The Office of Communications and Engagement has launched a new podcast to bring new insights, information and perspectives to residents, business owners, visitors and other stakeholders. Episode one of Inside Oak Park is now available on Spotify. Hosted by Chief Communications Officer Dan Yopchick and produced by Media Production Manager Joe Kreml, the premiere features conversations with Village Manager Kevin Jackson and Community Services Administrator Vanessa Matheny, who reflected on the first year of the E.C.H.O. pilot. Listeners can expect bi-weekly episodes. For more information, please visit www.oak-park.us/podcast.

The Police Department’s Residential Beat Officers are hosting a series of virtual neighborhood meetings. RBOs plan to discuss crime statistics and crime prevention tips while getting feedback from residents on traffic hot spots that could use enhanced enforcement. A special topic for this set of meetings will be the Police Department’s partnership with the Village's E.C.H.O. program. The meeting for zones 4-8 will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18. The meeting for zones 1-3 will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 23. Find your zone and how to join the meeting at www.oak-park.us/rbo.

Save the date for the Village's celebration of Women's History Month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 21 at Art Studio 928, 451 South Blvd. The event will feature keynote speaker Sekile Nzinga, an intersectional feminist executive leader whose work invites us to think deeply about power, possibility and the ways women continue to shape institutions and communities. After the keynote, join us for a facilitated reflective conversation and a space to pause, consider what resonated and share our perspectives. Seating for the free event is limited and registration is encouraged – click here to RSVP.

The Village’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience hosted Planting in the Parkway: A Native Garden Design Workshop on Wednesday in partnership with West Cook Wild Ones, MWRD and the Oak Park Public Library. Dozens of attendees gathered in the Library’s Veterans Room for a progress report from Sustainability Coordinator Malcolm Mossman regarding the Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure Plan and the new parkway ordinance. Participants then had an opportunity to create their own parkway garden plans in a workshop-style setting with local experts on hand to answer questions and offer guidance. Missed the event? You can find native gardening resources and ordinance details on the Village website at www.oak-park.us/nativegardening.

The Neighborhood Services Department is celebrating the promotion of Nisha St. Louis to the role of Neighborhood Programs Manager. Nisha spent the past two years as the Housing Programs Coordinator after arriving at the Village in 2024 with previous experience in the areas of social services, legal services and local government. Elsewhere, Firefighter/Paramedic Pedro McDaniel completed and graduated from the Romeoville Fire Academy on March 6 after successfully completing his 320-hour Basic Operations Firefighter (BOF) training. The program covers various fundamental topics, including fire behavior, building construction, safety protocols, communication and using a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

Early voting continues all weekend at Village Hall for the 2026 Gubernatorial Primary Election. More than 2,150 people have turned out at Village Hall since March 2. Voters can still cast a ballot from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday. Note that Village Hall is not a polling place on Election Day, March 17. Click here to search for election day polling sites. More information about early voting in Oak Park is posted on the Village website at www.oak-park.us/earlyvoting26.

With the March 17 Gubernatorial Primary Election drawing near, residents will soon be able to recycle political yard signs through a special collection. Corrugated plastic signs and aluminum frames can be dropped off for recycling between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays from March 17-31 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. The service will be offered again in November following the general election. For more information, contact 708.358.5700 or publicworks@oak-park.us.

The Village is excited to announce the launch of Oak Park Energy Navigator (OPEN), a new program designed to help Oak Park residents save energy, manage utility costs and enhance comfort at home. Schedule a free assessment and receive a personalized report with energy-saving recommendations. An energy expert will help you unlock financing options, so you don’t have to navigate the process alone. The Village is offering OPEN in partnership with Elevate, a national nonprofit based in Chicago. Learn more about the program and sign up to participate at www.oak-park.us/open.

In preparation for engagement efforts this spring around the Village’s Biodiversity and Green Infrastructure Plan, the Office of Sustainability & Resilience worked with the Office of Communications & Engagement to publish a project page on the Engage Oak Park website at www.engageoakpark.com/green-infrastructure. The page highlights the Village’s goal of establishing 30% of Oak Park’s land as green infrastructure or enhanced management for native plants, wildlife and people by 2030. It also provides examples of green infrastructure and enhanced management. Community members are encouraged to subscribe to the page for updates related to the project.

Downtown Oak Park's annual Jazz Thaw is happening this Saturday and Sunday (March 14-15). Music lovers can sip, sizzle and swing while enjoying free live music performances in establishments located in the Downtown Oak Park business district. In addition to performances from 1 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, the event will also feature a jazz brunch at select locations from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Find a full list participating restaurants and performances at www.downtownoakpark.net/event/jazz-thaw. Media Production Manager Joe Kreml also worked with comedian Marz Timms from Comedy Plex to produce a fun promotional video for Jazz Thaw featuring Timms’ Downtown Danny Tingle character – click here to watch the video.

Renew the Avenue update – Sewer service installations will continue from Lake Street to Ontario Street and should wrap up next week. Water service installation from Lake to Ontario will begin later next week. To the south, crews are finishing the new sewer main and structures on Oak Park Avenue between Randolph Street and Pleasant Street. Sewer services will follow the week of March 16 on this block. The contractor will be moving into Stage 2 utility construction starting the week of March 23. This will mean changes to Oak Park Avenue traffic patterns and local access from Pleasant to South Boulevard and North Boulevard to Lake Street. Parking and local access will be removed on these blocks to accommodate the pavement removal and sawing in preparation for the new sewer and water main installation. Sign up for updates and find local access maps on the Renew the Avenue website at www.renewtheavenue.com.

Sewer televising – The sewer televising contractor is working on locations in the northwest part of town. The project is expected to be completed by the end of this month. Partial lane closures are anticipated while work is in progress.

Traffic signal improvements – The contractor has completed the traffic signal head replacements at the intersection of Oak Park Avenue and Garfield Street and will soon reprogram the signals. Due to inclement weather in the forecast, the schedule for reprogramming has yet to be set. Restoration of the roadway has also been postponed to next week.

Nicor inspection project - Nicor crews began inspecting services on the 1100 and 1200 blocks of Edmer Ave. The remaining inspections on these blocks have been postponed to next week due to weather concerns.