Forest Park’s re and police pensions, signi cantly underfunded for decades, face potential troubles by 2040
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
With every paycheck, Forest Park police officers and firefighters pay into two respective pension funds. The village also contributes money into both pension funds with revenue from property, state and utility taxes, grants, and license and permit fees. After employees retire from the Forest Park Police Department or the Forest Park Fire Department, they get money every year from their pension funds.
Forest Park’s fire and police pensions have been underfunded by millions of dollars for decades. As the See Pensions on pa ge 6
From Goldyburgers to ‘Top Chef
Fire station bunk room needs rehab
e village seeks grant to redo parts of the re house, and hires an architect to help with designs
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
Above the garage at the Forest Park Fire Department, there’s an open-air bunk room with several beds lining the walls. But the room where firefighters sleep when they’re on-call hasn’t been updated since the 1970s, when it was built as an addition to the now 120-year-old fire house.
As the village searches for money to update the fire department’s aging infrastructure, the bunk room is first on the list to provide a more-private sleeping area and locker rooms
At the Feb. 24 village council meeting, commissioners unanimously passed a resolution allowing Forest Park to apply to the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Fire Station Rehabilitation and Construction grant to remodel the bunk room. And at the March 10 village council meeting, commissioners approved a resolution authorizing $7,525 of professional architectural services from Smith Architecture to provide a general project scope and drawings for the renovation.
The anticipated rehabilitation will make the bunk room more private, replacing fivefoot-tall dividers that stop feet short of the ceiling with 10 individual bedrooms, likely with a small desk and storage area. Officials also plan to add a locker room area where
there is currently no privacy for changing –something that becomes more pronounced for women in an industry dominated by men.
Fire Chief Lindsey Hankus is the only woman on her staff of 24 firefighters and has been since she joined the Forest Park Fire Department in 2005. Though she got her own bedroom when she served as lieutenant – and now doesn’t sleep at the station as fire chief – before that, she had no separation from her male peers.
“I didn’t have privacy. I just slept in all my clothes and that helped me get down to the rig faster,” Hankus said. “It’s fine, but sleeping in your uniform pants is not necessarily the most comfortable thing.”
Hankus is asking for design input from all the station’s firefighters, since the bunk room renovations aren’t just for potential women firefighters, but for everyone, since it’ll make it easier for staff to sleep through the night.
“Sleep is very important to the firemen, and it already gets interrupted,” Hankus said. “My priority is getting that bunk room situated so that everybody has their private space. It’s the industry standard now.”
Hankus said that she and Kimberlee Smith, owner of Smith Architecture in Oak Park, are also looking into adding communication options in each bunk room.
“So if there was an ambulance-only call, only people that are assigned to the ambulance will get toned for that,” Hankus said. And those with engine duty can sleep through the alarm.
Hankus said she’ll be working with Smith to determine a layout for the locker room. It might be that they construct one new locker room for storage, and when firefighters change, they can use their private bunk space or a bathroom. Or there might be two
separate locker rooms
Regardless, there will likely be 27 locke – the number of firefighters that the Forest Park Fire Department will have by next Ma according to its contract.
The bunk room will also need new electrical, windows, flooring and walls. Hankus said that she and her staff have discussed how the bunk room’s wooden panel walls should come down, in case they’re a host for carcinogens
“The firemen used to smoke back in the day,” she said.
Financing re station renovations
The Feb. 24 resolution involving the fire house asks the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal for a $113,250 grant for a bunk room and locker room renovation estimated to cost $123,250. The village is not required to match funds in order to get the grant, which it does not yet know it will get.
“We do want to create a healthy, safe environment, so we’re working towards that in the constraints of our budget,” Hankus said. “But it is a little bit of a challenge.”
If the fire department can find additional money, they also want to address the height of the garage.
“Another challenge we’re having with the firehouse is the height on the old section on the apparatus floor is too low to fit any of the trucks that are currently manufactured,” Hankus said.
The new truck that the fire department is looking to buy is only an inch shorter than the garage opening. Hankus said the truck needs to be replaced in 2028, but there is up to four years of lead time. The fire department
also needs a new engine in 2027.
Also on the first floor of the fire station, some of the walls have a cedar finish. Hankus said the fire house didn’t used to have a system to remove exhaust, so a lot of it was absorbed into the porous wood. But remediation there isn’t as much of a focus right now as the bunk room is
“We do live in this upstairs space, where we spend the most of our time, so this is the targeted area,” Hankus said, “knowing that downstairs is also a priority.”
As the Forest Park Fire Department works toward being fully staffed next year, Hankus said she doesn’t think the potential, but much-needed, renovations to the fire station will affect recruitment all that much.
“It doesn’t necessarily get advertised what the conditions are up here or what the firehouse looks like,” Hankus said.
She adds that the station has invited recruits to see the firehouse’s upstairs. But rather than the amenities, it’s usually the camaraderie among staff that pulls them in.
“What we have going for us is we have a great group of guys.”
JESSICA MORDACQ
View of the bunk room at the Forest Park Fire Department.
Molinaro runs for seat on Proviso’s board to look out for all students
As
part of the Proviso
209 United slate, she doesn’t want kids to fall through the cracks
By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Contributing Reporter
Nicole ‘Molly’ Molinaro knew she wanted to be the strong advocate she needed growing up. Not wanting to be “selfish” and solely focus on her own child, she decided to run for a seat on Proviso High School Township District 209’s Board of Education in this April election.
Molinaro, a Westchester resident, said she herself was a student who “fell between the cracks.” Having begun working at 14 alongside her grandmother, her focus was to make money and find a way to move out on her own.
After graduation, she pursued a career in commercial insurance underwriting, which spanned nearly 20 years. She then decided to go back to school to become the first in her family to ear n a college degree
She began pursuing her degree during the COVID pandemic and is on track to complete her associate’s degree in applied science in May. Molinaro said she hopes to pursue a career working alongside children teaching them about horticulture.
“We are in the end stretch and now I just want to keep going until they call me doctor,
hopefully one day,” Molinaro said.
Being involved in trades is a quality Molinaro appreciates about Proviso D209 in Forest Park.
“Proviso is a really large trade and union township,” she said. “So we really need to look at those opportunities as a high school district to partner with these opportunities within the trade and apprenticeships. Really promote that, because not everybody is meant for a fouryear university.”
As part of her college experience, Molinaro said she works as a tutor, which has given her first-hand experience tutoring for mer Proviso students at Triton College
While Molinaro said it isn’t only Proviso students who are struggling in writing when they get to college, she wants to work to provide the support she felt she needed when she was a student and ensure others, like her son, feel supported by the system.
“I wanted to get involved early so that public education at Proviso High School district was an option whether he could get into PMSA or not,” Molinaro said. “When I moved into this area eight years ago, a lot of families moved out.”
Editor ’s note:
In recent weeks, the Review has profiled five of the eight candidates for the Proviso Township High Schools board of education.
Thus far we’ve covered William Fisher, Nicole Molinaro, Rolandra Morris, Arbdella Patterson, Ebony “Nicki” Smith,
Parents and students aren’t reaping the benefits of the tax dollars that have gone into the district, she said.
“Public education is not a privilege. It is not something you should have to move to achieve or pay $20,000 a year to have your child get a good education.”
