Forest Park Review 012523

Purely Meats moving to Forest Park

With growing footprint, park district seeks unified brand

More than ‘ e Park,’ district wants to stamp its facilities with logo

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

The Park District of Forest Park is looking to redo its logo and create a common brand for its increasing array of parks and facilities

In his presentation during the Jan. 19 meeting of the park’s commissioners, Adam Cumbee, park district marketing manager, emphasized they were only starting the process, comparing it to a baby who wasn’t old enough to eat solid foods, let alone walk. He said with the renovations of Reiger and Popelka pocket parks coming later this year, and other improvements further down the line, the staf f thought they needed to think what to put on the new park signs, and whether they wanted to change anything. Cumbee also argued this was a good opportunity to create a unified identity for all facilities such as the Aquatic Center, 7501 Harrison

The future is sweet

STORY PAGE 10 Ferrara Pan stays anchored here

John Rice:

since ’43, she still keeps up

PARK LOGO

Branding campaign

from page 1

St., and the Roos Recreation Center, 7329 Har rison St.

Reiger Park is at 1526 Circle Ave. Popelka Park is at Adams and Thomas Remembrance Park is at 7341 Randolph.

The park district currently has multiple projects coming down the pipeline District executive director Jackie Iovinelli said they are expected to go to bid for Reiger Park improvements in March and get the contract by April. Work on Popelka Park is also expected to be gin this spring. Fur ther down the line, the park district applied for a $600,000 state Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant to help cover the renovations of Remembrance Park

“Fingers crossed, we’ ll find out [whether we got the grant] next week,” Iovinelli said. Even fur ther down the trict is looking to build

ity at 7400-7412 Har rison St., on property it acquired and cleared last year across the street from its main campus

When the park district took over the responsibility for operating and maintaining four village-owned pocket parks, it inherited village-branded signage – or, in the case of Popelka Park, no signage at all. And while the park district already has

the triangle,

“Our biggest problem is people don’t know that the Aquatic Center is park distinct, that Roos is park district,” Cumbee told the board.

He said that he and Iovinelli looked at the lo gos in park districts throughout the Chicago area and around the country. They found that many park district lo gos are

He said one idea the park district might consider is sticking with a leaf as a common element and adding some variation for dif ferent facilities. Cumbee said the tree might not be appropriate for a park district “that doesn’t have a whole lot of trees.” He also thought that it might make sense to incor porate Roos’ pale blue color scheme.

In a follow-up interview, Cumbee emphasized he was just tossing out ideas, and the board and the staf f will refine it into something more tangible over the next few months. Iovinelli said they hope to finish the process by May 1.

*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) accurate as of

a simple, leaf-shaped lo go, Roos uses the letter ‘R” inside a lime-green “C” inside a pur ple circle. For the past few years, the Aquatic Center had a black-and-white triangular lo go, but a variant introduced late

relatively simple

“It’s a tree and the park distinct name, or a sunshine and the pa rk distinct name,” Cumbee said. tricts] have

Monique Cotton-Yancy, a Forest Park School District 91 board member, who said she attended the Jan. 19 meeting out of simple curiosity, asked whether the public would have a chance to weigh in on the new lo go. Cumbee said that will happen once the park district has a few potential logos nailed down. putting it out little feedback,” rt

Village Council passes resolution supporting TIF districts

Commissioners could vote on Brown/Harlem TIF renewal this spring

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

Forest Park’s village council on Monday unanimously passed a resolution expressing the village’s support for Tax Increment Financing districts as a concept and a tool of economic development.

This was done at the request of the Illinois Municipal League in order to shore up support opposing any attempts to narrow TIF eligibility requirements and otherwise alter current Illinois TIF regulations Village Administrator Moses Amidei said while the municipal league isn’t aware of any such bill in the Illinois General Assembly, it wanted to prepare for a repeat of Senate Bill 2298, which was originally introduced on Feb. 25, 2021, but didn’t make it out of committee before the 102nd session of the General Assembly ended. That bill would have effectively limited TIFs to lower-income areas, give lo-

cal taxing bodies more of a say in establishing TIFs and also declaring TIF surpluses and TIF extensions and forbidding overlapping TIFs, among other changes.

Amidei argued that TIFs are a vital economic tool for non-Home Rule municipalities such as Forest Park This comes as the village is looking to extend the Brown Station TIF, which will otherwise expire at the end of 2023. Amidei said he’s still waiting to hear back from other local taxing bodies which need to offer support for an extension but he hopes to find out where they stand by early spring.

When a TIF is created, property tax revenue in the district is frozen at a base level and taxing bodies receive only their share of that base As property values in the district gradually increase, the added taxes are deposited into a TIF fund. The idea is to use this added funding to encourage development, which would raise property values and, thus, property taxes, in the long run. But while the TIFs were originally meant to encourage development in “blighted” areas, as the municipal league acknowledged in the message opposing SB2298, the requirements are broad enough that any area, even downtown Chicago and well-off suburbs such as

River Forest can qualify in certain cases.

The resolution approved at the Jan. 23 meeting describes TIFs as “a critical mechanism to spur economic development for the village” that is “essential for the continuing economic vitality of the village.”

Forest Park currently has three TIFs, with Roosevelt Road and Roosevelt/Hannah TIF collectively encompassing most of the Roosevelt Road commercial corridor. The Brown Street Station TIF, also known as Brown/ Harlem TIF, encompasses much of the village’s norther n edge. It is currently scheduled to expire at the end of 2023. The Illinois General Assembly can extend TIFs for another 12 years, but it usually requires letters of support from other affected taxing bodies.

Over the past two months, Amidei gave presentations to all of those taxing bodies outlining how Forest Park hopes to use the TIF if it is extended. That includes covering some of the costs of redoing the Harlem Avenue railroad bridge, demolishing the water tower on the nearby CTA rail yard, replacing lead water pipes within the district boundaries, paying for building improvement grants for businesses within the TIF and supporting future redevelopment of the Forest Park CVS phar macy location, which closed Aug.

13, 2021. If those plans don’t pan out, Amidei told the taxing bodies that the village will send the uncommitted funds and any surplus back to taxing bodies.

He told the Review that, as of Jan. 23, he spoke with all taxing bodies, and while he heard from four of them, he is yet to hear from the other four Amidei confir med that the latter group includes the two school districts, which account for the largest share of the tax bill – Forest Park School District 91 and Proviso Township High School District 209.

While he said that there was no fir m deadline for when the legislation can be submitted to the General Assembly, he hopes to have the answer by spring. At that point, Amidei plans to put together a village council ordinance that, if passed, would make the request to the state official.

He said Forest Park will continue to support keeping TIF eligibility requirements and scope as they are.

“As a non-Home Rule [municipality], we don’t have a lot of tools in our toolbox to assist our community development efforts,” Amidei said. “If you reduce the effectiveness of what the TIFs do, it hurts towns like Forest Park.”

Village Council wants details on chamber’s grant plan

Forest Park

more money to work with a er shi ing funding sources

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

Forest Park commissioners appear willing to give the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce at least $40,000 in federal stimulus funds for marketing assistance and another $75,000 for small business grants — but first they want a better idea of exactly how it would spend those dollars.

The village received a little over $1.86 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) stimulus funds. Some of that money has already been spent, but the bulk of it hasn’t fir mly been committed. Village Administrator Moses Amidei emphasized to the Review that all the figures are preliminary until the council approves the expenditures.

