Whipple school meeting scheduling snag overcome

Many residents of West Rogers Park were upset when they learned that the community meeting about upcoming Whipple school was to be held on Wednesday 1/14 @ 7 pm in Beis Yitzhak. Timing of the event caused suspicion because alderman Bernard Stone set it to the same day, as the annual Kvetchathon of Rogers Park. Hoping for the light attendance due to kvetchathon Stone must have looked forward to an easy proceeding. However, concerned about education of their kids, kvetchaton contestants incorporated competition into the meeting itseld and were able to combine both events.

Bernie himself started the meeting wearing a yarmulke, however he removed it shortly before the meeting got underway, as an admission that he will not pass the kvetching qualifier.

Everything started very orderly. Stone addressed the community with vigor that was surprising for a septuagenarian (80 yo +). He was very lucid and apparently aware of his surroundings. Meeting organizers brought various responsible specialists from Public Building Comission of Chicago. Traffic Planner, Architect, Foreman, Project Manager, School Planning Guy and an Indian dude switching slides were present. Also present were 60 or so frum yiddin and 2 or so potential parents.

Meeting started only 5 minutes late and the first request was to hold off with questions and comments until the end of the presentations. Surprisingly community adhered to this request for almost 5 seconds. Presenters disregarded out-of order questions and went through material rather swiftly. After presentation was over people lined up to ask questions. Most questions were asked by the members of the Jewish community and adhered to a kvetch association approved forms / templates listed below:

• How dare you __________[ ...... 5 min of hq kvetching here] NO I DID NOT INTERRUPT YOU .... dont you DARE to .......
  
• If you had any intelligence you would ______________________
• I have never heard ____________________________
  

The issues raised included the following:

1. Street parking that will be used by school staff, visitors because of insufficient 30 space parking space in school.
2. Unruly gangs of elementary school students descending on Chepewa park.
3. General goishe invasion and transit through an otherwise perfect Jewish ghetto.
   
4. Traffic jams caused by parents descending on school for Erev Shira.
   
5. All exists leading to Whipple and forcing all this goishe traffic onto a single quiet street.

Some additional issues raised were:

• What would happen if the whole Whipple street was completely on fire (molten lava, or a nuclear bomb perhaps?) and both exits used by FD on whipple were blocked by rubble.
• Why can't the school dig through to Kedzie irrespective of private property.

Another issue was scheduling of one of the preliminary meeting on Jewish Yom Tov. People accused administration and Stone specifically in being blind and stupid for doing that. My personal impression, given the display on Wednesday meeting is that scheduling meeting on Yom Tov was a brilliant move to get anything

In general this meeting gave us a preview of how horrible it would be had Naisy Dollar won the aldermanic election. If this is what Jewish alderman is doing to us, a goishe woman would definately start pogroms. Once I am at it, a big thanks for the empty buildings on Wallen Drive, our substandard Public Library, trashy streets and great prices on Haj Travel available on Devon Ave.

So thanks to all of those who campaigned so hard for good old Bernie!