May 16, 2008 6:55 am US/Central
City Commission Approves Children's Museum Plan
Full City Council Must Now Vote On Whether Children's Museum Can Open In Grant Park
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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A rendering of the proposed plan to move the Chicago Children's Museum to Grant Park.
CBS
After a marathon session, the Chicago Plan Commission has voted to approve the plan by the Chicago Children's Museum to move to Grant Park.
The board voted 13-2 to send the proposal on to the full City Council. The vote followed a debate that stretched on for almost nine hours, as hundreds of people came to City Hall to have their say on the proposal.
Mayor Richard M. Daley and his supporters want to turn an area on the north end of Grant Park into a new $100 million children's museum. If it's approved, the museum will be built mostly beneath the surface, with only the entrance protruding into the park area.
"I actually think we're actually enhancing Grant Park, activating the park and opening it up to the public," said plan supporter Jenna Beletic.
But Grant Park was declared "forever open, clear and free" in 1836, a vision that was upheld by the Illinois Supreme Court at the turn of the last century after department store magnate Montgomery Ward sued to ensure nothing would be built in the park. Many opponents say no matter how it is built, the Children's Museum would violate that law.
"I feel that the public process in this issue has been poorly managed… by the city representatives and the museum involved in it.." said opponent Mark Heller. "I'm not an elected official or a politician; I am simply a resident of Chicago and I believe that the city and the museum have an opportunity to do better."
"If this is really about the children, the Chicago Children's Museum would not be here right now, trying to steal the most precious inheritance our children have, which is the gift of green space," a woman at the hearing said.
During what promises to be a long hearing, Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), who represents the area was not optimistic of his chances of stopping the plan. He agrees with those who say the Commission is a Daley rubber stamp.
Opponents of the plan say they will lobby aldermen hard to defeat the proposal, and they will go to court if necessary.
The City Council is expected to consider the proposal next month.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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