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Uptown United

The mission of Uptown United is to provide technical assistance to businesses and economic investors located in and serving Uptown, initiate and participate in strategic planning, encourage economic development to strengthen the community's economic base, address broad issues pertaining to the quality of life for Uptown's diverse population, and be a network to encourage partnerships.

Development Partners

The mission of the Development Partners is to initiate and participate in strategic planning, promote appropriate land use, and encourage development projects that provide employment opportunities, a strengthened economic base, and an enhanced quality of life for Uptown's diverse population.

Community Partners

The mission of the Community Partners is to initiate and participate in strategic planning and discussion to address broad issues of community development including balanced growth, social diversity, and economic vitality. Community Partners will be a network promoting productive interaction and will serve as a catalyst to effect partnerships among businesses and community organizations to enhance the quality of life for Uptown's diverse population.

Business Partners

The mission of the Business Partners, the Chamber for Uptown, is to provide comprehensive support services and access to technical assistance programs to businesses and economic investors located in and serving Uptown. The assistance furnished by the Business Partners will insure that Uptown businesses have the opportunity and tools to thrive, and that the needs for goods and services in the community are met.

Also please visit our
Uptown partner UptownBusinessPartners.com

Uptown United

Uptown Special Service Area

SSA #34 Advisory Commission Meetings for 2008
Upcoming SSA #34 Advisory Commission Meeting dates for 2008 are May 19, June 23 (4pm), July 21, September 15, and November 17. They are held at Aon/Combined Insurance, 5050 N. Broadway, in the First Floor Conference Room and are at 3:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For a listing of agendas or meeting minutes, click here.
Earth Day 2008 - Cleanslate Teams Up with JPUSA
EarthDayduoEarthDaygroupOn the morning of Tuesday, April 22, 2008, several staffers from the Cleanslate program got together with home-schooled students from Jesus People USA to continue the cleaning and beautification of Uptown’s streets. Cleanslate, managed by The Cara Program, is a neighborhood beautification business cleaning sidewalks and parkways on behalf of Uptown Special Service Area #34. In addition, Cleanslate also educates community residents and businesses about the importance of recycling, and facilitates recycling efforts.
 
So to honor Earth Day 2008, JPUSA’s 50 students and 10 adult volunteers fanned out into smaller crews led by Cleanslate interns, staff and volunteers to take on the streets and parkways within the area bounded by Eastwood, Sunnyside, Broadway, Sheridan and Clarendon.
 
The crews collected 31 bags of trash and 21 bags of recyclables. Weighing in at an estimated 25-30 pounds a bag their efforts resulted in over 1,000 pounds of trash being removed from Uptown’s streets. Furthermore, as Cleanslate crew leader Brady Gott noted, “The benefits of the educational component of this event will long outlast the one day clean up.”
 
For more information about Cleanslate or the work of Uptown SSA #34, contact Wally Rozak at Uptown United, 773-878-1064.
Uptown SSA #34, established in December, 2005, covers the major commercial corridors including Broadway from Foster to Irving Park, Sheridan Road from Foster to Montrose, the commercial areas just north of Irving Park, as well as the commercial areas on Argyle, Lawrence, Leland, Wilson and Montrose. The largest portions of the SSA budget address cleanliness, including sidewalk snow removal, additional street and sidewalk cleaning and power washing of sidewalks. The SSA is partnering with Cleanslate, a project of The Cara Program. The concept for Cleanslate was created by a senior Goldman Sachs executive who spent a sabbatical with The Cara Program. He recognized the importance of work to the well-being of the individual and created the program to give people with barriers to employment the necessary job and communication skills to stay employed and provide for themselves. In Uptown, Cleanslate performs handsweeping and litter removal, snow removal and light landscaping tasks. Cleanslate recruits from local Uptown agencies to give people in Uptown the first chance to participate in the program. The SSA chose to partner with Cleanslate not only for their superior beautification skill but also because Cleanslate provides a real opportunity for individuals in Uptown to learn and apply new skills, improve their long-term job prospects, and make a real difference in the community. 

The SSA also works on area marketing, including the recent banner program for Uptown. The goal is to get the maximum benefit from the program while keeping the additional tax rate as low as possible.

SSA #34 (marked in yellow)