NICOLE ‘MOLLY’ MOLINARO Candidate
“Public education is not a privilege,” Molinaro said. “It is not something you should have to move to achieve or pay $20,000 a year to have your child get a good education.”
Proviso has the foundational qualities to make quality education possible and for the district to do better, she said/
Being civically engaged, including starting an ecological commission in Westchester, Molinaro said she has been out in the community and believes if Proviso is able to get a cohesive board, opportunities will arise for others to get involved
Molinaro also said the idea of a board mentorship and civic integrity engagement program would be beneficial for all.
“It is a non-partisan race for a reason, but it does not behave as a non-partisan board,” she said. “We need to get back to our core of civic integrity… we cannot continue to have politicians ruling or other mayors making decisions about the high schools when they have their own K-8 schools to worry about.”
To date we have been unable to reach Zihualpilli Hernandez, Jerry Jenkins or Candice Ross for interviews. Would love to include their profiles in our March 26 issue. We will need to hear no later than Friday, March 21 at 3 p.m. to schedule an interview. Reach out to Dan Haley at dhaley@wjinc.com
As part of the Proviso 209 United slate, Molinaro said each candidate has skill sets that would benefit the entire township. Her background in underwriting has given her the experience of knowing how to read and apply policies.
Additionally, she said, it is also about making the board a more welcoming place for others, calling previous issues and drama “discouraging and intimidating.”
“If all of the drama and chaos is removed, is this something you would want to do? And I think a lot more people would consider it if it looked like it worked like it was designed to,” she said.
Molinaro said she would focus on ensuring equitable allocation of resources.
As a tutor at Triton College, Molinaro said she has met several Proviso students who did not receive the proper English-learning assistance they needed in high school to be able to properly move on to college This also applies to special education.
Additionally, how the curriculum is rolled out needs to be relooked at, she said, adding that there doesn’t seem to be much thought and discussion put behind it.
“What do we need to do? Where do we need to think creatively,” Molinaro said. “There are a lot of things happening in our country federally, so we really need to start looking where money is being allocated and making sure it is for students, and it is equitable in meeting each student where they are.”
It is not simple, she added, but she believes Proviso can get it done.
Correction
In last week’s print and digital Election Guide we incor rectly re ported the number of open seats on the District 209 Proviso High Schools Board of Education. There are four open seats in the April 1 election and there are eight candidates. We re gret this er ror.
Morris hopes to be parents’ voice on D209 board
She is running as part of the Proviso 209 United
By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Contributing Reporter
A concerned parent of Proviso High School Township District 209, Rolandra Morris felt frustrated with the lack of communication and accountability she was met with when trying to raise concerns with the board education -- so she decided to run for a seat during this upcoming April Consolidated Election.
“What really fired me up was one time when I reached out to a board member and was told my concerns were ‘irrelevant,’” Morris said, adding the response was a “blow to the chest.”
“As a parent, I felt devastated. I had never been told my concerns about my son were irrelevant and all while things at the schools were getting worse and worse,” she said. Morris, who said she strongly believes in the importance of parents being an active part of their children’s education, was no stranger to volunteering and advocating for students as she was an active member of the Bellwood School District 88 community
When her son began at Proviso West, she began getting active with Proviso D209. After seeing the same issues taking over all three schools in the district, Morris began “getting out there.”
Part of that began with attending school board meetings. Morris said she’s become a
fixture in the district to the point where security knows who she is.
Choosing to run for the board was a way to strengthen her voice and impact after tryin to voice various concerns over what is going on in Proviso 209’ hallways.
Once her son began attendin Proviso West, Morris said she constantly heard about fights students roaming the hallwa and no teachers in some classes
“And then you would reach out and they would make it seem like you were the problem,” Morris said. “Those are just some of the issues, I can go on and on and on about the problems they have faced. Teachers were just leaving. Why were teachers just leaving?”
Morris recalled her own high school, and while it was “great,” she said it was disheartening to realize that despite moving out of the city of Chicago to give her children a better opportunity, which wasn’t the experience she found in D209.
That is where her strong passion for parent involvement comes in.
stant advocating for him, something she will bring to the district for all students.
“Everyone needs to be held accountable and evaluated, from the superintendent down to the custodian, the transparency has to be there.”
ROLANDA MORRIS Candidate
While her son is doing very well, Morris attributes part of that to her strong and con-
“Every parent is not available or capable of doing that so it is our job to make sure the kids are receiving the education they deserve,” Morris said.
Morris plans to strongly advocate for knowledge of the resources currently in the district.
“We have resources in our disrict, we need to make sure they are being used and allocated properly,” Morris said.
Evaluating what works and doesn’t work will help the district make those strategic decisions in a time where education across the country is facing a level of uncertainty.
“We know what is happening in the federal gover nment so we need to make sure our funds are fully utilized,” she added.
Safety is another high priority. Morris said she will work to ensure the safety team is fully staffed and properly trained, ensuring the schools are prepared to handle emergency situations and also providing services for mental health.
Communication, both with parents as well as students is also highly important, Morris said. Students need to know what the expec-
tations are and also be held accountable, she added.
That same accountability needs to encompass the district as a whole
“Everyone needs to be held accountable and evaluated,” Morris said. “From the superintendent down to the custodian. The transparency has to be there.”
If she wins a seat on the board, Morris said she would be fully capable of working alongside whoever else is elected and the current board members and the new superintendent.
Teamwork through a collaborative process is something Morris said her 20-year background in the mortgage and finance industry have taught her. They are skills she hopes to bring to the board.
“I always want to make sure I present myself with decorum, respect and transparency,” Morris said. “Just because I may not agree with that person’s opinion, they have a right to that opinion.”
It is about working together to figure out the best solution for students, Morris said. Morris said the district needs transparency and honesty.
“No more hiding,” Morris said. “We all know politics are going to be there but we want to make sure we are making the best decisions for the students, for the school district and not be influenced by the outside politics that are going on. That would be one of my main focuses and something I feel they should be really paying attention to.”
Morris is running as one fourth of the Proviso 209 United slate for the upcoming April Consolidated Election.
PENSIONS
from page 1
deficit continues growing, there could be serious consequences for the village in the next 15 years.
At the Feb. 24 village council meeting, Steve Rummel –a Forest Park resident, District 91 school board member and mayor-appointed trustee of the village’s police pension board – suggested that the village sell the Altenheim land that it owns to fund a small part of fire and police pensions.
The Altenheim, 7824 Madison St., provides housing for seniors. While the Altenheim owns the building, in 2001 the Village of Forest Park bought the surrounding 11 acres from the Altenheim for $3.6 million.
The last week of February, village tenheim property with an appraiser to find out how much its portion is worth. Though the appraiser hasn back to the village with an amount, the land depend on its future use. If the village the land to, keeps the land as vacant erty will be less valuable than if it
The village is looking into two Altenheim transactions: purchasing about 20 feet in from the curb the length of the Altenheim property to accommodate the Van Buren Bi Path; and selling back to the Altenheim to the building’s west and 0.8 acres around the south and west sides – a sale the Altenheim proposed last August to add green space, parking and a to the building’s exterior
“It’s the back portion that’s really going to capture the highest cost per square foot,” St e, public health and safety, told the Review. According to the village’s original purchase of the land, the area south of the building is limited to R2 development for townhomes or row houses. “Almost anything within reason is on the table in terms of what we ’re going to see there.”
plan, we’ve got somebody selected to make the improvements and we can get rolling,” Glinke said.
