The Neighborhood Partnerships Division is leading a new, coordinated effort to make it easier than ever to get involved with municipal government volunteer opportunities. Residents can explore and sign up for opportunities across multiple Village departments through the Better Impact volunteer management portal at www.oak-park.us/VolunteerSignUp. The Village offers a wide range of ways to give back, including leaf raking in the fall, snow shoveling and warming/cooling center support in the winter and summer, special events like the Tour de Proviso bike ride and much more. To volunteer, the first step is creating an account in Better Impact. Once an account is set up, prospective volunteers can complete the volunteer application, browse available opportunities, select shifts and receive updates on new ways to get involved. For more information, contact the Neighborhood Partnerships Division at NeighborConnect@oak-park.us.

The Village is excited to announce the launch of an open data portal, a collaborative effort between several departments led by Information Technology and including Development Services, Public Works, Police and more. This platform serves as a hub for exploring interactive maps and downloading data. It also provides access to GIS-related reports and offers insights into how your local or regional government uses spatial data to address key challenges and make informed decisions. By utilizing geographic information systems (GIS), the platform helps community members better understand the role of spatial data in solving important community, environmental, urban planning and infrastructure issues. First-time users are encouraged to visit the ‘Getting Started’ tab to learn tips and tricks on how to best dive into the experience. To get started, visit www.oak-park.us/opendata. New datasets are being added frequently, so be sure to check back for updates.

Oak Park and other municipalities throughout the region are being recognized for their leadership in electric vehicle deployment. The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (MMC) is a partner of the national Charging Smart initiative, which helps communities across the U.S. achieve EV-friendly measures, similar to the MMC’s EV Readiness Program. Oak Park was the only community to achieve a coveted gold designation in the first cohort of communities to complete the MMC’s EV Readiness Program in 2023. This accomplishment, along with the Village’s SolSmart Gold designation achieved in 2018, is highlighted on Charging Smart's national map, which helps illustrate the Chicago region’s wider achievements in EV readiness.

The Fire Department celebrated three promotions during a ceremony held Monday at the main fire station. Bob Murphy has been promoted to Deputy Chief of EMS Operations, Bill Towler has been promoted to Battalion Chief and Dan Huska has been promoted to Lieutenant. Elsewhere, the Public Works Department’s Engineering Division welcomed Ben Goretzke as a new Civil Engineer. Ben studied engineering with a special focus on environmental engineering at Loyola University Chicago.

Village employees took a break from their busy schedules Wednesday to celebrate the hard work being done within the organization during an employee appreciation lunch. Staff members from across the organization enjoyed delicious food from a taco truck during the event, which featured an employee recognition ceremony highlighting employees who have gone above and beyond in fulfilling the organization’s guiding principles and values of community, connection, service, respect and results. Click here to view photos from the event. 

Starting tonight, overnight parking restrictions will not be enforced on most Oak Park streets for Labor Day weekend. Overnight on-street parking will be lifted at 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 30 and resume at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3. All other parking regulations remain in effect, including restrictions in zones reserved for permit holders, daytime posted restrictions and regulations related to traffic and public safety. The holiday parking schedule for all of 2025 is posted at www.oak-park.us/holidayparking.  

Village Hall will be closed on Monday, Sept. 1 in observance of Labor Day before reopening at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Refuse, recycling and yard waste collection services will be delayed by one day next week as a result of the holiday. Regular Village Hall business hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Should an incident that doesn't quite rise to the level of a 911 emergency occur when Village Hall is closed, community members can call the Police Department non-emergency number 708.386.3800 for assistance. A wide range of services are available online around the clock.

With the new school year underway, the Oak Park Police Department is urging motorists to stay alert – especially when driving in school zones. To protect the many students who typically trek along Oak Park streets to their neighborhood schools, police are stepping up their presence with additional enforcement efforts at key crossings and along walking routes. Motorists need to be focused and avoid distractions like talking on cell phones as well as come to a complete stop at intersections and not block crosswalks. Drivers also must obey the signals of crossing guards and should never attempt to pass a stopped school bus with lights flashing. For questions related to traffic safety in school zones, please email police@oak-park.us.

Village officials are marking SMART Week by reminding the community that securing firearms is one of the best ways to keep our schools and communities safe from gun violence. As part of its injury prevention initiative, the Oak Park Public Health Department encourages families to talk about gun safety with friends and neighbors as a way of helping reduce accidental injuries via firearms. Anyone seeking help starting gun safety conversations can check out the conversation-starters and safe storage tips at www.oak-park.us/safestorage. For more information, contact health@oak-park.us or 708.358.5480.

