Neighborhood Services Department staff, in partnership with the Oak Park Police and Fire Departments, hosted a community lunch Thursday afternoon on the Village Hall South Lawn. Attended by approximately 100 community partners and staff members, this gathering was a first-of-its-kind opportunity for community partners to connect with one another, meet Village staff and enjoy a relaxed afternoon of delicious food and meaningful conversation. Longtime partners and those new to our community network came together for this time of fellowship, relationship-building and collaboration.

The Village's Parking Services & Mobility Services team joined communities around the globe in participating in Park(ing) Day on Friday by transforming on-street parking spaces into temporary green spaces while advocating for safer, greener, more equitable streets. Three parking spaces near 127 N. Marion St. were repurposed for Oak Park’s Park(ing) Palooza event into a temporary, park-like community gathering spot for the festivities. Members of the community who stopped by were able to enjoy refreshments, music, activities, giveaways and more throughout the day. More information is at www.oak-park.us/ParkingPalooza.

Oak Parkers are invited 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 this Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd. Residents will be able to 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. More info is at www.oak-park.us/shredding925.

Village President Vicki Scaman and Village Manager Kevin J. Jackson issued a statement Thursday regarding federal immigration activity in Oak Park. The statement acknowledges that the increased presence and actions of federal immigration officers throughout the region presents not only disruption but also deep fear for many in our community. It also reaffirms that in accordance with the Welcoming Village Ordinance and the Illinois TRUST Act, the Village of Oak Park will not use Village resources, including staff, to assist in the enforcement of civil federal immigration laws. Click here to read the full statement. The Village recognizes that navigating immigration processes can be complex and finding trusted support is essential, so it has published a list of immigration resources on the Village website at www.oak-park.us/ImmigrationResources.

In order to ensure that the Village Hall parking lot is used only by Village staff and those community members requiring services from Village Hall, beginning Sept. 19 and until further notice, the two southern-most entrances into the Village Hall parking lot (closest to Adams Street) will be closed. The parking lot is restricted for use only by vehicles of Village employees and persons with business within Village Hall. Permitted vehicles must use the northern-most entrances (closest to Village Hall) to both enter and exit the parking lot. The two remaining entrances may be monitored by security staff pursuant to instructions provided by Village staff. The entrances that remain open are marked by the green arrows in the diagram included here, and the entrances that are closed are indicated by the red rectangles.

With Hispanic Heritage Month underway, the Village is reinforcing its commitment to uplifting the contributions of Hispanic and Latino neighbors throughout the community. However, given the ongoing presence of federal immigration agents throughout the region, the Village’s annual ¡Viva! Festival will not take place as planned on Oct. 11 on the south lawn at Village Hall. The Village’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office announced the decision after receiving thoughtful input from the committee of community volunteers who help coordinate the ¡Viva! Festival, which requested to put the safety, dignity and well-being of festival attendees, vendors and community members first. The Village remains committed to working with the committee to find alternative ways for the Village to honor Hispanic Heritage Month.

Oak Park renters are invited to learn about using the Residential Tenant Landlord Ordinance to ensure code compliance at the next Tenant Workshop Series session hosted by the Village’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office and legal aid nonprofit CARPLS. The discussion will take place from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24 in Room 101 at Village Hall. Registration is free but space is limited. Find the registration link and more information at www.oak-park.us/tenantworkshops25.

Save the date for the Oak Park Fire Department annual open house, which will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4 at the main fire station located at 100 N. Euclid Ave. The event allows residents of all ages to get up close to equipment and talk to the firefighter/paramedics who keep the community safe. To help supply local community blood centers, a Vitalant blood drive will be held onsite from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Click here to register for the blood drive. More information about the open house is posted on the Village website at www.oak-park.us/fireopenhouse2025.

The Village has released a Fire Department Organizational Assessment, a comprehensive review of operations, staffing, facilities and equipment conducted independently by Baker Tilly. The report confirms that the Oak Park Fire Department delivers excellent service while also identifying opportunities to strengthen efficiency and sustainability. The Village Board is expected to receive an overview of the assessment at its Oct. 14 meeting. Click here to read the full report.

Village officials were on hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new Anderson Emergency Shelter Center at 112 S. Humphrey Ave. This soon-to-open overnight shelter facility managed by Housing Forward will double the current shelter capacity, offering increased support and stability for unhoused residents year-round. The Village helped fund construction of the shelter and will continue to financially support its operations. Housing Forward also received state and federal funding to support this initiative.

Fleet Superintendent Ken Crowley was a speaker at the Electrify Expo Chicago on Sept. 13 at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates. Ken was part of a panel discussing why electric vehicles make financial sense at every level, from driveways to municipal fleets. The discussion covered the upfront costs associated with electric vehicles factoring in fuel savings, maintenance and downtime, highlighting why high-use vehicles reach payback quicker than most people expect. The two-day expo is billed as North America’s largest electric vehicle festival, making stops in eight U.S. cities in 2025. Ken oversees a Village fleet that consist of 28 electric vehicles and 41 hybrids utilized by nearly every department.

