New water reservoir likely option near the Blue Line
Commissioners lean toward building it at the CTA parking lot or the Altenheim, instead of rehabbing the existing Jackson Boulevard reservoir
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
Forest Park village commissioners may be one step closer to deciding what to do with the deteriorating Jackson Boulevard water reservoir underneath the Howard Mohr Community Center
At the March 10 village council meeting, Christopher B. Burke Engineering, the village’s engineering firm, gave a presentation on two potential locations to build new water
See RESERVOIR on page 8
From le , District 91 parent Myrna Barajas gathers information from Forest Park PTO members Andrea Marello and Kristin Pekoll during the resource fair at Saturday’s Forest Park Education Summit.
VOSS REPORTS ON PAGE 7
More “I’ll be there.”
More “I’ll be there.”
Less “Where have you been?”
Less “Where have you been?”
More “I’ll be there.”
As you get older, your risk of serious illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV is higher. Vaccines bring your risks down, so you can keep showing up. vaccines.gov
More “I’ll be there.”
As you get older, your risk of serious illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV is higher. Vaccines bring your risks down, so you can keep showing up. vaccines.gov
More “I’ll be there.”
Less “Where have you been?”
Less “Where have you been?”
Less “Where have you been?”
As you get older, your risk of serious illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV is higher. Vaccines bring your risks down, so you can keep showing up. vaccines.gov
As you get older, your risk of serious illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV is higher. Vaccines bring your risks down, so you can keep showing up. vaccines.gov
As you get older, your risk of serious illness from flu, COVID-19, and RSV is higher. Vaccines bring your risks down, so you can keep showing up. vaccines.gov
More “I’ll be there.” Less “Where have you been?”
More “I’ll be there.”
Less “Where have
Proviso 209 United slate are the only candidates who show up for the election forum
e virtual forum asked candidates about truancy, budgets and more
By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Contributing Reporter
(Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include a comment from the Proviso 209 United campaign about the absence of the competing candidates at the forum.)
The four candidates in the Proviso 209 United slate were the only participants in a March 18 Virtual Candidate Forum for the Proviso Township School Board 209 Election, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Park/River Forest.
The participants were newcomers Rolandra Morris, William Fisher, Nicole “Molly Bee” Molinaro and Ebony “Nicki” Smith, all of whom are running on the Proviso 209 United slate.
Candidates Zihualpilli Hernandez, Jerry Jenkins, Candice Ross and incumbent Arbdella “Della” Patterson, 209 Students First slate, were not in attendance.
The forum was held virtually in partnership with the Forest Park Public Library
“All candidates were invited to the forum,” said Peggy Kell, who served as moderator for the league. “Four of them did not respond to two letters sent to them. The candidates participating tonight are the only ones that responded and accepted the invite.”
It was a move Kell called “disappointing.”
Forest Park Review reached out to Patterson about not attending the debate but did not receive a response. Additionally, Forest Park Review has not been able to contact the three other candidates on the slate
In a statement on March 20, the Proviso 209 United campaign wrote, “We were disappointed by their absence because we were hoping to engage in a lively and informative conversation about what each of our slates could offer our schools and voters. Our slate is committed to making sure that we engage the community and articulate our goals and vision for our schools in District 209. We take each and every opportunity to speak to the community seriously.”
The participating candidates took turns answering questions involving different con-
cer ns in the district.
The first question of the evening was regarding the current truancy rate at Proviso high schools, which according to the Illinois Report Card, is 54%. Candidates answered what they believe the district should be doing to decrease those rates.
Morris gave the first answer of the night, saying there needs to be community and parent engagement with the district, adding it “plays a big part.” Additionally, Morris said she appreciated Superintendent Krish Mohip’s new “BAG” report which allows parents to know where their child stands on tardiness and absences.
“I think we need to continue to give him the support he needs to keep implementing proven practices and then we need to evaluate those and make sure they are being effective,” Morris said.
out what is going on and how we can help.”
With district spending and funds long being called into question, candidates answered their second question: How will you ensure that the district’s budget is used effectively to benefit students and teachers?
Molinaro agreed in continuing support for these new practices, saying it comes down to accountability but also stressed connection with students to figure out the “why” behind the absences
For Molinaro, the solution could lie with identifying the needs and gaps to find appropriate solutions. Additionally, taking another look at administrative salaries can be beneficial. In terms of the budget, Fisher said with the current federal plan to cut education funds nationwide the district might face challenges in the upcoming year in addition to COVID funds running out.
As the district re-evaluates its allocation of funds, Fisher said it will be important to try to fill those inevitable gaps using state and other philanthropic grants.
PROVIDED
Prov iso 209 United slate (clockwise from top le ): Nicole Molinaro, Rolandra Morris, William Fisher, Ebony Nicki Smith
Fisher echoed those sentiments of support and implementation of those policies across all three schools. He asked for evaluations so that those policies can be altered or changed if needed, moving away from a “one-size-fitsall” approach from the district.
“Further, evaluate the strategies over time to see what worked, what didn’t and how we can improve for next school year,” he said.
Smith said early prevention is “key.”
“We can’t wait until day 30 to figure out what is going on with students,” Smith said.
“Once you start to see an extensive pattern of kids not coming to school you have to communicate with student’s families and figure
whatever is coming our way.”
Candidates were also asked what “specific actions” they would support to collaborate with local primary schools to ensure students are prepared before coming to Proviso, as many students are coming in below grade level.
Smith answered first, saying Mohip has stressed the importance of working alongside the superintendents of feeder schools to strengthen curriculum and communication.
“A lot of issues we face in high school could be resolved in elementary school if administrators, if the community, if the parents would just work together and that is something he is strongly committed to,” Smith said. “This is a great step in the right direction.”
Morris, whose child attends a feeder school, said communication between the schools would help Proviso know where students stand and also avoid replicating instruction.
Molinaro, who spoke from personal experience, said she knows the importance of the foundational education from feeder schools for Proviso.
Smith called for a re-evaluation of the budget to see “what we actually have.”
