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Woman Who Helped Make The 606 A Reality Leaving For Houston Park Group

By Alisa Hauser | March 31, 2016 6:49pm | Updated on March 31, 2016 6:59pm
 Mayor Rahm Emanuel walks along The 606. Beth White, in orange vest, is next to him.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel walks along The 606. Beth White, in orange vest, is next to him.
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DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

THE 606 — The director of a land conservancy group who played an instrumental role in bringing the Bloomingdale Trail/606 to life will leave Chicago to lead a park board in Houston, the Texas advocacy group announced.

Beth White, who has served as Chicago Region Director of the Trust for Public Land since 2006, has accepted the president and CEO job at Houston Parks Board, a land advocacy group in Houston.

"I had an extraordinary run in Chicago and spent my career here. I'm really proud of what we've been able to do and the team we have [at the Trust for Public Land's Midwest office]," White said. 

White's last day on the job is May 6. She'll be succeeded by Jamie Simone, who has worked under White as the group's program director for urban parks since 2011. 

Simone will serve as the interim director of the Trust for Public Land's Chicago region office, White said.

"The 606 is in great shape," White said. "There's two more parks, another $14 million left to raise."

White was referring to a 4-acre park at 1800 N. Ridgeway Ave. that is under construction; an expansion of Julia de Burgos Park, 1805 N. Albany Ave.; and a wheel-friendly events plaza and other amenities at Walsh Park, 1722 N. Ashland Ave.

Part of a larger Chicago Park District system dubbed The 606, named for the first three numerals of the zip code all Chicago residents share, the trail has 12 spots where folks can hop on or off.

Running from Bucktown and Wicker Park on the east to Logan Square and Humboldt Park on the west, the trail is the city's first park that also functions as a commuter route. 

Earlier this week, The 606 won a national award from the American Planning Association, which described the park system as "a stunning example of a community working together to realize a dream and create a city-wide attraction from underused city infrastructure."

 Jamie Simone on the trail.
Jamie Simone on the trail.
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DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

The Trust for Public Land was tapped by the Chicago Park District to be its public private partner to manage the planning, design and development the innovative "rails-to-trails" project which transformed an old railroad line into a 2.7-mile elevated trail.

The Bloomingdale Trail, the elevated path that serves as the project's centerpiece, opened last June.

In 2013, White was the recipient of the Boeing Company's annual "Game Changer" award for her leadership role for her leadership role in The 606/Bloomingdale Trail project.

Before joining The Trust for Public Land, White worked at the Chicago Housing Authority as its managing director in charge of communication activities, resource development and intergovernmental relations, according to a news release issued by the Houston Parks Board.

The majority of the $95 million cost to build The 606 came from a $50 million Federal Congestion Air Mitigation Quality or CMAQ grant. Another $20 million was raised through private fundraising and $5 million was committed from local government, White previously said. 

For more information on The Trust for Public Land, which is managing the design, private fundraising efforts, community engagement, and other aspects of The 606 on behalf of the Chicago Park District, visit www.tpl.org

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