Care Coordinators Maxie Moses and Kimberly Smith recently teamed up with Media Production Manager Joe Kreml to produce an informational video about the Village’s new E.C.H.O. program. The video is part of the Village’s rollout of E.C.H.O., which was created in response to years of community advocacy and expert recommendations and is designed to provide a compassionate, social service-driven response to ensure residents receive the support they need. With a focus on safety and well-being, care coordinators connect individuals to the right resources following 911 calls, walk-ins at Village Hall, or direct community outreach, serving as trusted experts in care coordination within the Village. Click here to view the video, which will be shared across the Village’s communications channels in the coming weeks. To learn more about the E.C.H.O. program or to access resources, email echo@oak-park.us, call 708.358.5640 or visit www.oak-park.us/echo.

The entire community is invited to Oak Park’s second annual Holi Celebration, which is set to take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. rain or shine this Saturday, April 5 on the south lawn at Village Hall. The event celebrates the Hindu Festival of colors and will feature music, dancing and food for purchase. The popular throwing of brightly colored powders will occur during the second half of the event. Attendees are encouraged to come dressed in clothes that can withstand being covered in colored powder. Visit www.oak-park.us/holi25 for more information.

Earth Month is here, and the Village's Office of Sustainability & Resilience is joining with community partners to promote a wide range of events and activities throughout April. Don’t miss the second annual Oak Park Eco-Extravaganza from 10 a.m. to noon this Saturday, April 5 at the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St. This free Earth Month community kickoff event for all ages offer the chance to learn, play and connect with community groups working in the sustainability space while enjoying local treats, green trivia, games, puzzles and film previews. Registration is encouraged, though walk-ins are welcome. Find a complete list of Earth Month events at www.oak-park.us/sustainabilityevents.

Oak Park residents and community stakeholders are invited to provide feedback on three initial conceptual designs for a streetscape project along Chicago Avenue honoring Dr. Percy L. Julian during an open house from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22 in Room 101 at Village Hall. Attendees will also be able to learn more about Dr. Julian’s life and legacy, and feedback gathered during the event will help influence the final design for the project. More information is at www.oak-park.us/JulianStreetscapeOpenHouse.

The Public Health Department and the Oak Park Township teamed up March 25 to host a blood drive to address the national blood shortage. Thanks to all of the participants, six of whom were first-time donors, the drive collected 16 donations, with the potential to save 48 lives. Donated blood helps people who have traumatic injuries, burns, premature infants, organ transplant recipients and many others. Check out the Village’s Community Blood Drive page at www.oak-park.us/blooddrive to find your next opportunity to donate.

National Public Health Week runs from April 7-13, and this year's theme is "It Starts Here." In Oak Park, public health really does start with the Oak Park Public Health Department. From supporting community safety with Narcan boxes placed throughout the Village to distributing gun locks at events, local public health officials are focused on prevention and access and committed to keeping residents informed. Read about the Public Health Department’s various divisions and how they help the community at www.oak-park.us/nphw25.

As part of an ongoing educational series on suicide prevention, the Village is partnering with the Community Mental Health Board, the River Forest Township and Thrive Counseling Center to host an event featuring the ways gun safety can prevent self-harm and suicide. The free Safe Storage Saves Lives event is taking place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16 at the Community Recreation Center, 229 Madison St. It will feature presentations from Everytown Gun Safety and the Illinois Attorney General’s Office about smart storage and firearm restraining orders. Registration is not required, but will help plan for seating and refreshments. Click here to register.

Development Services Administrative Officer Noemy Diaz (from left), Downtown Oak Park Executive Director Shannon Williams, Visit Oak Park Executive Director Annie Coakley and Development Services Director Craig Failor recently toured the ongoing work at what will be Oak Park’s newest hotel, the Holiday Inn Express at 1140 Lake St.  Construction of the Holiday Inn Express hotel is progressing rapidly with many of the rooms completely framed out with completed bathrooms and closets. The new 68-room hotel will be located in a good portion of what is historically known as the Oak Leaves Building in the Downtown Oak Park business district. The first floor of the hotel building has a 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 Village continues to appreciate the investment of owner Azim Hemani as he works to give new life to this building.

Development Services Administrative Officer Noemy Diaz recently joined Chamber of Commerce representatives and business owner Lynn Palmgren and her team at the ribbon cutting for Palmgren Acupuncture’s new location at 1024 North Blvd. The professionals at Palmgren Acupuncture, which spent the past 11 years at a previous location in Oak Park, provide their patients with treatment using acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine and therapeutic massage. The Village congratulates this business on its years of service to the Oak Park community and new location.