The
pension problem
The amount of money that’s recommended to go into pension funds is determined by actuarial science. Actuaries determine funding needs based on pension assets and liabilities, plus demog raphics and economic factors.
Last May, the police pension board’s actuary recommended that the village contribute $3,875,689 to the pension fund in the 2025 fiscal year. Forest Park’s budget for the 2025 fiscal year projects funneling $2.8 million into police pensions – $1 million less than suggested.
But that $1 million is necessary for the village to function. Entler said that’s the cost to fund a major water proj-
Selling the village land could provide a few million dollars that would make no more than a 2% dent in funding the village’s pensions, according to Village Administrator Rachell Entler.
“It’s going to put us in a positive direction, but it’s not going to dig us out of a huge hole,” she said.
“It would buy us time,” Rummel told the Review. “That would put it right about where we were when I first came onto the pension board.”
When Rummel joined the police pension board in 2019, he said the police pension was underfunded by $38 million. Last May, it was underfunded by over 60%, or $41 million.
“Any little bit helps, but whatever revenue we get from the Altenheim is not going to move the funding levels,” Glinke said. “We need to get it of f our books. That’s the bottom line. It’s probably equal parts asset and liability,” since the village pays to maintain the property, but hasn’t done much with the 11 acres in over 20 years.
But Glinke is confident that the village will deal with the Altenheim property this year – whether funds from that sale go toward pensions or not.
“Hopefully by the beginning of 2026 we’ve got a game
If that quota isn’t met, pension funds can intercept stateshared revenues, such as sales and income tax, to meet the minimum requirement. And that could eventually impact the village’s police and fire departments.
“At some point, if we can no longer af ford to fund the pensions, we won’t be able to hire firefighters, we won’t be able to keep our firefighters on,” Entler said. “We could be looking at not having fire services because we won’t be able to adequately provide for the benefits related to being a firefighter or a police officer.”
Myers said younger firefighters looking for jobs have more access to information about the state of pensions than he did, which affects their choice about where to work.
“When they see a pension fund that’s funded at 30%, if they don’ t see a healthy village that has the ability to g enerate revenue … you might not come here,” Myers said. “That is a constraint when it comes to our ability e.”
would put it right about where we were when I rst came onto the pension board.”
STEVE RUMMEL
en they see a pension fund that’s funded at 30%, if they don’t see a healthy village that has the ability to generate revenue … you might not come here.”
TRAVIS MYERS
ect, cover a large chunk of a new fire truck, or close to the entire annual budget for the Howard Mohr Community Center.
And the fire pension is in worse shape than the police’s – about 30% funded, according to Travis Myers, a Forest Park firefighter who’s on the fire pension board.
The village’s police and fire pensions are collectively about 35% funded, but they’re supposed to be 90% funded by 2040, according to state statute.
he light at the end of the tunnel is a train’
“What happens if the pension fund runs dry?” Rummel asked rhetorically. “When it becomes illiquid, there’s no more money, [we] can’t cut checks. What happens?”
Based on Rummel’s personal assessment, at the rate Foris going, it could be less than 15 years before the police pension runs dry. Rummel said he tried to get an actuary to give him such an estimate, and when Rummel presented an unofficial 15-year timeline, an actuary told s not implausible.
Both Rummel and Myers shared the story of what happened in south suburban Harvey after it failed to make required payments into its pensions for over a decade, leaving it with a 51% funded police pension and 22% funded fire pension in 2016. According to Illinois Policy, Illinois’ First District Appellate Court ordered Harvey to increase property taxes to pay for its pensions in 2017. A year later, Harvey laid of f 18 firefighters and 13 policemen.
Rummel foresees a similar path for Forest Park. If the village became a home-rule municipality, it could raise various taxes and assess fees, and address pension debt with bond issues – which are like loans, but the village would have a legal obligation to make re gular payments on them. Bonds could pay for the underfunded deficit, but the village would still need to increase its payments to adequately fund pensions.
If property taxes or other fees rise significantly, Rummel said it would likely force many Forest Parkers out.
“Half the town would not be able to stay here,” Rummel said. “If you’ re making less than six figures, you’ re not staying.”
Rummel said that after he spoke with an actuary, he learned that it’s much higher risk and harder to dig out of a hole if the village dips to pensions funded below 20% – a statistic that led Rummel to give public comment at a village council meeting.
“That is why you see me get this work done,” Rummel said. “That’s why you see me yelling at people about this. The light at the end of the tunnel is a train.”
Car accident turns into physical altercation
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
Police responded to Dunlop Avenue on March 14 for a report that one car hit another and a man and woman were arguing and getting physical. When they arrived, police reported that a man was laying in the grass and said he was pepper sprayed. He told police he was getting a car seat and someone took his vehicle before he became uncooperative with officers, not answering questions, then walking away The witness who called told police he saw an SUV hit a van. He said a woman got out of the van and started kicking the SUV, then she and a man started getting physical with each other. The woman told the witness not to call the police before she pepper sprayed the man and drove off in the SUV. Just after midnight, the man came to the police department to report his SUV stolen. He said he didn’t want to pursue charges against the woman, who he has been in a relationship with for three years and has a child with. He told police that she followed him to an event he attended at Proviso West, then he followed her car to try and get the car seat in it. The woman arrived at the police station in the man’s car during the conversation. She said she contacted him to discuss co-parenting and the man used his car to block her path, so she got out of her car and they got into an altercation. She said she pepper sprayed him when she started fearing for her safety, since he’s been abusive and threat-
Possible sale of property
from page 6
The path to funding pensions
The village is looking at new for ms of revenue that can go toward funding police and fire pensions.
While revenue from any sale of villageowned land, like the Altenheim property, could make a dent in funding pensions, officials also mentioned diverting sales and property tax revenue generated by Parkway Dispensary and the other two approved mar-
ened her life before. No one was charged, but police gave them both domestic abuse pamphlets and they parted. The man came back to the police station an hour later to report his wallet missing from his SUV.
Robbery
On March 11, police were dispatched to the CTA Harlem Blue Line station just before 3 a.m. for a theft. There, a man told police that he was walking on Harlem Avenue when two men crossed the street to approach him. One demanded he give them money for the train. When the man told them he didn’t have any, they took his backpack and looked through it They stole a pair of sunglasses, then went to get on the Harlem Blue Line station. At the Des Plaines station, police stopped two suspects that matched the victim’s description. The victim positively identified the two men, who were placed into custody and charged with one count of robbery each.
Assault
After 6 p.m. on March 12, police arrived at the Forest Park Public Library, where a man yelled at staff and threw a book at one of them, according to the police report Police found the suspect walking on Des Plaines Avenue. The man told them staff started yelling at him for masterbating in the library, so he grabbed a book off the shelf and threw it before leaving. Library staff told police that the man came in and was looking over the front counter. When
ijuana dispensaries into the pension fund. At this point, though, officials don’t have an estimate of how much that will be.