On Jan. 23, the village council held a special meeting before its regular meeting to get an update on how the village spent the money so far and how it can be used in the future. Since the council last discussed the matter during the Oct. 24 special meeting, the village secured capital funding that can be used to cover some fire station, public works and Mohr Community Center building repairs, and Amidei said the village can use its own funding to pay for some other infrastructur e improvements.

He added that the village already made some progress on spending ARPA funds. One of the Mohr Community Center air-conditioning units has been replaced, and fire station roof repairs have been completed. While the village originally planned to use ARPA to replace the remaining two community center air-conditioning units, the village has since obtained funding through the Rebuild Illinois state capital bill to take care of that. Forest Park currently estimates that the replacement will cost a total of $70,000, and the

village still plans to replace one unit a year.

There are several other expenses that Amidei originally proposed funding with ARPA money that he has since found other sources for. The village will use $21,000 from the village water fund to cover the costs of inspecting and cleaning the reservoir under Mohr Community Center playground, and around $300,000 in village VIP funds to cover Madison Street streetscape improvements. Forest Park will also use the Rebuild Illinois funds to pay for fire station window replacement, which is expected to cost around $90,000, as well as to cover estimated $200,000 it would cost to replace the public works building roof and $45,000 to do public works building tuckpointing

Amidei told the Review that the state already approved the capital funding — it’s simply a matter of that funding reaching Forest Park.

Shifting the funding sources means that the village can spend ARPA funds for other purposes While Amidei previously pro-

posed giving the chamber $25,000 for marketing assistance and $20,000 toward small business grants the chamber can distribute, the new plan increases those numbers to $120,000 and $75,000, respectively The chamber previously requested $40,000 marketing, and the council was receptive to giving that.

One new area is mental health assistance, for which Amidei tentatively allocated $30,000. Commissioner Maria Maxham, who has been working to improve mental health services in Forest Park, suggested that the funds can be used to do more outreach and help connect residents to service providers

“Over the past couple of months, I’ve been talking with [Public Health and Safety] Director [Steve] Glinke and [Mohr Community Center] Director [Karen] Dylewski about having better resources for our underserved residents,” she said. “We started talking about the need in general, to have more sources available. We’re compiling a list of places [to go] if you’re in crisis, you need therapy, you need help.”

has

January 25-Februar y 1

BIG WEEK

Dance Workshop at Momenta Dance Company

Monday, Jan. 30, 4 - 5 p.m., Ac ademy of Movement &

Music

This inclusive dance workshop will be teaching the Humphrey Technique for students age 8-10. 605 Lake St., Oak Park

Edith: The Rogue Rockefeller McCormick

Monday, Jan. 30, 1:15-2:15 p.m.,

Nineteenth Century Charitable Organization Historical interpreter Ellie Carlson and biographer Andrea Friederici Ross will bring back the erce, feisty spirit of Edith Rockefeller McCormick, who was responsible in some way for the Brook eld Zoo, Chicago opera, James Joyce’s Ulysses, a cure for scarlet fever, and the popularity of Jungian psychoanalysis. Carlson will personally channel Ms. McCormick for a discussion with Ross. Free, but with a suggested donation of $15 for nonmembers. 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park

Hot Chocolate Kit

Tuesday, Jan. 31, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., Forest Park Public Librar y

This date happens to be National Hot Chocolate Day. To celebrate, the library is o ering free cups of hot cocoa, absolutely free. A library-branded mug is included. 7555 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park.

Not Enough: Why Perfec tionism Can Be Bad For You, And What To Do About It

Monday, Jan. 30, 7 - 8:30 p.m., Forest Park Public Librar y Perfec tionism has its place, but sometimes being too thorough can prevent you from going any far ther with your goals. This session teaches where per fec tionism comes from, and stories will be shared, discussing how to go beyond mere competence while savoring the journey

FitzGerald’s Viewing Part y: The Blues Brothers

Wednesday, Jan. 25, 7 p.m., FitzGerald’s John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, more R&B legends than you can shake a stick at, a few good car crashes, Chicago scener y ca. 1979, Carrie Fisher proving she was more than Princess Leia, and tons of quotable quotes This movie is as good as it gets 6615 Roosevelt Road, Berw yn.

The Slink Moss Explosion/ Joel Paterson Trio

Saturday, Jan. 28, 8:30 p.m., FitzGerald’s Slink Moss, the famed rockabilly phantom returns, sounding like a much spookier version of Chris Isaak. Also on the bill: guitarist supreme Joel Paterson. $20, 6615 Roosevelt Road, Berw yn.

Listing your event in the calendar

Chicago West Side meat wholesaler moving to Forest Park

Village would need to change zoning, sign o on tax incentives

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

Purely Meats, a meat wholesaler and butcher shop that has been based in Chicago for over 80 years, is planning to move to Forest Park’s Industrial Drive cor ridor. The company processes and sells meat to grocery stores and restaurants in bulk, and residents can take advantage of its online store and a physical butcher shop Purely Meats is currently based in Chicago’s West Humboldt Park, at 4345 W. Division St., and it uses the for mer Moo & Oink grocery store in the Austin neighborhood, at 4848 W. Madison St. But before it can star t operations in Forest Park, the village council will need to allow meat processing in I-2 industrial zoning districts

The current zoning code doesn’t allow businesses that deal in “cooking, distillation and processing of animal and ve getable products” in any industrial area. On Jan. 17, the Forest Park Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously to recommend allowing it in I-2 districts, as well as to establish a se parate list of what is prohibited in those zoning districts

The village council still needs to approve the recommendations, as well as to sign of f on a potential tax incentive for the property.

Forest Park has two types of industrial zoning districts – the lighter-industry I-1 districts and the heavier-industry I-2 districts. The cur rent zoning code simply states that anything that’s prohibited in I-1 districts is also prohibited in I-2, and food processing businesses are currently on that district’s prohibited list.

Purely Meat purchased the property at

7500 Industrial Drive, across the street from Weinstein Wholesale Meat, 7501 Industrial Drive. The company applied for the Cook County Class 6(b) tax incentive classification. Industrial proper ties are usually assessed at 25% of their market value, but the Class 6(b) classification lowers that rate to 10% of the market value for 10 years, then the assessment will increase by 5% a year over the next three years until it retur ns to 25%. The incentive is designed to encourage companies to build or rehabilitate industrial proper by saving them money on taxes

Steve Glinke. Forest Park’s public health and safety chief, said that, when Purely

owned it,” Glinke said.

Purely Meat did not respond to the Review’s request for comment by deadline.

Class 6(b) tax classifications are approved by the Of fice of Cook County Assessor, but the municipality where the property is located must pass a resolution ting the chang During a Jan. 17

close Industrial Drive is to the south end of the residential area.,” Kovac said. “It’s only a few hundred feet. We have a lot of odor that goes over many blocks surrounding my house. I can see something similar occur ring here, if cer tain kinds of activities were allowed in the I-2 district.”

The closest residential area to the theast of Industrial Drive, th Street between Circle and Harlem avenues. Glinke told the commission that Kovac exaggerated the proximity.

“They’re not even in the notice area, which is 250 feet,” he said. “The closest [residential units] to property are in the 500-700 ft range.”

Meats originally applied for the permits, he “didn’t realize that the prohibition on food processing use was in place.” That is because Weinstein Meat had been approved under Glinke’s predecessor, several years before he moved into that role. Once Glinke discovered the mistake, he proposed changing the zoning code to bring Weinstein into compliance and “pave the way for a new business.”

