The Village’s Plan Commission will hold a public hearing as it considers proposed changes to Oak Park’s zoning code from 6 to 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8 in the auditorium at Oak Park and River Forest High School. Outlined as part of the Shape Oak Park initiative, these proposed amendments are intended to address and incentivize missing middle housing types. All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. The Plan Commission may continue the hearing to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof. Find more information at www.oak-park.us/PChearing.

Don't miss the Oak Park Fire Department's annual open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 3 at the main fire station located at 100 N. Euclid Ave. Residents of all ages are invited to get up close to the Fire Department’s equipment and talk to the firefighter/paramedics who help keep the community safe. The event also will include tours of the fire house and presentations about safety. To help supply local community blood centers, a blood drive is being held onsite from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Click here to register to donate blood. To help promote the event, Media Production Manager Joe Kreml teamed up with Marz Timms from Comedy Plex Comedy Club to produce a fun video encouraging everyone pick up a little red helmet at the open house – click here to watch the video.

Residents looking to gain a comprehensive perspective of the Police Department are invited to register for the upcoming Citizen Police Academy. The program is designed to further strengthen the Police Department’s community-based policing philosophy that relies on resident involvement and input. Beginning on Oct. 14 and held weekly on Wednesday evenings from 6-8 p.m. through Nov. 18, the Citizen Police Academy will feature a series of classes and interactive discussion on protocols and issues in policing. To ensure that the experience is interactive and personal, enrollment for the Citizen Police Academy will be open to a limited number of participants who are at least 18 years old and a resident of Oak Park. This format allows officers and staff to engage more directly with attendees in the most meaningful way possible. Registration is now open – click here to sign up. The deadline to apply for the Citizen Police Academy is Oct. 9.  

The Police Department is launching a new initiative where it recognizes an officer/staff member of the month. Officer Anthony Kass earned recognition as the September Officer of the Month. He was nominated in recognition of his dedication to training, preparedness and department operations. A 23-year member of the Police Department, Officer Kass continues to demonstrate his commitment to supporting his fellow officers and strengthening the department. His nominator highlighted his efforts to ensure department members are adequately trained, including conducting patrol rifle training and a high-risk traffic stop class for newly graduated police recruits. He also ensured that every squad car was equipped with a ballistic shield and essential medical supplies.

Village Clerk Christina Waters will be in Bloomington, Ill., attending the Illinois Municipal Clerks Institute from Oct. 4-9. The Illinois Municipal Clerks Institute is a nationally recognized professional development program for municipal clerks and is conducted in partnership with the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC). The Institute provides advanced education on municipal law, records management, elections, ethics, leadership, governance, public engagement and emerging best practices that support the evolving responsibilities of the municipal clerk.

The Neighborhood Services Department has a new Code Compliance Manager after Rachel Nesbitt was promoted to the position this week. Rachel served for the past year as the Permit Services Supervisor in the Development Services Department. She also worked as a Business License Officer upon joining the organization in 2017. Elsewhere, the Village Clerk’s Office welcomed a new Deputy Village Clerk as Javon Lewis-Brown arrived this week to fill the role.

The Village periodically auctions off vehicles from its fleet that are no longer in use through the Public Surplus website. A 2017 Ford Fusion hybrid and 2014 Dodge Charger former Police squad car are now up for auction online through Oct. 14. Click here for information about the Village’s ongoing vehicle auctions.

Oak Park residents are invited to Day in Our Data, a one-day civic hackathon sponsored by the Village’s Civic Information Systems Commission. The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 3 in the meeting room at the Dole Branch Library, 255 Augusta St. Participants will explore Village data, working in teams to create useful tools, websites, maps and visualizations. Potential projects include mapping safe biking routes to schools, finding patterns in crime data or visualizing changes in Oak Park housing affordability. The day will begin with project pitches and team formation, followed by collaborative work sessions and brief demonstrations. Pizza and snacks will be provided. All residents interested in local government, technology, data or community problem solving are encouraged to participate – click here to register.

Join the Village’s Aging in Communities Commission as it observes Ageism Awareness Day by hosting Raymond Jetson for a discussion on aging from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 9 at the Nineteenth Century Charitable Association. Jetson is the founder and author of “Aging While Black: A Radical Reimagining of Aging and Race in America.” Refreshments will be provided. Information about the event is posted on the Village website at www.oak-park.us/AAD26.

Save the date for the Village’s next electronic recycling drop-off event on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Public Works Center, 201 South Blvd. Due to strict regulations on collecting and processing these materials, residents are required to register for a time slot between 9 a.m. and noon and identify their electronic waste items in advance. Click here to sign up for a time slot. There is a limit of seven items per household, and within that there is a limit of two televisions and/or computer monitors. The recycling drop-off event is for Oak Park residents only and is particularly intended for residents in large multifamily buildings. Residents in single-family homes and buildings with up to five units served by the Village’s waste hauling contract can also schedule an E-Waste Pickup from their home by filling out the LRS e-waste collection form. More information about the electronic recycling event is at www.oak-park.us/ewaste26.

