The Village activated its Emergency Operations Center this week, putting in place established protocols in response to an evolving crisis involving asylum-seeking migrants and families in the community. Approximately 100 asylum-seeking migrants were transported to Oak Park during the early morning hours Wednesday, at which time Village staff worked to identify viable solutions for shelter. The majority of the asylum-seekers received temporary shelter at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, where Village staff is working closely with volunteers to provide meals, medical care and other assistance while a more permanent solution is coordinated. The Village Board also passed an emergency declaration Thursday that temporarily suspends purchasing requirements as part of the effort to provide additional aid and support to asylum seekers. While officials have been overwhelmed by the community’s generosity at the temporary site, they ask that community members pause dropping off donations as short-term plans are in place to cover the needs of asylum seekers until other accommodations can be secured. The latest information about the Village’s emergency response is available at www.oak-park.us/emergencyresponse23.

A stainless-steel monument with the phrase “Hate has no home” here carved in 12 different languages was installed outside the main entrance to Village Hall this week. The public art piece is a symbol of Oak Park’s status as a welcoming Village and includes the phrase in English, Spanish, German, Hindi, Tagalog, Mandarin, Swahili, Polish, Hebrew, Arabic, French, Korean.

The Vision Zero team spent the morning of Oct. 28 at the Oak Park Farmers’ Market engaging residents about street safety in the community, chatting with roughly 50 residents and handing out more than 100 informational cards with a link to the project’s website and online survey. This survey allows residents to give feedback about their experience with traffic safety, how they get around the village, and infrastructure improvements they would like to see. There are currently more than 200 comments on the website’s interactive map and roughly 130 survey responses. Visit www.engageoakpark.com/visionzero to complete the survey and view the comment map.

Village staff members hosted a meeting at Village Hall this week with Sonserese Hatch, a CTA Community Affairs Liaison in Government and Community Relations, as well as Annie Coakley, Executive Director of Visit Oak Park. Hatch discussed with the group recent CTA ridership data, the “Meeting the Moment” comprehensive plan, capital improvement projects, safety concerns and opportunities for continued collaboration.

The Village and Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) are offering another two-part workshop to help property owners and managers of large buildings in Oak Park comply with the Village’s energy and water benchmarking ordinance, which requires buildings 10,000 square feet and larger to report their annual energy and water consumption using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. A virtual workshop focusing on data collection will take place at 11 a.m. on Thurs., Nov. 16. An in-person workshop covering data entry and troubleshooting is planned for 4 to 7 p.m. on Thurs., Dec. 7 at Village Hall. Find more information and links to register on the Village’s building benchmarking portal – click here to view.

Village staff joined other Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce representatives at a ribbon cutting for R Titus Designs, the Hemingway Business District’s newest business. Located at 143 S. Oak Park Ave., R Titus Designs is owned by Oak Park resident Robin Schwadron. More information about the full-service interior design studio is available at www.rtitusdesigns.com. R Titus Designs is one of 85 new business licenses issued by the Village this year. For a complete listing of new business license recipients going back to 2021, visit www.pickoakpark.com/newbusiness.

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m., this Sun., Nov. 5, and clocks should be set back one hour. The Oak Park Fire Department urges residents to use the time change as a reminder to test and replace the batteries on detectors that use alkaline batteries. Better yet, consider changing your alarms to one of the newer devices, which have both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in one device. These also contain a sealed 10-year battery, which costs a bit more up front but actually saves money over the life of the alarm by eliminating battery replacement. Effective this year, state law requires that any new smoke alarm being installed within a single or multi-family home feature a 10-year sealed battery. More information about the new law can be found at https://www.ifsa.org/prevention-resources/smoke-alarm-law/.

The Downtown Oak Park business district is once again sponsoring its annual Shopper’s Reward Program, a nearly two-decade-old initiative that rewards shoppers for spending locally during the holiday season. More than 80 businesses are participating in the program, through which shoppers are encouraged to save receipts when patronizing Downtown Oak Park businesses now through Dec. 25. Find complete details on the Downtown Oak Park website at www.downtownoakpark.net/event/shoppers-reward. 

Water and sewer improvements – The contractor is pouring concrete base along Augusta Street between Taylor Avenue and Austin Boulevard in preparation for full-depth restoration between Taylor and Hayes Avenue. The contractor plans to begin milling and resurfacing the remainder of the roadway late next week as the water and sewer repair project continues to move toward its conclusion.

Street resurfacing project – Pavement milling began on Augusta Street, Berkshire Street, Greenfield Street and Cuyler Avenue as part of this year’s street resurfacing project. The contractor is also framing and pouring sidewalks on Berkshire, Greenfield and Cuyler and preparing to place the first level of asphalt at the Elmwood Avenue location.

Pete’s Fresh Market update – ComEd contractors are beginning concrete restoration on Euclid Avenue as part of the adjacent Pete’s Fresh Market construction project along Madison Street. The concrete work will involve replacing the alley apron off Washington Boulevard and Wesley Avenue. Construction notices and parking passes have been distributed to residents impacted by the work. Once complete, the contractors will mill and resurface the roadway. Traffic will not be permitted on the 300 and 400 blocks of S. Euclid Ave during working hours for the duration of the paving project. All restoration work is anticipated to be complete prior to Thanksgiving.

Miscellaneous construction updates – Pavement milling began in the area of Forest Avenue and Ontario Street and the contractor is set to pour concrete for crosswalks and sidewalk ramps, but the roadway remains closed while work is ongoing. Elsewhere, Nicor crews spent the week excavating the 1000 block of Gunderson Avenue before moving to the 1100 block of Highland Avenue.