The Village is hosting an electronic waste recycling drop-off event on Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd. Due to strict regulations for collecting and processing these materials, residents are required to register for a time slot between 9 a.m. and noon and identify their electronic waste items in advance. Register for the event at www.oak-park.us/ewaste25. 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 a request form at www.lrsrecycles.com/oakpark. For more information, contact 708.358.5700 or publicworks@oak-park.us.

Village officials are issuing a reminder that every Oak Park resident is required to purchase an annual license for each owned or leased motor vehicle. Postcards are being sent to those who have not yet registered their vehicles for 2025-2026. Vehicle licenses can be purchased and renewed online at www.oak-park.us/ParkingPortal. Vehicle license rates vary by type of vehicle, and the rates increased by $20 after the annual July 15 deadline. Persons age 65 and older, and anyone who has a state-issued disability license plate or placard, can apply for a discount. Disabled and active-duty veterans with proper documentation can apply for free vehicle licenses. Failure to purchase a yearly license could result in a ticket. For more information, call 708.358.7275, email parking@oak-park.us or visit www.oak-park.us/VehicleLicense.

Pavement and sidewalk patching and concrete sealing on the west side of the East Avenue bridge will be completed this week. The current southbound traffic detour to Ridgeland is planned to be removed by the end of the week. Work on the east side of the bridge deck will begin next week and will include pavement and sidewalk patching and concrete sealing. A traffic detour will not be required for work on the east side of the bridge, though traffic will be slightly shifted with the use of flaggers around the work area. The bike lane on the east side of the bridge will be closed next week in order for the repairs to be completed. Pedestrian access will remain throughout the duration of the East Avenue work. Additionally, access to the CTA station will remain intact.

Meanwhile, repairs on the Lombard Avenue bridge are on the horizon. A full closure of the Lombard Avenue bridge is expected as soon as Wednesday, Sept. 10. The contractor will begin to prep the traffic control and barricades Sept. 8-9.  The bridge will be closed to all traffic from Sept. 10-24. The bridge is tentatively planned to be fully reopened by Sept. 26. Pedestrian access on one side of the street and access to the CTA’s Austin Blue Line station will remain during the duration of the repairs. The work on the bridge will include curb repairs, pavement and sidewalk patching, asphalt patching and joint replacements. Repairs on the Oak Park Avenue bridge will follow, with a start date still to be scheduled.

Water and sewer improvements – The last two water main connections were completed by the contractor on Forest Avenue at Division Street and Berkshire Street. All underground work on Forest is complete, with the exception of the private side lead service replacements. Sidewalk and curb removals will begin next week, followed by concrete replacements and roadway improvements. The contractor also broke ground on Iowa Street between Harvey Avenue and Lombard Avenue. Sewer improvements on Iowa will continue through next week. All affected residents have received parking passes. Elsewhere, the contractor began pavement removal on the 700 and 800 blocks of Columbian Ave. Removals will continue next week until crews have removed to a depth of 15 inches. The following steps include preparing the road base for reconstruction. Residents with driveways have been notified that they will not have access until the pavement has been replaced.

Bike boulevard pavement markings – The contractor is currently installing bike pavement markings along Lemoyne Parkway, Lombard Avenue and Harvey Avenue throughout the Village. Crews will be continuing their progress in the coming days before moving to install bike pavement markings on Home Avenue, Elmwood Avenue and Fair Oaks Avenue. Sign installations for the bike boulevard network have not yet been scheduled but will take place this fall.

Resurfacing project resumes – Concrete and pavement removals for the Village’s street resurfacing project have resumed on Thomas Street with framing crews expected by the end of the week. Removals will continue at other locations while framing and pouring occurs on Thomas. Residents are urged to please use caution around open excavations and drive slowly around workers.

ComEd project update – ComEd will begin a new project Sept. 2 on Randolph Street from Chestnut Lane (just west of Home Avenue) to Oak Park Avenue. Crews will be installing a fiber optic communications line to increase grid stability. The project will focus on one block at a time to limit parking impacts. The work will begin on Randolph between Chestnut and Home. At the end of the project, the street will be resurfaced, and all parkway disturbances will be restored. Officials anticipate the project will be complete by mid-October.

Sidewalk improvements starting soon – Sidewalk angle cutting is expected to start Sept. 8, weather permitting. Sidewalk angle cutting consists of the contractor shaving down a heaved edge of the sidewalk slab to make it even with the adjacent sidewalk. Sidewalk angle cutting is expected to take up to two weeks to complete at all locations scheduled for repairs this year. Sidewalk replacements have not yet been scheduled.