The Village has released a one-year progress report on Climate Ready Oak Park, the Village’s comprehensive plan developed in response to the global climate crisis. The progress report documents Oak Park’s accomplishments, aspirations and strategies on the one-year anniversary of the climate plan’s 2022 adoption by the Village Board. Click here to view the report.

The Village is hosting a pair of community forums to discuss the topic of unhoused persons living within the community. The sessions will be held on Nov. 30 and Dec. 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., with both taking place at the Oak Park Public Library Veterans Room, 834 Lake St. The first forum on Nov. 30 will focus on community education and ways to best interact with, and provide support to, Oak Park’s unhoused population. The event on Dec. 18 will center around affordable housing and the role of private landlords. Click here for more information about the forums. More information about resources for unhoused individuals is at www.oak-park.us/unhoused.

The Village hosted a volunteer appreciation event earlier this week as a way of thanking the dozens of Oak Park residents who donate their time by serving on one of the Village’s nearly 20 boards, commissions and committees. These citizen commissions create the public record and advise the Village Board on important matters of public policy. Review their missions, find meeting agendas and minutes and learn about how to volunteer to serve at www.oak-park.us/volunteer.

Join the Village’s Public Health Nurse for a walk around the indoor track at the Park District of Oak Park's Community Recreation Center at 229 Madison St. from 10 a.m. to noon this Sat., Nov. 18. Public Health Department staff will be on hand to walk and talk with you, as well as offer free blood pressure checks, diabetic risk assessments and answer public health-related questions. Visit www.oak-park.us/walkandtalk for more information, including additional dates when this free, indoor activity is being offered during the winter.

This week members of the Oak Park Fire Department took advantage of the great weather to help decorate Hephzibah Home on North Boulevard with holiday lights and décor. This is the second year members of the Fire Department have had the honor of helping make the building festive for the holidays. More information about Hephzibah Children’s Association is at www.hephzibahhome.org.

The Village’s 2023 Parking Lot Improvement Project is expected to be substantially complete by the end of November. The project involved numerous improvements of varying scope at 11 different municipal parking lots throughout the Village. Ongoing resurfacing, stormwater management and other maintenance activities help ensure Village parking lots are up expected standards. Parking permit holders in the various lots received temporary parking accommodations from the Village as work was completed. Questions about parking can be directed to the Village’s Parking & Mobility Services Division at parking@oak-park.us or by calling 708-358-PARK (7275).

Village Hall will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 23 and 24 for the Thanksgiving holiday. The next weekly Village Manager's report will be issued Dec. 1. Refuse, recycling and yard waste collection will also be delayed by the Thanksgiving holiday. Thursday’s collections will be delayed until Friday, and Friday's collection delayed until Saturday. The collection schedule is posted on the Village website. Should an incident that doesn't quite rise to the level of a 911 emergency occur when Village Hall is closed, residents are urged to call the Police Department non-emergency number 708.386.3800 for assistance.

The Oak Park Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies across the state in a traffic enforcement safety campaign to remind drivers to Click It or Ticket and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. Extra officers will be on the streets starting today through Nov. 27, during what is expected to be one of the busiest travel times of the year. The effort is made possible by federal traffic safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation. More information is posted on the Village website.

Overnight on-street parking restrictions will not be enforced on most Oak Park residential streets during the Thanksgiving holiday. Overnight restrictions will be lifted at 2:30 a.m., Wed., Nov. 22 and resume at 2:30 a.m., Mon., Nov. 27. Restrictions will remain in effect in paid overnight permit areas, including on-street zones. Posted daytime restrictions and regulations related to traffic and public safety also remain in effect. More information about parking guidelines and restrictions is posted www.oak-park.us/parking.

Shopping local will be easier than ever beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving through Dec. 25 when Saturday parking will be free in public garages and for two hours at pay-by-plate stations downtown and in the vicinity of south Oak Park Avenue. Parking in Oak Park is always free on Sundays throughout the year. Village officials say they hope this holiday gesture will benefit both customers and the businesses they patronize. Retail sales benefit not only local retailers, but the entire Village since 2 percent of every retail sale comes back to municipal coffers to fund vital public services. For many retailers, the holiday season is the most important time of the year. Visit www.pickoakpark.com for a directory of local businesses. Information about parking in the Village is posted at www.oak-park.us/parking.

Swing by the Oak Park Arts District on Harrison Street this Sat., Nov. 18 for some festive fun. Stuff your stockings with one-of-a-kind gifts while shopping small and local and supporting neighborhood businesses this holiday season. Also, free photos with Santa will be available from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Click here to book a family photo.

The community is invited to celebrate Small Business Saturday at the Hemingway Business District’s Shop Small Celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 25. Participating businesses in the area of Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street will be offering special promotions and tasty treats. The event also features photos with Hemingway the Polar Bear, letters to Santa and a tree lighting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. at Scoville Square, 137 N. Oak Park Ave. Click here for more information about the event.

Downtown Oak Park is hosting its popular Winterfest and Cookie Walk from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 2. Attendees can see a free holiday film at Lake Theater, catch a glimpse of Santa, enjoy a variety of family-friendly musical acts, and warm up with coffee or cocoa inside the heated hospitality tent in Public Parking Lot #3, next to Q-BBQ. For $25, Cookie Walk participants will receive a souvenir cookie tin and a list of shops and restaurants where they can collect cookies and treats to fill the tin. Find complete details on the Downtown Oak Park website – click here to view.

Pete’s Fresh Market update – AT&T successfully completed its service transfer at the site of the new Pete’s Fresh Market on Madison Street. Crews are removing poles in the alley east of Euclid Avenue now that both AT&T and ComEd have completed their utility work associated with the project. The contractor is working on a new schedule for the roadway restoration work at Euclid and Washington Blvd.

Street resurfacing project – Concrete curb and sidewalk work is wrapping up at all locations undergoing street resurfacing. Asphalt surface placement is underway and will continue into next week. The contractor began longitudinal joint placement at the Greenfield Street location. The subcontractor for the underground work completed the sewer repairs and will continue with structure adjustments to prepare for the surface course. Proposed speed hump locations have been approved and will be installed in the next two weeks.

Water and Sewer improvements – Roadway restoration is in progress on Augusta Street between Lombard Avenue and Austin Boulevard, with the asphalt surface expected to be placed by Friday. The contractor also made structure adjustments and started landscaping work in the construction area. Traffic control barriers remain in place while work wraps up, but Augusta is open to through traffic between Lombard and Austin.

Forest and Ontario improvements – Concrete replacement is underway and will continue through next Wednesday, Nov. 22 in the construction area near the intersection of Forest Avenue and Ontario Street. The contractor also expects for asphalt surface placement in the roadway to occur by the end of this week. The area remains closed to traffic while work is ongoing.

Focus Development update – Demolition is still underway in the alleys adjacent to the new Focus Development at the intersection of Marion Street and Pleasant Street. The contractor expects alley restoration to be complete by Monday, Nov. 20. The work is being performed within the extent of the jersey wall. Meanwhile, masonry façade work is complete with the exception of the southwest corner of the building, and drywall is complete throughout the building with the exception of the south stairwell.

Nicor sewer inspections – Nicor crews continue to work on excavating the 1000 and 1100 blocks of S. Cuyler Avenue. Partial lane closures are anticipated in the area while work is ongoing.