Village employees took advantage of beautiful weather Wednesday to grab some food, enjoy the fresh air and connect with co-workers during the fall tailgate lunch for staff in the Village Hall courtyard. Hot dogs and burgers were served during the event, during which employees were invited to wear their favorite sports team gear. Click here to view photos from the event.

The Village’s Aging in Communities Commission is observing Ageism Awareness Day by hosting author Dr. Becca Levy of Yale University for a discussion on aging from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Pilgrim Congregational Church. In her book “Breaking the Age Code,” Dr. Levy draws on groundbreaking research that shows that people with positive age beliefs live an average of 7.5 years longer than people who fear and deny aging. Dr. Levy is also leading a research project on how to make Oak Park a town without ageism. Refreshments will be provided. Information about the event is posted on the Village website at www.oak-park.us/AgeismAwareness25.

Oaktoberfest, one of Oak Park’s most anticipated annual events, returns Sept. 26-27 in Downtown Oak Park. Organizers anticipate that thousands of attendees will turn out for Oaktoberfest’s vibrant mix of music, food, drinks and family fun. This year, Downtown Oak Park is introducing a variety of green practices to help make the festival more sustainable than ever. The Village is helping the effort by sponsoring refillable water stations, allowing guests to bring their own reusable bottles to take advantage of complimentary water refill stations, reducing the need for single-use plastic bottles. Click here to read about all of the new sustainability initiatives.

During National Preparedness Month, Village officials are urging Oak Parkers to take three actions to keep themselves and their families safe and prepared: Know your risks, make a plan and build a kit. Find advice and guidance that make these three important steps easy for you and your family on the Village website at www.oak-park.us/PreparednessMonth25. Find more emergency preparedness tips at www.ready.gov/september. The Village is also sharing a video across its social media channels featuring Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Lee Christenson offering a behind-the-scenes look at a dispensing drill held earlier this summer to prepare for a scenario where antibiotics need to be distributed in response to an emergency. Click here to view the video.

The Chicago Transit Authority and Cook County Health are launching a new pilot program to install free naloxone at five CTA rail stations. The CTA’s Harlem/Lake Green Line stop is one of the stations selected based on community input and data that zeroed in on areas with higher opioid-related emergencies. Click here to read a news release about the initiative. The vending machine is the latest location where free naloxone is available in Oak Park. The Oak Park Public Health Department maintains opioid overdose prevention boxes in seven easily accessible, public-facing locations throughout Oak Park stocked with pouches filled with doses of naloxone and instructions on how to provide overdose first aid. Naloxone, also commonly referred to as the trademarked name Narcan, is a safe medication that works to reverse the effects of an overdose from opioids such as heroin, prescription painkillers and fentanyl. More information is at www.oak-park.us/overdoseprevention.

Bridge repairs – Repairs on the Lombard Avenue bridge this week included joint repairs and removing concrete on the bridge deck, sidewalks and curb. This work will continue into next week with new concrete to follow. The bridge is scheduled to reopen on Sept. 27. The start date for the Oak Park Avenue bridge repairs is yet to be scheduled.

Sidewalk Improvements – Sidewalk replacements began this week in the northwest quadrant of town. The sidewalk contractor is about halfway done with all the removals and replacements. Weather permitting, all replacements will be completed by the end of next week. Additionally, the sidewalk angle cutting contractor is continuing to make progress. This week crews worked on Forest Avenue, Woodbine Avenue, Oak Park Avenue and East Avenue. Angle cutting is expected to be wrapped up late next week.

Water and Sewer Improvements – The contractor worked on replacing the remaining curb locations on Forest Avenue this week. The contractor will be cleaning up the site this week in preparation for the full depth pavement removal of the roadway. All plumbing work on Forest is complete. Concrete removals are underway on Iowa Street. One side of the road will be replaced at a time to maintain pedestrian access. All affected residents have been notified. The contractor completed placement of geotextile fabric and stone base on Columbian Avenue this week. They also placed asphalt ramps at the project limits in preparation for paving. Placement of the asphalt base is on schedule to be completed this week.

Bike boulevards – Crews are almost done installing the pavement markings throughout the Village. The schedule is still pending for the installation of signs, green MMA paint for intersection markings and bollards for bump out installations.

Street resurfacing – Sewer and concrete work was focused on Fair Oaks Avenue, Thomas Street, Linden Avenue and Scoville Avenue this week. These locations are planned to be milled next week between Sept. 24-26, with the first layer of new asphalt to follow. Drainage structures will be lowered before binder is placed.

ComEd fiber installation – ComEd continues to progress on the installation of a fiber optic cable on Randolph Street between Oak Park Avenue and Chestnut Lane. Crews have completed the first two blocks and are now working between Clinton Avenue and Kenilworth Avenue. The project will continue to move east with each block taking around three to four days to complete. Once the cable installation is complete, the roadway will be resurfaced. The entire project is scheduled to be wrapped up by the end of October.