“This was an er ror in evaluation, and I

Resident Thomas Kovac, who re peatedly complained about another meat processor and wholesaler, Farmington Foods, near his home in nor th Forest Park, at one point sued that company. During the Jan. 17 meeting, he argued that the same issues he complained about – the meat odor and increased emissions from truck traffic would af fect the residents north of the property.

“I don’t think it’s fully appreciated how

Proposed I-2 zoning prohibitions

The changes approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission includes a list of uses that are prohibited – some of which are the same as in I-1, but others would be unique to I-2

Just like in I-1 zonings, anything that deals in hazardous chemicals, production and processing of fossil fuels and asphalt, making cotton textile products, operations involving “cor rosive and noxious chemicals,” including paint manufacturing is prohibited. I-1’s prohibition on storing junk, paper and scrap materials out in the open will remain in place as well, and so will the prohibition on explosives and fireworks manufacturers

While meat processing would be allowed, fat rendering, as well as slaughterhouse and stockyard operations, would be prohibited. And, unlike in I-1, the new language would specifically prohibit manufacturing involving creosote, a substance used to preserve wood and burn malignant tissue. The chemical is toxic in large doses and has potential to cause cancer.

GOOGLE MAPS

Forest Park’s industrial corridor at 7500 Industrial Drive.

GOOGLE MAPS

Current Purely Meats location 4345 W. Division St., Chicago.

Woman robbed in lobby, robber takes o

A woman was robbed as she was retur ning home to her apar tment in the 200 block of Marengo Avenue. The robber then used the stolen keys to take of f in her car. The victim was retur ning home, Jan. 19, around 12:50 a.m. As she got out of her car, a white 2023 Hyundai Sedan, she noticed the suspect walking. The victim rushed to the building, but the suspect re por tedly stopped her from closing the door using his arm. The suspect then allegedly forced the victim to lie down on the lobby bench and patted her down, stealing her car keys and her phone. He then forced the victim to exit and told her to run up the street as he used the car keys to drive of f.

The police found the car left in the parking lot on the south side of the building, but the keys and the victim’s phone were still missing. Another of ficer discovered a dark green jacket, which looked like the one that the suspect was re por tedly wearing, in the 300 block of Marengo Avenue, and the key was subsequently recovered as well.

A village camera at the intersection of Madison Street and Circle Avenue captured a man matching the suspect’s description heading south on Circle Avenue The police weren’ t able to obtain the lobby security camera footage at the time of the re port.

Stolen firearm

A man had his gun stolen from a locker at the Roos Recreation Center, 7329 Har rison St., at some point in the after noon of Jan. 20.

The victim, who has a valid Firear m Owner Identification Card and a Concealed Car ry License, came in with a friend. He had his black Glock 23 .40 caliber gun in his backpack, which he stored in the Roos locker. The gun wasn’t loaded, and it had a gun lock, but he had a loaded 12-round mag azine stored separately in the backpack.

The victim discovered the gun missing from the backpack when he retur ned around 6 p.m. He said nothing else was missing from the locker. The victim said his friend knew the gun was in the locker, and the friend left before him, around 3 p.m.

Mail thefts

Two homeowners in the 7700 block of Monroe Street had someone go through their mail over night Jan. 19-20, stealing a bank statement.

The suspect went to the house’s front porch and opened several pieces of mail, but only one letter — a bank statement — was missing. The suspect also pried open the

OB ITU AR Y Tillie Gnewuch, 88

Taught thousands to read

Minnie Mathilda

“Tillie” Gnewuch, 88, died on Jan. 20, 2023.

Dr. Gnewuch was bor n on Nov. 25, 1934, she was highly re garded as a reading specialist, and taught thousands of children how to read and hundreds of teachers to teach reading. She graduated from Har ris Teachers Colle ge where she was crowned the May Day Fete Queen in 1956. While working and raising her five children, she completed her for mal training at Oklahoma State University. Her career as an educator spanned four decades in numerous public and private schools, including Concordia Teachers Colle ge in Seward, Nebraska; St. John Lutheran School in Forest Park; and Concordia University Chicago in River Forest. She loved Jesus and wanted everyone to live in peace. Tillie was preceded in death by her husband

of 48 years, Rev. Dr. Donald Gnewuch; her parents, Theodore and Eva Johnson Weeke; and her sister Jean Gibson. She is survived by her siblings, Betty Henderson and William (Carol) Weeke; her children, Katherine (Gregory) Roberson, Rebecca Boyer, Deborah (Richard) Gher, Rev. Carl (Cynthia) Gnewuch and Sarah (Edward) Ruber ry; her grandchildren, Cour tney, Theodore (Tammy), Jose ph (Jessica), Nicole, John, Maria, Jonathan (Paulina), Lauren (Matthew), Sarah (Trevor), Rachael, Ava, Stephanie, Mark, Kyle, Michael and Brian (Kristina); and her great-grandchildren, Ava, Edg ar, William, Dakota, Lily, Aurora, Whisper, Nathan, Amelia, Matthew, Mackenzie, Adeline, Anastasia, and Violet.

A visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27, at Elmhurst Community Funeral Home - Ahlg rim Chapel, 567 S. Spring Road, Elmhurst. Funeral services are pending for Saturday, Jan. 28, visit https://www.elmhurstfh. com/ or call 630-834-3515 for more infor mation.

Inter ment is at Concordia Cemetery, 7900 Madison St., Forest Park Memorials appreciated for Concordia University, 7400 Augusta, River Forest, IL 60305, c/o the Gnewuch Family Endowment Fund or the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League.

While was the

Forest Park Police De partment, Jan. 17-22, and re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anyone named in these re ports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.

by Igor Studenkov

Michael Romain no longer with GCM

Michael Romain, long-time re por ter, editor, columnist and DEI director for Growing Community Media, is no longer with our org anization. Over many years, Michael Romain has done valuable work for the Austin Weekly News, Forest Park Review, Wednesday Jour nal and the Village Free Press, a publication he founded. We wish him the best going forward.

Dan Haley Editor and Publisher Growing Community Media

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Our community has an impeccable record of safety during the COVID-19 crisis and we will stop at nothing to make sure it continues.

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We would be honored for your family to be part of ours.

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The Sportz Nook boasts bountiful menu

Elmwood Park bar offers scratchmade fare with sports fan flair

Community Food Editor

With more than 35 televisions tuned into sporting events across the globe, The Sportz Nook, 7841 W. Grand Ave., invites hungry locals to “come in a stranger and leave a friend.” Dave Carlson, general manager, has 12 beers on tap and put considerable attention to detail in the menu that keeps customers coming back for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“Our customers like to say we are a restaurant disguised as bar,” said Carlson with a smile. “You can come in at 9 a.m. for a Denver omelet, play some games in the afternoon, or have a dinner that will really surprise you.”

The diminutive bar opened in May 2022 and Carlson took over the role of general manager just two months after the opening. His love for food service blossomed at age 13 when he took his first job as a busboy and dishwasher at a banquet hall. Over the years he worked in restaurants across the city and developed his own arsenal of recipes. And now he is bringing his own culinary touch to the

Elmwood Park bar menu.

“I’ve been cooking for 45 years and I have a palette,” said Carlson. “I started working on my meatball recipe when I was 15 years old and I’ve perfected it over the years.”

Today, Carlson serves up his “dense yet tender” bocce meatballs at Sportz Nook. They start with a combination of beef, pork and veal, PecorinoRomano brings flavor and Carlson swears by the addition of Liborio breadcrumbs. He is singularly devoted to the bakery located just around the corner from the bar. The meatballs are baked and then simmered in a scratch made red sauce.

