The final three residents moved out of the Oak Park Family Transitional Shelter this past Tuesday, marking the end of the Village’s temporary shelter program for asylum seekers. Over the course of the Village’s response, more than 200 individuals received aid and support from the Village in the form of shelter, food, medical care, case management and legal services, with 201 asylum seekers able to move into long-term housing secured through State, local and private funding. The Village is grateful for community partners including Housing Forward, the West Cook YMCA, Beyond Hunger, the Greater Chicago Legal Clinic, the Carleton Hotel, Grace Episcopal Church, the Oak Park Family Transitional Shelter, Hugh, Socol, Piers, Resnick & Dym, the Community of Congregations and the Oak Park Resettlement Task Force. In addition, the Village is grateful for the countless volunteers who dedicated their time, energy and talent to respond to the humanitarian crisis.

The Village pulled out all the stops in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program as part of National Community Development Week. A special event was held Thursday evening at Village Hall to highlight the impact of the CDBG program in Oak Park. U.S. Rep. Danny Davis was honored during the event for his commitment to community investing. The Village and its Community Development Citizen Advisory Committee also presented its Community Partnership Awards to Romiesha Tucker from Housing Forward, Suzi Schrader from the Infant Welfare Society Children’s Clinic and Diane F. White from Community Support Services. UPC Seguin of Greater Chicago, Way Back Inn and Y.E.M.B.A. were also recognized. Click here for more photos from the event. Earlier in the week the Village shared a fun video highlighting the CDBG program’s 50th anniversary on its social media channels. Be sure to check out the special cameo appearances in the video, which was produced by Media Production Manager Joe Kreml. Read more about National Community Development Week at www.oak-park.us/ncdw24.

The Village is joining communities across the country in celebrating National Public Health Week, which runs April 1-7. As part of the commemoration the Village highlighted that the Oak Park Public Health Department is celebrating 75 years as a state-certified local health department and shined a spotlight on the work being done locally to prevent injuries and illness, promote healthy behaviors and equitable health systems, and protect the community from disease outbreaks and emergencies – click here to read more. The Public Health Department also used the occasion to launch its annual call for nominees for the William Fitzsimmons awards, which honor local residents, organizations and business who excel in the categories of public health leadership, community and health equity. In addition, the Public Health Department rolled out a soft launch of a new Facebook page the Department will use to amplify its public health messaging. Last but not least, the Health Department sent the April edition of its Health Beat monthly e-newsletter – click here to view.

Oak Park public health officials continue to monitor the current measles outbreak. As of Thursday, out of 97 measles cases in the entire country, 56 were in Illinois, and 54 of those cases were in Chicago or suburban Cook County. No cases have been reported in Oak Park to date, but as a preventive measure, the Public Health Department is offering free measles (MMR) immunizations to residents. The Department has hosted four immunization clinics since the Illinois outbreak began in March, with the most recent clinic held this Tuesday at Village Hall. Measles is one of the most contagious respiratory illnesses, and nine out 10 people exposed to it will contract it if unvaccinated. Measles can have severe health outcomes for infants, young children and pregnant people. More information is available on the Village website – click here to view. If you or anyone in your household needs an MMR vaccine, please reach out to the Public Health Department at 708.358.5480 or health@oak-park.us.

Customers utilizing the Village’s Holley Court and The Avenue public parking garages will notice construction activities in the garages have resumed. The multi-year repair and improvement project also includes work at the Village-owned community parking structure located on the campus of Oak Park and River Forest High School, although scheduling of that work is still to be determined. The Village’s comprehensive garage repair and improvement project is intended to extend the useful life of all three of these public parking garages by addressing issues that have been identified. Customers are reminded to pay close attention to posted signage as intermittent closures of certain areas of the parking garages may be necessary throughout the project.

The Village welcomed Erica Love-Raglin as the new Executive Coordinator in the Police Department. Erica has an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts and has worked for more than 10 years in clerical roles in Oak Park. In other employee news, Business License Officer Dawn Skoda earned her International Code Council Certification. Upon earning the certification, she was sworn in as a Property Maintenance and Housing Inspector this past Monday.

Residents and overnight visitors in need of temporary short-term parking are reminded that overnight parking passes in Oak Park are available via the ParkOakPark app. Be sure to enter Zone 206 for an overnight pass. Between November 1 and March 31, 20 passes may be requested per vehicle, and between April 1 and October 31, 15 passes may be requested – the first three are free, and each additional pass can be purchased for $7 each. More information can be found at www.oak-park.us/parkingpasses.

