Don’t miss the second annual Civic Engagement Festival from noon to 4 p.m. this Sunday, May 3 at Village Hall, 123 Madison St. Held in celebration of Public Service Recognition Week and Professional Municipal Clerks Week, this free, family-friendly event coordinated by the Village Clerk's Office brings together residents, community partners and local leaders for an afternoon of learning, connection and fun. The festival will feature a resource fair, live entertainment, food trucks, a moderated discussion about "Your Voice, Your Vote" with Cook County Clerk Monica Gordon and more. Find complete details, including a schedule of activities, at www.oak-park.us/CivicEngagementFestival.

As part of its efforts fill to job openings in the Police Department, the Village purchased advertising on a digital billboard located along the I-290 expressway near 25th Avenue. The ad ran for four weeks and appeared more than 32,000 times. It was paid for by the ILETSB Officer Recruitment and Retention Grant. The Village continues to accept applications from qualified candidates for the position of Police Officer. More information is at www.oak-park.us/policejobs.

The Police Department held a swearing-in ceremony Thursday at Village Hall for new Police Officers Jose Oliveras, Amy Carro-Luna and Remingijus Ivanovas. All three will now report to the police academy for training. Jose is a Purdue graduate with 25 years of military and interagency experience, including deployments and assignments in Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Mozambique, Bulgaria and Bosnia. The Police Department also welcomed Cooper Ries and John Maysonet as new Community Service Officers. Cooper is currently enrolled at Joliet Junior College and John has more than 30 years of experience in the public sector. Meanwhile, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office celebrated the arrival of Art Davis, the Village’s new DEI Manager.

Members of the Fire Department were among the hundreds of runners who participated in the Good Life Race 5K run/walk on Sunday. Firefighter/paramedics Miguel Lopez-Campos, Tony Lein and Dave Stefanik and Chief JT Terry all sported t-shirts for the newly formed Oak Park Firefighters Running Club during the race, which traveled through north central Oak Park and prompted road closures managed by the Police Department and volunteers. The OPFD Running Club plans to participate in the 50th anniversary of the Frank Lloyd Wright Races on Oct. 18.

Under the leadership of Chief JT Terry, the 2025 Annual Report for the Oak Park Fire Department was published this week. The document contains information about operations, rescues and emergency medical services, the Fire Prevention Bureau, training, public education and more. Click here to view the OPFD Annual Report.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to recognize the importance of emotional wellbeing and ensure that everyone knows where to turn for support. In Oak Park, the Village is committed to expanding access to mental health services and reducing barriers that prevent individuals from accessing help. Through the E.C.H.O. (Engaging Communities for Healthy Outcomes) program, residents have a trusted point of contact to navigate available services, from counseling and crisis support to substance use resources. This coordinated approach helps ensure people are connected to the right care at the right time. In partnership with the Pick Oak Park initiative, the Village continues to bring services closer to home by working with community organizations to make support more visible and accessible in everyday spaces. Together, these efforts reinforce that support is here, local, and within reach.

The Village’s Office of Economic Vitality is celebrating National Small Business Week by co-hosting a week of free programming from May 4-7 designed to support the evolving needs of our local small business community. Organized in partnership with the Oak Park–River Forest Chamber of Commerce and the Brennan School of Business at Dominican University, the events are free and open to the public. The series features panels and open houses on topics including resources for women- and minority-owned businesses, small business funding and finance, starting a business in Oak Park and university research and entrepreneurship resources. The session about starting a business in Oak Park is taking place at 9:15 a.m. on Thursday, May 6 at Village Hall. Find more details and register for individual events on the Chamber of Commerce website. Advance registration is strongly encouraged.

Village President Vicki Scaman traveled to California recently to attend events surrounding San Francisco Climate Week, including a seminar on Transitioning to Clean Energy: Mobilizing Investment for Local Impact. The conversation centered on where local climate action is headed and what it takes to get a project moving. The trip also included ICLEI USA’s 35th Anniversary Dinner and the 2026 Board meeting. Scaman was named to the ICLEI USA Board in March.

