The Village of Oak Park remains in a state of mourning following the tragic death of Detective Allan Reddins, who was killed in the line of duty on Nov. 29 while responding to a call involving an armed individual. In the midst of grieving the unspeakable loss of their colleague, the men and women of the Oak Park Police Department continue to serve and protect the community by providing law enforcement services around the clock. This dedication is not going unnoticed as the Police Department continues to receive an outpouring of support and condolences for Det. Reddins from near and far. In honor of Det. Reddins, blue lights are shining on the exterior of Village Hall and mourning bunting hangs above the main entrance to Village Hall. A memorial featuring Det. Reddins’ badge number now hangs above the entrance to the Police Station. The Village and Police Department’s social media posts with information about Det. Reddins’ death have attracted thousands of comments offering condolences, including many from prominent public officials and law enforcement agencies throughout the region and the entire country.

All dads, sons and brothers and the women in their lives are invited to a panel discussion featuring an honest conversation about barriers to accessing care and how to support mental wellness among men. The event is being organized by Thrive Counseling Center in coordination with the Village and other community partners and will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 11 at Willard Elementary School, 1250 Ashland Ave. in River Forest. Village Trustee Cory Wesley is among the group of panelists with a range of experiences who will discuss tools and resources to help men navigate their mental health and wellness. Click here to register for the free event. The Village is also sharing additional resources related to men's mental health at www.oak-park.us/menshealth.

Pete’s Fresh Market was recently issued the building permit to construct the shell of its new building at 668 Madison St. near the corner or Madison and Oak Park Avenue. This comes after Pete’s received permits for earth retention, foundation and parking lot construction earlier this fall. Given the significant community interest in the progress of this development, which will be the second Pete’s location in Oak Park, regular construction updates are being provided in the weekly Village Manager’s report and the monthly Pick Oak Park e-newsletter. Anyone who could benefit from receiving regular updates on business happenings in Oak Park can sign up to receive the Pick Oak Park Report at www.oak-park.us/enews.

The Village is hosting Energy & Water Benchmarking Office Hours from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 13 for building owners and property managers who need additional assistance completing the compliance steps required by Village ordinance for properties 10,000 square feet and larger. Whether owners and property managers are just starting out, stuck at some point in the process or need to figure out how to get whole building energy information, they are invited to drop in at any point during the session for assistance from benchmarking experts with the Building Energy Resource Hub. Click here to register and receive a link for the virtual session. More information about benchmarking is at www.oak-park.us/building-benchmarking.   

The Village recently welcomed Jake Vest (left) as the new Building Maintenance Superintendent in the Public Works Department and Zach Meadows as the new Building Inspector in the Development Services Department. Jake is a long-time Oak Park resident with a passion for sustainability and energy efficiency. He spent the past 13 years at the Northbrook Park District, first in the Planning Department as a Project Supervisor and then as the Trades Manager where he oversaw all facility and amenity maintenance while contributing to capital improvement projects. While at Northbrook, he also managed the commissioning, monitoring, controlling and verification of the Techny Prairie Activity Center, which became the third verified Net Zero Energy Building in the state of Illinois. Jake has a bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University in general studies and holds Project Management Professional (PMP) and Facility Management Professional (FMP) certifications. Meanwhile, Zach is a graduate of Wheaton College who brings relevant work experience to his role within the Permits & Development Division.  

The Fire Department celebrated the completion of three firefighters’ probationary periods Thursday. Firefighters/Paramedics James Harkins (left), Spencer Schattauer and Colin McManus (right) were sworn in during a ceremony at the main fire station after completing their year-long probationary periods.

The Oak Park Public Health Department received a new shipment of free rapid COVID-19 tests this week that are available for residents. Community members can come to the Village Hall lobby during regular business hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays to pick up free tests. This offer will continue as long as supplies last, and is intended for people currently experiencing symptoms, not for long-term storage.

Oak Park residents can recycle holiday lights by dropping them off in a bin located in the lobby of the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd. The bin will be available during regular business hours Monday through Friday through Jan. 31. For more information about holiday light recycling, contact publicworks@oak-park.us or 708.358.5700.

A favorite Oak Park tradition returns when Downtown Oak Park hosts its annual Winterfest from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 7 in the vicinity of Lake & Marion streets. A free screening of the movie “Elf” begins at 10 a.m. at the Lake Theatre. Throughout the event carolers will perform and Santa will be strolling through the business district. Free hot chocolate provided by Wise Cup will be available in the hospitality tent. More information is available at www.downtownoakpark.net/event/winterfest-cookie-walk/.

This week Village representatives joined Chamber of Commerce members and Buona Beef team members in celebrating the completion of the interior and exterior remodeling of Buona’s Oak Park location at 7025 W. North Ave. In addition to the long standing Buona Beef offerings, customers can now enjoy a variety of Rainbow Cone selections on the expanded menu. Pictured here is a photo from the newly remodeled interior of the North Avenue location. The Village appreciates Buona Beef’s continued investment in Oak Park and the North Avenue Business Corridor.

Oak Park residents are invited to join local and statewide climate leaders to learn how recent local, state and national policies are accelerating the transition to clean energy in our homes. The event takes place at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9 at the Community Recreation Center, 229 Madison St. Attendees can learn how neighbors are already benefiting from clean energy home upgrades and how to take positive steps towards fighting climate change. This informative event will also include opportunities to learn more about clean energy home technologies like induction cooktops and heat pumps, and free consultations from Oak Park Climate Action Network’s Climate Coaches. Click here to register for the free event.

Sewer siphon cleaning – Work started this week to inspect and clean the existing sewer siphon east of Ridgeland Avenue under Interstate 290. The Village undertakes this project once every decade. The siphon consists of multiple pipelines and two chambers. The contractor hired to perform the work is currently dewatering the largest 54-inch pipe in the siphon to begin cleaning and televising the line. Work will shift to the smaller lines in the siphon once the larger line is complete. Westbound traffic on Garfield Street at Ridgeland Avenue will be intermittently closed while work is in progress.

Madison Street improvements – The contractor is working on installing permanent pavement markings along Madison Street and constructing the diverter at the north leg of Wesley Avenue. Punchlist work will continue through to next week. The contractor also picked up the barricades along the mainline of Madison and the remaining light poles that were replaced earlier in the project.