Rummel suggested that the village explore bond issues, which could improve the village’s credit rating and appeal to potential lenders and investors.
Others suggest pension refo rm at the state level.
“The pension thing’s a mess. It always has been, it always will be,” Glinke said. “And until there is meaningful pension reform, we’re going to continue to chase our tail.”
Potential ways to reform pensions could be addressing the state’s Public Safety Employee Benefits Act, which says that, for law enforcement or fire personnel who are catastrophically injured in the line of duty, the village must pay the premium of the injured
they asked him what he was doing, he became agitated and threw a book, police said. The man was trespassed from the library for three years and charged with assault.
Retail theft
On March 12, police were called to Aldi when two men were seen filling bags with merchandise, estimated later to be worth nearly $230. Police made contact with a man on Harlem Avenue who matched the description. He gave them a false name and date of birth. The man was taken into custody and told police he is homeless and sells the stolen products on the street for money. He was charged with one count of retail theft and one count of obstructing identification.
On March 13, police arrived at Aldi, where an employee told them that a man walked out without paying, got in a white Chevrolet truck and drove away. When police found the registered owner of the car and called him, he denied being at Aldi and stealing. After police saw video surveillance of the account and called him again, the man came to the police station that evening to return the stolen merchandise. He told police that he recently lost his job and made a bad decision. He was charged with retail theft.
Also on March 13, police responded to Walgreens for a report of two men who took several toiletries without paying. Oak Park police found an offender in an alley with the stolen merchandise, which was estimated to
employee’s health insurance plan for the employee, the employee’s spouse and dependents.
“It’s something that is frequently abused,” said Glinke, who served as Forest Park’s fire chief and as a firefighter for 25 years.
He also raised concern for double pensions. For example, Glinke will collect pension payments from working for the Forest Park Fire Department and from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund – though he asked to opt out of the latter when he became director of public health and safety and was told he couldn’t.
“I was a proponent of moving things out of the local control and having a bigger pool of money to invest, and reducing the fee structuring,” Myers said. But he adds that pension reform would be costly. “They don’t want to
be over $400. Forest Park police took the man into custody. He only spoke Spanish and, through a Spanish-speaking officer, told them that he did steal the items. The man said he is a Venezuelan immigrant who is unhoused and is on electronic monitoring for immigration violation, according to the police report He was charged with one count of retail theft.
Vehicle theft
At the car dealership at 7901 W. Roosevelt Road, the general manager arrived at work March 15 to find the entrance gate opened and damaged, according to the police report. He told police that a few cars blocking other entrances had broken windows. One had a tampered fuse box under its hood, leading police to believe someone attempted to steal it. Surveillance video shows two men entering the dealership, breaking windows and entering the cars. No one has been charged.
These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated March 11 - 16 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.
do pension reform without an additional revenue source, and I don’t know where that revenue source is going to come from.”
If the revenue source is increased property taxes, locals should know why exactly that’s happening
Rummel suggested attending pension board meetings and setting up time to talk with board members about Forest Park’s pension problem.
“People in this town and this country need to be willing to do a little bit of homework and required reading,” he said.
A culture of transparency around the village’s pensions can only help, acknowledging the problem in order to address it.
“Past practice has been to kick the can down the road,” Entler said, “and we’re trying to correct that now.”
She grew up at Goldyburgers, now Sullivan vies for ‘Top Chef ’
Using skills honed on Circle Avenue, executive chef at Monteverde makes it to national TV
By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Contributing Reporter
Local chef Bailey Sullivan is a contestant on season 22 of Bravo’s hit reality TV cooking show Top Chef. The first episode aired on Thursday, March 13, with the winner to be crowned, or should we say toqued, in June.
Sullivan practically grew up in a restaurant. Her parents Mike and Terry Sullivan bought Forest Park favorite Goldyburgers in 1981, before she was born
“I attribute a lot of where I am right now because of the time I spent growing up with my dad at Goldy’s,” said Sullivan, who was recently promoted to executive chef at Chicago’s Monteverde. “I got to see the relationship that my dad had with so many people, the staf f, the re gulars. That strong sense of community, at an early age,
was something that I realized I wanted for myself.”
The cooking bug bit early too.
“When she was very young, she was always interested in cooking,” said her dad, Mike Sullivan. “There used to be a cooking school on Madison Street called Flavor. They had classes for kids. Every birthday, Christmas, anything, that’s all she ever wanted was another cooking class.”
“I went to the first class, and I think I was like 10,” Bailey Sullivan said. “At that point they don’t let you hold a knife yet and I remember going home a little disappointed. And my dad was like, maybe we could talk to them about it.”
“Because she was so serious about it, they made an exception in her case,” said Mike Sullivan.
“He’s just always had my back and always supported the dream, mom as well,”
said Bailey Sullivan.
After high school in LaGrange, Sullivan enrolled at Kendall Colle ge to study career in the business. She landed an internship at Acadia, then a job at Yusho Logan Square. After graduation she joined Michelin-star red Parachute, before tling in at Monteverde, (1020 W. Madison St., Chicago) in 2016.
Monteverde owner, chef and Top Chef season 9 finalist Susan Grueneberg could tell that Sullivan had the right instincts and drive.
“She has proven to be the type of who not only has a great influence on our menu, but she’s cultivated lasting relationships with everyone in her midst, from our network of far mers and purveyors to fellow teammates to our guests,” said Grueneberg. “It’s been an honor to watch her evolve and grow.”
That belief in Sullivan’s abilities led Grueneberg and her partners to promote Bailey to executive chef at the restaurant earlier this month.
For now, the action is on TV. Sullivan moved through episode one without elimination. Her risk-taking risotto was rated by the judges as not the worst they’d eaten during the competitions.
“Going on any reality TV, I think it’s always a little bit of a risk, right?” said Sullivan.
But Top Chef is special. It has been on her radar for a long time.
“When I was young my mom told me about this new show on Bravo all about cooking,” Sullivan said. “And when I watched it made me realize that cooking could be something done at a higher level than I had ever seen before.”
The show’s pressure cooker atmosphere is a crucible.
“You get to learn a lot about yourself and not just who you are at the shop, but who you are as a person,” Sullivan said. “Of course it’s risky, but sometimes you have to put yourself out there and take that risk. And you hope it pays of f.”
Locally, Goldyburgers (7316 Circle Ave.,
Forest Park) plans to tune their TVs to the Bravo show each Thursday night. Sullivan’s brother Nick is at the helm of the restaurant now.
“We kind of ended up being a restaurant family,” Mike Sullivan said. “I am very proud of my kids. They’re just the nicest, kindest people you want to meet.”
Now that Bailey Sullivan has made it to Top Chef, she wants to re present herself, her family and her home well.
“I’m just incredibly grateful for the opportunities I’ve been given,” she said. “I’m incredibly proud to re present Chicago. You know, growing up in the suburbs, moving into the city, I just could not be more proud to have the opportunity to re present Chicago. I love it so much.”
Tune in:
PROVIDED Bailey Sullivan, ‘Top Chef ‘portrait PROVIDED
DESERVES TO BE SAFE. EVERY CHILD DESERVES THE CHANCE TO THRIVE. today. Become a Foster Parent. EVERY CHILD DESERVES TO BE SAFE. EVERY CHILD DESERVES THE CHANCE TO THRIVE. Learn more today.