“We need to review all the contracts, we need to review positions, we need to review policies,” she said. “Sometimes you can renegotiate contracts so you can eliminate wasteful spending and then sometimes we have to look at these programs.”
Smith added the district “continuously” rolls out programs without knowing if it is working for students and teachers, adding the district needs to eliminate “wasteful spending.”
Morris agreed. The district needs to continue to do a “deep dive,” she said.
“Each and every program needs to be looked at, if it is not every six months but at least every year,” she said. “We need to make sure, with the things happening in [the] federal gover nment, we have to be prepared for
“It is important to connect with those schools,” she said. “It is important to engage in more peer mentoring, support services, identifying IEPs early and ensuring that we are meeting each student where they are and finding out what their needs are in an early intervention period.”
Fisher said Mohip’s communication and collaboration with the feeder schools will be helpful in making it a smooth transition for students when they come into Proviso. Additionally, Fisher said data should be analyzed to adjust lesson plans for younger grades so primary school teachers can start tackling those areas of struggle.
The candidates continued the forum answering additional questions on various topics including student mental health and how they would work alongside other board members before reiterating their commitment to Proviso students and the community during their closing statements
A recording of the full forum will be available on the League of Women Voters of Oak Park/River Forest’s website as well as on the Forest Park Public Library’s website.
Early voting for the April Consolidation Election is already underway. Tuesday, April 1 is Election Day.
48 hours, but timeless lm fest fame
Honors bestowed at the Forest Park Arts Alliance’s 3rd annual 48-Hour Film Festival
By JESSICA MORDACQ and JILL WAGNER Staff Reporter and Contributor
The Arts Alliance held its third annual 48-Hour Film Festival on March 22. Participants had two days to write, film and edit their submissions, which were shown this weekend at Fearon Hall on St. Bernardine’s campus.
On Saturday, about 150 people attended the showing of five-to-10-minute films and a red carpet gala beforehand.
The Arts Alliance assigned participants a line of dialogue, a prop and the choice of using one or both of two film genres in their movies. The required line was, “Are
line and wasn’t eligible for awards.
Here are those who won prizes:
■ People’s Choice winner: Pfaf f and Furious’ “Counterfeit Gum” mixed the genres of documentary and crime
■ 2nd place People’s Choice: Stress Head’s “Rerun,” which chose between the genres of noir and slapstick
■ 3rd place People’s Choice: Thomstead Productions’ “Rivalry” combined genres of suspense and house party
■ Special Mention award: Spanavision’s “Ukulele of Destiny,” a musical and thriller
■ Quirky Character award: Jimmy Callahan as Alien in Porkchop Express’ “The Big Decision,” a mix of space fantasy and Bollywood
■ Board Award: Porkchop Express’ “The Big Decision”
Other teams and their films include W.A.S.T.E. Express’ “The Sound,” which was assigned the genres of mystery and
First place winners for their crime documentar y, ‘Counterfeit Gum,’ was a crowd favorite, produced by Pfa and Furious.
Space fantasy meets Bollywood in the Porkchop Express production of ‘ e Big Decision.’
ects designer Geo Binns-Calvey demonstrates the ar t and tic illusions
ticipants they thought should win awards, Binns-Calvey, a professional rigger and special effects designer, shared some of his tips and tricks. He performed a live demonstration where he launched peppers into the air to collide, and how he stages splashing milk, showing the beof how food commercials
The Arts Alliance plans to host a how-to course later this year to teach those who want to participate in their future film festivals the basics of recording and editing a short movie.
The Arts Alliance is asking participants for permission to post their films on its website so those who couldn’t attend the festival can enjoy them too
JILL WAGNER
JILL WAGNER
JILL WAGNER
An Austin Weekly News partner
CTA boosts Blue Line frequency and speed to Forest Park
irty extra train trips will be added to weekday service on the Blue Line to Forest Park starting April 20
By MACK LIEDERMAN Block Club Chicago
T he CTA will r un a new train schedule starting April 20 that plans for more Blue Line trips and f aster frequency from the Forest Park ter minus, particularly in the evenings.
T he Blue Line schedule will include 30 extra trips on weekdays, 17 more trips Saturdays and two new trips Sundays
That should shrink wait times for Blue Line Forest Park trains from 15 minutes to seven and a half minutes for service 6:30 p.m.-midnight weekdays and 9 p.m.-midnight Saturdays, according to the CTA.
T he Blue Line currently schedules 410 daily weekday trips, 366 Saturday trips and 318 Sunday trips, according to a train tracker maintained by Brandon McFadden, a cybersecurity analyst and member of transit advocacy group Commuters Take Action.
T he Blue Line averaged 282 daily train trips last week, fulfilling about 72 percent of its scheduled service, ac-
cording to McFadden’s tracker.
After an “agg ressive training sched ule” to onboard more rail operator the CTA will schedule two extra trips on weekdays for the Blue Line to O’Hare Airport, six extra trips Satur days and five extra trips Sunday cording to an agency news release
T he CTA has a seasonal process called the “pick” where rail operators choose shifts based on seniority, ing train r uns to the pool of picks as more operators join the agency.
T he agency scheduled pre-pandemic levels of train service for the first time in this f all’s pick after years of strug gling with a depleted workforce complaints about untimely trains Transit experts and CTA wo rkers ha warned service won’ t r un as well as scheduled when people call out of work or problems arise on trains, for ms or tracks.
T he CTA had 825 rail operations ployees in Februar y, a slight decrease from the prior three months, compared to 880 before the pandemic, according to the latest agency data.
Forest Park CTA Blue Line stop.
