Meetings scheduled for the next week:
- Tuesday, June 4:
- Village Board meeting, 6 p.m. in Council Chambers
- Environment & Energy Commission, 7 p.m. in Room 101
- Wednesday, June 5:
- Citizen Involvement Commission, 7 p.m. in Room 101
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m. in Council Chambers
An Oak Park celebration five decades in the making is coming this Sunday, June 2 when the 50th A Day in Our Village festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Scoville Park. Live music, food from local businesses and extensive activities for kids – including the return of fun with foam – are a few of the highlights in store for this premier community event. Village Attorney Paul Stephanides recently teamed up with Media Production Manager Joe Kreml to produce an instant-classic promotional video for the event set to the tune of Gordon Lightfoot’s “Sundown.” At its core, A Day in Our Village has always provided an opportunity to showcase the variety of ways to get involved in community life. In keeping with that tradition, more than 125 activity booths representing Oak Park civic, cultural, social service, educational and religious organizations will fill the park during the event. A commemorative t-shirt designed by local artist Joe Abboreno will also be available for purchase at the A Day in Our Village information booth while supplies last. Find complete details about the event at www.oak-park.us/dayinourvillage.
Plans are in the works for Oak Park’s annual Juneteenth celebration. The entire community is invited to the Juneteenth flag-raising ceremony on June 12 and the Juneteenth community cookout on June 15. Both events will take place at Village Hall, and the cookout will feature music, activities for kids, a Black-owned business fair and, of course, delicious food. Find more info about the Juneteenth celebration, including registration links for businesses and organizations interested in participating in the cookout, at www.oak-park.us/juneteenth.
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With construction work ongoing in Village public parking lot 10 along North Boulevard between Marion Street and Forest Avenue, Village officials are working to maintain as much parking as possible for visitors to the Downtown Oak Park business district. Customers are reminded that payment is still required for parking sessions in and around Lot 10 while construction is underway. Payment stations have been installed on the east side of Marion, immediately adjacent to the parking lot. In addition to Lot 10, a significant number of parking spaces are available in the nearby Holley Court garage, 1125 Ontario St., where parking is free for the first hour and all day on Sunday.
The Lot 10 construction project includes the installation of new sidewalk, lighting and a new parking surface. This week the construction contractor backfilled curb and sidewalk areas in preparation for concrete replacement, which will begin at the east end of the lot and move to the west. Plans call for the first phase of construction to wrap up by June 7. The second phase, which will involve the closure of the lot for surface installation, is tentatively set to start June 10. The second phase is expected to last about six weeks with the lot re-opening in mid-July.
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The June 5 meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals will include a public hearing related to an application submitted by 427 Madison, LLC. The applicant is seeking a special-use permit to construct a six-unit, three-story-plus penthouse townhouse development facing Madison Street at the premises commonly known as 427 Madison St. In addition, the applicant seeks the following three variances from the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance: 1.) A reduction of the rear yard setback from a required 25 feet to 15 feet 8 inches inclusive of the alley along the west lot line; 2.) A reduction of the side yard setback from a required 5 feet to 0 feet along the south lot line; and 3.) An increase in height from a required 35 feet to 42 feet 6 inches. In addition to this item on the agenda, there are two additional public hearings for unrelated projects.
Economic Vitality Administrator Cameron Davis joined Darien Marion-Burton, Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, in welcoming approximately 20 new Chamber of Commerce members. The event was hosted by Brookdale Senior Living. To help support economic vitality in Oak Park, the Village and Chamber of Commerce partner on a program that allows every newly-licensed business to receive up to six months of free Chamber membership.
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A ribbon-cutting event took place this week to welcome to the community G & G Home, the newest business in Oak Park located at 327 Harrison St. Owners Giusseppi and Georgianna Dominguez joined Village staff and representatives from the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce during the event. G & G Home is one of more than 39 newly licensed business that have opened in Oak Park since the start of 2024. Find the full list of new businesses at www.pickoakpark.com/newbusiness.
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Downtown Oak Park's popular dine-around series is set to take place from 5 to 9 p.m. every Thursday starting June 6 through August 29. The event features restaurants in the downtown business district along Lake and Marion streets offering a variety of drinks, appetizers, entrees and desserts on the Thursday Night Out menu, with the option of eating in or carrying out. Tables are also set up outside for patrons to enjoy dining al fresco. More information is at www.thursdaynightout.com.
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Local not-for-profit organizations seeking fundraising opportunities are encouraged to consider reserving a space for a bake sale at the Oak Park Farmers' Market. A space is available most Saturdays throughout the season. Download an application via a link at www.oak-park.us/farmersmarket. For more information, call 708.358.5780 or email farmersmarket@oak-park.us.
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Forest & Ontario improvements – Roadway brick was installed this week and monument pillar installation will continue into next week in the vicinity of the Forest Avenue and Ontario Street intersection. Landscape preparation and granite paver installation is also in progress.
Sidewalk repairs – Sidewalk replacements are scheduled to begin next week as part of the Village’s second sidewalk repair project of the year. The improvements will largely be focused in the southwest section of the Village from South Boulevard south to Roosevelt Road and East Avenue west to Harlem Avenue. Angle cutting already began this week on the west side of the project limits.
Alley improvement project – Earth excavation and pavement removal is complete in the first seven alleys scheduled for improvements this year. Excavation will begin for the alley between the 200 blocks of Marion St. and Maple St. in the coming days. Two alleys associated with a second alley improvement contract have already reopened. Work on the alley between the 1000 blocks of Humphrey Ave. and Austin Blvd. is expected to begin June 18.
Austin Boulevard sewer improvements – The spot repairs and concrete work along Austin Boulevard are complete. The steel plates placed over the concrete patches in the roadway will be removed this week. Repair of existing structures is also taking place south of Garfield Street. Sewer lining work will occur in the next few weeks.
Madison Street improvements – The contractor continued to frame and pour new curb along the north side of Madison Street this week. Crews also began installing new street lighting cables and replacing sidewalks, which will continue into next week.
Euclid Avenue water improvements – The remaining water main work began earlier this week at the intersection of Lake Street and Euclid Avenue. Traffic control in the intersection will remain in place through the week. The contractor will return next week to begin milling the roadway on Euclid between Lake and North Boulevard.
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