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Terra Incognito Studio and Gallery has proudly called Oak Park home for over 30 years. We welcome you to make it your studio as well.
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Make Math Make Sense for your kids this summer!
Mathnasium’s summer program is convenient for parents and families, as it can be scheduled around summer camp, sports, and vacations! Each child is taught the way they learn best, so they’re able to develop a love for math and achieve their goals. And it’s a fun and engaging activity all on its own! Math-focused games and activities are incorporated into the learning in a lively and supportive atmosphere for a truly enjoyable summer experience. And because they’re having fun, they’re likely to have gained a new level of enthusiasm for the subject and be more eager to apply themselves when school begins.
We tailor a customized learning plan to account for the goals of the individual, whether they need to:
• Close gaps
• Improve fact fluency in addition/ subtraction or multiplication
• Improve problem solving
• Get a sneak peak at the material they will face in the fall
• Become “algebra ready” for their Integrated math course
• Get ready for SAT/ACT tests
Come see what our program offers, how we can appropriately challenge your student and the strategy for moving your student mathematically forward. The customized curriculum is designed for your student based on a grade level assessment, so you truly know if they are sufficiently prepared for the new content headed their way next fall.
It’s true. The needs of academically gifted & talented students can easily fall through the cracks as continued priorities on testing drive schools to teach to a standardized grade level response. The phrase genius denied refers to those who will suffer a profound gap between their fullest potential and what little is asked of them, particularly when one size just doesn’t fit all.
Perhaps this is part of the reason why schooling for the gifted and neurodivergent can be a boring and isolating experience.
Ask a neuro-atypical child what it’s like to learn with peers who learn differently, and the common reply will relate to waiting. Waiting for the other students to understand; waiting to be challenged more; waiting for answers to higher-level questions; waiting for something to inspire a desire to
Curious if Mathnasium is the right fit for your child? Come in for a FREE TRIAL SESSION to try it out! Call or text today to take advantage of early enrollment discounts! 708-613-4007.
PROVEN RESULTS
Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302 oakparkriverforest@mathnasium.com mathnasium.com/oakparkriverforest
mathnasium.com/oakparkriverforest
An Inspiring Opportunity for Gifted Students at Dominican
achieve; waiting… for someone to notice.
Summer enrichment programs for intellectually like-minded students provide inspiring opportunities for both academic and social growth. And quite often, a life defining experience. The Summer Gifted and Talented Program is hosted on the beautiful campus at Dominican University, where our classrooms are buzzing with ideas because we know that talent must be nurtured and fed to fully develop. For us, summer is the highlight of the year. It’s a time when we can feel free to be ourselves, motivated by the energy that comes with the joy of inspired learning.
Visit dom.edu/summergifted for more details about SGAT at Dominican University. Spring Registration is around the corner soon! Inspired Minds, Amazing Possibilities.
1 S. Waiola Ave, La Grange, IL 60525 lagrange@mathnasium.com mathnasium.com/lagrange
Summer Gifted and Talented Program
Summer Gifted and Talented Program
(SGAT) challenges and inspires highly motivated, academically gifted and talented students entering grades 2-8 in the fall with academic and social enrichment in Math,Science, Writing/Humanities, and Fine/ Performing Arts.
For program information, summer courses and application details, visit: www.dom.edu/summergifted
Questions?
Contact Program Director (remote): Janie Wu, jwu@dom.edu
Or SGAT Assistant (on-campus): Lauren Somers, lsomers@dom.edu
Serving the gifted and talented community since 1987.
Dominican University’s Summer Gifted and Talented Program (SGAT) challenges and inspires highly motivated, academically gifted and talented students entering grades 2-8 in the fall with academic and social enrichment in Math, Science, Writing/Humanities, and Fine/Performing Arts.
For program information, summer courses and application details, visit: www.dom.edu/summergifted
Questions? Contact off-campus Program Director Janie Wu at jwu@dom.edu, or on-campus SGAT Assistant
Janette Torres Arellano at jtorresarellano@dom.edu.
Oak Park home sells for $1.5 million
The following property transfers were re ported by the Cook County Clerk from January 2025. Where addresses appear incomplete, for instance where a unit number appears missing, that information was not provided by the clerk.
OUR VIEW
The pension abyss
There’s no future in ignoring underfunded pension obligations.
Forest Park, like most towns, has done that for way too long. And now the village is in a deep and deepening hole
Good for various public officials in varying roles who are speaking out about what is an imminent challenge and for talking to the Review’s Jessica Mordacq about the situation.
Here is what we ultimately know — if, in fact, we can ultimately know anything for certain these days — pensions will be paid. It is as close to a sacred obligation as a municipality can enter into. Police officers and firefighters sign on for dangerous duty, at what is now a fair wage, and the payoff is a guaranteed pension. It cannot go unpaid.
Steve Rummel, best known locally as a member of the District 91 school board, is also a member of the village’s police pension board. He sounded an alarm at a village council meeting in February. He estimates the police pension fund is about 15 years away from running out of money. Travis Myers is a Forest Park firefighter and a member of the fire pension board. And his department’s pension fund is even more poorly funded than the police.
Rachell Entler, village administrator, paints a dire picture of a town unable to retain a fire department not so very far in the future. Again, good for her, for being transparent about the depth of this problem.
What can be done? Forest Park needs to add new revenues. Home rule needs to be put back on the ballot as the best way to increase cash flow into the pensions. Diverting all proceeds from local pot sales into the pensions is a good idea, but not enough. We support the idea of putting the proceeds of any sale of a portion of the Altenheim land toward pensions. That however is predicated on the village holding and actually planning for the remaining 6-7 acres as perpetually open space.
The village, which talks up its solid connections in Springfield, needs to lead on statewide pension reform There is no need for two local pension boards. There is a case for all these local boards, and their costs, to be aggregated across Illinois, as is the case with teacher pensions. Paying double pensions should be limited. There are refor ms to be made. There is no time to waste
John Rice’s so-long
Today’s Review carries what is purportedly John Rice’s final column for the paper. We have hopes that he will, once in a while, find a topic so compelling, so clearly “self-serving malarkey,” that he will drop a column in our email.
Meanwhile, a proper thanks to John for 26 years of turning out a weekly column that was always about Forest Park The column was the essence of this village: Connecting, Loving, only once in a while with a gentle kick in the pants.
John, for many years, was a matched set with Jackie Schulz, our late and much-missed Talk of the Town columnist. Both practiced the fine art of “column-writing-by-walking-around.” Take a walk. Show up at an event. Share a beer. Shop on Madison. Voila, a column idea. Might be a new business, a new neighbor, some sliver of local history. Enough to write a worthy 600 words.
John has earned his retirement, finally realizing that, while a weekly column in the local paper may feel like a life sentence, there can be an escape. All our best to John and his family.
OPINION
Lent: a
time
to learn how to disagree better
Donald Trump likes to call those who oppose him “the enemies within.”
For Progressives, the feeling is mutual
In both cases the word “within” means within our country.
In contrast, the three religious traditions that trace their origins back to Abraham, each have seasons in which they focus on another enemy within, the enemy within ourselves. Christians are in the middle of Lent. Muslims are keeping Ramadan from Feb. 28 until March 30, and Jews will focus on repentance and atonement on Yom Kippur this coming October.
