Environment & Health News
According to recent announcements by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and a letter sent to parents, elevated levels of lead were discovered at two drinking fountains at Edward Everett Elementary School, 3419 S. Bell Ave., Chicago, in the McKinley Park neighborhood. Spurred by national reports of high lead in water systems, CPS has been testing at its school sites and has uncovered 75 schools that have now tested positive for high levels of lead, including Everett.
The two fountains with high lead are sited in the basement in the girls playroom at Everett; some of the tests showed levels more than five times higher than the 15 parts per billion the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets as a cutoff for needed action. Both fountains are now disconnected, and other drinking fountains in the building tested below the EPA's action level, CPS said.
Efforts by community groups and City of Chicago officials and staffers are bringing a focus to the trees of McKinley Park, part of a broader push to green the neighborhood and restore a tree canopy devastated by the emerald ash borer and stressed by climate change.
As first noted by 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas at an April 2016 community meeting, tree trimming and removal has been underway throughout the spring, with all 2015 trimming requests now completed by the Department of Forestry. Meanwhile, the McKinley Park Community Garden and the alderman have promoted tree planting by distributing free oak tree saplings at the garden's Sustainability Saturday event this past Saturday, June 11.
Thanks to ongoing efforts from garden organizers and assistance from 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas, the McKinley Park Community Garden is returning to its planned 2016 season of gardening plots and activities. Garden organizers were able to negotiate a lease for the 2016 growing season with the new owners of the property: a series of lots on the north side of Pershing Road between Wolcott and Winchester avenues.
As reported here on McKinleyPark.org, the 2016 season was initially canceled due to the sale of the donated land that the garden uses. Gardeners can now sign up online for plots, or sign up at the upcoming Community Garden Plant Sale on Saturday, May 14, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the garden.
Read more: McKinley Park Community Garden Returns for 2016 Season
