The City Starts to Get The Point

By vouchey in News on Jun 16, 2004 12:36PM

Known to Hyde Parkers as simply "The Point", Promontory Point at 55th and Lake Shore Drive is a favorite place for bar-b-ques, frisbee, and just hanging out. The former Nike missile base is one of the best places to catch a breeze on a sweltering summer day, and is protected from the lake by giant limestone blocks that have crumbled from decades of stormy lake weather. Last winter, then-Park District Superintendant David Doig announced replacement of the limestone with concrete barriers, similar to barriers constructed further north. But Hyde Parkers strongly protested the plan, Doig left his job, and a stalemate ensued.

Yesterday Ald. Leslie Hairston dove headfirst into the process by forming a special committee to address the reconstruction. The committee, which includes city agencies, the Army Corps of Engineers, and local community groups will hopefully produce some results (Hyde Parkers have a bit of a history of being intractable, you know), and The Point will stay safe. Chicagoist has no good joke to wrap up this story.