On Ash Wednesday I confessed:
HOLMES
That I have not loved my neighbor as myself,
That I have not forgiven others.
My unfaithfulness, pride, envy, hypocrisy, and apathy,
My self-indulgent appetites and exploitation of other people,
My neglect of human suffering,
My indifference to injustice and cruelty,
My false judgments, uncharitable thoughts toward my neighbors,
My prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from me,
My waste and pollution of creation,
My lack of concer n for those who come after me.
All of the above is like a spiritual cluster bomb. Surely at least one of the sins mentioned will hit the mark. With me, it’s a lot more than one.
Confessing what I have failed to do reveals who I want to be, a picture of who I really am. Christians and Jews claim that humans have been created in the image of God
Talk about high self-esteem!
I wish I had a bitcoin for every time I’ve heard someone say, “I’m a good person. I don’t steal. I haven’t killed anyone. I pay my taxes, and I vote.”
That’s it?
Talk about low self-worth! Talk about judging oneself according to the lowest ethical standard possible. A bar you can easily step over. Don’t even have to jump. Don’t have to stretch ethically.
Consider the recent blowup in the Oval Office. One friend told me that Zelensky started it. Another called it an ambush by Trump and Vance. You have to blame someone for starting it don’t you?
A low ethical bar perspective says, “The other side started it. I’m just responding in kind. An eye for an eye.”
But what if you see yourself as being created in God’s image, as being, as we say these days, the adult in the room? What if you are not responsible for the wrong done, but nevertheless have the response-ability to refuse to perpetuate the cycle of violence?
What if you as a politician say, “I will work for you” instead of “I will fight for you”?
I’m not talking about semantics here. I’m talking about an introspective perspective that attends to the enemy within ourselves before trying to deal with what we perceive to be the enemy outside ourselves, aka “the other guy.”
Take the log out of your own eye, the ancient text tells us, and you’ll be able to see clearly enough to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.
James Hoggan wrote a book titled, I’m Right and You’ re an Idiot, in which he argues that “the most pressing environmental problem we face today is not climate change. It is pollution in the public square, where a smog of adversarial rhetoric, propaganda and polarization stifles discussion and debate, creating resistance to change and thwarting our ability to solve our collective problems.”
I wish I had a bitcoin for every time I heard one of my progressive neighbors say, “MAGAs are just a bunch of uneducated idiots.”
A few weeks ago I went to a workshop called, “How to Disagree Better,” put on by a national group called Braver Angels.
In that workshop we were told that the way to begin disagreeing better is to listen to people with whom you disagree — who think differently than you do — so well that when they are finished laying out their point of view, you are able to repeat back to them accurately what they just said.
Listening well can break down defensiveness in others and build trust. It means that I approach the “other” not as an enemy but as a potential ally, like I would talk to my spouse whom I love when I disagree with her
Julian Adorney is a member of Braver Angels who has posted online how he views the solution to our “cultural environmental problem.”
No more ‘self-serving malarkey’
After 26 years of writing weekly columns for the Forest Park Review, I am retiring. Writing for the Review fulfilled a life-long dream. After composing more than 1,300 columns, I’m leaving with no re grets
I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity to write for the Review. My family and I are also thankful for this community. We still socialize with the neighbors we met in 1982. Our kids are still hanging out with their childhood friends. There is no one as loyal and downto-earth as Forest Park friends, and they’ve always been there for us
many humble, unassuming peole who didn’t know how comelling their stories were. I was struck by how many had longstanding roots in town.
We don’t just have long-term esidents; we have longstanding businesses that continue to thrive. Our cemeteries were always good for a story. I also loved ntroducing new businesses. I hoped to give business owners the exposure they needed to succeed.
ment, the Review was inducted into the Hall of Fame
My main goal, though, was to give all of you a break from hard news. I didn’t like writing serious columns about real problems. I wanted the column to be fun. Occasionally, I came up with humor pieces. Sometimes, readers needed a break from essays, so I wrote columns of one-liners.
I started writing for the Review 37 years ago. In the beginning, I wrote advertisements and covered high school sports and worked my way up to writing columns
I wrote my first column on my wife’s birthday, Oct. 2, 1999. She has always been a good sport about my sharing our family life with all of you. Our kids also didn’t mind being occasional subjects for a column. I’m sure many of you feel like you got to know our family. Our kids connected us to the community
Aside from sharing personal experiences, I was happy to profile others. I interviewed
From HOLMES on pa ge 16
He begins with a clarifying statement. “Civility isn’t just a desire to find common ground, or to bury our differences and sing kumbaya with people who disagree with us. It’s not a desire for ideological unity, a jettisoning of our core convictions, or a refusal to engage in healthy conflict.”
The great scientist, Archimedes, made his famous statement, “Give me a place on which to stand, and I will move the earth.”
Taking the log out of my own eye is a really good place to stand. Wanting to reconcile with you rather than defeat you, a good place to begin.
This Lent, how about instead of fasting from chocolate, let’s fast from the need to win and lear n to disagree better?
I wrote these as human-interest stories, not advertisements. These brave entrepreneurs told me what led them to start a shop, a restaurant, or a store. When I wrote about a new plumbing business in town, a reader knocked on my door to get the phone number.
I also enjoyed promoting nonprofit businesses and the causes they supported. Sometimes I was approached by families who needed their fundraiser publicized. It was a win-win for me. They needed help and I needed a topic
Finding topics was the hardest part of the job. Fortunately, Forest Park has been the gift that keeps giving. We have such a rich history; it’s given me material for several books We also have 16-inch softball. We provided such great coverage of the No Gloves Tourna-
I made some wonderful friends through the column. I was happy to write their life stories. I also celebrated the accomplishments of young people. Some of them even had opportunities to write for the paper.
I appreciated the feedback I got from readers. I had so many chance encounters on the street with readers who said they read my column. My standard joke was, “That makes two of us.” I was grateful for supportive comments and didn’t mind the occasional criticism — such as the quote in the headline above.
Over the years, the Review has changed along with my circumstances. We have six grandsons to keep us busy. I volunteer as an ESL tutor at Triton. My wife and I have taken some fabulous vacations. We also belong to a health club, where I work out on the track and exercise my brain by playing bridge.
Wait, I do have one regret: I only learned to type with two fingers
But I’m waving farewell with both hands.
OB ITUAR Y
Dolores Dunne, 94
Active St. Bernardine parishioner
Dolores Dunne, 94, a longtime resident of Forest Park, died peacefully on Feb. 12, 2025, surrounded by family, ending her six-year battle with dementia. Born in 1930, she moved from Chicago to Forest Park in 1959 and spent her final years with her son, Raymond, and daughter-inlaw, Linda, living in North Port, Florida. She was a longtime member of St. Bernardine Church and actively served its many organizations and clubs, most notably the Altar and Rosary Society and the Mothers’ Club. Additionally, she and Bill were proud members of the local Eagles Lodge. Her career spanned many years at Oak Park Hospital serving the Physical Therapy Department where she greatly enjoyed meeting new patients
After the death of her spouse in 2008, she moved to The Altenheim in Forest Park and developed numerous and deep friendships. Over the years she baked many a birthday cake and spread warmth by crocheting blankets, gifting them to new babies, friends, and strangers alike. She was an extremely caring soul whose legacy of kindness, laughter and smiles will be cherished.
