>>> HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS, YOU WILL HAVE ACCESS TO PART OF GRANT PARK FOR FOUR DAYS THIS SUMMER, THE PARK WILL BE CLOSED FOR EVENTS OCCLUDING THE FIRST EVER NASCAR RACE, LOLLAPALOOZA WILL BE SETTING UP , AND ALL THAT BEGS THE QUESTION, WHO EXACTLY ARE THE PARKS FOR?

WE HAVE MARK SHULMAN, A LONGTIME PARTICIPANT IN TASTE OF CHICAGO, AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FRIENDS OF THE PARKS.

AND LESLIE , PRESIDENT OF THE GRANT PARK ADVISORY COUNCIL, WE ALSO INVITED REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE CITY, NASCAR, AND THE CITY'S TOURISM BUREAU OF CHICAGO .

THIS AFTERNOON , HE CANCELED, BUT WE DO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY.

STARTING WITH YOU, MARK , YOU HAVE BEEN THERE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.

HOW DO YOU AND THE OTHER VENDORS FEEL ABOUT MOVING TO SEPTEMBER?

>> WE'VE HAD 43 YEARS OF THIS , AND WE HAD A GREAT TASTE LAST YEAR AROUND BUCKINGHAM FOUNTAIN, I DO BELIEVE IT IS GREAT TO DO IT IN GRANT PARK.

WE WILL ADJUST TO DOING IT A LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE YEAR, BUT REALLY EXCITED AFTER NOT HAVING A TASTE IN 2021, IT WAS GREAT TO BE BACK.

>> AND ALBEIT SMALLER, AND THIS ONE WILL BE SMALLER, TOO.

NOW IT IS JUST OVER THE WEEKEND.

IS THIS THE RIGHT SOLUTION TO THIS LOGJAM ?

WE ARE GOING TO HAVE NASCAR AND THE TASTE ON THE SAME WEEKEND, NOW IT'LL JUST BE IN SEPTEMBER.

>> I THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO NOT TRY TO DO IT ALL AT THE SAME TIME DOWNTOWN.

I DO THINK ALL OF IT HAS BEEN COMMUNICATED TO THE PUBLIC SO QUICKLY AND WITHOUT A LOT OF TRANSPARENCY, WE DON'T KNOW ENOUGH TO KNOW WHAT PROBLEMS MAY STILL EXIST.

SOME ARE GOING OUT TO NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS, THAT MIGHT BE A GOOD THING BUT WE ARE NOT SURE THE FOLKS IN THOSE COMMUNITIES MAY HAVE HAD OTHER EVENTS ALREADY SCHEDULED , HAD THAT BEEN COORDINATED WITH.

>> LESLIE IS SOMEBODY THAT IS VERY INVOLVED WITH GRANT PARK, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTS THAT USE IT AS THEIR PARK.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS?

>> WE THINK TASTE HAS A WONDERFUL SELECTIVITY, AND WE HAVE ALWAYS SUPPORTED IT.

ONE OF THE PROBLEMS TO MOVING INTO THE WEEKEND THAT WAS CHOSEN, THE GRANT PARK ADVISORY COUNCIL HAD A FUNDRAISER PLANNED FOR THAT WEEKEND.

THE PARKED DISTRICT DOESN'T PUT CAPITAL MONEY INTO GRANT PARK, THEY HAVEN'T FOR YEARS.

AND WE WERE TRYING TO RAISE SOME FUNDING FOR GRANT PARK.

SO AGAIN, THESE LAST-MINUTE DECISIONS WITH NO COORDINATION IS REALLY A PROBLEM FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED.

>> MARK, DOES IT AFFECT THE BUSINESS FOR THE RESTAURANT TOURS WHO DO RELY THIS EVENT AND TO DRUM UP PUBLICITY?

>> IT USED TO BE OVER THE FOURTH OF JULY, IT STARTED ON JULY 4, WE HAD THE BIG FIREWORKS SHOW, THEN IT WAS MOVED A WEEK LATER.

WE WILL SEE.

IS IT A GREAT WEATHER WEEKEND?

SEPTEMBER IN CHICAGO CAN REALLY BE BEAUTIFUL.

THE STUDENTS ARE BACK IN SCHOOL.

SO I THINK WE WILL FIND OUT.

BUT, YOU KNOW, NEXT TO OUR FRIEND, CHARLIE ROBINSON, WE LOOK FORWARD TO IT .

>> OF OAK PARK, THE GREAT ROBINSON.

>> YES, HE HAS BEEN A GREAT PARTNER AND FRIEND OF OURS.

SO IT DEPENDS ON HOW WE SPENT OUR SUMMER AND EARLY FALL.

>> AND THE BIGGER ISSUE AS WE MENTIONED, 83 OUT OF 87 DAYS, THE PARK WAS JUST SUPPOSED TO BE FOR THE PUBLIC, AND IT WILL NOT BE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR FREE.

HOW ARE PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO FEEL ABOUT THAT?

>> I THINK MOST OF US ARE PRETTY FRUSTRATED.

THERE ARE SOME FOLKS WHO ARE FOR THE HIGH-PRICED TICKETS FOR SOME OF THESE EVENTS, WHO WILL CERTAINLY ENJOY THEMSELVES.

