HUMBOLDT PARK — Logan Square residents Linda Rosul and her husband Todd Wiltse felt the excitement in the air when the Bloomingdale Trail finally opened last weekend. The couple, who have been involved in the early planning of the western end of the trail, said it's just the beginning.
"Now that it's here, we are looking forward to the next stage and learning more about how we can continue our involvement and share our input," Wiltse said.
Rosul and Wiltse were among more than 40 community members, Bloomingdale Trail planners, and Bloomingdale Park Advisory Council members who gathered Thursday night to discuss the next steps during the first Bloomingdale Trail Park Advisory Council meeting at Bickerdike Redevelopment Corp., 2550 W. North Ave.
As the group cheered the achievement of more than a decade of work to make the trail a reality, advisory council president Ben Helphand said the work is far from over.
"This is a turning point for the friends of the Bloomingdale Trail," Helphand said. "Some of you were here at the beginning, [some] of you were here before the beginning. It's been a long haul."
Helphand said the new advisory council members are switching gears from the advocacy work that led to the creation of the trail into a stewardship mode in order to maintain the newly opened trail.
"It's new, and it's going to be an adventure to figure out," Helphand said.
Helphand and advisory council members agreed that communication on issues and concerns on the trail is key.
The advisory council, which consists of two representatives from Humboldt Park, Logan Square, Wicker Park and Bucktown, and one representative from adjoining park advisory councils, aim to continue the link between the Bloomingdale Trail and all the parks that make up the 606 Park and trail network.
Advisory council members said the goal is to champion the interests of all of the communities the trail runs through with public meetings. Subcommittees will be developed to maintain communication with the community.
During the meeting, residents raised issues of trail etiquette, including skateboard usage and safety.
Helphand and Beth White, director of the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, said concerns were being monitored and would be addressed if skateboarding became problematic.
Reyna Luna, 51, of West Town, expressed her enthusiasm for the trail and the need to make sure community members come together to maintain all aspects of the trail.
"We need to be ambassadors for the trail to maintain it, to keep it up," Luna said.
Rosul hopes to join the subcommittee to address some of the uncertainties that still remain.
"The trail is new, and there's a lot of rules that haven't been codified," Rosul said. "I know it's only the first meeting, but I hope becoming part of the communication subcommittee will help address some of these communications concerns."
Nevertheless, Rosul shared Luna's enthusiasm, calling the buzz surrounding the trail "palpable."
"This is just the start of something," Rosul said. "It's not the end of it, you can feel it."
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