Dolores was married to William (Bill) Dunne and is survived by her daughters, Gloria Dunne and Darlene Dunne; and her sons, Robert (Jeanne Lynch) Dunne, and Raymond (Linda Kline) Dunne; and her six grandchildren, Matthew Conway, Scott Conway, Amanda (Pope) Berlowitz, Patrick Dunne, Jessica (Dunne) Davis, and Kevin Dunne; and her 11 great-grandchildren, Penelope and Tess Conway, Amanda “AJ” and Addison Berlowitz, Charleigh, Jameson, and August Conway, Baylin and Declan Dunne, and Knox and Gannon Dunne
A memorial Mass is planned for Aug. 16, 2025 at St. Bernardine Church, Forest Park, at 10 a.m. If you choose to make a donation in her honor, please do so to the Smile Train.
Interim
Executive Director Max Reinsdorf
Sta Repor ter Jessica Mordacq
Digital Manager Stacy Coleman
Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan
Contributing Editor Donna Greene
Contributing Reporters Tom Holmes, John Rice, Jackie Glosniak, Robert J. Li a
Columnists Alan Brouilette, Jill Wagner, Tom Holmes, John Rice
Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead
Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea
Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza
Marketing & Adver tising Associate Ben Stumpe
Senior Media Strategist Lourdes Nicholls
Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan
Circulation Manager Jill Wagner
Special Projects Manager Susan Walker Senior Advisor Dan Haley
Board of Directors
Chair Eric Weinheimer
Treasurer Nile Wendorf
Deb Abrahamson, Mary Cahillane Steve Edwards, Judy Gre n, Horacio Mendez, Charles Meyerson, Darnell Shields, Audra Wilson
HOW TO REACH US
ADDRESS 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE 708-366-0600 ■ FAX 708-467-9066
Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Forest Park Review,141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302-2901. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS No 0205-160) In-county subscriptions: $38 per year. $70 for two years, $93 for three years. Out-of-county subscriptions: $58 per year. Forest Park Review is published digitally and
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION FIRST SAVINGS BANK Plaintiff, -v.-
DDI HOLDINGS LLC, AN ILLINOIS LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY; TANPHI WELLNESS INC., AN ILLINOIS CORPORATION; SPINOX1 INC., AN ILLINOIS CORPORATION; DONALD OLIPHANT; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS
Defendants
2023 CH 03962 6201 - 6209 WEST NORTH AVE OAK PARK, IL 60302
NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Order of Default, Default Judgment, Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, and Appointing Selling Officer entered in the above cause on February 22, 2024, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on March 28, 2025, 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 6201 - 6209 WEST NORTH AVE, OAK PARK, IL 60302
Property Index No. 16-05-102032-0000
The real estate is one-story commercial building. The judgment amount was $2,667,110.06.
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, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. 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 Paulina Garga-Chmiel, DYKEMA GOSSETT PLLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 10 SOUTH WACKER DRIVE, SUITE 2300, CHICAGO, IL, 60606 (312) 876-1700. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION
One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE
You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc. com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. Paulina Garga-Chmiel DYKEMA GOSSETT PLLC 10 SOUTH WACKER DRIVE, SUITE 2300 CHICAGO IL, 60606 312-876-1700
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION US BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR VRMTG ASSET TRUST Plaintiff vs. UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF ROSIE L. SIMPSON; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF ERNEST ROGER BRYANT; DENISE LASHONE COLLINS; ERSKINE LATRELL RICKS; KENOSHA DEANNA RICKS; DENOTA C. RICKS AKA DEONTE C. RICKS; REGGIE L. RICKS AKA REGGIE RICKS; ROSIE RICKS AKA ROSE RICKS; ANDREA LYNETTE COLLINS; AMIR MOHABBAT AS SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR ROSIE L. SIMPSON; ERNEST R. RICKS; FIFTH THIRD BANK, N.A. S/I/I FIFTH THIRD BANK; RAYMOND E. RICKS; LATASHA D. RICKS; EARNESTINE RICKS; KENTON K. RICKS; RAQKOWN D. RICKS; DEMARCUS M. COLLINS; SHANNON RICKS; CORNELIUS RICKS; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendant 24 CH 393 CALENDAR 62 NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause Intercounty Judicial Sales Corporation will on April 8,
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
2025, at the hour 11:00 a.m., Intercounty’s office, 120 West Madison Street, Suite 718A, Chicago, IL 60602, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate:
P.I.N. 15-10-319-012-0000.
Commonly known as 602 S. 21st Ave., Maywood, IL 60153.
The real estate is: single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act. Sale terms:
At sale, the bidder must have 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 hours, by certified funds. No refunds. The property will NOT be open for inspection. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information.
For information call Sales Department at Plaintiff’s Attorney, Diaz Anselmo & Associates P.A., 1771 West Diehl Road, Suite 120, Naperville, IL 60563. (630) 453-6960. 1496-197806
“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: M25000281 on March 5, 2025 Under the Assumed Business Name of COOPERATIVE PHYSIOTHERAPY with the business located at: 949 GARFIELD ST, OAK PARK, IL 60304. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: MARA HUTTON 1108 MARENGO, FOREST PARK 60130, USA.
Published in Forest Park Review March 19, 26, April 2, 2025
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: M25000278 on March 4, 2025 Under the Assumed Business Name of JENNY KELLY ART with the business located at: 941 BONNIE BRAE PLACE, RIVER FOREST, IL 60305. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: JENNIFER KELLY 941 BONNIE BRAE PLACE, RIVER FOREST, IL 60305, USA.
Published in Wednesday Journal March 12, 19, 26, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICE
ADVERTISEMENT OF BIDDING Request for bids for the “Field Center Construction” Project in Field Park at 935 Woodbine. Oak Park Il. 60302
Owner: Park District of Oak Park 218 Madison St, Oak Park, IL 60302
The Park District of Oak Park will accept sealed bids for the “Field Center Construction” located in Field Park at 935 Woodbine, Oak Park, IL 60302. The project generally consists of the new construction of a 4600 square foot facility, grading, sitework, utilities, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, geothermal wells, landscaping, roofing, concrete work, rammed earth exterior and more. The Park District of Oak Park will receive individual sealed Bids until 10:00 a.m. (Central time) on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at 218 Madison St., Oak Park, IL. The bidding documents and requirements will be available on the Demand Star website as of 12 pm, Monday, March 24th, 2025. An optional pre-bid walk-thru is scheduled for 10 am, April 9th, 2025, at Field Park, 935 Woodbine, Oak Park, Il. 60302. Bid bonds will be required by bidding contractors. Copies of the bidding specifications available at https://www.demandstar.com/ app/buyers/bids/493758/details For additional information, contact Chris Lindgren at chris.lindgren@ pdop.org or 708-725-2050. Only bids prepared in compliance with the bidding documents will be considered. Project must adhere to the Prevailing Wage Act of 2024. The Park District of Oak Park encourages minority and women owned business firms to submit bids for this project.