Participants and volunteers are being sought for Oak Park’s annual Fourth of July parade. More than 50 groups typically take part in the parade, which marches north on Ridgeland Avenue from Adams Street to Augusta Street. This year’s parade will also celebrate America’s 250th anniversary. Participants can register online. For more information about the July 4 parade, call 708.358.5405 or email community@oak-park.us.

The Village recently issued a reminder sent directly to landscapers that the operation of gas-powered leaf blowers remains prohibited year-round throughout Oak Park. The message also noted that with landscaping activity ramping up this spring, officials from the Village's Code Compliance Division will be stepping up strict enforcement of the leaf blower regulations, including on weekends. If a landscape company employee is identified using a gas-powered leaf blower in the Village, a ticket will be issued to the property owner. The Village is also resuming issuing tickets to landscaping companies in violation of the ordinance effective today (May 1). For more information about Oak Park’s leaf blower regulations, visit www.oak-park.us/leafblowers or contact the Village's Code Compliance Division at propertyissues@oak-park.us or 708.358.5410.

Capping off Earth Week, the Village’s Office of Sustainability & Resilience teamed up with the OPRF High School Enviro Club and the Oak Park Public Library to present a One Earth Film Festival screening of "How to Power a City" on April 24 in OPRF’s Little Theatre. About 60 community members attended the event, which featured remarks from Chief Sustainability Officer Lindsey Nieratka. After the film, Enviro Club members served as panelists alongside leaders from local climate organizations, answering audience questions about local power issues and individual climate action.

Alley improvements – Sewer Improvements were recently completed in the alley between the 200 blocks of S. East Ave. and Wesley Ave. Sewer construction began in the fifth alley of the project between the 500 blocks of S. Oak Park Ave. and S. Grove Ave late this week. The new concrete pavement has been installed in the alley between the 300 blocks of N. Humphrey Ave. and N. Austin Blvd. and in the alley between the 900 blocks of Hayes Ave. and N. Taylor Ave. Replacement of concrete aprons in both alleys will begin next week.

Renew the Avenue update – The electrical contractor for the Renew the Avenue project should wrap up the new underground electrical conduit and light pole foundation installation on Oak Park Avenue from Lake Street to Ontario Street next week. The crew will then move south to the block between Pleasant Street and South Boulevard to begin electrical and lighting work. Contractors began water main installation from North Boulevard to Lake on Oak Park Avenue this week. They will continue water main work on this block next week and then jump to services. Further south, contractors completed sewer work in the intersection of South Boulevard and Oak Park Avenue this week and will begin installing new water main on South Boulevard next week between Oak Park Avenue and Grove Avenue. Traffic may be detoured on South Boulevard west of Oak Park Avenue for short durations when access is limited due to excavation limits in the roadway. Access to the Avenue Parking Garage will be maintained at all times. AT&T remains onsite installing new utility vaults on Oak Park Avenue as part of its infrastructure upgrades. Union Pacific Railroad crews will be onsite in the coming weeks repairing steel girder sections on the bridge that have been damaged over the years from vehicle strikes.

RRFB installations – The contractor installed the underground conduit that connects the rapid rectangular flashing beacons (RRFBs) to the bike buttons at the intersection of Marion Street and Division Street this week. Conduit installations will continue into the coming weeks. The RRFBs are planned to be fully installed and operable in early June.

Annual manhole inspections – Manhole inspections are ongoing near Jackson Boulevard and Kenilworth Avenue in the southwest part of town, which will complete manhole inspections on north/south streets. The crew has successfully inspected 226 manholes so far this year, and almost all manholes south of I-290 are complete. The remaining manhole inspections for this year will be complete by June.

The Village is extending congratulations to Melissa Mallinson, who has been named the next Executive Director of the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce. Mallinson was selected through a competitive search process that attracted a strong pool of candidates. She brings more than 25 years of nonprofit management experience, including leadership roles in large-scale membership organizations. Click here for a press release announcing the hire.