Water and sewer project – The contractor began curb and sidewalk replacement this week on the 1000-1100 blocks of Scoville Ave. and will continue throughout the remainder this week as weather allows. Once the concrete  replacements are complete, the first layer of asphalt is expected to be installed shortly after. At the other project site on the 1100-1200 blocks of N. Euclid Ave., the utility trenches were compacted via water jetting. The contractor also began concrete restoration of the site and started sawcutting pavement, curb and sidewalk in locations planned for removal. The contractor will remove sections of curb and sidewalk through next week as well as the top 15 inches of the existing roadway pavement in preparation for roadway reconstruction.

Renew the Avenue updates – Brick paver installation continues on the south block of Oak Park Avenue with crews wrapping up the sidewalk paver installation this week. Roadway brick installation also got started and will continue next week as the Renew the Avenue project forges ahead. Other project updates include:

• Electrical crews are installing the new light pole foundations on the north block of Oak Park Avenue into next week. Conduit installation will also continue by a second crew under the railroad bridge between North and South Boulevards.
• The roadway grading crew is working on structural soil excavation and installation along South Boulevard and will move to the north block next week once the light pole foundations are installed.
• The concrete crew will be onsite next week pouring new concrete sidewalk base along South Boulevard before moving to the new concrete roadway base under the bridge later in the week.
• Nicor has completed the majority of the alley pavement restoration along North Boulevard and the alley west of Oak Park Avenue.

Resurfacing Project – The contractor began installing speed cushions throughout the Village this week and will continue into next week. Speed cushions are similar to speed bumps but have gaps for bikes and emergency vehicles to easily traverse. Other resurfacing project updates include the following:

• The underground crew for this project will begin planned sewer repairs on Augusta Street near the Belleforte Avenue and Forest Avenue intersections at the end of this week and into next week.
• The installation of the new rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFBs) is planned to be completed on Augusta at Marion Street and Kenilworth Avenue by the end of this week.
• Pavement removal on Harvard Street between Taylor Avenue and Austin Boulevard and on Humphrey Avenue between Roosevelt Road and Harvard is planned to be completed next week, followed by framing and pouring the new bump outs. The contractor will also be pouring concrete on Monroe Street between Harlem Avenue and Grove Avenue and at Wesley Avenue between Roosevelt and Fillmore Street next week.

Sidewalk project – The sidewalk angle cutting contractor is continuing progress through the community and has completed 360 angle cuts to date. This work will continue for the next several weeks.

Pavement preservation project – The contractor completed most of the pavement patching locations last week with the remaining patch locations to be completed next week. Once all the patching is complete, crackfill application will begin. The crackfilling operation is quick, lasting no longer than one hour per block, and crackfill can be driven over within minutes. Due to the nature of the project, it is difficult to determine when contractors will arrive on each block selected for improvements. The schedule for micorsurfacing and pavement patching on Austin Boulevard has not been finalized yet but will likely occur the week of Oct. 12.

Bike boulevards project – Crews continue layout and pavement marking work associated with the bike bump-outs. Crews are also continuing to install the bike symbols and other associated markings in the project areas. Next week, weather permitting, the contractor anticipates beginning installation of the colored pavement markings for the bike bump-out areas.

Groundbreaking is set to begin for Housing Forward to support the renovation of The Oak Inn, formerly the Write Inn, at 211 N. Oak Park Ave. The property has provided transitional housing and medical respite services for residents experiencing homelessness since 2020 and was purchased by Housing Forward in 2024. Construction will soon begin to transform the space into a modern, supportive housing and medical respite facility featuring 61 private bedrooms with bathrooms and kitchenettes, including 22 ADA-accessible rooms to accommodate residents with physical disabilities. The renovated facility will also provide community spaces and wraparound supports to help residents access the services and resources they need to move toward long-term housing stability. The Village of Oak Park is proud to support this important community investment and has provided funding to help make the project possible.

State Senator Don Harmon and State Rep. Camille Lilly have scheduled a public meeting on Monday, Oct. 5 to present the latest updates on the status of West Suburban Medical Center and to gather input from the public. The event will take place at Rising Sun Missionary Baptist Church, 820 N. Central Ave., in Chicago starting at 6 p.m.

See what your Oak Park neighbors are doing to power their homes cleaner, safer, cheaper and greener from 2 to 4 p.m. this Sunday, Oct. 4. The Oak Park Climate Action Network’s Clean Energy Open Houses offer a chance to walk through two typical vintage Oak Park homes that have been fully electrified with heat pump HVAC and hot water heaters, solar panels, geothermal, induction stoves and more. Homeowners and contractors will be on hand to answer questions and share expertise. This event is free but registration is required – click here to register.