Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022 | View in browser
Good afternoon,
Read below for information about a new Evanston skate park, mouth-watering restaurant deals, and the latest CDC guidance on masks.
Plus, the best bread in Illinois can be found in Evanston!
 Help plan Evanston's future skate park
A new skate park is coming to Twiggs Park! Help us make the park the best it can be by sharing your ideas and input.
Take a survey: Share your thoughts on potential park features and functions by completing a community poll by February 15.
Attend a meeting: Review initial concept designs at a virtual public meeting on Tues., Feb. 22, at 6 p.m.
 Explore Evanston eateries this February!
February is North Shore Restaurant Month! Support our local businesses and enjoy tasty dine-in and takeout offers from dozens of Evanston establishments.
 City manager search update
The Evanston City Council will be restarting the search for a new city manager with a new executive recruitment firm. Read the statement.
 Evanston joins White House green building coalition
Mayor Biss has announced that the City has committed to inclusively design and implement building performance standards and complementary policies and programs to help meet its climate action goals.
 IL EPA drinking water sampling
In 2021, the Illinois EPA began an ongoing sampling investigation of Perfluoroalkyls (PFAS) chemicals in community water supplies. PFAS are human-made chemicals that have been used in industrial and consumer products worldwide since the 1950s.
Evanston results: Illinois EPA testing determined that one PFAS chemical was detected in the City's drinking water just above its guidance level of 2.0 parts per trillion (ppt) – roughly equivalent to one drop in 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The levels detected for this chemical, PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid), were 2.2 ppt (9/2/2021), 2.3 ppt (11/16/2021), and 2.2 ppt (11/16/2021). These concentrations are well below the US EPA published Lifetime Health Advisory Level of 70 ppt.
Next steps: The City is following recommendations from the Illinois EPA and closely monitoring the latest health-based guidance. At this time, no enforceable federal or state drinking water standard, called a Maximum Contaminant Level or MCL, exists for PFAS chemicals.
Learn more: Information regarding PFAS is available at cityofevanston.org/pfas. For questions, contact Darrell A. King, Water Production Bureau Chief, at dking@cityofevanston.org or 847-448-4311.
COVID-19 Update
 Cases: Evanston reported 477 new confirmed COVID-19 cases over the last seven days, compared to 740 for the week prior. To date, Evanston has had 10,286 total confirmed cases, and 132 residents have died of illness or complications related to COVID-19. (Please note: The City is working to resolve a reporting issue with its interactive case data dashboard. )
Positivity rate: The City’s seven-day moving average positivity rate is 2.9 percent, compared to 4.16 percent for the week prior.
Hospitalizations: View local COVID-19 hospitalizations over the last month.
Vaccinations: 95.9 percent of residents 5 years and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 85.6 percent are fully vaccinated. View the City’s updated data dashboard (view on mobile) for the latest Evanston-specific vaccination data from the IDPH.
Find and schedule your vaccination appointment.
 CDC guidance for masks
To protect yourself and others from COVID-19, the CDC continues to recommend that you wear the most protective mask you can that fits well and that you will wear consistently. Here are a few reminders regarding masks:
- Masks continue to be required in indoor public settings for individuals age 2 and older as part of the State of Illinois and City of Evanston mask mandate.
- While all masks and respirators provide some level of protection, properly fitted respirators – such as an N95 or KN95 – provide a higher level of protection. (Avoid purchasing counterfeit respiratory masks.)
- Specially labeled “surgical” N95 respirator masks should be reserved for health care workers.
- Although cloth masks may not offer as much protection as respirator masks, wearing a cloth mask is much better than not wearing a mask. Improve how your mask protects you by choosing one that fits snuggly and offers multiple layers of fabric.
View the CDC’s guidance for masks and respirators.
More News and Events
InSidewalk Sale, January 28-30
Discover deep discounts on apparel, art supplies, games, holiday décor, books and much more at the Downtown Evanston InSidewalk Sale this weekend, January 28-30!
Lunar New Year Celebration, January 31
The Main-Dempster Mile will host a Lunar New Year Celebration in the 500 block of Dempster Street on Mon., Jan. 31, at 5:30 p.m. Enjoy hot tea and a lion dance performance by Seven Star Lion Dance Group.
City Collector's Office Temporary Hours
The City Collector's Office at the Morton Civic Center will continue to offer limited hours through Fri., Feb. 11 due to staffing shortages brought on by COVID-19. Temporary hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
311 App Troubleshooting
Some Android users have recently reported trouble accessing the Evanston 311 mobile app. The app developer, Accela, is working to fix this issue. In the meantime, if you're an Android user, you can solve the issue by going into the app's settings, clearing the app's storage/data, and then relaunching it. Thank you for your patience as Accela fixes this issue.
Thanks for clearing your sidewalks!
As a reminder, property owners and occupants are responsible for clearing sidewalks within 24 hours after any accumulation of snow or ice; paths must be at least 36 inches wide. This includes crosswalks and accessibility ramps. Thank you for being a good neighbor and keeping public ways clear for all community members. See more shoveling tips and reminders.
Get Engaged
Community Calendar
The best bread in Illinois is in Evanston!
 Photo from @hewnbread
Congratulations to Evanston's own Hewn Bread for being recognized in Food & Wine's "The Best Bread in Every State!" Hewn is "turning out the region's most inspiring bread, a great deal of it featuring the best artisan grains the Midwest has to offer," says Food & Wine.
That’s it for today's e-news. Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
The City of Evanston Communications Team
|
