we will not give it up! We therefore reject zone change Application # A-7515.
The City, BOE, and Ward must find a way to renovate the school without a zone change and what ever modification to current zone that is made: that adjustment is only made for the property that is the "foot print" of the building (original lot). All property that is zoned POS-1 Park -Open Space will remain that way...forever!

We all have been given gifts, the importance of our gifts lies not in the gifts, but in what we do with them!