The first of two forums hosted by the Village to discuss the topic of unhoused persons living within the community attracted a big turnout on Thursday at the Oak Park Public Library Veterans Room. The initial forum focused on ways to best interact with and provide support to Oak Park’s unhoused population. Attendees heard from panelists Lynda Scheuler from Housing Forward, John Harris from the Oak Park Homelessness Coalition, Kylon Hooks from the Illinois Office to Prevent and End Homelessness and Village Grants Manager Vanessa Matheny. The next forum will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 18 at the Oak Park Public Library Veterans Room. The second forum will focus on affordable housing and the role of private landlords in assisting unhoused individuals. For information about resources for unhoused individuals, visit www.oak-park.us/unhoused.

The Village continues to coordinate care for approximately 160 asylum-seeking migrants who arrived in Oak Park last month under an emergency declaration in effect until Feb. 6, 2024. This week the Village partnered with Greater Chicago Legal Clinic to provide a presentation for about 40 of the asylum seekers to cover an overview and understanding of select legal documents and information on key steps in the asylum process. While space was limited for the event, plans are in the works to host a similar informational session for other asylum seekers receiving support from the Village who were not able to attend. Meanwhile, Housing Forward continues to manage wraparound services at the West Cook YMCA and Carleton Hotel, the two sites where the majority of asylum seekers are temporarily housed. Housing Forward’s services include daily staffing for up to 12 hours per day for assessment, intake and service coordination, as well as volunteer management, behavioral health support, transportation, laundry services and program administration. The latest official information related to the Village’s emergency response is at www.oak-park.us/emergencyresponse23.

The annual fall leaf collection program is winding down, with the final round of pickups set for next week (Dec. 4-7) in each quadrant of the community. Leaves should be raked into the street at least 18 inches from the curb the day before the scheduled pickup dates indicated on the map. Residents are urged to consider composting or using the leaves as garden mulch as an alternative to raking. For more information, visit www.oak-park.us/2023leafcollection, call 708.358.5700 or email publicworks@oak-park.us.

Regular yard waste collection for bundled brush and containers of yard waste with a green sticker attached is now complete for the season. Yard waste is picked up by appointment only during the winter months. To arrange a special yard waste pick-up call LRS, the Village’s waste-hauling contractor, at 844.633.3577 or email Service@LRSrecycles.com. Compost collection also switches to a bi-weekly schedule at a discounted rate during the winter months. Visit www.oak-park.us/compost to see the winter collection schedule and for more information about the Village’s food scrap composting program.

The Police Department is once again serving as a drop-off site for Toys for Tots and the Seasons of Hope Winter Clothing Drive. Drop-off boxes are located in the Police Lobby, which is open 24/7 in the lower level of Village Hall, 123 Madison St. The mission of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is to collect new, unwrapped toys each year and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the community. More information about the campaign is at www.toysfortots.org. The Police Department will be accepting toy donations through Dec. 15. The Seasons of Hope Winter Clothing Drive, sponsored by Riveredge Hospital, will be accepting new or gently used coats and winter clothing until Jan. 31.

The lighted wreath hanging in the Central Fire Station window at 100 N. Euclid Ave. isn't just a holiday decoration – it’s a visual reminder to practice fire safety during the holiday season. Each time a fire occurs, a green bulb will be replaced with a red one as a reminder of the dangers posed by trees, faulty lights and cords, candles and burning wrapping paper in fireplaces. The wreath will remain on around the clock through the holiday season. Help keep it green this year by following a few simple guidelines posted at www.oak-park.us/holidaytreesafety and www.oak-park.us/winterholidaytips.

The restaurant company Medicove, LLC has opened Hoja Santa at 722 Lake St. in the Hemingway Business District. The new restaurant is in the space previously occupied by Rustico, which re-located into a new Hemingway District space at 155 S. Oak Park Ave. Village officials welcome Hoja Santa as the latest addition to the list of many outstanding restaurants that call Oak Park home.

The Oak Park Public Library is hosting an event titled “Healing through the Holidays” from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 3 at the Main Library, 834 Lake St. While the holiday season can be hard for many, the event is intended to offer an opportunity to engage in self-care through an inner peace art workshop, sound bath with Reiki healing energy and more. Free wellness bags will be available while supplies last. Click here for more information and to register.

Bike boulevard improvements – Pavement markings were added to the roadway on Erie Street from Scoville Avenue to Kenilworth Avenue and Scoville Avenue from Lake Street to South Boulevard as part of bike boulevard improvements planned for this year. Beige, marked curb bump-outs were also installed in these areas to calm traffic and provide additional pedestrian protection. Signage alerting drivers of the presence of a Neighborhood Greenway for bicyclists will be installed in in the coming days.

Street resurfacing project – Asphalt surface has been placed and the installation of ADA-compliant ramps, sidewalks and curbs is complete at all locations where street resurfacing work has been underway this fall. Speedhumps have also been installed in select locations, and landscape restoration and pavement striping are in progress. Resurfacing work on Pleasant Street and Marion Street that was slated for this fall has been postponed to spring 2024. Residents in those areas are being mailed a letter with the updated schedule.

Forest and Ontario improvements – Brick crosswalk installation and median replacement at the intersection of Forest Avenue and Ontario Street near the 19th Century Club are delayed to spring of 2024 due to temperature-sensitive materials. Light poles are under shipping delay and will be installed when they all have arrived in late winter or early spring. The detour in the area will be down for the majority of the winter, but the contractor may need to occasionally close the road when work is being done.

Pete’s Fresh Market update – Power poles in the alley east of Euclid Avenue have been removed to clear the way for construction of the new Pete’s Fresh Market on Madison Street. The median repair is complete at Euclid Avenue and Washington Boulevard, and the contractor is currently working on a new schedule for the restoration work at Euclid and Washington.

Water and sewer improvements – The water and sewer project on Augusta Street between Lombard Avenue and Austin Boulevard is complete. The pavement markings were recently placed along the roadway, and the contractor was on site last week backfilling the remaining areas and removing inlet filter baskets. All barricades have been removed along Augusta and punchlist work take place in the next few weeks.

Focus Development update – The alley adjacent to the site of the new Focus Development at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Marion Street is fully open. The apron along the north end of the alley was poured before the Thanksgiving holiday and street pavers are being reinstalled this week. Street resurfacing on Marion alongside the development is slated to begin next week.

Nicor Sewer inspections – Nicor crews are excavating the 1000 and 1100 blocks of S. East Ave. and S. Elmwood Ave. this week. Partial lane closures are anticipated while work is ongoing.