Reports from the South Side
Special Service Area #61
Serving "Downtown Hyde Park"
Special Service Areas, known as Business Improvement Districts in other cities, are local tax districts that fund expanded services and programs through a local property tax levy within contiguous areas. The enhanced services and programs are in addition to those currently provided through the City.
SSA-funded projects typically include public way maintenance and beautification; district marketing and advertising; business retention/attraction, special events and promotions; bike transit; security; façade improvements; and commercial and economic development initiatives.
The City contracts with local nonprofits, called Service Providers, to manage SSAs. Mayorally-appointed SSA Commissioners for each SSA district oversee and recommend the annual services, budget, and Service Provider Agency to the City. There are currently 56 active SSAs in Chicago. [See cityofchicago.org, downtownhydeparkchicago.org] Meetings are open to the public, and are listed at Downtown Hyde Park Chicago.
2025 Commissioners:
George Rumsey (Chair)
- Computer Resource Center, Inc.
Charles Newsome (Vice Chair) - Kimbark Plaza
Nancy Stanek (Treasurer) - Toys Et Cetera
Mary Rogel (Programs Chair) - East Point Associates
Leroy Brown - Hyatt
Suni Karim - SKProperties Group
Angie Marks - VP, UChicago Real Estate Operations
James Nurss - First Aid Comics
George Robnette III - MAC Properties
Eric Thompson - Hyde Park Bank
South East Chicago Commission, Service Provider Agency
Diane Burnham, Executive Director
Rod Sawyer, SSA Program Administrator
Raymonde Vance, SSA Recording Secretary
Mike McGarry and Jourdan Sorrell, SSA Advisors
George leads a walking tour of Nichols Part for the Chicago Hyde Park Village, July 8, 2022.
55th Street Accessibility
On Saturday, June 16, 2012, the Hyde Park Disabibilities Task Force sponsored a "Walk and Roll" down 55th Street, identifying issues of accessibility and safety. Read the full disabilities report
Goodbye, Computer Resource Center! Hello, Options for Youth!
After 33 years, on October 31, 2024, George formally closed the Computer Resource Center. The CRC provided computer training
going back to the days of Lotus 1-2-3 and WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS,
up through Adobe Creative Cloud and Microsoft 365. His clients ranged from the University of Chicago Library and Law School to
the Lincoln Park Zoo.
On January 1, 2025, George accepted the position of Executive Director for Options for Youth, a 501(c)(3) based in Hyde Park, which works with at-risk and vulnerable teens on the South and West Sides
of Chicago.
George talks U of C and "preservation."
Maroon Gray City Looks at HP Development:
The University, its real estate, and Hyde Park retail
Save the Point AGAIN
-
Promontory Point Conservancy spends the 4th of July 2022 with
Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Alderman Leslie Hairston, walking the
Point in order to discuss its preservation and restoration (Twitter
photo from Tina Hone, Chief Engagement Officer for the Mayor;
shown are Debra Hammond, Jack Spicer, Mayor Lori Lightfoot,
and George Rumsey).
Frank Lloyd Wright in Kenwood
The Hyde Park-Kenwood Community Conference sponsored an informational forum on the Frank Lloyd Wright homes in South Kenwood in December, 2013. See hpkcc.wordpress.com for more information.
Affordable Rental Housing in HP-K
The Coalition for Equitable Community Development unveils a detailed study of rental housing in Hyde Park and South Kenwood.
Read the executive summary • Read the full report