Buzzword in house prices? Higher
Sale prices jump 19% to 24% in tri-village area in 2024
By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter
Since the 2020 pandemic, prices have been on the rise in local real estate. Higher interest rates have kept some homeowners in their homes longer than expected and made it harder for new buyers to get into the market. Fewer people selling means more competition for buyers who are offering higher prices to get into a home. In 2024, Chicago-area single-family home prices rose 8% areawide, but that increase was a lot larger in Oak Park, Rivest and Forest Park The Oak Area Association of Realtors (OPAAR) and Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices’ Vice President and Designated Managing Broker John Lawrence provided a screenshot nto local statistics
Forest saw the biggest single-family homes pricing, with an increase of 24.05% to a median of $980,000. Oak Park saw an increase of 18.67%, with a median sales price in 2024 of $623,000. an increase of 19.4% and a median $400,000. ondominiums and townhomes, also saw increases across the three suburbs. River Forest attached housing increased 8.57% in 2024, with a median price of $260,000. Oak Park attached housing saw a 9.5% price increase and a median sales price of $213,500. Forest Park’s attached housing increased 13.42% and had a median price of $179,000.
Linda Rooney, of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago and vice president of the local Realtor’s group, said tha across all types of properties Oak Park has seen a 33% price in crease over the past decade. Sh notes that so far, 2025 looks a lot like 2024 and says, “We’re still seeing low inventory and higher in terest rates. Also, people are kind of nervous about the economy in general. It’s kind of a crazy year.”
the interest rate environment is no longer an impediment for first-time buyers.
“People, especially first-time buyers, are okay with interest rates around 6%,” she said.
“Everyone is fighting it out over homes in the $450,000 to $670,000 range,” she said. Homes priced in this range are often sold with multiple offers. In recent weeks, Rooney has seen two houses sell with multiple offers: one gar nered 12 offers and another 14. She said thi is reflective of a very apparent lack of inventor in the middle range of houses
This perception of the “missing middle” is something that Rooney and current local boar president Cynthia Howe-Gajewski of Beyond Properties Realty Group, recently covered in presentation for the Village of Oak Park
Howe-Gajewski said lack of supply combined with a healthy demand contributes to the issue This imbalance means that prices continue to go up, affecting the affordability of Oak Park and the surrounding areas
the city, that urban/suburban vibe and access to two train lines, we’re always going to be a little more resistant to the bigger swings,” she said.
One area she thinks will bear the brunt of the political climate is new construction. “Tariffs will make new construction more expensive and those homes will be less affordable,” she said noting this applies to both newly built homes and renovations.
“We have a lot of downsizers and upsizers who want to stay in the village but can’t find what they are looking for. It’s creating a bit of a logjam,” she said.
Oak Park currently has a 1.4-month supply of available houses. That tight market drives up prices. A representative of the Illinois Board of Realtors recently told the Oak Park village board that it takes a 6-month inventory to result in only moderate price increases.
Like Rooney, Howe-Gajewski is seeing a lot of anxiety in the market over the current political situation. People are concerned about the stock market, tariffs and the possibility of recession.
Howe-Gajewski pointed out the price increase has also hit local rental markets, making it hard to find savings in real estate across the board.
Both Rooney and Howe-Gajewski said it’s a tough time to be a buyer’s agent. Their clients often have to look at, and bid on, a larger number of homes before finding the right one. Rooney sees some first-time buyers expanding their searches from Oak Park to areas like Elmwood Park and Galewood.
Howe-Gajewski said that people with roots in Oak Park and River Forest are more likely to want to stay in the area when they downsize or upsize, noting parents are especially reluctant to move their children to a different school system.
There are some upsides to the situation. Howe-Gajewski said. “If you have the ability to sell and rent while you look for a new home, now’s a great time to cash out your equity.”
After years of buyers being focused on move-in ready homes, Rooney said some buyers are “starting to come back to the idea of doing work on a house.”
She said that is a positive change: “It’s like when we moved here 20 years ago, and we looked for houses with good bones. I kind of feel like that mindset is coming back. I’m hopeful. We have to just meet people where they are.”
JOHN LAWRENCE
LINDA ROONE Y
C YNTHIA HOWE-GAJEWSKI
For D91 Education Summit, collaboration is key
‘Really opens our eyes to the di erent resources available
By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
Bigger and better, and even more collaborative.
That was the sentiment of many Saturday morning the second Forest Park Education Summit, hosted est Park School District 91.
Just ask Tinisa Huf f, principal of the district’s Betsy Ross School, who headed up a session titled, “Building a Strong Educational Foundation in K-2 Students,” in the Forest Park Middle School library.
In front of about a dozen parents, Huf f covered wind of topics, including the benefits of social-emotional learning, the need for school attendance and even the tors that impact brain development in a child.
Afterward, she reflected on the overall event and meant for the Forest Park community.
“From what I understand, we have a lot more people tend this time than we had last year,” she said. “My session was packed, from what I understood, and that was really encouraging. I appreciate the support.
“I think parents want to come out when there are going to be people they know, like their principal and their teachers.”
One of the parents in Huf f’s session, Angela Hart, has two children in the district.
Important to her was realizing the resources that are her disposal.
“We literally found things for both my 10- and five-yearold today,” she said. “It was very successful.”
The event featured two hour-long rounds of sessions geared toward parents and care givers, educators and students from fifth to eighth grade.
That was proceeded by a resource fair with tables maintained by more than 20 organizations as diverse as the Forest Park PTO, the Park District of Forest Park, Rush University Medical Center, the Forest Park Public Library and Proviso Township High School District 209. Kisa Marx, founder of KidCrew Adventures Early Childhood Program delivered the keynote address.
Kristin Pekoll is a six-year PTO veteran who spent her time speaking with parents about what opportunities the organization has for them.
“I think when you have D91, which is pretty small, and District 209, which is a lot bigger, there are so many organizations that are available to us, but we don’t see right away in Forest Park,” Pekoll said. “It’s in the whole Proviso township.
“An event like this brings together so many different organizations and families and parents. It really opens our eyes to the different resources available in our community.”
School board president Shannon Wood, and a district parent, attended a session titled, “Sharing Your Voice in
FOUNDATIONAL: Tinisa Hu , principal of District 91’s Betsy Ross School, speaks at her session titled, “Building a Strong Educational Foundation in K-2 Students,” during Saturday’s Forest Park Education Summit.