In fact, Angelo and Enzo Pagni, owners of the now shuttered Sabatino’s restaurant, served as “culinary mentors” to Carlson and gave the rich and flavorful dish their seal of approval. At Sportz Nook, the meatballs are available as an appetizer and on a sandwich. The passionate manager also pointed out they will be part of a spaghetti and meatball entrée special during Elmwood Park’s upcoming Restaurant Week beginning on Feb. 17.

“Rocky’s Philly Cheese Steak” is a another Sportz Nook menu standout. The popular item is a confident riff on a Philadelphia classic. Served with a pile of hand cut fries, Sportz Nook’s version of the sandwich is made with shaved ribeye, roasted red peppers and onions with ooey-gooey

General manager Dave Carlson is putting his own culinary spin on the Sportz Nook menu while keeping his friend’s memory alive with a weekly meatloaf special.

Standout dish: The “bocce” meatballs are a menu specialty at Sportz Nook in Elmwood Park. They are slow simmered in housemade red sauce and full of flavor.

Cooks at Sportz Nook are moving away from fried food and have started offering a healthy hummus plate to please vegetarians.

chicken salad with apples, gorgonzola and raspberry as served at Sportz Nook in Elmwood Park.

Rocky’s Cheese Steak is a hearty sandwich offering at Sportz Nook. The sandwich, like all sandwiches at Sportz Nook is served on Liborio bread.

Provolone cheese on Liborio French bread. The hearty sandwich is just one of the reasons Carlson says some customers return multiple times a day.

The menu is being expanded to include grilled whiskey BBQ shrimp and a hummus plate to please vegetarians. Carlson is also proud to serve white wine steamed mussels and has plans to bring fajitas to the restaurant that masquerades as a bar.

“We are getting the reputation for having really good food and that matters to me,” said Carlson who credits his longtime friend Terry Harb for bringing him to The Sportz Nook.

Harb, who owned several restaurants and bars, was “always begging” Carlson to come to work for him. Carlson refused until Harb pitched him the management position at The Sportz Nook.

“I’d known him for 16 years and I always said no until he mentioned Elmwood

Park,” said Carlson. “I grew up here; this is my home — I just can’t say no to Elmwood Park.”

Harb loved Carlson’s homestyle dishes and had insisted that he put his famous meatloaf on the menu when the weather turned cold. Sadly, Harb died before winter, but Carlson honors his friend’s memory by offering the meatloaf entrée every Friday evening.

“The meatloaf is made with love, and I know how much he loved it,” said Carlson who credits the dish for keeping Harb’s memory alive.

The Sportz Nook brings a surprisingly robust menu to a traditional bar. Carlson credits his friendly staff and growing customer base for their gaining popularity. The bar offers patio seating in the summer, occasional live music on the weekend and filling menu options every day of the week.

Come in for a limoncello martini and stay for the meatballs.

The sweet evolution of Ferrara Candy Co.

ey think of themselves as ‘the hometown team’

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

For the last two years, Javier Reinoso has been the plant manager of the Ferrara Candy Company’s facility, located at the corner of Circle and Harrison.

In many ways, his story, and view of the world, personifies how the candy company has evolved since 1908 when Salvatore Ferrara, an immigrant from Nola, Italy, began candy coating almonds in his bakery in Chicago’s Little Italy neighborhood.

Of the current plant’s 450 workers, 31% identify as Hispanic. “We are very diverse,” Reinoso explained. “We are a little heavier on the Latino ethnic because that’s what our surrounding community is like demog raphically.

“A lot of my management team is bilingual, and whenever we do communications in the plant, both oral and printed, we do them in both English and Spanish.”

According to the statistics on Ferrara’s website, 31% of the company’s workforce is Latinx, 31% is white, and 29% is Black.

Another way Reinoso embodies the corporation is how he has moved up the ladder of opportunity. He has “book learning,” having earned both a bachelor’s de gree and an MBA.

But he says he learned most of his man-

agement skills on the job. After graduating from the University of South Florida, he worked for Kraft for 17 years and was employed by a pizza-making business for close to six years.

“As you grow up in manufacturing and gain more responsibility,” he said, “the leadership kind of comes with it.”

Blair Klein, Ferrara’s vice president of Institutional Af fairs and Corporate Communication, connected Reinoso’s story to how the company fosters an environment where workers want to stay.

“Any good company,” she began, “is looking for good loyal employees. They want them to be happy. They want them to stay throughout their careers. There are many reasons for that. One is the cost of hiring new employees. Other reasons include the quality of work, productivity and the camaraderie you develop.”

Reinoso said his company has been paying attention to its work environment for decades. “We have a lot of folks with high seniority who have been in the company a very long time. We have 450 workers, about 150 of whom are temporary associates because of the seasonal nature of business. But the 58 salaried employees average 17 years’ experience; four have over 40 years; and 11 have over 30 years.”

Forest Park candy production

As a company, Ferrara produces more than 500 million pounds of candy annually.

The Forest Park plant:

■ manufactured 108 million lbs. of total candy last year;

■ made 15 million lbs. of seasonal product last year;

■ is projected to make 122 million lbs. this year;

■ makes an avg. 2.4 million lbs. weekly;

■ makes an avg. 343 thousand lbs. daily;

■ makes the following brands: Nerds, Trolli, Black Forest, SweeTarts, and Ferrara

Pan Lemonheads;

■ Ferrara’s revenue in 2022 was $1.5 billion.

■ 2 million pieces of Lemonhead candy are produced every day.

■ In one year Ferrara produced 38 million nerd ropes, enough for every citizen of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to have two ropes a day.

■ A new product that hit a sales home run is Nerds Gummy Clusters — “sweet and chewy on the inside, tangy and crunchy on the outside.”

■ Chuckles have been around longer than talking movies.

Klein added that some businesses claim to have diversity and inclusion but they are refer ring only to the numbers in their annual stockholder meetings. Ferrara has the numbers, but authentic diversity and inclusion are reflected more in how they do business.

“Just having a workforce with diversity doesn’t mean that the employees feel listened to. Inclusion is the important piece. There are studies out there that show the increase in revenues and bottom line and long-term benefits for businesses when they have higher employee eng agement.

“In 2020 incidents like the murder of George Floyd opened our eyes to understanding that maybe we had a lot more work to do in the company than we thought re garding understanding the challenges of our employee groups, the things they may face on a daily basis.”

One way her company tries to promote eng agement is through resource groups. “Business resource groups,” she explained, “don’t just give input to management. They actually get a say in the decisions we make.”

Another side is eng agement with the community. Reinoso listed ways that Ferrara is involved in the life of Forest Parkers. They have participated in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade by handing out candy to thousands of spectators on the sidewalks and are looking at having a float in the event. They have sponsored the No Gloves Nationals for years and are heavily invested in the creation of the Splash Pad at the pool.

According to a 2021 article in the Review, “The scent coming from the nearby Ferrara Pan Candy Company, 7301 Harrison

St., inspired the “Candyland” theme, with bright contrasting colors. The pad surfaces were patter ned after game boards.”

“When you walk by,” Reinoso said with a laugh, “you’ re going to smell sugar in the air. We’re part of the community. You can smell us.”

“We are the home town team,” Klein added. “We’ re not doing these things to increase sales or to put on a good image. That may be a secondary benefit, but when you are the home town team, the people who work for you live in the community and by the same token people in the community should feel that you care about them. We are here as a neighbor.”

