Meetings scheduled for next week:
- Tuesday, October 1:
- Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. in Council Chambers
- Environment & Energy Commission, 7 p.m. in Room 101
- Wednesday, October 2:
- Citizen Involvement Commission, 7 p.m. in Room 101
The Village is hosting its second annual ¡VIVA! Festival from noon to 3 p.m. this Saturday, Sept. 28. The outdoor celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month is set to take place rain or shine on the south lawn at Village Hall and will feature food trucks, entertainment from Trabuco Salsa Band and Peruvian folk dancers, vendors, face painters, a piñata, activities for kids and more. A large tent will be in place for watching the live performances in case it rains. Officials will continue to monitor the weather forecast and will announce any changes to the event if necessary. Find more details about the event at www.oak-park.us/HispanicHeritage.
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The Village received the Award of Distinction from the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA) for its video titled "CDBG Goes Grease," celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). NATOA's Government Programming Awards recognizes excellence in local government programming across multiple categories, including public service and community events. The award highlights the innovative use of multimedia to inform and engage the community about CDBG's impact. Village Manager Kevin Jackson, along with staff members Joe Kreml, Dan Yopchick, Nick Meier and Vanessa Matheny, worked collaboratively to bring this video project to fruition.
The Public Works Department’s Fleet Services Division has acquired a demonstration model of an all-electric semi-tractor from Battle Motors as part of its ongoing exploration of alternative fuel sources and emerging technologies. The Village is actively engaging with other municipalities to gather insights and perspectives on the potential benefits and challenges associated with this technology. This collaborative effort is aimed at evaluating the feasibility and advantages of integrating heavy-duty EVs into municipal operations. The Village's vehicle fleet currently includes 19 smaller electric vehicle models.
The Village’s Commercial Façade Improvement Program (C-FIP) has secured nine participants in 2024, including Egg Harbor Café, which recently installed new signage at its location in the Pleasant Business District at 1111 South Blvd. Emily Motino (center), Egg Harbor Café Restaurant Manager, is pictured here with Economic Vitality Administrator Cameron Davis (left) and Development Services Director Emily Egan. The C-FIP initiative assists local commercial business or property owners with improvements like new signage, awnings, lighting, windows, doors and tuckpointing. Representatives from Egg Harbor told Village officials that the C-FIP grant was much appreciated and shows that the Village really wants to support businesses and make sure they are seen by the public. For more information about the grant program, please contact 708.358.5421 or cdavis@oak-park.us.
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The Village is hosting a series of community forums this fall. The first forum scheduled for Oct. 23 will discuss policies, programming and strategies designed to prevent homelessness for individuals and families. More information is at www.oak-park.us/1023forum. The second forum is scheduled for Nov. 18 and will discuss constructive approaches to addressing the hunger and homelessness that creates the need for panhandling. More information is at www.oak-park.us/forum24.
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This week the Village distributed the third edition of the monthly Pick Oak Park Report on Economic Vitality. The Development Services Department is using the e-newsletter to more readily share important economic vitality information with the community. Click here to read the September’s e-newsletter. To sign up for this and other Village e-newsletters, visit www.oak-park.us/enews.
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Several members of the Village Manager’s Office attended the ICMA Annual Conference this week in Pittsburgh. The conference brings together local government professionals from around the world for four days of learning, inspiration, networking and more. More information about the conference is available at conference.icma.org.
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With autumn officially here, Village officials are reminding residents who utilize landscape services to make sure their landscaper understands that starting this fall leaves should no longer be placed in the street as part of changes being implemented to the Village’s Fall Leaf Collection Program. Instead, leaves can be placed in a bag or bin and left on the parkway for collection, composted through the Village’s CompostAble program, mulched with a mower or left in garden beds to promote soil health. Click here for a printable handout with information about the changes in both English and Spanish. Village officials are also discussing the changes with landscapers when they cross paths during routine business in the community.
Oak Park residents and business owners whose properties sustained damage during severe weather events from July 13-16 could be eligible for federal funding to help in recovering from the storms. Seven Illinois counties, including Cook, are covered in a recent disaster declaration authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Individual Assistance to provide grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and more. Residents and business owners can begin applying for Disaster Assistance by calling 800.621.6632 (FEMA) or visiting www.disasterassistance.gov. In addition, Disaster Recovery Centers will be open soon in Cook County with more opportunities for disaster survivors to engage with FEMA representatives on the disaster application process. More information is at www.oak-park.us/disasterrecovery24.
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Each year the Visit Oak Park organization produces an annual report that summarizes accomplishments from the previous year. Click here to read the 2023-2024 report. In addition to reporting on what Visit Oak Park is and how the organization supports tourism in the greater Oak Park area, page three of the report highlights 10 new initiatives from the previous year. Additionally, on page five of the report is a summary of the organization’s successful efforts in securing media placements for local Oak Park area businesses and tourist attractions. Further, on page six is information about Visit Oak Park’s social media efforts to reach additional potential tourism customers. Over this past year, Visit Oak Park has increased its Facebook content 205% and its Instagram followers by 1,684 users. For more information about Visit Oak Park, visit www.visitoakpark.com.
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This week the Village and Chamber of Commerce joined Grenke Leasing in celebrating the opening of its Midwest headquarters. The international company opened its new location in the Shaker Building, 1100 Lake St., Suite 120, in the Downtown Oak Park Business District. Grenke Leasing helps small- and medium-sized businesses by reducing their capital costs for startup, expansion and operation, as well as leasing all kinds of equipment and furnishings. Headquartered in Europe, Grenke has a west-coast U.S. operation in Phoenix, with the Midwest and east-coast operation now managed out of Oak Park.
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The Southtown Business District, located on S. Oak Park Avenue, is hosting its annual Fall Fest on Sat., Oct. 5 from noon to 4 p.m. The festival will take place on Van Buren Street between S. Oak Park Avenue and Grove Avenue. Additionally, the Oak Park Arts District, located on Harrison Street, will be hosting its Harvest on Harrison event on Sat., Oct. 26 from noon to 5 p.m. Activities will include an artist vendor fair, costume contest and trick-or-treating at businesses in the Arts District. Click here for more information.
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Street resurfacing project – Landscape restoration started on Kenilworth Avenue near South Boulevard this week. The first layer of asphalt was placed on Iowa Street, Superior Street and Elizabeth Court. Asphalt placement will begin on Miller Avenue and Garfield Street next week. Visit www.oak-park.us/construction to view a map of 2024 capital improvement projects, which shows locations scheduled for street resurfacing this year.
Pavement preservation – The Village’s annual pavement preservation project is starting up soon. The project aims to utilize asphalt patching, crack filling, microsurfacing and rejuvenation treatment to extend the life span of aging roads. The contractor expects work to begin the week of Oct. 7. “No Parking” signs will be posted in impacted areas prior to any parking closures. Residents who will be impacted by the work have received construction notices.
Water & sewer improvements – The contractor is working on installing new water main and sewer main under the Forest Avenue viaduct. The remaining underground work is expected to be complete sometime next week. The sidewalk on the south side of South Boulevard is on schedule to be poured back by the end of this week. Concrete removals on the north side of the street will begin early next week, followed by roadway patching. The anticipated completion date for the roadway restoration is end of October.
Madison Street improvements – The contractor is working on installing brick pavers along Madison Street from Clarence Avenue to East Avenue. Sidewalk replacement on the south side of Madison is ongoing. The contractor will begin structure adjustments and milling the roadway between Oak Park Avenue and East Avenue next week.
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