Local Government Forums.” There was one key takeaway for her
“The whole idea behind this event is to create a stronger community and come together,” she said. “We have to support one another.”
Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Alvare z, who seemed to be everywhere Saturday, said when she arrived at the district four years ago, there was a decidedly mediocre tenor.
That’s changed, she said, partly because of last year’s debut event.
“I don’t think anybody wants to be part of mediocracy,” Alvarez said. “There was status quo, and I’m like, No, we’re not about status quo. We’re getting better each and every day.
“I always say to our children, thank you for bringing greatness to D91. This is part of the greatness.”
Saturday’s event was the brainchild of district director of eng agement Nurys Uceta-Ramos
“One of the biggest things that I noticed coming into Forest Park after the pandemic, was how do we re-eng age our families, how do we bring people together again, after being told, we don’t get to collaborate in person,” she said. “It was an opportunity to provide parents more things they can learn.
“Yes, your child is learning, but how do you better suppor t them? Also, what are some things to support yourself?”
Last year, the event had about 50 parent participants, Uceta-Ramos said. This year, there were 61 parent participants and 20 student participants.
How hard was something like Saturday to pull together?
According to Latoya McRae, who was inte gral in many facets of preparation, it wasn’t as hard as you might think.
“When you have a great team that is not only supportive, but that is passionate about bringing families and educators and the community together for helping students be successful in not only their personal but academic journey is easy-peasy,” McRae said.
It was appreciated by teachers like Amy Mills, who attended the “Sharing Your Voice in Local Government Forums” session with Wood. Mills is a third- through fifthgrade special education teacher at Field-Stevenson School. Mills lives in Brookfield, but it was important for her to be part of the community in which she is employed.
Attending was “helping our families with the resources, guiding them through the tricky things we face as parents, educators and community members.”
GREGG VOSS
RESERVOIR
A new location
from page 1
reservoirs in Forest Park
The presentation follows a village council meeting last February, where commissioners said they were leaning toward building new reservoirs – two million-gallon tanks either on village-owned Altenheim land or the CTA Blue Line parking lot. In the fall, commissioners authorized Burke Engineering to do a feasibility study for those two locations.
“A new site is the prefer red option,” said James Amelio, group lead at Burke Engineering, during the March 10 presentation.
Underneath the Howard Mohr Community Center, a one-million-gallon reservoir holds potable water for the entire village. Constructed in the 1960s, the reservoir is nearing the end of its 75-year lifespan.
In 2023, a routine inspection of the reservoir showed deterioration. So, the reservoir was drained, and a structural engineer determined that the ceiling’s concrete and reinforcement bars needed re pairs. That November, the village put up emergency shoring, restricted access to the community center playg round above the reservoir and installed monitoring devices to re gularly check for cracks in the reservoir.
Rehabbing the existing reservoir on Jackson Boulevard is cheaper than building a new one, estimated to cost about $3 million for re pairs and $750,000 for the neighboring pump station’s required renovations over the next five years.
But a rehabbed reservoir would only last 25 years, compared to a new build’s 75 years. And during construction, the village would need to find a new site to hold 1 million gallons of water – an amount that’s already below what the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency suggests in its guidelines.
The IEPA recommends municipalities store twice the amount of water used daily, which is about 1.5 million gallons for Forest Park. Though a water reservoir on Hannah Avenue holds 350,000 gallons, the village would be short on water if there were an emergency while the Jackson Boulevard reservoir was out of commission.
“You would have to lean more heavily upon your neighbors in the event of some sort of pipe failure, where you need that additional storage,” Amelio said of relying on surrounding municipalities.
Altenheim or CTA Blue Line lot?
If the village chooses to build new water reservoirs, they can do it on one of two village-owned properties: The Altenheim or the CTA Blue Line parking lot.
New reservoirs would take longer to build than a rehab and cost over $10 million. But they also have several potential positives.
Construction workers would have more room and better access at both the Altenheim and the CTA lot than they would at the community center, where they would need to repair the reservoir between the building and the railroad tracks
But soil around the CTA Blue Line parking lot would likely need remediation, presenting an additional cost. And the village would lose parking revenue if they built at this location. Amelio said it would also be more difficult to conceal reservoirs at the CTA lot than it would at the Altenheim.
“It’d be a pretty significant visual impact,” Amelio said.
If the new reservoirs end up at the Altenheim, the tanks would likely be in the property’s southeast corner. Forest Park Public Works already has a small storage area at the south end of the Altenheim, a plus for this location, along with space for storage of materials
Above: One option of how to lay out the 2 million-gallon reser voirs on the village-owned Altenheim property
Right: Another option is the CTA Blue Line parking lot.
The Altenheim has easy access to existing water mains that run along Van Buren Street. There’s also the opportunity to shield the reservoirs with landscaping.
“We’re already talking about ways to minimize its impact and maximize the functionality for the village,” Commissioner Michelle
“The biggest thing is access to construct it and then access in the future for maintenance and parking,” Amelio said.
The new reservoirs would cover somewhere between 1.25 acres and 1.5 acres and include two one-million-gallon tanks, plus a pump station.
Such infrastructure at the CTA parking lot would cover the east part of the property, where there is easy access to water supply lines.
opment,” Commissioner Maria Maxham said. “How we’re going to use the space, how we’re going to sell part of that, needs to be a central issue when we start talking about this and making a decision.”
Funding and next steps
Funding for the construction of new reservoirs could come from an IEPA low-interest loan, while renovating the existing reservoir would likely be paid for by the village Village Administrator Rachell Entler said the United States Ar my Corp of Engineers’ Water Resources Development Act could also provide potential funding for a new build. It could give the village up to $15 million through U.S. Rep. Danny Davis’s office. Entler said officials have met with both the Ar my Corp. and Davis’s office.
“I can’t really speak to how likely it is that we would be funded by the WRDA. But I can tell you that we are doing the work behind increasing our chances to get that,” Entler said. “Congressman Davis’ office has reached out to us to help us with that. That, in and of itself, speaks volumes to the interest.”