Klein pointed to the new organizational structure, which changed from a familyowned business to one owned by a private equity firm about 12 years ago. “Although there are members of the Ferrero family who are on our board of directors,” she explained, “we are separate from the Ferroro Group. It has no ownership, although we do have business contracts in place that allow us to collaborate on some projects, and so we refer to each other as affiliated companies.”

Pedro Pedroza, the brand new senior manager for Public Af fairs and Community Relations, was born in Mexico, and lives right down the street in Oak Park “I’ve been on the job for just two weeks,” he said, “and I’m learning about all the concrete, actionable ways the company leadership is empowering its leaders to give back to the community.

“And the way my ethnic identity infor ms the way I work, I’m able to do so unapologetically, and I know that is a safe place where they value the perspective I bring.”

Gone since ’43, she still keeps up

Dorothy Misleh and I have been friends for years but have yet to meet. That’s because she lives in Ocala, F lorida. Dorothy left Forest Park in 1943 but still reads the Review religiously. That’s how we became friends. Dorothy was curious about her childhood home at 419 Hannah and asked me to do some research. I reviewed the property records and made a list of the owners. I also took photos of the exterior. Dorothy was so grateful for the photos and research, she made a donation to the Historical Society of Forest Park. Since then, she has faithfully sent me birthday and Christmas cards and we talk by phone

Dorothy Nelson was born in Forest Park on May 18, 1922. Her dad was Loyal Nelson and her mom was the for mer Ruth Stroschein. Ruth’s father, Charles Stroschein, emigrated from Ger many and built the house at 419 Hannah. Dorothy’s mom and her grandparents spoke Ger man and attended Ger man-speaking services at the local Baptist church.

Dorothy never studied Ger man but has happy memories of taking the short walk to Garfield School to attend elementary

school. She took junior high lasses at Grant-White before ttending Proviso High School. She walked the mile and a half to Proviso and still remembers trudging past Concordia Cemetery during a blizzard. The school had Black students from Maywood, but there was no racial tension. She received an excellent education and was told that graduating from Proviso was the equivalent of completing freshman year of colle ge

Instead of going to colle ge, Dorothy got a job at Oak Park Trust Bank, where she worked in several dif ferent departments. When she was 21, Dorothy moved to Miami, F lorida to live with an aunt and uncle. She happened to ride the train with the Wolf brothers, who owned the furniture store at Circle and Madison. After she moved to Miami, Dorothy met her husband, Roger Misleh, who had just gotten out of the ar my. Roger had been trained in the use of radio equipment and repaired radios out of his garage. After lear ning how to re pair TVs, he founded City Wide TV Roger and his crew re paired and sold TVs, while Dorothy did the books City Wide was known for selling the first color TV in Miami.

During this time, the couple had three children, Roger, Paul and Ruthann. They also bought a vacation home in the mountains of North Carolina, to escape Miami’s sweltering summers. After 30 years in business, Roger and Dorothy retired at 65.

They also left Miami and built a home in Ocala. It’s a lovely area known as “horse country” because so many thoroughbreds train there. After more than 60 years of mar riage, Roger died in 2008 at the age of 85.

Dorothy may have been retired but she always stayed busy. She was active with her church and in supporting the local symphony orchestra. At the age of 100, Dorothy still lives in her family home. Ruthann makes this possible by visiting her mom every day.

Thanks to the Review, Dorothy knows as much about our local events as anyone. She recently quizzed me about our current crop of candidates. A delightful person to have as a friend, she has the voice of a young woman and a razor-shar p mind.

She is glad the Review is still in business, because her local newspaper is cutting back on its coverage. She recently made a $25 donation to Growing Community Media and looks forward to receiving the newspaper in the mail.

Dorothy may be young at heart but still doesn’t own a computer

From Wimpy’ Homer’s

Homer Bale opened a sandwich shop known as Wimpy’s, 7340 Madison Street, in 1936. Before long, it would change its name to Homer’s and become a fixture on Madison Street for half a century as a restaurant, lounge and banquet hall. In the 1940s it boasted air conditioning and was open until midnight. In its heyday, it was the gathering place of politicians, business people, out-of-towners, locals and occasional celebrities, including Johnny Weissmuller, the Olympic swimmer and actor who played Tarzan. A “massive blaze of suspicious origin” hit the restaurant in 1987, just hours before it was to be sold

Jill Wagner

Homer Bale in the early days of Homer’s and one of his waitresses behind the counter with signs on the wall o ering co ee, milk or chocolate milk for 5 cents and hamburger for 10 cents.

Repor ter Igor Studenkov

Senior Editor Bob Uphues

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Contributing Repor ters Tom Holmes, John Rice, Bob Skolnik, Jackie Glosniak, Robert J. Li a

Columnists Alan Brouilette, Jill Wagner, Tom Holmes, John Rice

Big Week Editor James Porter

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designer Susan McKelvey

S ales and Marketing Representatives Lourdes Nicholls, Marc Stopeck, Kamil Brady

Business & Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Donor Relations Manager/Food Editor Melissa Elsmo

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Board of Directors

Chair Judy Gre n

Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Steve Edwards, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

HOW TO REACH US

ADDRESS 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE 708-366-0600 ■ FAX 708-467-9066

EMAIL forestpark@wjinc.com

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Forest Park Review is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP.

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A L OOK BA CK IN TIME

OPINION

The mixed bag of TIFs

Forest Park’s village gover nment on Monday threw its support behind a statewide effort by local villages and cities to beat back possible challenges in Springfield to limit how Tax Increment Financing districts are structured.

This is a pre-emptive action by the Illinois Municipal League to get ahead of possible legislation, proposed and blocked in the last legislative session, that could get filed this year

Concurrently, and under the existing regs governing how TIFs work in Illinois, Forest Park’s village gover nment is intentionally working to win a 12-year extension of the Brown Street Station TIF. This district, focused on the area surrounding Harlem and Brown Street at the northeast cor ner of town, is due to shutter at the end of this year after its 23-year lifespan.

Moses Amidei, village administrator, has been working diligently over past months to convince a batch of other local taxing bodies — schools, parks, library, etc. — that an extension is necessary and in their long-ter m interest. Before the state legislature can extend any TIF, it needs specific buy-in from local taxing bodies.

Amidei is right in saying that smaller towns such as Forest Park, which lack Home Rule authority, need TIFs because the options for spur ring economic development are otherwise sparse

That’s why we have re gularly, at times reluctantly, supported the creation of TIFs and sometimes their extension. Forest Park currently has three TIF districts. Two are on Roosevelt Road, the other being the Brown Street Station TIF.

The challenge of TIFs in every jurisdiction is that, once they win approval, the municipalities controlling them get very quiet on how those funds are used. Nothing illegal. But not transparent, either. The local taxing bodies get one joint meeting a year — for mulated as the TIF Review Board — to get some level of update. But the group has little actual power.

Right now as Amidei, repping the positions of the mayor and village council, makes his case to the schools and other bodies, we get the clearest insight into how monies from Brown Street might be spent if the extension is won. And frankly it is a mixed bag.

Our support within TIFs has long been for creating funding mechanisms that spur commercial and residential development. Those are the projects with the potential to create long-term added property taxes and possibly sales tax revenues. So right now, the prime development site in the Brown Street TIF is the abandoned CVS on Harlem. Turning that into a five-story, mixed-use project would be a win.

