Meigs’ Reborn … For Ping-Pong?

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Embittered though many of us may be over the destruction of Meigs Field, some would concede it could yet be a fabulous park … but a ping-pong emporium? According to a story in the Chicago Sun-Times, initial plans by the Chicago Park District are to fill the terminal building with ping-pong (more properly known as table tennis) tables and throw it open to the public in the next few days. According to the Sun-Times, in addition to ping-pong, the imaginative folks at the parks district came up with skateboarding, climbing walls, wildflowers, prairie grass trees and an observation deck. Meanwhile the fight to save Meigs grinds on and the Friends of Meigs (FOM) has asked the Park District to delay until the FOM can present a cake-and-eat-it proposal that retains the airport and provides for park use. The proposal will take a few weeks to finalize and the FOM wants the district to hold off on committing itself until the plan is ready. The FOM also wants to ensure there’s plenty of public input before the bulldozers rev up again. Meanwhile, the Chicago-born actor known almost as much for his aviation exploits as his movies has thrown his support behind Meigs. Harrison Ford said he was infuriated by the early-morning destruction of Meigs’ only runway on March 30. “I don’t think I’ve been as angry about anything in a long time,” he told the Sun-Times. Ford is also an environmentalist but we think we know where his true heart lies. “I’m all for parks,” he said. “Parks are great, but so are airports.”

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