Meetings scheduled for next week:
Meetings scheduled for the next week:
- Tuesday, July 2:
- Environment & Energy Commission, 7 p.m. in Room 101
- Thursday, July 4:
- 4th of July – Village Hall closed
Oak Park’s July 4th parade steps off at 10 a.m. next Thursday, July 4 from Longfellow Park at Ridgeland Avenue and Adams Street. Parade participants march north on Ridgeland Avenue to Augusta Street and disperse at Whittier School. The route offers many viewing opportunities along the way and features dozens of groups commemorating the nation’s birthday and celebrating Oak Park’s rich diversity. An appearance by the Jesse White Tumblers is expected to be among the highlights of this year’s parade. For more information about the parade, visit www.oak-park.us/parade24. The Oak Park Police Department reminds residents that road closures near the parade route start as early as 8:30 a.m. the day of the parade.
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Overnight on-street parking restrictions will not be enforced on most Oak Park residential streets around the July 4th holiday. Overnight restrictions will be lifted at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 3 and resume at 2:30 a.m. on Monday, July 8. All other parking regulations remain in effect, including restrictions in zones reserved for permit holders, daytime posted restrictions and regulations related to traffic and public safety. The holiday parking schedule for all of 2024 is posted at www.oak-park.us/holidayparking.
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Village Hall will be closed on Thursday, July 4 in observance of Independence Day. Refuse and recycling collection will be delayed by one day next week starting Thursday as a result of the holiday. Should an incident that doesn't quite rise to the level of a 911 emergency occur when Village Hall is closed, residents can call the Police non-emergency number 708.386.3800 for assistance.
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The Department of Public Health held a successful blood drive on June 25. Throughout the day, 22 community members, including several Village employees, donated via Vitalant Blood Donation, which brought its mobile blood donation unit to Village Hall. These donations will be added to the local blood supply and have the potential to save 66 lives. The donations will also help address the national blood shortage, as the U.S. is facing the lowest number of people giving blood in 20 years. Many thanks to all who donated.
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British technology company Halma plc featured in its annual report the work its subsidiary HWM performed with the Village to prevent water leaks in Oak Park’s 105-mile watermain network. The article highlights the pilot project through which the Village placed sensors called loggers along a third of Oak Park’s water network. These loggers picked up the smallest sounds made by water leaks. As soon as the tell-tale noise of a water leak is detected, the sensor converts it into a digital signal and alerts the Village. The pilot program helped the Village identify 19 leaks that had not surfaced, making them otherwise undetectable. The Village is now in the process of implementing acoustic loggers through the rest of its water network. Click here to view the article profiling the Oak Park project featuring a photo of Water & Sewer Superintendent Mike Bills. The project was also highlighted around the 1:07 mark of a video featuring footage in Oak Park and comments from Public Works Director Rob Sproule – click here to watch.
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Every Oak Park resident who owns or leases a motor vehicle is required to purchase a local license before July 15 to get the lowest rate, which increases by $20 after the deadline. Renewal notices have been sent to residents who had an active vehicle license in the past three years and renewal reminders are being shared via the Village’s communications channels. Vehicle license rates vary by type of vehicle, with discounts for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and active-duty veterans. Click here to renew an active license or apply for a new license. For more information visit www.oak-park.us/vehiclelicenseinfo or email parking@oak-park.us. So far this year the Village has sold 5,750 vehicle licenses from May 1 through June 25. Last year the Village sold 10,908 vehicle licenses, meaning that while there are still more than two weeks until the July 15 deadline, this year’s totals are nonetheless lagging 47% behind last year’s total. The chart below compares the total going back to 2019 while the 2024 totals are through June 25. Staff will be placing this half-page ad in the July 3rd edition of the Wednesday Journal to continue to promote sales.
Village employees came together on the south lawn Wednesday for fellowship and to celebrate the onset of summer with an ice cream social. The event was organized by the employee-driven Special Events Committee, including Executive Coordinator Bella Polidoro, Assistant Director of HR Diana Bobadilla, Deputy Village Clerk Cindy Hansen, Budget and Revenue Analyst Anjali Peterson, Office Coordinator Ginger Hedrich, Media Production Manager Joe Kreml, Grants Coordinator Nick Meier and IT Office Coordinator Devin McDougal.
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Oak Park Township offers rides for seniors to and from the Oak Park Farmers' Market throughout the season. Pickups are made from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Saturday for seniors who live in Oak Park and River Forest. Reservations for rides to the Market can be made by calling 708.383.4806 between 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. A $1 donation is suggested. For more information about the Farmers' Market visit www.oak-park.us/farmersmarket.