However, as suggested, spending local tax dollars to help the CTA remove its ugly water tower has no long-ter m benefit to the local economy. Replacing lead water service pipes is a fine infrastructure project for a very small portion of the village Perhaps this is the only way to make that happen. But it doesn’t juice the fund balances of the village or the schools

Our point is that now, during this election season, is the time to force more open discussions on what an extended TIF would be used to fund.

Agape - the last, best bridge over troubled waters

Ican’t help thinking it was divine inspiration that motivated the powers that be to put Martin Luther King Jr Day on the calendar right between Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

Both holidays have evolved to the place where the goal, even the expectation is what I will call “war m feelings.” You know: “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire …” and “later on we’ ll conspire as we dream by the fire to face unafraid the plans that we’ve made …”

Both holidays have a flower — poinsettias for Christmas and roses for Valentine’s Day.

OUR VIEW HOLMES

And the boats for both holidays have drifted quite far from the religious docks to which they had once been moored The website history.com has what to me is a fascinating story about the original St. Valentine — or one of the originals, because several competed for the title

On Feb. 14, when we share chocolates, special dinners or doily cards with our loved ones, we do it in the name of Saint Valentine. But who was this saint of romance?

Search the inter net, and you can find plenty of stories about him — or them. One Valentine was reportedly a Roman priest who perfor med secret weddings against the wishes of the authorities in the Roman Empire, third century. Imprisoned in the home of a noble, he healed his captor’s blind daughter, causing the whole household to convert to Christianity and sealing his fate. Before being tortured and decapitated on Feb. 14, he sent the girl a note signed “Your Valentine.”

Not exactly the kind of back story you want to tell your sweetheart when you’re trying to score romantic points

It’s been 37 years since the third Monday of January was made a national holiday, and in that short time the forces of consumerism have so far been unable to distract us from the day’s original meaning

So far I haven’t seen boxes of MLK chocolates for sale at Ed’s Way. We haven’t yet associated Dr. King’s day with animals like reindeer and the Easter Bunny.

Dr. King delivered a ser mon on Christmas Eve 1967, four months or so before he was murdered. In that ser mon he promoted a kind of love that these days is, in my observation, mostly absent from the way we celebrate both Christmas and Valentine’s Day. Here is part of what he said:

“The Greek language has another word for love, and

that is the word agape Agape is more than romantic love, it is more than friendship … it is understanding, creative, redemptive good will toward all men. Agape is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in retur n. Theologians would say it is the love of God operating in the human hear t. When you rise to love on this level, you love all men not because you like them … but you love them because God loves them.”

There’s nothing wrong with romantic love or friendship love. If you have either or both, there’s a good chance that your holidays will bring you some joy. If you have neither, your days may very well be painful.

What Dr. King was talking about is a kind of love that our society, for the most part, no longer understands. Nowadays it’s all about me We no longer “get it” because our societal boat has gotten unmoored from its religious dock and drifted away from the promotion of agape

Dr. King wasn’t naïve. He once said, “I believe that unar med truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

He overcame the feeling of being “temporarily defeated” with a view from a spiritual mountain top that allowed him to declare, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

In that same sermon he said, “Somehow we must be able to stand up before our most bitter opponents and say: We will meet your physical force with soul forc e.”

In these polarized times, the bridge over the cultural chasm is called agape.

One of Dr. King’s gifts to us is what he said about love that is very different from warm feelings or mutual attraction. He said:

■ I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

■ Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.

■ Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

You have heard the saying, “win the battle but lose the war.”

You may remember Michelle Obama saying, “When they go low, we go high.”

In the short run agape might not win every battle. But Dr. King once declared, “We must lear n to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

Class specifications are intended to present a descriptive list of the range of duties performed by employees in the class.

Specifications are not intended to reflect all duties performed within the job.

DEFINITION

To perform various network/system administration, computer support, and operational activities for the Village including computer system setup, configuration, and testing.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

Reports directly to the Information Technology Services Director.

EXAMPLE OF DUTIES:

Essential and other important duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Essential duties and responsibilities

1. Ensure that best in class customer service is provided to both internal and external customers and also embrace, support, and promote the Village’s core values, beliefs and culture.

2. Configure, test, and deploy network systems, such as, firewalls, routers, switches, wireless equipment, network servers and storage arrays.

3. Configure, test, and deploy system servers, such as, file, print, Internet, e-mail, database, and application servers.

4. Configure, test, and monitor server and end-user systems for security, such as, user accounts, login scripts, file access privileges, and group policy management.

5. Configure, test, and deploy end-user systems, such as, workstations, laptops, mobile devices, printers, and software.

6. Test, configure, deploy, and support security systems, such as, facility access system, video & audio system.

7. Monitor and auditing of networks, systems, and user activities to ensure security and efficiency of systems. Create scripts and reports of detail activities for regular review.

8. Perform and participate in disaster recovery activities, such as, backup procedures, data recovery, and system recovery planning.

9. Assist end-users with computer problems or queries. Troubleshoot systems as needed and meet with users to analyze specific system needs.

10. Ensure the uniformity, reliability and security of system resources including network, hardware,

HELP WANTED

software and other forms of systems and data.

11. Prepare, create and update user/technical procedure documentations and provide computer training.

12. Assemble, test, and install network, telecommunication and data equipment and cabling.

13. Participate in research and recommendation of technology solutions.

Other important responsibilities and duties

1. Train users in the area of existing, new or modified computer systems and procedures.

2. Participate in the preparation of various activity reports.

3. Travel and support remote facilities and partner agencies.

4. Operate, administer and manage the Village and Public Safety computer systems, including E-911 center, in-vehicle computer systems.

5. Prepare clear and logical reports and program documentation of procedures, processes, and configurations.

6. Complete projects on a timely and efficient manner.

7. Communicate effectively both orally and in writing.

8. Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

9. Perform related duties and responsibilities as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of:

Principals and procedures of computer systems, such as, data communication, hierarchical structure, backups, testing and critical analysis.

Hardware and software configuration of. computers, servers and mobile devices, including computing environment of Windows Server and Desktop OS and applications, Unix/Linux OS, VMware, iOS/Android.

Network protocols, security, configuration and administration, including firewalls, routers, switches and wireless technology.

Cabling and wiring, including CAT5/6, fiber network, telephone, serial communication, termination, and punch-down.

Telecommunications theory and technology, including VoiP, serial communication, wireless protocols, PBX, analog, fax, voicemail and auto-attendant.

Principles and methods of computer programming, coding and testing, including power shell, command scripting, macros, and

VB scripts.

Modern office procedures, methods and computer equipment.

Technical writing, office productivity tools and database packages.

Ability to:

Maintain physical condition appropriate to the performance of assigned duties and responsibilities, which may include the following:

- Walking, standing or sitting for extended periods of time

- Operating assigned equipment

- Lift 50 pounds of equipment, supplies, and materials without assistance

- Working in and around computer equipped vehicles

Maintain effective audio-visual discrimination and perception needed for:

- Making observations

- Communicating with others

- Reading and writing

- Operating assigned equipment and vehicles

Maintain mental capacity allowing for effective interaction and communication with others.

Maintain reasonable and predictable attendance. Work overtime as operations require.

Experience and Training Guidelines

Experience: Three years of network/system administration in the public or private sector, maintaining a minimum of 75 Client Workstation computers. AND Training: Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in computer science or a related field. Certifications in Microsoft Server Administration, Networking, Applications and Cisco Networking.

Possession of a valid Illinois Driver

License is required at the time of appointment.