With the Consolidated Municipal Election now complete, residents can recycle yard signs through a special drop-off coordinated by the Public Works Department. Corrugated plastic signs and aluminum frames can be dropped off for recycling between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays through April 15 in the first-floor lobby at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd. The corrugated plastic and aluminum frames used in yard signs are not eligible for recycling through the Village’s residential recycling program, so residents are asked to refrain from disposing of the signs in their recycling carts and instead use the drop-off system at Public Works. For more information, contact 708.358.5700 or publicworks@oak-park.us.

The Oak Park Public Health Department offers free in-person trainings on opioid overdose prevention and the use of Narcan nasal spray. The next training opportunity is scheduled for 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 12 at the Oak Park Public Library, 834 Lake St. Click here to sign up to participate in the training. The 90-minute training is ideal for people who want to be ready to respond if they encounter a person experiencing a potential opioid overdose. The training covers harm reduction principles, signs and symptoms of opioid overdose, how Narcan works in the body, hands-on practice with Narcan nasal spray and time for questions and answers. Participants will also receive a free opioid overdose prevention kit to take home.

With the start of April comes the return of weekly collection of yard waste and compost for residential properties served by the Village’s refuse hauler. The weekly collection continues through the last full week in November. Bundled brush no larger than 2 feet in diameter and 4 feet in length and yard waste such as grass clippings, leaves, shrubs and vines will be picked up on regular refuse collection days. A green yard waste sticker must be attached to each brush bundle, 32-gallon paper bag and rigid container. Stickers are $3.25 each and available at most grocery stores, as well as Village Hall, 123 Madison St. Residents are urged to look for alternatives to bagging yard waste such as mulching mowers, leaf shredders or composting. Participants in the Village's compost program can discard yard waste in their gray cart without using a green sticker. For more information about yard waste collection, visit www.oak-park.us/refuse.

Oak Parkers will be able to safely dispose of sensitive documents and foam products with the No. 6 symbol at a free paper shredding and foam recycling event scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 19 at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd. Residents can drop off foam products with the No. 6 symbol, which are not accepted as part of the Village's single-stream recycling program. Please collect foam products in a clear, translucent bag. For paper shredding, each household can bring two bags or small boxes of paper items with personal information such as canceled checks and documents containing credit card numbers, social security numbers and medical information. Click here for more information.

Oak Park renters are invited to learn about obtaining legal services at the next session of the Village’s Tenant Workshop Series. The discussion will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 19 at the Community Recreation Center, 229 Madison St. Registration is free but space is limited. Click here to register. The workshop topics were chosen based on feedback from the community. Find more information about renting in Oak Park at www.oak-park.us/renting.

The Public Works Department’s Forestry Division recently welcomed two new Forestry Technicians as Calvin Ford and Andrew Hynes joined the team. Calvin graduated from Iowa State with a bachelor’s degree in Urban Forestry. He previously worked as a climbing arborist/foreman for Davey Tree. Andrew earned a degree in urban and community forestry from Michigan State University. He worked briefly in traditional forestry with the Bureau of Land Management but previously spent most of his career working in arboriculture with Bartlett Tree Experts in Chicago.

Families are invited to explore local businesses while kids enjoy games, collect prizes and participate in a spring-themed scavenger hunt from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Sunday, April 6 in the Hemingway Business District. Participating businesses will be marked with bunny prints outside their door. Scavenger hunt participants will have something to find at each location and special surprises along the way. Families are encouraged to share their day by tagging @hemingwaydistrictoakpark on Facebook and Instagram.

ComEd distribution conduit installation – Work is in progress for the ComEd project for the new USPS facility in Forest Park. Conduit was recently installed on Randolph Street from Euclid Avenue to Wesley Avenue and on Euclid from Adams Street to the north end of the block.  Next week, the contractor will start at the corner of Randolph and East Avenue and begin to work north along East. The contractor will also finish the installation work on the block of Euclid north of Adams next week.

Alley project updates – Sewer improvements began in the alley between the 200 block of Scoville Ave. and East Avenue on Monday. Earth excavation and pavement removal will begin next Monday, April 7 in the alley between the 1100 block of Oak Park Ave. and Grove Avenue. All impacted residents have received parking passes.