UPTOWN — Teens enrolled in an urban design program this summer are scheduled Saturday to unveil their ideas for making the area around John T. McCutcheon Elementary School safer for youth.
The Territory Urban Design Team, an After School Matters program, is a summer apprenticeship "for teens interested in transforming public spaces through urban design, architecture, and public art," according to the Territory website.
The team will convene Saturday morning at the 48th Ward satellite office, 1008 W. Argyle St., to present design ideas for the entryway to McCutcheon's annex building at 4850 N. Kenmore Ave., "as well as the path from there to the main campus at 4865 N. Sheridan," according to Territory co-founder Helen Slade.
"In addition, look for the teens out in the neighborhood between Wilson and Argyle, Kenmore and Sheridan," Slade wrote in an email. "The team will be talking to neighbors, drawing site plans, taking pictures and researching the area...We want to know what you think about our ideas for making the neighborhood safer for youth."
The event is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Slade said.
Lyman Trumbull Elementary School, which school officials voted to close in May, is expected to send about 100 students to McCutcheon in the fall — a scenario that upset Trumbull parents who considered the area around the school unsafe and didn't like the prospect of the annex building (which has been closed and used for storage for years) being used to accommodate their children.
McCutcheon Principal Jennifer Ann Farrell said at an April community meeting that McCutcheon provides a safe environment for students and is respected in the community. Others in the McCutcheon community have said Trumbull parents concerns about local crime were overblown.
