Look out for trucks and autos

The new Randolph tot lot, Grove to Oak Park Ave., will be a park with an alley running through it.  A “speed table” will slow vehicles down to minimize danger of a tot being run over when he or she runs from one half of the park to the other. 

Gates across the alley appear in one of three plans offered, but these would be very expensive, to judge by comments by park officials.

This is what the park district is planning in its expansion of the lot’s western half to a newly acquired eastern half in land recently ceded to it by the village. 

Plans were explained to 35 or so citizens in a meeting 8/26 at Pleasant Home by John Mac Manus, a consultant on whom the park district has been relying extensively in recent months.

No one at the 8/26 meeting made much of the danger factor, though most comments were from people living close to the lot.

It’s a busy alley, however, serving several large apartment and condo buildings.  In fact, the whole block, Randolph to Washington, has only one single-family residence on the alley’s Oak Park Ave. side. 

Among vehicles who use the alley regularly are autos, garbage trucks, and moving vans, the latter more in some seasons than others, of course.

The three plans currently under discussion are Scheme 1, Scheme 2, and Scheme 3.  A survey monkey will send your comments on to the park district.  It’s not too demanding as those things go, asking what you like or don’t like about each scheme, which you like best, and what else you’d like to say.

I’m going to paste most of this in the latter portion.  You do what you feel like.  There’s no obligation.

Later: I did this, adding words to this effect, that kids amuse themselves when permitted, and this is the goal of any park.