The Village is seeking volunteers to support its Warming Center for unhoused residents. This vital resource ensures that individuals facing housing insecurity have a safe, welcoming place during extreme weather. Last winter, with the help of partners and volunteers, the Village operated 17 days and nights of warming center services. With preparations underway for the upcoming colder months, the Village is seeking compassionate, dependable volunteers to continue this important work. Opportunities include:

• Shelter Managers – Lead on-site operations, oversee check-in and support health and safety needs.
• General Volunteers – Assist with guest support, food service, cleanliness and creating a welcoming space.

Volunteers will have access to CPR, First Aid and Narcan training, and can sign up through Better Impact, the Village’s new volunteer platform. Learn more and register at www.oak-park.us/volunteersignup.

The 50th Oak Park Farmers' Market season concludes this Saturday, Oct. 25. Vendors will set up shop for the last time this year from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot at 460 Lake St., one block west of Ridgeland Avenue. In keeping with tradition, stone soup made from vendor vegetables will be served up from about 9 a.m. until the pot is empty as a way of thanking patrons for supporting the Market this season. In addition, Pilgrim Church will be selling chocolate donuts. More information about the Farmers’ Market is posted at www.oak-park.us/farmersmarket.

The Village’s Fall Leaf Collection Program begins the week of Oct. 27, with six weekly pickups planned for each section of the Village through the week of Dec. 1. For the second consecutive year, residents will not place leaves directly into the street. Instead, they can choose from a variety of leaf collection options:

• Place leaves in a bag or bin – Fallen leaves can be placed in yard waste bags and/or rigid containers and left in the parkway as close to the curb as possible for pickup. Six pickups are planned for each section of the Village on the scheduled pickup dates indicated on the map. Green yard waste stickers are NOT required during the six-week Fall Leaf Collection Program, and residents may put out an unlimited number of bags and/or rigid containers in the parkway on their designated collection day. The Village’s waste hauler Lakeshore Recycling Systems (LRS) will transport the leaves to a compost facility. 
• Compost leaves – Residents who participate in the Village's CompostAble program can discard leaves in their 96-gallon gray organics cart along with food scraps and other yard waste throughout the year. Find more information about the program and sign up to participate at www.oak-park.us/compost.
• Mulch the leaves – Oak Park residents are encouraged to consider mulching leaves with a mower and/or leaving them on the lawn or in garden beds to promote soil health. This option offers an opportunity to support regional biodiversity and save money on fertilizer by allowing leaf litter to decompose naturally. It also aligns with the Village’s Climate Ready Oak Park plan.

Find complete Fall Leaf Collection details at www.oak-park.us/leafcollection.

The Information Technology Department and Development Services Department worked together to add a new Business License Dashboard to the Village’s Open Data Portal. The publicly accessible dashboard illustrates information about Oak Park’s more than 1,300 business license holders, including a breakdown of business type, when the business opened and a map showing where businesses are located. The dashboard will serve as another tool in the Village’s ongoing effort to support the local business community. The Village’s Open Data Portal serves as a hub for exploring interactive maps and downloading local government data, and new data sets continue to be developed.

Assistant Village Attorney Rasheda Jackson was a presenter at the International Municipal Lawyers Association’s 90th annual conference this past week in New Orleans. Her presentation was titled “Land Use 101: This Land is My Land, This Land is Your Land.”  

The Police Department welcomed two newcomers this week as Commander Michael Parker and Officer Gabino Gudino were sworn in during a ceremony Tuesday at Village Hall. Michael arrives with more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement. He most recently worked at DuPage County’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. He also served in various roles across several decades with the Chicago Police Department before retiring as a Watch Commander/Field Lieutenant in 2020. He has a master’s degree in public safety administration and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

With Halloween only a week away, the Village is reminding community members that the hours for trick-or-treating in Oak Park are 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31. Find Halloween safety tips and printable signs indicating trick-or-treaters are welcome or no trick-or-treating this year on the Village website at www.oak-park.us/halloween.

New murals are being installed along North Avenue as part of a project coordinated by the Oak Park Area Arts Council and funded by the Village through the American Rescue Plan Act. These public artworks celebrate community, culture, and connection — bringing color and energy to one of Oak Park’s key thoroughfares. Keep an eye out as more murals roll out in the coming days!

Community members can safely dispose of expired and unwanted prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Oak Park Public Library Main Branch outside plaza, 834 Lake St. The event is part of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, hosted by the Oak Park Township Opioid Task Force. Prescription drugs also can be safely disposed of any time in a special collection box in the Oak Park Police Department lobby in the lower level at Village Hall, 123 Madison St. More information is at www.oak-park.us/drugdisposal.

Kick off the holiday season at the OPRF IWS Holiday Housewalk & Market on Dec. 5–6. Tickets are available here. Tour four stunning homes in Oak Park and River Forest, each beautifully decorated with festive décor, creative tablescapes and arrangements by local florists. Proceeds support the IWS Children’s Clinic, providing medical, dental and behavioral health care to children in need across Chicagoland. Visit www.oprfiws.org/holiday-housewalk to learn more. The market is free to enter and open to the public. Attendees will enjoy 22 unique vendors offering an array of hostess gifts, stocking stuffers, seasonal decorations, holiday treats and more. The market will be held at the IWS Children’s Clinic event space at 28 Madison St. in Oak Park. Visit www.oprfiws.org/holiday-market for market information.

Water and sewer improvements – The water and sewer projects on Forest Avenue, Columbian Avenue and Iowa Street are all substantially completed, including landscaping restoration and paving. The contractor will be onsite periodically to complete miscellaneous punch-list items such as replacing pavement markings, relocating signs and cleaning up materials and debris. 

Street resurfacing – Pleasant Street and South Boulevard were milled Thursday, and the final layer of asphalt surface is being placed on Scoville Avenue and Thomas Street today to coincide with District 97 students being out of school. On Monday, the first layer of asphalt will be placed on Belleforte Avenue and Ontario Street. On Tuesday, the first layer of asphalt will be placed on Pleasant and South. The final layer of asphalt surface will be placed at East Avenue, LeMoyne Parkway and Belleforte next Wednesday. Manholes will be adjusted at locations that have the first layer of asphalt next Thursday. There will be minimal or no work Oct. 31 to avoid Halloween festivities.

Bike boulevards – Sign installations will be wrapped up at the end of this week. Punch-list items will be reviewed and scheduled before the end of the year.

Bridge repairs – The bridge repair project is substantially complete. All roadway striping was completed on Wednesday on the Lombard Avenue, East Avenue and Oak Park Avenue bridges. The remaining work includes fence repairs and asphalt patching near the bridges on Lombard and Oak Park. These patches will require temporary lane shifts using flaggers. This work is yet to be scheduled.

ComEd fiber installation – No work is planned for next week, but resurfacing will take place on Randolph Street from Chestnut Lane to Oak Park Avenue before the end of the construction season. The resurfacing schedule is not yet finalized.