The team working with Village staff on the Shape Oak Park project has produced this digital brochure on this history of housing in Oak Park from the early 1900s to today. Shape Oak Park is a zoning code update that invites residents to guide Oak Park’s evolution while creating more housing choices. The team will also be popping up at several community events in the coming weeks, beginning at Saturday with Santa in the Arts District on Sat., Nov. 20 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. Through yearlong engagement, residents will explore how missing middle housing (duplexes, townhomes and small-scale buildings) can expand opportunities for all to live here, all while preserving the neighborhood character that makes Oak Park special. Learn more at www.engageoakpark.com/shape.

Members of the Fire Department recently helped decorate Hephzibah Home on North Boulevard with holiday lights and décor. This continues a tradition established in recent years where the Fire Department has had the honor of helping make the building festive for the holidays. More information about Hephzibah Children’s Association is at www.hephzibahhome.org.

The community is invited to the Police Department’s memorial ceremony marking the one-year anniversary of Det. Allan Reddins’ tragic death in the line of duty on Sat., Nov. 29. Attendees are asked to arrive at 9:45 a.m. with the ceremony starting promptly at 10:10 a.m. Det. Reddins was killed on Nov. 29, 2024 while responding to a call on Lake Street. Information about memorials held throughout the past year is available on the Village website at www.oak-park.us/reddins.

The Office of Economic Vitality this week welcomed Nicole Nodi as a new Economic Vitality Administrator. Nicole has spent her career in professional services, business development, marketing and thought leadership at major global firms, including more than 10 years at Deloitte. She is currently working towards MBA at Dominican University and anticipates graduating in 2026.

The Office of Sustainability & Resilience is partnering with Elevate, a national nonprofit, to design an Oak Park Energy Navigator program to help homeowners, tenants and multi-family building owners save energy, lower utility bills and keep homes comfortable. As part of the effort, the Village is seeking feedback from homeowners, renters, landlords, property managers and advocates for community-based organizations about what they would like to see included as part of the program. Click here to take a survey to help officials create an equitable energy efficiency and electrification program.

The Office of Sustainability & Resilience is working with the Oak Park Climate Action Network to conduct a survey that seeks to gather information about the status of home heating and cooling systems in Oak Park. The goal is to bolster ongoing efforts to help more residents improve energy efficiency, electrify and reduce utility costs. Click here for more information and to take the survey.

Routine yard waste collection ends the week of Nov. 24–29 for bundled brush and containers of yard waste with a green sticker attached. This service is separate from the Village’s Fall Leaf Collection Program, which continues with weekly pickups through the week of Dec. 1-5 with no green sticker required. Outside of leaf collection, all other yard waste is picked up by appointment only during the winter months. To arrange a special yard waste pick-up call LRS, the Village’s waste-hauling contractor, at 844.633.3577 or email Service@LRSrecycles.com. Compost collection also switches to a bi-weekly schedule at a discounted rate during the winter. Visit www.oak-park.us/compost to see the winter collection schedule and for more information about the Village’s food scrap composting program.

Village Hall will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27 and 28 for the Thanksgiving holiday. The next weekly Village Manager's report will be issued Dec. 5. Refuse, recycling and leaf collection will be delayed by the Thanksgiving holiday, with Thursday’s collection pushed to Friday, and Friday's collection delayed until Saturday. The collection schedule is posted on the Village website. Should an incident that doesn't quite rise to the level of a 911 emergency occur when Village Hall is closed, residents are urged to call the Police Department non-emergency number 708.386.3800 for assistance.

Overnight on-street parking restrictions will not be enforced on most Oak Park residential streets during the Thanksgiving holiday. Overnight restrictions will be lifted at 2:30 a.m., Wed., Nov. 26 and resume at 2:30 a.m., Mon., Dec. 1. Restrictions will remain in effect in paid overnight permit areas, including on-street zones. Posted daytime restrictions and regulations related to traffic and public safety also remain in effect. Find more information at www.oak-park.us/holidayparking.

Holiday shopping in Oak Park will be made even easier with free parking. Beginning on the Friday after Thanksgiving on Nov. 28 and continuing every Saturday from Nov. 29 through Dec. 20, free parking will be available in the three Village-operated public garages and for two hours at pay-by-plate parking spaces downtown and near south Oak Park Avenue. Parking is always free on Sundays throughout the year. Village officials hope this gesture helps both customers and the local businesses they support. For more information about parking in the Village, email parking@oak-park.us or visit www.oak-park.us/parking.

Street resurfacing – All paving operations are were completed on Wednesday. Speed tables and cushions are expected to be installed next week on East Avenue, Fair Oaks Avenue, Scoville Avenue, Pleasant Street, Kenilworth Avenue and the intersection of Thomas Street and Lombard Avenue. Pavement markings are ongoing. Signage installations are on pace to be completed before the end of November.

Bridge repairs – The contractor will finish final cleanup of the bridges on Monday. The asphalt patches at the Oak Park Avenue and Lombard Avenue bridges are set to be complete by the week of Dec. 1.

ComEd fiber installation – Paving operations are complete for the ComEd fiber installation project. Pavement markings will be installed next week to finish up the project.