LINCOLN SQUARE — If you've got a problem on your block — poorly lit alley, crumbling sidewalk, catch basins that never drain — speak now or hold your peace until next year.
Block audits, which the 47th Ward office will use to help determine projects to fund with money from the alderman's discretionary budget in 2015, are due by midnight Nov. 25.
Forms can be filled out online or paper copies are available at the ward office, 4243 N. Lincoln Ave.
The block audit asks a series of questions about the condition of features like streets, crosswalks, sidewalks, alleys, curbs and gutters. Are there rats in your alley? Are the streets free of potholes? Are the sidewalks obstructed by overgrown trees or shrubs?
One hundred block audits were completed in 2014. Staff members in the 47th Ward office also conduct a field survey to identify problems not submitted by residents.
Each year, every ward has $1.32 million to spend at the alderman's discretion on infrastructure improvements. The block audits help identify trouble spots, which are then scored by ward staff.
Projects that make the final cut will be presented to the community in early 2015, with residents voting on which improvements to prioritize.
Results from 2014 can be viewed on the 47th Ward website.
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