Park District of Oak Park
By: Sandy Lentz, Secretary Park District of Oak Park 218 Madison St. Oak Park, IL 60302
Published in Wednesday Journal March 19, 2025
OAK PARK TOWNSHIP NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to the legal voters, residents of the Town of Oak Park, County of Cook, and State of Illinois, that the Annual Town Meeting of said Town, will take place on Tuesday, April 8, 2025,at the Oak Park Library, 834 Lake St., in the Town of Oak Park, at the hour of 6:30 p.m., for the transaction of the business of the Town; and a Moderator having been elected, will proceed to hear and consider reports of officers, and decide on such measures as may, in pursuance of law, come before the meeting, following this agenda:
I. Call to Order
II. Pledge of Allegiance
III. Procedures for Meeting
IV. Supervisor’s Annual Financial Statements
NOTICES
V. Election of Moderator
VI. Township Year in Review:
• COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH BOARD
• ASSESSOR
• SENIOR AND DISABILITY SERVICES
• YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES
• GENERAL AND EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE
• RESIDENT SERVICES
VII. Resolutions to Come Before the Electors:
VIII. Public Comments
IX. Adjournment
All interested citizens, groups, senior citizens and organizations representing the interests of senior citizens are encouraged to attend.
Oak Park Township does not discriminate on the basis of handicapped status in the admission or access to, or employment in its programs or activities. Those needing special accommodations are asked to provide 48 hours notice.
Given under my hand in the Town of Oak Park, County of Cook, State of Illinois, this 11th day of March, 2025.
DaToya Burtin-Cox Oak Park Township Clerk
Published in Wednesday Journal March 19, 2025
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Notice is hereby given by the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest, Cook County, Illinois, that sealed proposals will be accepted for:
2025 Lake Street Intersection Improvements - Design
The Village of River Forest is requesting proposals for professional engineering consultant services (“Consultant Services”), for completion of Design Engineering for the development of construction plans and specifications and IDOT permitting approval of spot intersection improvements along Lake Street from Edgewood Place to Bonnie Brae in the Village of River Forest. Lake Street is owned by IDOT but maintained by the Village through a maintenance agreement. It is expected that the consultant will review existing crossings between the aforementioned limits and provide any suggested improvements along with construction plan and contract preparation 4 intersections along the corridor. It is anticipated that curb extensions will need to be designed at 3 intersections and signage upgrades at 1 intersection that includes the installation of an Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB). It is expected that the consultant is familiar with and able to navigate the IDOT permitting process effectively. Respondents must be able to demonstrate expertise with all aspects of roadway related engineering tasks and bicycle and pedestrian improvements. Submittals should include the firm’s qualifications, project team, resumes, project approach, and recently completed related engineering work (high value will be placed on experience assisting municipalities with improvements similar in scope).
The proposal documents are available for download starting Friday, March 14, 2025 at:
www.vrf.us/bids
Proposals must be submitted by Friday, April 4, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at:
Village of River Forest
400 Park Avenue River Forest, IL 60305
The proposals will be publicly opened and read at that time. Proposals will be considered not only on the basis of cost, but also on past performance, experience and ability to perform the work.
No proposal shall be withdrawn after the opening of the Proposals without the consent of the President and Board of Trustees of the Village of River Forest for a period of thirty (30) days after the scheduled time of the bid opening.
The Village of River Forest reserves the right in receiving these proposals to waive technicalities and reject any or all proposals.
Published in Wednesday Journal March 19, 2025
RIVER FOREST TOWNSHIP
NOTICE OF ANNUAL TOWN MEETING
CONDUCTED IN PERSON AND ELECTRONICALLY TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN to the legal voters, residents of the Township of River Forest in the County of Cook and State of Illinois, that the Annual Town Meeting of the RIVER FOREST TOWNSHIP will take place on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, being the second Tuesday of said month, at 6:00 P.M. at the River Forest Community Center at 8020 Madison Street, Room 202, River Forest, Illinois 60305. If you would like to participate via zoom, please contact clerk@RiverForestTownship. org for the information.
The Electors present at the Annual Town Meeting, are meeting for the transaction of the miscellaneous business of the said Township; and after a Moderator having been elected, will proceed to hear and consider reports of officers, and decide on such measures as may, in pursuance of law, come before the meeting; and especially to consider and decide the following agenda:
1. Call to Order
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Clerk to Note Public Notice and Availability of Financial Statements and Posting Thereof
4. Execution of Affidavits of Standing as Electors
5. Selection of Moderator and Administration of Moderator Oath by Township Clerk
6. Approval of the Minutes of last Annual Town Meeting on April 9, 2024
7. Reports of Township Year In Review
a. General Assistance
Administrator
b. Township Youth and Family Services
c. Township Senior Services
d. River Forest Senior Outreach
Coordinator
e. River Forest Mental Health
Committee
f. Township Supervisor
g. Township Assessor
h. River Forest Civic Center
Authority Building Manager
8. Resolutions to come before the Electors - None Submitted
9. Public Comments
10. Proposed Date, Hour, and Place of 2026 Annual Town Meeting: a. April 14, 2026, being the second Tuesday, at 6:00 P.M.
b. River Forest Community Center 2nd Floor - 8020 Madison Street, River Forest 11. Adjournment
All interested citizens, groups and organizations representing the interests of senior citizens, youth & family services, mental health, and intellectual/developmental disabilities are encouraged to attend. River Forest Township does not discriminate on the basis of handicapped status; those needing special accommodations are asked to provide 48 hours notice to Clerk@ RiverForestTownship.org. Given under my hand in the Village of River Forest, County of Cook, State of Illinois, this 19th day of March, 2025.
MARGARET DETMER, River Forest Township Clerk
Published in Wednesday Journal March 19, 2025
Legal Notice
Village of River Forest Development Review Board
River Forest, Illinois Public notice is hereby given that a Public Hearing will be held by the Development Review Board of the Village of River Forest, County of Cook, State of Illinois, on Thursday, April 3, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. in the Community Room of the River Forest Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois on the following matter:
Application # 25-0009: Proposed Planned Development Ordinance: The applicant proposes to make improvements to Constitution Park including reconfiguring the playground, sand volleyball courts/ ice rink, and ballfield; and adding a picnic shelter with 2 single restrooms, and a sitting plaza. The Legal Description of the property is as follows: LOTS 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, AND 24. IN F. W. CREIGHTON’S SUBDIVISION OF THE NORTH TWELVE (12) ACRES OF THE SOUTH FORTY-TWO (42) ACRES OF THE EAST HALF (1/2) OF THE NORTH WEST QUARTER (1/4) OF SECTION ONE (1) TOWNSHIP THIRTY-NINE (39) NORTH, RANGE TWELVE (12) EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. The address of the property is as follows: 7715 Greenfield Street, River Forest, IL 60305. The applicant is: River Forest Park District.
All interested persons will be given the opportunity to be heard at the public hearing, the purpose of which is to take evidence on the Application for the Development Review Board and Village Board to consider. A copy of the application and meeting agenda will be available to the public at the Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, or at www.vrf.us.
Clifford Radatz
Secretary Development Review Board
Published in Wednesday Journal March 19, 2025
Submit events and see full calendar at forestparkreview.com/events