Vaccination against COVID-19 strongly preferred.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Work in a computer environment; sustained posture in a seated position for prolonged periods of time; continuous exposure to computer screens; work in and around computerized vehicles outdoor and garage facility; lifting heavy equipment, communication cabling and wiring into walls and ceilings.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Administrative Assistant in the Public Health Department. This position provides a variety of responsible administrative and analytical functions; records and monitors department budget and fiscal requirements of grant-funded programs; oversight of Accounts Payable process; prepares reports and serves as a resource for computerized office applications. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/ jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

PARKING ENFORCEMENT

OFFICER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Parking Enforcement Officer in the Police Department Field Services Division. This position will perform a variety of duties and responsibilities involved in the enforcement of Village parking regulations; and to provide general information and assistance to the public. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park.us/. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

FINANCE COORDINATOR

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Finance Coordinator. The ideal candidate will perform a wide variety of responsible and complex administrative, secretarial and clerical duties for the Finance department; and will provide information and assistance to the public regarding department to which assigned. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oakpark.us/jobs.

Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. This position is open until filled.

Shipping Manager

Manufacturing

per hour

Top rated firm Alpina Manufacturing LLC founded in 1992, locally owned beautiful campus in Galewood, near Mars candy, 3 blocks north of Oak Park. We build and sell display framing systems to customers nationwide including Wal-Mart, Verizon, Circle K, Hospitals, CTA Apply in person M-F 8am to 4pm • Alpina • 6460 W Cortland St Chicago, IL 60707 www.fastchangeframes.com

IT OPERATIONS SPECIALIST

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of IT Operations Specialist. The ideal candidate is responsible for the effective operation of information technology services and support across the organization. The IT Operations Specialist serves as a technical expert for the implementation, maintenance and support of systems and networks. The IT Operations Specialist plans and carries out various complex assignments and develops new methods and approaches in a wide variety of IT specialties. Evaluates new and enhanced approaches to deliver IT services; test and optimize the functionality of systems, networks, and data; and define technical requirements. The IT Operations Specialist is responsible for providing various forms of computer-related technical assistance and improving the efficiency of the work of the staff through the use of technology. Interested and qualified applicants can visit our website at http://www.oakpark.us/ for more details.

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE II

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Customer Service Representative II in the Development Customer Services Department. This position provides customer service to the public by providing a variety of responsible and difficult customer service and receptionist work including high volume telephone traffic; and to perform the more difficult and complex customer service duties depending on the department including but not limited to service requests, permits, parking passes, block party permits, accounts payable processing and vehicle stickers. This position is crosstrained with the other Customer Service Representative IIs in the Village.

Applicants are encouraged to apply online at https://secure.entertimeonline.com/ta/6141780.careers?ApplyToJob=537079168 or visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www. oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. First review of applications January 20, 2023.

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation is looking for a full-time Director of Finance & Administration, who will manage the administrative and financial matters of the congregation in collaboration with church leadership and board officers. This person will participate on and advise the Executive Team and advise governing board on a wide range of financial matters at both the strategic and operational levels including the operational budget and stewardship planning. They will also oversee and adjust processes and operations as necessary to ensure efficient and effective implementation and creation of policies and procedures, as well as supervise some other staff members.

Core Competencies:

● Organization and Planning: Organize and oversee people, funding, materials, and support to accomplish multiple, concurrent goals and activities. Project management and excellent organizational skills

● Vision and Purpose: Commitment to and knowledge of Unitarian Universalist Principles, values, history and worship.

● Trust and Integrity: Is widely trusted to keep confidences, admit errors, and adhere to a transparent set of personal and professional values that are congruent with the ministry of the congregation

● Conflict Management: Recognize and resolve conflicts effectively, applying principles of active listening, collaboration, and equity for both congregants and staff

● Proficiencies: Working knowledge of business and church related software (Google Drive. Constant Contact and Realm or other church database software). Must have excellent project management and professional communication skills. Working knowledge of HR and accounting practices.

You can find out more information about the position at https://unitytemple.org/job-postings/. To apply, send a cover letter and resume to jobs@ unitytemple.org indicating “Director of Finance & Administration” in the subject line.

Oak Park Residence Corporation is hiring and inviting candidates to apply for:

• Case Manager – HCV Program

• Accounting Clerk (PT)

• Assistant Property Manager

– The Oaks and The FarrellyMuriello Apartments

• Property Assistant/Cleaner –Mills Park Tower

We offer benefits such as 401(k) with employer contribution, Health, Dental, Vision, Life, and Short-term and Long-Term Disability Insurance, EAP, FSA, Professional Development Assistance as well as these added Benefits:

- PTO, Paid Sick Leave, Paid Vacation, and Paid Holidays

- Tuition Reimbursement

- A Collaborative, Supportive, and Fun Work Environment

For a complete job description please go to our website: Work for OPRC –OPRC (oakparkrc.com) or to apply send cover letter and resume to bswaggerty@oakparkrc.com.

OPRC strives to provide a positive and meaningful work experience, where you can make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Oak Park Residence Corporation is a community-based, non-profit organization. For over 46 years, we have led the way in promoting Oak Park’s housing diversity and economic balance by offering quality apartments at affordable prices.

HELP WANTED • NETWORK SPECIALIST

PUBLIC NOTICE

Attention Jose R Moreno, you are the last indicated owner or lienholder on file with Illinois Secretary Of State. Our records show, your 2016, Nissan, Altima with the following VIN 1N4AL3AP2GC175373 was towed to our facility on 11/21/2022. The current amount due & owing is $2000.00. If payment is not received within 30 days, Nobs Towing Inc. will intend to enforce a mechanic’s lien pursuant to Chapter 770 ILCS 50/3. Sale of the aforementioned vehicle will take place at 1510 Hannah Ave, Forest Park, IL, 60130 on 3/6/2023.

Published in Forest Park Review January 25, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y23010023 on January 9, 2023. Under the Assumed Business Name of DANIELMOKMAD SP with the business located at: 1024 WASHINGTON BLVD, APT 302, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: DANIEL MOKRAUER-MADDEN 1024 WASHINGTON BLVD, APT 302, OAK PARK, IL 60302, USA

Published in Wednesday Journal January 11, 18, 25, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST

FOR NAME CHANGE

STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY.

Request of Lindsey Ann Brewer Case Number 2022CONC001598

There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Lindsey Ann Brewer to the new name of: Lynzy Ann Bailey

The court date will be held:

On February 3, 2023 at 9:30am at 50 W Washington, Chicago, IL, Cook County in Courtroom #1730

Published in Wednesday Journal January 18, 25, February 1, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE

STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF WILL )ss

Circuit Court of Will County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division.

In re the marriage of Deborah C. Amaro, Petitioner and DiRefugio Carlos Acosta, Respondent, Case No. 2022DN000698.

The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Will County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Dissolution of Marriage and for other relief; and that said suit is now pending.

Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington

Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before February 24, 2023, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition.

ANDREA LYNN CHASTEEN, Clerk.

Published in Wednesday Journal January 25, February 1, 8, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS

The Chicago Zoological Society invites qualified bidders to bid on the Spring 2023 - 7 Seas Roof Renovation Project at the Brookfield Zoo. A mandatory pre-bid meeting for the purpose of obtaining pertinent information in regard to the scope of work will be held on Friday, January 27th at 9:00 a.m. at the South Entrance located at 3300 Golf Road, Brookfield, IL. Project information may be obtained via email inquiry to Melissa.

Lewkowich@CZS.org on Wednesday, January 25th. Sealed bids are due on Thursday February 8th, 2023 by 12:00PM. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is responsible for partial financing of this project through grant funding.

