Detective Allan Reddins was laid to rest Thursday during a private burial attended by family, friends and colleagues from the Oak Park Police Department following a funeral service held earlier in the day at Apostolic Church of God in Chicago. Reddins, who was tragically killed Nov. 29 in the line of duty, was remembered as a humble, dedicated officer committed to helping protect the community. Members of the Police Department traveled to the funeral as part of a processional, and many in-person services at Village Hall were paused as a large contingent of Village employees attended the service. A recording of the funeral is posted online. While the funeral marks the culmination of public memorials for Det. Reddins, the Police Department and Village continue to mourn his loss and honor his service. More information, including details about how to support the Reddins family, is available at www.oak-park.us/reddins.

The Police Department welcomed Commander Carlin Morse and members of the Chicago Police Department’s 15th District on Tuesday as they presented Police Chief Shatonya Johnson with a memorial plaque in honor of Det. Reddins. And on Friday, members of the Oak Park and River Forest High School student council stopped by the police station to show their appreciation. These gestures are just two examples of the outpouring of support the Police Department has received from law enforcement agencies and the Oak Park community following Det. Reddins’ tragic death. A candlelight vigil held at Village Hall on Dec. 6 attracted hundreds of people who gathered to remember Det. Reddins. Click here to view a recording of the vigil.

Atefa Ghaznawi, an Urban Planner in the Development Services Department, recently completed her AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) professional assessment and has now become a fully certified AICP Planner. Previously, Atefa had passed her AICP exam in May 2024. Congratulations to Atefa on this achievement.

The Village welcomed Nalini Johnson as the new Sustainability Coordinator this week. Nalini is a seasoned zoning and development professional with over a decade of experience collaborating with property owners, contractors, architects and engineers. She specializes in zoning, green building codes, and sustainable development and infrastructure. She holds a Master of Urban Planning degree from McGill University and certifications in Project Management and education, with advanced training in higher education pedagogy and multilingual communication.

Appointments are still available for the Village’s electronic waste recycling drop-off event on Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd. Due to strict regulations on collecting and processing these materials, residents are required to register for a time slot between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and identify their electronic waste items in advance. Click here to sign up for a time slot. There is a limit of seven items per household, and within that there is a limit of two televisions and/or computer monitors. The recycling drop-off event is for Oak Park residents only and is particularly intended for residents in large multifamily buildings. Residents in single-family homes and buildings with up to five units served by the Village’s waste hauling contract can also schedule an E-Waste Pickup from their home by filling out the form at www.lrsrecycles.com/oakpark.

The Oak Park Fire Department’s Keep the Wreath Green safety campaign is underway through Jan. 1. For every holiday-related fire in Oak Park, the Oak Park Fire Department will change a bulb in the wreath from green to red as a reminder of the dangers posed by trees, faulty lights and cords, candles and burning wrapping paper in fireplaces. Help keep the wreath green this year by following a few simple guidelines at www.oak-park.us/wreath24.

Keep the Cheer Here, a collaboration between the Village and the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce, promotes supporting local business through its efforts to have people shop and gift local in Oak Park. By purchasing and gifting special Keep the Cheer Here gift cards this holiday season, you can give your friends and family the ability to help give back to the Oak Park business community while enjoying the numerous shops and restaurants the community has to offer. For more information about the campaign, including how to purchase and use the special gift cards, visit www.keepthecheerhere.org.

In preparation for the Renew the Avenue streetscape project in 2025, the Village is highlighting businesses that call Oak Park Avenue and the Hemingway Business District home through posts on its Village and Pick Oak Park social media channels as well as a dedicated page on the Renew the Avenue website at www.renewtheavenue.com/stories. The 2025 streetscape project will revitalize Oak Park Avenue through the Hemingway Business District with new brick roadways, bluestone sidewalks, safety improvements and the replacement of aging water and sewer infrastructure.

Travel Lemming, an online travel guide with more than 10 million annual readers, has listed Oak Park as one of the 50 best places to travel in 2025. Other top travel destinations include Austin, Texas, Harbor Springs, Mich. and Las Piedras, Puerto Rico. When describing Oak Park, the site says, “Immerse yourself in the history of great American artists in this gorgeous Chicagoland suburb dotted with Frank Lloyd Wright designs.”

Madison Street improvements – All concrete and asphalt work is complete for the Madison Street project and pavement marking installation along the roadway is 90% complete. The temporary crosswalks at Oak Park Avenue and East Avenue have been painted and will be removed next spring when the permanent decorative crosswalks are installed. All traffic control around the site has been removed and the remaining punch list items will be complete before the end of the year.

Sewer televising project – The annual sewer cleaning and inspection project is starting up early next week. Crews will inspect approximately 20 different locations throughout Oak Park. Minor traffic delays are anticipated while work is in progress. Locations adjacent to schools will be completed during school hours or the upcoming winter break to avoid disrupting drop off and pickup traffic.

Sewer siphon cleaning – The contractor cleaned and inspected the larger pipelines between the two siphon chambers under Insterstate 290 earlier this week. Next steps include televising the remaining 14-inch line. The entire project is expected to be complete by the end of next week.