By Matt Simonette

Staff writer

Center on Halsted officials last week asked community members at a town hall meeting for their impressions about the Center and their thoughts about its future.

The Oct. 15 meeting was the first in a series of gatherings the Center is holding across Chicago to formulate a strategic three-year plan by the end of 2007. The Center has also posted an online survey to further collect ideas and impressions.

Moderator Pat Marshall, a consultant developing the plan with the Center, opened the forum by asking about the Center’s vision statement, which reads, “A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender journey…celebrating, affirming and discovering possibilities.”

Many comments at the meeting stemmed from uneasiness with the Center’s layout. While most agreed that the space was visually impressive, some said it was not especially conducive for someone dropping in casually.

“It’s inviting, but it’s not instructive. You don’t know how to engage the Center,” commented one participant.

Another participant added, “It’s all closed doors.”

One participant commented that the problem with the space’s openness could be surmised from the vision statement.

“Something missing (in the statement) is the space itself—it doesn’t feel like the space itself is inherent in the vision,” he said.

The discussion also centered on the Center’s capacity to bring disparate community groups together to share resources and exchange ideas. One audience member said the Center was “well-positioned for organizations to incubate together.” He suggested, for example, that it would be beneficial for the youth program to be able to network with the SAGE group.

“We should find ways to have that particular resource enrich the community,” he said.

The Center has planned additional town hall meetings in other parts of the city. The first was scheduled on Oct. 22 at South Shore Cultural Center, 7059 South Shore Dr., and the second takes place Oct. 25 at Bethel New Life Cultural and Community Center, 1140 N. Lamon, at 6:30 p.m.

The Center’s director of public affairs, Lori King, said the Center is actively seeking opinions from a geographically diverse audience. Meetings on the South Side and West Side, she said, allow for “a different perspective outside of Lakeview.”

According to Marshall, the Center hopes to have a broad version of its three-year plan put together by the end of December.

The online survey can be accessed at www.centeronhalsted.org.