But, Entler added that the WRDA is looking for design-ready projects, so the village would need to be ready for potential construction if given that funding.
“If the council wants to have those conversations as to how that portion of the Altenheim will be affected by [the reservoirs], we need to do that sooner rather than later. There’s a little bit of immediacy,” Entler said. Amelio said he’ll get back to the village council with how much soil remediation would cost at the CTA property, as well as additional renderings of how the reservoirs would look from different angles around the CTA property – both asks from commissioners.
Next steps will be to design the reservoirs, solicit funding from the IEPA and the WRDA concurrently, plus determine future plans for the existing pump station and reservoir at the community center
Melin-Rogovin said of the Altenheim property. “So, all those things are things that I’m leaning toward.”
But development on the Altenheim would also bring a potential loss of development revenue for a chunk of land that the village has been sitting on for decades.
“I would like to have some kind of discussion with the village administrator and the rest of the council on how much putting this on the Altenheim would affect future devel-
“In order to use the playground at the community center, we’ ll still have to either backfill or come up with something else,” Entler said. She said the village would need to find another use for the land and adjacent pump station if commissioners choose to construct new reservoirs
“If we were to build again. The water reservoir at Jackson will no longer be in service,” Entler said. “You will have a piece of land that will be rendered useless because the water pumping station won’t be viable after we shut it down.”
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Wait, isn’t that the Cereal Buddy on a bus bench on Harlem?
Why, yes, the mural character makes latest appearance for Pace
By DAN HALEY Senior Advisor and Interim Editor
Waiting for a bus along Harlem near the Ike. That’s the latest place to spot The Cereal Buddy. In this incarnation, the blue boxy fellow graces a bus bench. But you can also catch him among the wall of murals on South Boulevard.
PROVIDED
BUS BUDDY: Artist Vanessa Garza (her artist name is Nez) with her creation at the Harlem 307 Pace bus stop in Oak Park
And in Berwyn, on Michigan Avenue, in Lakeview, Pilsen, Logan Square and Lincoln Park. Among other places.
For a box with spindly legs, the Cereal Buddy gets around.
He is the creation of Vanessa Garza (Nez), an Oak Park artist who has been painting murals since 2020. Garza is also an editorial page designer for Growing Community Media.
In fact, you’ll spot this fellow on the Circle Avenue bridge in Forest Park after we asked Garza to paint the Forest Park Review’s contribution to the mural covered overpass.
You can also see her murals on the Metra embankment near Oak Park Avenue.
Garza said the inspiration for her character came from other Chicagobased muralists with recur ring characters including Sentrock and JC Rivera.
The bus bench on Harlem was com-
missioned by Pace, the suburban bus company, in honor of its 40th anniversary. And the little blue triangles on the bench do subconsciously urge you to board a bus using your Ventra card.
PROVIDED Vanessa (Nez) Garza paints a mural on South Boulevard in Oak Park.
Forces of nature: earth, wind, re and Jen Quinlan
Co-founder of Soup and Bread West never stops helping those in need
By JESSICA MACKINNON Contributing Reporter
Jennifer Malloy Quinlan is a force of nature – and when she’s on a mission, which she usually is, heaven help anyone who gets in her way.
Last month she was crowned King of Hearts at Robert’s Westside in Forest Park, a Valentine’s Day event designed to recognize local people who “spread love and joy.” Quinlan was honored primarily for her work with Soup and Bread West, an initiative addressing local food insecurity, but her impact extends throughout the community through many other organizations that she helps.
“Jennifer is one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met,” said Donnie Biggins, owner of Robert’s Westside. “She always shows up for anyone in need. And she doesn’t look at making it about herself, especially on social media. She just does the hard work.”
Quinlan co-founded Soup and Bread West in 2023 with several other local residents after participating for many years in Chicago’s Soup and Bread program at the Hideout. The local program was launched at Exit Strategy in Forest Park but, when that establishment closed, operations seamlessly shifted to Robert’s Westside
Held the third Tuesday of every month, the community meal features a variety of soups prepared by volunteers and bread donated by local businesses. The program typically collects about $1,000 in donations, which are passed on to nonprofits including Beyond Hunger, Austin Eats and the Migrant Ministry.
“We really just fly by the seat of our pants,” said Quinlan. “We usually have about 10-15 crockpots of soup. We don’t plan and we don’t count, and it continues to work We always seem to have something for everyone. It’s like the loaves and fishes.”
Quinlan has also been very involved with YEMBA, an Oak Park nonprofit serving youth through mentorship, tutoring and basketball. She got involved when her son was welcomed into the program after not making his sixth-grade basketball team.
“William was devastated – the rejection by the coach was not handled well. I was livid!
But YEMBA provided him with the opportunity to play and he really thrived,” Quinlan said.
“At the end-of-year awards ceremony, when I saw how much the program meant to all the kids, in addition to William, I just marched up to [Executive Director Edward] Mr. Redd and said, ‘Listen, I don’t have money but I can connect you to people in the community and if I can ever do anything for you, I will.’”
“He has taken me at my word,” she said, laughing
“We always seem to have something for everyone. It’s like the loaves and shes.”
JENNIFER MALLOY QUINLAN
A Carthage College student with plans to become a middle school gym teacher, William is now a YEMBA mentor working with students at Oak Park’s middle schools, running basketball drills and helping with homework.
“That’s the full circle of volunteering. YEMBA saved William and he understands the importance of giving back. In my family, service is just part of the rent you pay,” Quinlan said.
Said Cornick Harris, philanthropy officer for YEMBA: “Jen has been with us through every step of our growth. Her whole family is involved, collecting and delivering personal care products for our underprivileged kids,
ter Monica Cahill, who founded Taproots, an outreach program for adolescent mothers on the west side.
