2016 Olympics in Chicago:

Assessing the Impact on Our Schools and Douglas Park

By Valerie F. Leonard

Rendering: Proposed Olympic Velodrome and BMX Track

Source: Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid Book

I was surprised and deeply disturbed

to learn that the Chicago 2016 plans
for Douglas Park include the
demolition of the Collins High School
gym to construct a 6,000 seat
Velodrome (indoor bicycle racing
track) at a cost of $37.1 million.

I was equally dismayed to learn that

the United States Department of
Rendering: Douglas Park Olympic Velodrome Education, headed by former CPS
Source: Chicago 2016 Olympic Bid Book CEO Arne Duncan, has placed the
highest sanctions possible on 4
Chicago charter schools. The federal sanctions will result in restructuring and could lead
to closing of the schools. The list includes North Lawndale College Preparatory Charter
High School, which operates from the Howland and Collins campuses. If North Lawndale
College Prep is closed without a suitable education alternative, the Collins High School
building could be vulnerable to demolition or takeover by the Park District or some other
entity.

Indeed, the timing of the restructuring and potential closing of the school is curious. It
seems very strange that a man (Secretary Duncan) who has given North Lawndale Prep a
pass for years is now sanctioning the school--at a time when Chicago is a finalist city to host
the Olympics and must ramp up land assembly to build infrastructure to host the Games.

Chicago 2016 prides itself on developing a plan that doesn't require demolition of homes or
displacement of residents. However, the City and our elected officials neglected to tell the
us that they could be effectively displacing North Lawndale students. If the school is not
closed, the remaining students will be severely inconvenienced with the loss of a gym. It is
not clear where students will have gym classes while the Velodrome is being constructed.
As it is, students from some local schools are already sharing gym facilities or using the
local parks because they have no gym.

North Lawndale, more than any other community, has experienced massive disruption and
mayhem due to school closings and restructurings to produce Renaissance 2010 schools
whose results are not much different from the failing schools they replaced. Just when we
thought things were settling down, there's a chance we could lose North Lawndale College
Prep High School, and the Collins building completely.

Losing the Collins building (or the use of it as a school) effectively means that North
Lawndale won't have use of the only building in the community that was originally
intended for use as a high school. If North Lawndale Prep closes, we wouldn't have but 2
high schools left--a troubled charter high school that shares the Collins building with North
Lawndale College Prep, and the Power House High School, which got off to a very rocky
start. North Lawndale already has no traditional high school, let alone access to high
schools with a demonstrated track record of success.

Losing the Collins building also has cultural implications. The school was named for George
W. Collins, the first African American congressman from North Lawndale. Potential
demolition or takeover of the building by the Park District would remove yet another
symbol of African American culture from the North Lawndale landscape. It is as if the City
is systematically removing all remnants of the African American presence in North
Lawndale, and using the Olympics as one of the tools.

Why doesn't Chicago 2016 explore alternative sites for the Velodrome that don't require
demolition? If they must operate in the Chicago Parks, they should consider moving the
Velodrome south of Ogden (which doesn't have any buildings), or even Garfield Park.

I am also very concerned about the plan as it relates to the preservation of the historical
landscape of Douglas Park, and how it fits within the context of the Boat House (Field
House), which is a national landmark. The design of the exterior of the building does not
blend in with its surroundings. If I recall correctly, the Chicago 2016 Ordinance provides
that Olympic facilities will be designed to fit within the context of existing buildings (and I
hope historic landscapes).

Chicago 2016 has indicated that visitors will be encouraged to use public transportation to
travel to events in Douglas Park. My friend and colleague Joe Ann Bradley raised a very
important question: What happens if the CTA cannot handle the extra traffic resulting from
the Olympics? How will Douglas Park accommodate traffic from 6,000 folks visiting the
Velodrome, and an additional 10,000 visiting the BMX track? The roads winding through
Douglas Park are narrow, and some are closed to through traffic. This current layout does
not appear to be adequate to accommodate large numbers of buses and taxis. Can the Park
accommodate all this traffic without fundamentally changing the original landscape? Are
there plans for a parking garage somewhere in the community? The nearby Mount Sinai
Hospital parking garage will not accommodate the additional traffic generated by the
Games.

Words cannot express my disappointment that no one from the Chicago 2016 Community
Outreach Committee, or our elected officials pushed to protect the legacy of Congressman
George W. Collins by keeping the school building intact. They need to act quickly to
preserve the only building in North Lawndale that was actually constructed for the purpose
of being a high school. While I applaud the African American aldermen's stance on
minority contracts, affordable housing, jobs, and calls for no displacement of local
residents, our children's learning cannot be sacrificed for the Olympics. Somehow the
tradeoff between a Velodrome and a local high school seems like an unequal exchange, and
our children will pay the price.

Upcoming Meetings

Chicago 2016 and the Chicago Park District will host the first of several planning meetings
on Saturday, May 2, 2009, at Douglas Park Field House, 1401 South Sacramento, from 9:00
a.m. to 12:00 noon. The purpose of the meetings is to gather public input as to how the
Velodrome should be used after the Olympics. For further information, contact Mr. Arnold
L. Randall, Director of Neighborhood Legacy, Chicago 2016, at 312-784-6034, or
arandall@chicago2016.org.

The Lawndale Alliance, in partnership with Dvorak School, WACA and DePaul University,
will host a presentation on the impact of the Olympics upon communities, and panel
discussion on the pros and cons of Chicago hosting the Olympics. Featured panelists
include representatives from Chicago 2016, No Games Chicago, and representatives from
community based organizations sharing views in support or in opposition to the Olympics.
Alderman Dixon will provide her perspectives on the Olympics. The meeting will be held on
Tuesday, May 12, 2009, from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., at Dvorak School, located on the corner
of 16th Street and Central Park. For further information contact Valerie F. Leonard at 773-
521-3137 or valeriefleonard@msn.com.