SSA #62

Sauganash Special Service Area

The Sauganash Special Service Area (SSA) encompasses the Peterson and Cicero corridors of the Sauganash business district where property owners voluntarily contribute to a community improvement fund. This self-imposed tax levy generates $75,000 per year for community improvements within this area of Sauganash. A team of volunteer commissioners work with the Edgebrook~Sauganash Chamber of Commerce to invest these dollars in large-scale business district beautification initiatives.

The SSA Commission’s vision is to create a gateway to the Sauganash business community by attracting commercial development, enhancing existing retail/service space and providing a safe, attractive, friendly and hassle-free experience for pedestrians, cyclists, commuters, shoppers, residents and local workers.

Since its establishment in 2014, the Sauganash SSA Commission has invested over $600,000 in beautification initiatives, hardscape improvements, and marketing efforts. The area has been transformed by the SSA’s landscaping, decorative lighting, community identifier monuments, and public art.

Commissioners

Kelly Smith

The Chairman of the Sauganash SSA Commission, Kelly is the fourth generation of the Smith family to aid the community in their times of loss through her work at Smith-Corcoran Funeral Home. Kelly brings a wide range of knowledge, expertise, and acute awareness of the needs of the Sauganash community to the SSA Commission.

Marcia Jimenez

Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at Swedish Hospital, Marcia previously served as the Commissioner for the Chicago Department of the Environment. Marcia serves as the head of the SSA Beautification Committee.

Alfred Klairmont

President of Imperial Realty, Al oversees a portfolio of over 80 properties, including many in Sauganash, across Chicago, and in surrounding suburbs. Al is a founding Director of the Sauganash Chamber of Commerce. A 2007 inductee into the Chicago Area Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame and 2015 inductee into the Chicago Association of Realtors Hall of Fame, Al has lent his business acumen to the SSA Commission since 2014.

Kathy Fern

Kathy has lived in Edgebrook since 1999 with her family and has been involved in community building from the very beginning. She was an active member of the Wildwood PTA, spent 6 years on the Taft Local School Council as their Chairperson, was a former board member of the Everyday Edgebrook merchant organization, the North Edgebrook Civic Association, and is a current member of both the Edgebrook Women's Club and the Sauganash Women's Club. She believes in collaborating with neighborhood organizations by bridging the gap with effective communication, city programs and resources awareness, and team building.

SSA #62 Program Manager,
Executive Director, Edgebrook Sauganash Chamber of Commerce