“She didn’t just take care of the kids, she got the mothers diapers, helped them obtain birth certificates, enrolled their children in school and got them lawyers if there were custody or domestic violence issues. She did all the stuff to change young women’s lives that no one talks about or sees,” Quinlan said. Her father, who passed away last year, also served as a role model. She remembers once walking with him on Michigan Avenue and running into a professional-looking young man who asked, with great reverence, if her father was his for mer teacher
“He told my dad that he had given him his first book and that he changed his life My dad kind of collapsed into his arms and they hugged each other for a long time. That image has been stuck in my head since the 1990s. I realized that my dad did something for another kid that he also did for me,” Quinlan said.
handing out flyers, and filling backpacks for our annual Backto-School event. She is so generous with her service, time and her family.”
Quinlan insists that she is just carrying forward what she lear ned as a child, the product of progressive parents who created a lifestyle in which volunteering was expected. Both her parents were Chicago Public Schools teachers for a time; her father was a reading specialist for disadvantaged students and a delegate for the teachers’ union, and her mother was a social worker and union delegate for city workers.
At Chicago’s Academy of the Sacred Heart, Quinlan co-founded a social justice club, accompanied the nuns to peace marches and volunteered at a domestic violence shelter
During Christmas breaks, she volunteered at Rape Victim Advocates, where her mother was a board member, answering phones and learning about what happened to women who went to the hospital or were interviewed by police after being raped.
“It made me realize, at a young age, the importance of being an advocate,” she said.
Quinlan was particularly inspired by Sis-
For many years, Quinlan has served as a mother figure to a passel of kids who are not biologically hers. She is known as “Mama Jen” to two boys born into tumultuous family situations and adopted by Oak Parkers Bryan and Mark Grayson. She refers to them as the “boys of my heart.”
“The day we brought a new four-year old into our home, Jen was on our doorstep with Legos and clothes and supplies for a month. She did the same thing when we brought home a newborn couple a few years later. She’s just irreplaceable in both of their lives,” said Bryan.
“There is Earth, Wind and Fire – and Jen Quinlan,” said Mark. “We are a family with a target on our back – gay, with African American and Hispanic kids, kids with special needs. Jen shields people like us. She will be the reason our family survives this administration.”
Quinlan has also taken in youth who have needed temporary homes, including Maura, the child of a friend of hers whose tattoos and piercings and bright hair made her stand out in her small, conservative town in Arkansas. Her family also sheltered a young transgender male whose parents left the local area during the pandemic.
“We have a houseful of kids and they’re all part of the family. I’ve learned that there’s always more to share. I don’t do ‘just sufficient.’ Remarkably, I never run out of stuff. I can give it all away and still find more,” Quinlan said.
Just like the loaves and fishes
TODD BANNOR
Jennifer Malloy Quinlan, at the Soup and Bread event at Robert’s Westside, is a woman on a mission.
Celebrate with Dan! 70 for 70!
Mr. Haley’s Opus
This week, we celebrate a remarkable milestone— our founder, Dan Haley, turns 70!
Back in July 1980, with a bold vision and two partners by his side, Dan launched the Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest. Since then, Dan and the team have provided continuous coverage of local people, places, and issues in Oak Park and River Forest, in Austin through the Austin Weekly News, in Forest Park through the Forest Park Review, and in Riverside and Brookfield through the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark.
While other local news sources faded, Dan doubled down on his commitment, founding Growing Community Media (GCM) – a nonprofit newsroom. Growing Community Media was Illinois’ first nonprofit community news organization, and its creation ensures that our communities will have a voice for generations to come.
The stories of us, of our neighborhoods, our people and our shared history, have truly been “Mr. Haley’s Opus”.
Join us in saluting Dan with a $70 gift to GCM in honor of his 70th birthday. Your gift extends the gift Dan’s life’s work has given all our communities.
CRIME Structure res ablaze
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
On March 18, police responded to 7432 Washington St., where a fire was addressed by crews from Forest Park, River Forest, Oak Park, North Riverside and Berwyn. Firefighters forced entry into se veral fourthfloor units to evacuate residents and assess how far the fire had spread. The resident who lived in the unit where the fire started told police he didn’t know how it happened On March 20, police responded to 7251 Randolph St. after several calls about smoke in the third-floor hallway. As the Forest Park Fire Department prepared to make entry into a unit with a charred door, police officers knocked on the building’s other doors and helped evacuate multiple residents and their pets. The local department, plus those from Oak Park and River Forest, put out the fire and determined it came from the unit’s kitchen. Several other units were damaged by smoke, water, or broken doors and windows, according to the police report. The couple who owns the unit told police the fire was likely started by a stick of sage that was left lit.
Aggravated assault
On March 23, police were dispatched to 7610 Madison Street for a suspicious incident. An Uber driver told officers that he got a notification to pick up and drop of f a package. According to the police re port, while he was waiting on Marengo Street to pick up the package, a woman dressed in black approached the driver’s side door of his car, gave him a bag and pointed a gun at him while saying “you better deliver this.” The man then called police, who found suspect cocaine in the bag the woman gave the man. No one has been charged.
Aggravated unlawful use of weapon
While on patrol March 17, police noticed a car without re gistration and pulled it over in the 1500 block of Harlem Avenue. Police smelled cannabis coming from the car, and the woman who was driving confirmed that there was some inside the vehicle. Police asked everyone in the car to step
out, including two male passengers and two other unnamed passengers. Upon searching the car, police found two handguns, one underneath the driver’s seat and one under the front passenger seat. According to police, none of the car’s occupants had Firearm Owners Identification or a Concealed Carry License. Police cited the woman for violating Illinois vehicle code and released her from the police department, along with one of the male passengers. The other man was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, since the guns in the front seat were accessible to him, and possession of cannabis outside its approved container – which was located near him in the car.
Battery
On March 20, police responded to a Lyft driver on Roosevelt Road who said he picked up two people who started physically fighting. The driver told police she picked up a man and woman from Loyola Hospital. According to the police re port, the couple started arguing in the car, then the man hit and kicked the woman multiple times, and the woman told the driver to call the police. Upon arriving at the Roosevelt Road building that the driver dropped them of f at, police heard arguing coming from a second-floor unit. When police attempted to make contact with those in the unit, the unit’s lights turned of f and the arguing stopped. When police gained access to the unit, they found a woman with red marks and bruising on her face and the man who the Lyft driver positively identified. Police took the man into custody and charged him with one count of domestic battery.