Historic tax credits for residential and commercial properties will be the topic of the next Historic Preservation Speaker Series event set for 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 11 in Room 101 at Village Hall. Andrew Elders, Director of Historic Tax Credits at Ryan, will be discussing the role of a National Register of Historic Places district and how that can facilitate the utilization of Historic Tax Credits for commercial redevelopment of historic buildings. Susan Benjamin of Benjamin Historic Collections will discuss local historic districts and how they can be leveraged by homeowners to take advantage of the State of Illinois Historic Property Tax Assessment Freeze for home renovations. The free presentation will take place prior to the Historic Preservation Commission's regular monthly meeting. Find more information about the HPC Speaker series, including recordings of past events, at www.oak-park.us/hpc.

Celebrate Earth Month at Oak Park’s Eco-Extravaganza from 10 a.m. to noon this Saturday, April 6 at the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St. Organized by the Library, Village and local non-profit One Earth Local, the all-ages event will feature a treasure hunt and information fair for community members interested in learning more about local sustainability efforts. More than a dozen organizations will be on hand to discuss everyday actions residents can take to help the environment, including the Oak Park Climate Action Network, which will be promoting its new climate coaching initiative. More information is available on the Library website – click here to view.

The Village is partnering with Wild Ones of West Cook to subsidize the purchase of monarch garden and rain garden kits for Oak Park residents. Kits can be ordered online through the West Cook Native Plant Sale. Garden kits are $11.25 for residents, which is a 75% discount from the regular kit price of $45. Enter the discount code MONARCHS at the time of purchase. The discount for Oak Park residents applies towards the purchase of one monarch kit or one rain garden kit. Orders can be picked up June 6-8 at Miller Meadow, 2199 S. 1^st Ave. in Maywood. The initiative is tied to the Village’s participation in the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge, which includes a commitment to create habitat for monarch butterflies in the community. The Climate Ready Oak Park plan also calls for the transition of 30% of Oak Park’s land to native species and green infrastructure. More information is at www.oak-park.us/monarchpledge.

Weekly collection of yard waste and compost resumed April 1 for residential properties served by the Village’s refuse hauler and continues through the last full week in November. Bundled brush no larger than two feet in diameter and four feet in length and yard waste such as grass clippings, leaves, shrubs and vines will be picked up on regular refuse collection days. A green yard waste sticker must be attached to each brush bundle, 32-gallon paper bag and rigid container. Stickers are $3.25 each and available at most grocery stores, as well as Village Hall, 123 Madison St. Residents are urged to look for alternatives to bagging yard waste such as mulching mowers, leaf shredders or composting. Participants in the Village's compost program can discard yard waste in their gray cart without using a green sticker. For more information about yard waste collection, visit www.oak-park.us/refuse.

The Downtown Oak Park Business Association is sponsoring a new Cultural Caffeine Tour from April 22-26. Participants will be able to sample a variety of caffeinated drinks, including coffees, teas and smoothies. Participating businesses will feature signature caffeinated beverages that highlight roasting techniques to their country of origin. In addition, specialty caffeinated drinks will be offered at discounted prices.  For more information about the event, visit the Downtown Oak Park website or contact Downtown Oak Park Events & Communications Manager Jayne Furlong at jayne@downtownoakpark.net.

Austin sewer improvements – Construction work is set to begin on a new project that involves repairing and replacing failing sewer sections within the right of way limits along Austin Boulevard between Garfield Street and Roosevelt Road. Crews will start by replacing sewer lining and structures and making other spot repairs. Once the underground work is complete, the surface areas affected by construction will be replaced with new sidewalk and sod. This week the contractor posted no parking signs, installed tree protection and set up traffic control devices. Saw cutting and removals are set to begin next week. The project is scheduled to conclude by the end of July.

Alley improvement project underway – Work began for the annual alley improvement project on April 1, with crews focusing on utility improvements for the first few alleys scheduled for repair. The alley between the 700 blocks of Elmwood Avenue and Fair Oak Avenue was the first to undergo pavement removal this week. The construction work lasts approximately 28 days for each alley, and all affected residents have received parking passes. 

Forest & Ontario update – The new lighting circuit in the area of Forest Avenue and Ontario Street is installed. Crews are waiting for ComEd to energize the service sometime between April 15-19. The concrete and brick work associated with the project will resume later this month.

Resurfacing work on the horizon – The contractor for a resurfacing project that was delayed from 2023 to this spring will begin construction in the area of Pleasant Street and Marion Street in mid-April. Crews will start with curb and sidewalk removals, followed by a sewer spot repair in the intersection of Pleasant Place and Marion. No parking signs will be installed prior to the start of construction. After the sidewalk and curb are replaced, the existing street will be resurfaced and new crosswalk striping will be applied to the roadway.

Madison Street improvements – The new water main is installed up to the intersection of Madison Street and East Avenue. The contractor will be pressure testing and chlorinating the new main this week. The contractor will also patch the water main trenches with concrete this week, weather permitting. One lane of traffic in each direction is being maintained on Madison at all times.