A private security guard working at the Jefferson Park CTA Terminal, 4917 N. Milwaukee Ave., reportedly returned fire after a group of three people started harassing him and then fired read story
Sauganash Park now closes at 9 pm instead of 11 pm due to vandalism, rowdy teen behavior
[adrotate group=”2″]
by BRIAN NADIG
Sauganash Park, 5861 N. Kostner Ave., is now closing at 9 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. due to problems of rowdy teen behavior.
“They had been gaining access to the roof and drinking, (and) there’s damage to playground equipment,” said 17th (Albany Park) District commander Ronald Pontecore Jr. “We’ve subsequently increased our presence and patrols in that area.”
The new hours started Thursday, May 27, and will be in effect for the foreseeable future, said Erika Wozniak, chief of staff for Alderman Samantha Nugent (39th). Most of the problems at the park appeared to have been occurring during the late-night hours, she said.
The decision to change the hours was based on input from the Sauganash Park Advisory Council, the 17th District and the Chicago Park District, including the park supervisor, Wozniak said. The opening time for the park remains unchanged at 6 a.m.
Concerns have been raised about the condition of the field and the basketball court after the groups of teens leave, Pontecore said. “It’s a safety issue. There’s a lot of broken bottles,” he said.
On one occasion about 70 teenagers dispersed after the arrival of officers, Pontecore said. Notices are being sent out in the community in an effort to warn youngsters of a “zero tolerance” policy regarding inappropriate behavior at the park, he said.
There were no reported problems at the park over the Memorial Day weekend, according to police.
Issues of vandalism and teen drinking appear to be occurring “a little more than average” at parks throughout the city, Pontecore said. He added that “pent-up frustrations” due to teens being at home more than usual during the pandemic could be attributing to the problem.
Most area parks are open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
No Pop-Ups
Weekly Digital Edition
Read every story. Skip every pop-up.
Get the full weekly edition delivered to your inbox — no interruptions, no waiting. Just local news the way it was meant to be read.
Only $19.50/year — less than 38¢ a week
Subscribe Now
This is just part of today’s coverage. Get the full story - every article, every ad, every page. Subscribe now.
The Latest From Our Community
A man was stabbed in his hand at about 4:50 a.m. Monday, Aug. 10, on a CTA Blue Line train near the Harlem station, 5550 N. Harlem Ave., after a read story
by BRIAN NADIG 45th Ward Democratic Committeeperson Michael Rabbitt and his Dems 45 organization have endorsed Jefferson Park resident S Gronkiewicz-Doran in the ward’s aldermanic race, which will be held read story
by BRIAN NADIG A new business, possibly a daycare, is in the works for the former CVS Pharmacy at the southeast corner of Milwaukee and Lawrence avenues. The pharmacy closed read story
by BRIAN NADIG A possible suspect is in custody after gunfire was reported at or near the Jefferson Park CTA Terminal, 4917 N. Milwaukee Ave., at about 5:20 a.m. Saturday, read story
by BRIAN NADIG A luxury hotel and spa for cats is planned for a vacant one-story office building at 5510 W. Montrose Ave. in the Jefferson-Portage Park area. Local resident read story
Browse by Category
No Pop-Ups
Weekly Digital Edition
Read every story.
Skip every pop-up.
No pop-up ads — ever. Just stories, the way they were meant to be read
Full weekly edition delivered to your inbox every week — no waiting, no missing issues
Support local journalism and help keep our community connected
Only $19.50/year
That's less than 38¢ a week
Purchase Digital Subscription
Paypal
$19.50
/year
You can submit your payment via Paypal with a Credit Card. You DO NOT NEED TO HAVE A PAYPAL ACCOUNT.. Just click the “Paypal Subscribe” button below to iniate your secure payment! You will be directed to a Secure Paypal page in which you can pay with a Paypal account if you have one, or you can select "Pay with Debit or Credit Cardt" option below and process your payment via credit card.
Venmo
$19.50
/year
You can submit payment of $19.50 for a 1 year subscription to Nadig Newspapers' Venmo account using this link. Please include the email address in the comment/note section that you would like the digital subscription sent to.