These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department re ports dated March 17 - 23 and re present a portion of the incidents to which police responded Anyone named in these re ports has onl y been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We re port 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 th e suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest
Proviso’s invisible slate
School board races for the Proviso Township High Schools have, most often in recent years, been contested. That is always good But they have also been discouraging as the campaigns have offered little opportunity for engagement with voters.
That is the case again this year as one slate, Proviso 209 United, shows up in the usual places to campaign. And the other slate, 209 Students First, does not.
We saw this last week when the League of Women Voters of Oak Park and River Forest hosted a virtual forum for the District 209 school board race. Rolandra Morris, William Fisher, Nicole Molinaro and Ebony Smith were all present representing the Proviso 209 United slate. But Arbdella Patterson, Zihualpilli Hernandez, Jerry Jenkins and Candace Ross were no-shows as the 209 Students First campaign chose to skip the debate.
As our Amaris Rodriguez reports this week, the event moderator called the slate’s absence, in typically moderate League fashion, “disappointing.”
The following day, the United campaign took a somewhat more direct tone in a statement where they said, “Our slate is committed to making sure that we engage the community and articulate our goals and vision for our schools in District 209. We take each and every opportunity to speak to the community seriously.”
Same situation in the slate’s response to the Review’s efforts to have each candidate sit for an interview. We heard from the United slate and published four worthy interviews. Only incumbent Della Patterson from the 209 Students First campaign responded to the Review.
This is a deeply troubled school district. There are many reasons for that which date back decades. Way high though on the list of contributing causes to D209’s dysfunction is the quality of its school boards. Over the past decade the district has ricocheted from somewhat more stable, reform-minded members to those with motives more dubious. Campaigns are intended to help voters separate out those motives. Being invisible doesn’t help voters.
D91 works to engage
On the other hand, there is District 91, Forest Park’s elementary school district. It has challenges of a different sort. In next week’s election there are four open seats on the school board and only two candidates. That’s a message and an opportunity that the district needs to address.
The new board will need to appoint two members to fill out the full roster needed on the board. We’re confident this board will choose wisely and add strength to the group. But it is telling there is not enough interest in the district to field a full slate of candidates
Meanwhile, on page 1 this week, we report on the second annual D91 Education Summit which was held last weekend and turned out a somewhat larger crowd than in year one for a mor ning of resource sharing and face-to-face opportunities for parents and educators to meet.
This is a positive step for a district that is credibly working to rebuild positive energy and connections to Forest Park.
OPINION
So many di erent kinds of ‘di erent’
Woke people like me often emphasize that we humans are all basically the same when you look under our skin. In this column I want to focus on how different we are.
Exhibit A, Temperament: The guys in my men’s group recently took a version of the Myers Briggs Personality Test called the Kiersy Bates Temperament Assessment. The assessment reveals if you are an extrovert or an introvert, a thinker or a feeler, etc. There are 16 temperament types possible. The test verified what we already knew. We’re different.
HOLMES
Exhibit B, Gender: Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, right? Ever since Adam and Eve we humans have tried to figure out how to live with another person who both powerfully attracts us and simultaneously drives us crazy. One marriage counselor quipped that when two people get married, the two become one. The question is, “which one?” Nowadays, it’s not a binary question anymore. In addition to male/female there is now the “T” in LGBTQ+. President Trump is trying to simplify the complexity by requiring legal documents to return to binary. Difference is not the enemy. The enemy is my own insecurity with living in a world of difference.
Exhibit C, Ethnicity: I’ve been associated with a Thai church for over 30 years and I’ve been to Thailand 14 times. To go along with the analogy in Exhibit B, Thais are from Jupiter and Farangs (aka Westerners/Americans) are from Saturn.
I wrote a column years ago with the headline, “If you’re comfortable, it’s not multicultural.” Just like in a marital relationship, certain aspects of Thai culture are so attractive to me. That’s why I have kept taking that 14-hour flight to retur n to the land of smiles. And certain aspects of Thai culture drive me crazy. We share a basic humanity, but I will never ever get to the point where I think like a Thai
Exhibit D, Psychological History: One of the guys in my men’s group and I share the exact same temperament profile according to the Kiersy Bates assessment, but the two of us find ourselves coming down at quite different places when it comes to some issues in life. I’ve met with my men’s group brother every week for 30 years now and we marvel at how we’re the same in temperament but so different in some of the ways we lean into life
The difference stems partly from the fact that he and
I grew up in very different families Exhibit E, World View/Religion/Ideology: He and I, you see, learned to view the world differently because of the way we grew up. AI tells me that a worldview is “the lens through which we interpret and understand the world, is important because it shapes our beliefs, values, and actions, impacting our relationships, decisions, and overall understanding of reality.”
Going with that image of my worldview as a lens, I’m far-sighted. I’m in my 70s and I still do not need glasses to drive, but I can’t read the newspaper in which this column appears without wearing glasses More to the point of how the lenses of my worldview influence what I see and what I don’ t see, if I look at reality through the lens in a microscope, I will be enabled to see a vast array of tiny critters that folks looking through the lens in a telescope will miss, but I will never see the stars. I will never see the breathtakingly beautiful pictures the Webb Telescope is giving us.
Regarding the old science vs. religion debate, I wear bifocal glasses in which the bottom lens enables me to read books and the top lens allows me to figure out who that person on the other side of the room is. I need both lenses to understand what’s happening in the world around me.
You see the analogy, science is a lens that is responsible for many things, like drugs which have increased the length and quality of our lives. Science is smart but it’s not wise. Science is incapable of knowing how to use drugs like opioids as a blessing instead of a curse.
Exhibit G, Focus: A famous psychological study, known as the Gorilla Experiment, asked participants to count how many times a team dressed in white passed a ball. During the video, a person dressed in a gorilla suit walks through the scene.
