by BRIAN NADIG

The Gladstone Park Advisory Council plans to install a butterfly garden at the park, 5421 N. Menard Ave., next spring and is looking to buy film equipment so that it can host more movies in the park.

The garden will include milkweed, dill, parsley and other plants which attract butterflies and give a place for caterpillars to lay their eggs, said local resident and horticulturist Noreen Rasmussen, who is designing the garden. An update was given at the council’s Oct. 17 meeting.

The garden will be located in a triangular-shaped grassy area at the park’s north end, and the soil will be amended with mushroom compost to help enrich the soil and supply nutrients to the plants, Rasmussen said. Plans also call for the garden to include benches and a wooden lending library where residents can borrow and donate books.

Council president Robert Simpson said in a Nov. 1 interview that start-up costs for the garden would be funded through the 45th Ward’s participatory budget. The budget, which ward residents voted on last month, calls for up to a $15,000 allocation to cover the start-up costs for each new community garden.

The council also is seeking to apply for a $1,000 grant from Friends of the Parks. The grant may be used to help pay for a music festival which the council is planning for next year, but no decision has been made, Simpson said.

The council also is seeking "silver screen" sponsorships so that it can purchase an inflatable screen, projector and sound system so that the park can annually host about five movies in the park, Simpson said. The equipment is estimated to cost about $3,500, and each movie can cost several hundred dollars due to copyright regulations, he said.









The council also sponsored a food drive through Sunday, Nov. 11, in which non-expired canned and other non-perishable food items were donated to the Saint Cornelius Church food pantry, Simpson said. Donations were dropped off at the park fieldhouse or at Happy Foods, 6415 N. Central Ave. Local student Isabella Gatti was coordinating the food drive, according to Simpson.

The council has created a Teen Committee and plans to work with area students on a variety of projects so they can earn learning-service hours, he said.

Annual dues to join the council are $15. The council advises the park district and helps to promote the park.