Meetings scheduled for next week:
- Monday, January 20:
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Village Hall closed
- Tuesday, January 21:
- Village Board meeting, 7 p.m. in Council Chambers
- Wednesday, January 22:
- Village Board special meeting, 6 p.m. in Room 130
- Disability Access Commission, 6 p.m. at Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St.
- Thursday, January 23:
- Historic Preservation Commission Architectural Review Committee, 6 p.m. in Room 101
- Stewardship awards presentation (Community Design Commission, Environment & Energy Commission, Historic Preservation Commission), 7 p.m. in Council Chambers
- Friday, January 24:
The Village this week launched a newly redesigned website aimed at providing residents, businesses and visitors with a more user-friendly and accessible online experience. The revamped site offers a fresh, modern design that enhances usability while ensuring that vital information is just a click away. Key features include intuitive navigation with improved search capability and a streamlined layout that makes it easier for users to find information on municipal government services, programs, events and resources. Read more about the new website at www.oak-park.us/websitelaunch.
|
The Village is hosting four community meetings to provide updates and gather input on the Dr. Percy L. Julian Chicago Avenue Streetscape Project. The public is invited to attend and participate in these important discussions regarding the future of this key local infrastructure project. All meetings will have the same structure and, therefore, attendees should not feel to compelled to attend multiple sessions. During the meetings residents and stakeholders will have the opportunity to learn more about the streetscape project, ask questions and provide valuable feedback to the project team. For additional information or to submit comments ahead of time, please contact Brandon Crawford via email at BCrawford@oak-park.us or by phone at 708.358.5420. Meetings will be held at the following dates, times and locations:
|
The Village is hosting its third annual Black History Month Honors Celebration from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 8 at the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association, 178 Forest Ave. The event will feature speakers, performers, interactive activities, music, refreshments and more while highlighting the 2025 Black History Month theme: African Americans and Labor. Anyone who would like to attend is invited to click here to reserve a spot.
|
It was announced this week that the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (Caucus) will be awarded $14,471,562 for its Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) grant application by the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Village of Oak Park is one of 34 communities included in the award. This funding will allow the Village to install 13 publicly-available electric vehicle charging stations within Oak Park, doubling the current amount throughout the community over the next several years. To read more about the award, please click here.
|
Construction work is progressing rapidly at the site of Oak Park’s future Holiday Inn Express Hotel. Development Services Department staff recently toured the site, which is located in a large portion of what is historically known as the Oak Leaves Building at 1140 Lake St. The first floor of the hotel building is home to the Nando’s Peri-Peri restaurant at 1138 Lake St. The hotel lobby will be on the second floor of the building with guest rooms on the second, third, fourth and fifth floors. Additional hotel rooms will be placed in the building's annex. There will be both a Lake Street entrance and a pedestrian pedway access entrance from the Village’s Holley Court Garage. The photos included here are representative of a typical second floor room and hallway, both currently under construction. All four floors of the hotel have guest rooms being framed out and drywalled, with electric, sprinklers and fire alarms being installed. The Village appreciates the investment of owner Azim Hemani as he works to give new life to this building.
|
This week the Village welcomed Maxie Moses and Kimberly Smith as the first Care Coordinators for the new E.C.H.O. Program within the Neighborhood Services Department. The E.C.H.O. Program (Engaging Communities for Healthy Outcomes) is an innovative initiative designed to enhance community safety and well-being by providing thoughtful, compassionate responses to non-emergency and low-risk calls for service through 911 dispatch. This program reflects Oak Park’s commitment to reimagining public safety and meeting the diverse needs of our neighbors. As Care Coordinators, Maxie and Kimberly bring a wealth of experience, empathy and dedication to their roles. They will work directly with community members to provide tailored support, connect individuals to vital resources, and ensure that everyone feels seen, heard and valued. Maxie has a Master of Social Work degree from Northeastern Illinois University and extensive professional experience across diverse settings. Kimberly is an accomplished healthcare professional with a master’s degree in Health Administration from the University of Phoenix and more than a decade of diverse leadership roles in healthcare organizations. For more information about the E.C.H.O. Program email echo@oak-park.us.
|
The Public Health Department has a new Animal Control Officer after Kyle Fortner joined the organization this week. Kyle’s professional experience spans roles in environmental education, animal control and community outreach. Most recently he worked as a Park Ranger, developing programs blending environmental stewardship and public engagement.
|
Village Hall will be closed on Monday, Jan. 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and will reopen at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Should an incident that doesn't quite rise to the level of a 911 call occur when Village Hall is closed, call the Police non-emergency number 708.386.3800 for assistance. Regular Village Hall hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. More information about Village Hall is posted online.
|
Employees from the Neighborhood Services and Development Services departments will be available to respond to questions concerning the proposed adoption of the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22 in Room 215 at Village Hall. The IPMC establishes standard guidance to local governments regulating the minimum maintenance requirements for existing buildings to ensure property upkeep and public safety throughout the community. More information is at www.oak-park.us/IPMC2024.
|
The Village is hosting an open house for anyone who would like to provide feedback or learn more about proposed renovations of the existing Village Hall facility at 123 Madison St. and the construction of a new Oak Park Police Department. The open house will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Village Hall. Attendees will be able to meet the schematic design team and review conceptual design diagrams. An online survey is also available at www.engageoakpark.com/campus along with more information about the ongoing process for determining the future of Oak Park’s municipal campus.
|
The Village’s annual stewardship award ceremony is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23 in the Council Chambers at Village Hall. The Community Design Commission will present its Cavalcade of Pride Awards, the Environment & Energy Commission will hand out its Green Awards and the Historic Preservation Commission will recognize winners of the Preservation Award during the event.
|
With temperatures forecast to plunge early next week, the Village’s emergency warming center will be open 24 hours per day beginning at 7 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 18 through 8 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at the St. Catherine – St. Lucy Church Rectory, 38 N. Austin Blvd. More information about emergency warming centers and cold weather safety is available at www.oak-park.us/coldweathersafety.
|
The Village continues to partner with the ComEd Strategic Energy Management (SEM) Program to work toward the organization’s sustainability goals related to reducing emissions at Village properties. This work began in 2022 and included repairing leaky ductwork, Building Automation System (BAS) upgrades, LED upgrades and more. These efforts have been captured in a case-study document created by ComEd highlighting the partnership’s success – click here to view.
|
Oak Park firefighter/paramedics responded to 769 calls in December, bringing the 2024 yearly total to 8,925. It marked another busy year for the Fire Department with nearly 300 more calls in 2024 than the prior year. Emergency medical services calls continued to be the largest category.
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. Holiday lights can also now be recycled year-round by scheduling an E-waste pickup at www.lrsrecycles.com/oakpark. This option is available for residential properties of five or fewer units served by the Village's waste-hauling contract. For more information, contact publicworks@oak-park.us or 708.358.5700. To learn more about recycling options in Oak Park, visit www.oak-park.us/recycling.
|
The Village recently signed a contract to perform manhole inspections to assess the condition of Oak Park’s manholes as part of the Village’s five-year Sewer Plan. The new program will continue on an annual basis until approximately 4,000 manholes in the Village are inspected. The first round of inspections started this week in the northeast section of the Village. Locations include Oak Park Avenue, Chicago Avenue and Ridgeland Avenue. No lane closures or parking restrictions are anticipated during this work.
|
The Village’s contractor spent this week televising the remaining project location on Garfield Street. Overall the contractor televised more than 25 locations (approximately 45 blocks) throughout the Village.
|
|