January 2023

Published in RB Landmark January 25, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS

VILLAGE OF NORTH RIVERSIDE 2.5 MG STANDPIPE PAINTING West of 2500 S. Harlem Avenue

I. TIME AND PLACE OF OPENING OF BIDS: Sealed Proposals for the improvement described herein will be received at the office of the Village Clerk, Village of North Riverside, 2401 S. Des Plaines Avenue, North Riverside, IL 60546, until 2:00 p.m., February 6, 2023, and will be publicly opened and read at that time.

II. DESCRIPTION OF WORK: Consists of sand cleaning, priming, painting and chlorinating of a standpipe steel water storage tank, and all work included in the Specifications. The tank to be painted is a steel standpipe tank, which has a capacity of 2,500,00 gallons and is located just west of the northwest corner of the Costco building at 2500 S. Harlem Avenue.

III. INSTRUCTIONS TO BIDDERS:

A. Proposal forms are available for download only from QuestCDN via the Novotny Engineering website, http://novotnyengineering.com, “Bidding” tab, for a non-refundable charge of $30.00. Please contact Novotny Engineering (630-887-8640) to obtain the QuestCDN password. Proposal forms are non-transferable. Only those Proposals that have been obtained from, and with the approval of, Novotny Engineering will be accepted at the bid opening.

B. Proposal forms will be given only to qualified painting Contractors who can furnish proof that they have satisfactorily performed work of a similar nature. Bidder shall submit, as part of his bid, a list of at least five (5) tanks of 750,000 gallons capacity or more and similar painting requirements, completed by the Bidder within the last five (5) years. Also, Bidder shall provide documentation as to all steel tank painting work performed within a minimum of the last five (5) years.

C. The Bidder shall also submit with his bid, or within forty-eight (48) hours thereafter, evidence that he has the necessary environmental protection plans in effect for worker and environmental protection and safety.

D. All Proposals must be accompanied by a Bank Cashier’s Check, Bank Draft, Certified Check, or Bid Bond for not less than five percent (5%) of the total amount of the Bid, or as provided in the applicable sections of the “Standard Specifications”

E. No Bid may be withdrawn after opening of Proposals without the consent of the Owner for a period of sixty (60) days after the scheduled time of opening of Bids.

F. The Contractor will be required to furnish a labor and material “Performance Bond” in the full amount of the Contract.

G. The Contractor will be required to pay Prevailing Wages in accordance with all applicable laws.

IV. REJECTION OF BIDS: The Owner reserves the right to reject any or all Proposals, to waive technicalities, and to accept the Proposal deemed to be most favorable to the Owner.

BY ORDER OF: VILLAGE OF NORTH RIVERSIDE PRESIDENT & BOARD OF TRUSTEES Kathy Ranieri (s) Village Clerk

Published in RB Landmark January 25, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y22009998 on December 28, 2022. Under the Assumed Business Name of BEYOND THE NUMBERS with the business located at: 855 N PARKSIDE AVE APT 1R, CHICAGO, IL. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: DANAE ROSARIO 855 N PARKSIDE AVE APT 1R, CHICAGO, IL

Published in Wednesday Journal January 11, 18, 25, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE PUBLIC NOTICES

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified vendors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 2:00 p.m. on Friday, February 3, 2023 for the following:

Village of Oak Park Roland SG3-540 54” Print and Cut Combo Device Bid Number: 23-110

Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/bid For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 358-5700 during the above hours.

Published in Wednesday Journal January 25, 2023

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park --Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302-- will receive electronic proposals until 10:00 a.m. on Thursday February 16, 2023 for Project: 22-8, Forest and Ontario Traffic Calming. Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. In general, the improvements will require the following construction: light pole removal and replacement; electrical cable and conduit installation; asphalt pavement milling and replacement; brick paver sidewalk and crosswalk removal and replacement; concrete sidewalk removal and replacement; concrete curb and gutter removal and replacement; signage; pavement strping; landscaping; traffic control; and all appurtenant work thereto. The work will take place on Ontario Street and Forest Avenue in the Village of Oak Park, Cook County, beginning East of Marion Street to South of the Austin Gardens Park Alley on Forest Avenue.

Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on Thursday, January 26th, at 4:00 p.m. Plans and

proposal forms can be found at https://www.oak-park.us/yourgovernment/budget-purchasing/ requests-proposals or at www. questcdn.com under login using QuestCDN number 8377519 for a non-refundable charge of $64.00. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue plans and specifications only to those contractors deemed qualified. No bid documents will be issued after 4:00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of bid opening.

All prospective bidders must prove they are pre-qualified in either the HMA Paving or Concrete Construction category by the Illinois Department of Transportation by providing a certificate of eligibility with their bid submittal.

This project is financed with federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and thus is subject to all federal rules, regulations and guidelines, including Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, Section 3, and Equal Opportunity requirements.

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK Bill McKenna Village Engineer

Published in Wednesday Journal, January 25, 2023

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION

FIFTH THIRD BANK NA; Plaintiff, vs. CITIZENS BANK NA FORMERLY KNOWN AS RBS CITIZENS NA SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO CHARTER ONE BNAK NA; JOEL A. VERHOFF; RAELIN M. VERHOFF; RANDOLPH CROSSING CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION; UNKNONW OWNERS AND NONRECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 22 CH 6637

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at the hour of 11 a.m. in their office at 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, Illinois, sell at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, as set forth below, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 16-07-408-026-1012. Commonly known as 612 RANDOLPH STREET, UNIT #2, OAK PARK, IL 60302.

The mortgaged real estate is improved with a condominium residence. The purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by subdivisions (g)(1) and (g) (4) of Section 9 of the Condominium Property Act

Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance, by certified funds, within 24 hours. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call The Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Diaz Anselmo & Associates, P.A., 1771 West Diehl Road, Naperville, Illinois 60563. (630) 453-6925. 6722185734

INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3211098

COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. Plaintiff, -v.UNKNOWN HEIRS AND/OR LEGATEES OF LAURA RIZZARDINI, DECEASED, DANIEL ROBERT RIZZARDINI, JOHN LOUIS RIZZARDINI, JOAN R. RINELLA, DAMON RITTENHOUSE, AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR LAURA RIZZARDINI, DECEASED, OAK PARK PLACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, ALPINE CAPITAL INVESTMENTS LLC, STATE OF ILLINOIS, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, UNKNOWN OCCUPANTS Defendants 20 CH 2480

420 SOUTH HOME AVENUE UNIT 107N OAK PARK, IL 60302

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on October 26, 2022, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on February 16, 2023, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 420 SOUTH HOME AVENUE UNIT 107N, OAK PARK, IL 60302

Property Index No. 16-07-324-0331007

The real estate is improved with a condominium.

The judgment amount was $63,816.46.

Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial Sale fee for the Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court.

Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale.

The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g)(1) and (g)(4). If this property

is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. For information, contact The sales clerk, LOGS Legal Group LLP Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301, Bannockburn, IL, 60015 (847) 291-1717 For information call between the hours of 1pm - 3pm.. Please refer to file number 20-093376.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236SALE

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales.

LOGS Legal Group LLP 2121 WAUKEGAN RD., SUITE 301 Bannockburn IL, 60015 847-291-1717

E-Mail: ILNotices@logs.com Attorney File No. 20-093376 Attorney Code. 42168 Case Number: 20 CH 2480 TJSC#: 42-4228

NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose. Case # 20 CH 2480 I3210947

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination.

e Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law. is newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals.

To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800669-9777.

GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA

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