BUT A LOT OF US WILL BE PRICED OUT, AND WE THINK IT SHOULD BE A DEMOCRATIC SPACE, IT SHOULD NOT COST A LOT OF MONEY TO USE THEM AND THERE SHOULD BE TIMES WHERE NOTHING IS DATED AT ALL.

IT'S ALSO A PLACE FOR RESIDENTS TO COME WALK THEIR DOG AND ENJOY AN AFTERNOON.

>> WE MENTIONED THIS FIRST EVER CONTRACT WITH NASCAR , WHICH COULD TAKE THE PARK OUT FOR 40 DAYS, AND THEN THERE IS LOLLAPALOOZA, IT IS WEEKS OF SETUP AND TAKEDOWN TIME, IS THIS WHAT GRANT PARK IS SUPPOSED TO BE USED FOR?

>> I THINK THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY AND THE LACK OF INPUT IS REALLY THE ISSUE AND NASCAR WAS WASTING IT ON US AND THE TENURE CONTRACT WITH LOLLAPALOOZA WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS SIGNED WITHOUT ANY CONSULTATION.

BUT THE KEY IS , PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW NASCAR IS GOING TO FUNCTION.

THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY, THEY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW MUCH OF THE PARK AND LAKESHORE DRIVE ARE GOING TO BE CLOSED OFF TO THIS EVENT.

SO, WE HAVE YET TO SEE HOW THIS IS GOING TO WORK OUT.

CERTAINLY, IT'S GOING TO KEEP THE PARK INACCESSIBLE FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

>> WHAT ABOUT FOR THE RESIDENCE THAT SAY WE NEVER ASKED FOR THIS , AND THESE DEALS KEEP COMING IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT, THE MAYOR IS MAKING THEM WITHOUT CONSULTING ANYBODY.

>> IT IS INTERESTING, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE CALLED THE PARKS AND SAID, WHY DON'T YOU SUE?

AND THE PROBLEM IS, NOT EVERYTHING HAS A LEGAL REMEDY.

SO, IT IS REALLY UP TO US RESIDENTS TO PUSH BACK THROUGH THE MEDIA, THROUGH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS TO SAY WAIT A MINUTE, WE THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE MAYBE A MORE THOUGHTFUL PROCESS TO BALANCE THE VARIOUS NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITIES.

>> MARK, I KNOW YOU ARE CONCERNED , DO YOU WANT TO WEIGH IN ON THAT AND THE CLOSURES OF THESE PARKS FOR SO LONG?

>> WE HAVE USED THESE PARKS AND OTHER PARKS, AND YOU WANT TO MAKE THEM GREAT.

THE GREAT THING IS, IT IS FREE AND ACCESSIBLE, AND YOU REALLY WANT TO MINIMIZE WHAT IS TIED UP.

SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO A GREAT SUMMER, AND I THINK BY PEOPLE SPEAKING UP AND ASKING, WHERE IS TASTE?

WE SAID WE WANT IT, SO WHETHER IT IS IN JULY OR SEPTEMBER, IT'LL BE A GREAT YEAR.

>> JUANITA , THERE HAS BEEN SOME TALK ABOUT THIS, BUT THE BEARS MIGHT LEAVE SOLDIER FIELD, THEY ARE PROBABLY GOING TO LEAVE SOLDIER FIELD, WHAT ABOUT THE USE OF THAT SPACE IN THE PARKING LOTS AS A PERMANENT SPACE TO HAVE THESE KINDS OF ACCESSIBLE EVENTS?

>> SOME PEOPLE THINK THIS IS A REAL OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PARK DISTRICT AND FOR CHICAGO TO THINK ABOUT WHICH EVENTS THAT ARE CURRENTLY TAKING UP OTHER PARK SPACE COULD GO INTO THE INTERIOR FIELD.

>> NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS.

>> RIGHT.

AND SOME OF THEM NEED MULTIPLE STAGES, BUT THERE ARE PARKING LOTS AROUND THE FIELD THAT COULD HELP ACCOMMODATE.

>> LESLIE, IS THERE SOME CONCERN HERE, AGAIN, THIS PARK IS MEANT FOR PUBLIC USE, IT IS SLOWLY BECOMING PRIVATIZED.

THESE ARE BIG EVENTS THAT MAKE A LOT OF MONEY.

ALTHOUGH, IT MAKES MONEY FOR THE CITY, TOO.

IS THERE A BALANCING ACT HERE?

>> THERE DEFINITELY SHOULD BE A BALANCING ACT BUT THE BALANCES ARE NOT BEING KEPT.

DOWNTOWN, THERE ARE OVER 110,000 RESIDENTS RIGHT NOW AND GROWING .

GRANT PARK IS A NEIGHBORHOOD PARK FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE DOWNTOWN.

AND WE'VE GOT STUDENTS, WE'VE GOT SENIORS, WE'VE GOT CHILDREN, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO USE GRANT PARK FOR ALL KINDS OF PARK ACTIVITIES.

AND THE PROBLEM IN MY MIND IS, IF YOU DON'T BALANCE THE NEEDS, NEIGHBORHOOD NEEDS VERSUS THE CITYWIDE NEEDS AND PUT MONEY BACK INTO GRANT PARK TO REPAIR IT, YOU DON'T HAVE A BALANCE.

AND THAT IS THE WAY IT IS RIGHT NOW.

>> THIS IS AN ONGOING DISCUSSION, WE WILL SEE HOW IT TURNS OUT IN SEPTEMBER AND HOW