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The Village welcomes Three Spoons Ice Cream as Oak Park’s newest licensed business. Jim and Nicole Cahill recently opened this new frozen treat destination at 133 N. Ridgeland Ave. on the northwest corner of Ridgeland and Lake Street. Development Services Director Emily Egan (left) and Economic Vitality Administrator Cameron Davis (right) are pictured here with Nicole and Jim. Three Spoons is named in honor of the Cahill’s three children.
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This week, Visit Oak Park Executive Director Annie Coakley hosted two international travel influencers visiting the community. Visit Oak Park is busy promoting Oak Park to an international audience of travelers. Cleber França (pictured right) is Editor-in-Chief of ViaG Revista, an outstanding niche publication and the leading LGBTQ+ travel communication resource in Brazil. França was in Oak Park covering the Chicago areas LGBTQ+ community, looking for welcoming towns that can offer diverse travel experiences to international travelers. The other international influencer visiting Oak Park was Christopher Devinder Singh (pictured left) from Australia. Singh is the Deputy Editor of the AU Review and also does freelance writing covering travel, arts and food.
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The second annual Southtown Summer Fest will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 13 on Van Buren Street on both the east and west side of Oak Park Avenue. The community festival is coordinated by Stern Glass Works in collaboration with other businesses in the Southtown Business District. Family-friendly activities will include face painting, games, a dunk tank and more. The event will also feature an artisan market and live music performed by the North Grove rock band and Francis Basset-Dilly Trio. Food will be available from restaurants in the Southtown Business District, which is located on Oak Park Avenue south of Van Buren Street. More information is available at www.sternglassworks.com/summerfest and on the Summer Fest Facebook event page.
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WGN Weekend News reporter Christine Flores recently visited with Oak Park Hemingway Business District Association officers Moses Valdez, Wendy Giardina and Robin Titus about the upcoming Hemingway Birthday Fete taking place July 18-21. The WGN visit was arranged with the help of Visit Oak Park. Click here to view the segment. For more information about the event follow the Hemingway District on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.
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Oak Park residents and businesses have an opportunity to participate in Solar Switch Chicagoland, a program that makes solar panel installation more affordable and accessible through volume purchasing. Interested property owners are invited to attend a free informational Solar Power Hour presentation scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9 at Oak Park Public Library’s Maze Branch, 845 Gunderson Ave. Attendees will learn about the basics of solar energy, its financial implications for a household and how the Solar Switch program works. Find more information about Solar Switch Chicagoland, including details about how to register today, at www.solarswitch.com/chicagoland.
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Lot 10 reconstruction – The contractor for the Lot 10 reconstruction project is grading the stone base for the permeable paver parking lot and is expected to begin installing the brick surface after July 4. The street light bases will be installed in the island south of the parking lot. The contractor will pour the curb and sidewalk on the west side of the parking lot and pour the missing sidewalk squares on the north side by this weekend.
Sidewalk improvement project – The second sidewalk improvement project of the year is nearing completion. The contractor has removed all sidewalk replacement locations on the east side of streets and is currently working on pouring new concrete. Weather permitting, the contractor is on scheduled to substantially complete the project by July 5.
Euclid Avenue water improvements – The Euclid Avenue water & sewer project is nearing completion. Equipment has been removed from the site and the roadway is fully reopened. The remaining items expected to occur in the next few weeks include landscape restoration and punchlist work.
Alley improvement project – All alleys under the first contract have been restored and reopened. Punchlist work is scheduled to be complete prior to July 4. The first two alleys under the second contract are fully reopened. Construction is ongoing in the third and final alley between the 1000 blocks of Humphrey Ave. and Austin Blvd. This alley will be completed prior to July 4.
South Boulevard water & sewer improvements – The contractor will begin mobilizing with equipment and traffic control along South Boulevard early next week. No parking signs are being posted along the viaduct this week. The contractor will begin with the water main improvements at the intersection of South Boulevard and Kenilworth Avenue the week of July 8. The work will progress west toward Clinton Avenue. All through traffic will be routed around the site toward Madison Street. Equipment storage will remain within the project limits adjacent to the intersection. Electronic message boards will be installed prior to any road closure and will indicate nearby businesses are remaining open. Affected permit holders in lots SB8 and 9 have received parking passes.
Forest & Ontario improvements – The detour around the site at the intersection of Forest Avenue and Ontario Street has been removed. However, occasional closures may still occur while workers are present. The monument pillars are being partially prefabricated off site. Site work is expected to resume next week.
Austin Boulevard sewer improvements – The contractor will begin the sewer lining and landscape restoration this week between Roosevelt Road and Garfield Street. Permit pending, the detour at Roosevelt and Austin Boulevard will be setup the week after the July 4 holiday.
Madison Street improvements – The electrical contractor is installing new handholes and concrete foundations along Madison Street. The electrical underground work on the north side of Madison is expected to be complete by next week.
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