by BRIAN NADIG

The Jefferson Park Neighborhood Association at its meeting Oct. 24 discussed restarting its safety committee and learned about efforts that U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (D-5) is taking to address postal service concerns.

Association vice president Brian Wardman said that the safety committee should start meeting again due to "the advent of increased shootings in the neighborhood" and that the committee may expand into a coalition of local organizations.

In October, bullets were fired into two Jefferson Park homes while children were inside, although there were no reported injuries, and in September a man was shot multiple times outside of a house as part of a of an apparent drug deal gone awry, according to police.

In addition, there were two reported homicides in the 16th (Jefferson Park) Police District in 2018. One occurred near Northwest Highway and Central Avenue as part of a drug-related incident, and another that occurred was part of a domestic-related incident in the 4700 block of North Linder Avenue, police said.

As it did a couple of years ago, the committee will work with the district’s community police office in an effort to keep residents informed about recent crimes and preventative measurers that residents can take, Wardman said.

Also at the meting, Quigley’s district director Mary Ann Levar reported that the congressman is waiting for a response from U.S. Postmaster General Megan Brennan about a letter sent in October asking her to address concerns from his constituents.

"Complaints from constituents, particularly in the Lakeview neighborhood and the entire Northwest Side of Chicago, have come into the district office criticizing USPS for delivering mail to incorrect addresses, arriving damaged or not arriving for days at a time," Quigley’s Oct. 15 press release said about the letter to Brennan.

Levar said that part of the problem appears to stem from some postal carriers having to deliver an "auxiliary route" in addition to their normal route due to staffing issues. "Everybody wants a postal service that I remember as a kid, (with carriers who) know everybody on the route," Levar said.









Quigley’s letter asks for the number of auxiliary routes in the 5th District.

"It is clear these issues with our mail delivery service are having a substantially negative impact on the community," Quigley said in the release. "Constituents are unable to send and receive mail, some of which includes life-saving medicines, bank statements, passports and other important documents."

It also has been reported that mail delivery in the Jefferson Park area has been slowed on Saturdays due to delays at a suburban sorting facility.

Meanwhile, it was announced at the meeting that Mega Properties is now managing the former Northwestern College’s Jefferson Park campus, which was recently sold to an investor group. The closed campus includes buildings at 4829 N. Lipps Ave. and 4811 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Mega is the developer of a four-story building that is under construction at 5201 W. Lawrence Ave. and a planned 16-story building at 4849 N. Lipps Ave.

The association’s next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, in the basement at the Congregational Church of Jefferson Park, 5320 W. Giddings St.