Despite the gorilla’s conspicuous presence, roughly half of the participants failed to notice it, highlighting the limitations of human attention and the ease with which individuals can overlook even highly salient stimuli when focused on a specific task.
AI tells me, “While all humans share a vast majority (over 99.9%) of their DNA, there are small, but important, differences in the remaining 0.1% that contribute to individual uniqueness and variations.”
Differences don’t have to be polarizing if we do the hard work of understanding, accepting and valuing what makes each of us unique.
OB ITUAR Y
Margaret Smith, 98 Forest Park resident
Margaret Jean Smith (nee Fleming), 98, of Forest Park, died in Algonquin on March 23, 2025. Born in Rochester, New York on Aug 23, 1926, she was the wife of the late Thomas M. Smith; the mother of Barbara Oberg, Deborah (Richard) Hinz, Timothy (Jill) Smith and Daniel (Elizabeth) Smith; grandmother of Scott (Megan) Oberg, Sarah (Barry) McDonald and Lisa (Drew)
Keefe, Daniel (Natalie) Hinz and Kimberly Hinz, Kellen (Jeanmarie) Smith, and Kristen Smith (Dave Polizzi), Katie (Barrett) Shay, Amy Smith, Mark (Katie) Smith, and Annie (Tyler) Roebke; great-grandmother to 24 great-grandchildren; sister of the late Gerald (Kay) Fleming, Rita (William) Kramer, Edna Mae (Clancy) Klimas, and Eugene (Irene) Fleming; sister-inlaw of Eugene (Betty) Smith, Mae (Joe) Wenskus, and Phil (Marge) Smith; and the aunt of many nieces and ne phews.
Visitation will take place on Friday, March 28 from 9 to 10 a.m. at St. Ber nardine Church, 7246 W. Harrison St., Forest Park, where Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Interment at Queen of Heaven Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made to St. Bernardine Church in Forest Park in her memory.
A LOOK BACK IN TIME
Jackie’s faux pas gets the
‘Once Over Lightly’ treatment
For nearly 50 years, light-hearted Jackie Schulz wrote a weekly social column called “Talk of the Town” in the Forest Park Review, highlighting births, weddings, travels of locals, hospitalization notes and local treasures from around the neighborhood.
In April 1975, local publisher Bob Hae ger stood up for Jackie’s work during a heated election season in his weekly “Once Over Lightly” column:
“Of all people, Jackie Schulz fell prey to the use of an old expression without updating it as to gender. Commenting on the upcoming village election, Jackie tossed that time-honored line of the fight ring announcer — ‘May the best man win.’
“So what’s the first call on our telephone message recorder Thursday morning? A comment, from a man yet, pointing out that Jackie had overlooked the presence of a “girl” (his language) in the village race for commissioner and thus her ‘best man’ reference is discriminatory.
“He’s right, of course, and Jackie ought to know better. Even I know what we saw the kids doing after Wednesday’s blizzard. They were building snow persons.”
Jill Wagner
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
EMAIL forestpark@wjinc.com
CIRCULATION Jill@oakpark.com ONLINE ForestParkReview.com
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.
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION
LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC
Plaintiff vs. CHRISTOPHER RAY ETHERTON AKA CHRISTOPHER ETHERTON; JEANNE ETHERTON AKA JEANNE STEARNS AKA JEANNE SCHEMONIA; VILLAGE OF MELROSE PARK; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS
Defendant 24 CH 2755
CALENDAR
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 May 5, 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. 15-03-413-007-0000. Commonly known as 1301 N. 12th Avenue, Melrose Park, IL 60160. 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. 6706-200451 INTERCOUNTY JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION intercountyjudicialsales.com I3263243
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: 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
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: 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 NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE
STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY.
Request of Gabriella Rae Nolan Case Number 20254000800
There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: Gabriella Rae Nolan to the new name of: Gabriella Rae Rodriguez
The court date will be held: On April 8, 2025] at 11:00 AM at Maywood Courthouse, 1500 Maybrook Drive, Maywood, Cook County, IL in Courtroom # 0111.
Published in RB Landmark March 12, 19, 26, 2025
LEGAL NOTICE
The Village of Oak Park issued Request for Proposals �RFP� 25IT�003 for Provision of Internet Services. The full RFP document can be obtained from the Village website www. oak-park.us. Responses will be accepted until April 7, 2025, 4 PM Central Time.
Published in Wednesday Journal March 23, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICES
VILLAGE OF OAK PARK REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL
Issued March 14, 2025
The Village of Oak Park is requesting proposals from qualified firms that wish to manage and administer a program for the Village Towing Services.
The Village will receive proposals at the Police Department, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., at 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302.
Firms responding to this Request for Proposals must submit three (3) bound hard copies, one (1) unbound hard copy, and one (1) electronic copy on a CD or thumb drive of their proposals in sealed envelopes, and must conform to format in the RFP located at www.oakpark.us/rfp
The Village reserves the right to accept or reject any and all proposals or to waive technicalities. Information concerning this request for proposals is available from Anjali Peterson, Budget and Revenue Analyst, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302. Anjali Peterson can be reached by telephone at the following number, (708) 386-3800 or via e-mail at apeterson@oak-park.us
Upon a formal award to the successful Contractor, the selected contractor shall enter into a Towing Services Agreement in substantially the form attached to the Request for Proposal.
Proposals will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. (local time) on April 14, 2025. Proposals shall be mailed to 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302 or submitted electronically via email to APeterson@oak-park. us.
Published in Wednesday Journal March 26, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICES
PUBLIC NOTICE
STATE OF ILLINOIS
VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD
Notice of Special Public Hearing Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission April 10, 2025, at 7:00 PM
NOTICE is hereby given that the Village of Brookfield Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a special public hearing on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Edward Barcal Hall located at 8820 Brookfield Avenue Illinois, IL 60513 for the purpose of considering a request for a Preliminary Planned Development application at 8921 and 8947 Fairview Avenue, Brookfield Illinois 60513 (PINs 1534-426-0010000 and 15-34-426002-0000) by Connemara Holdings, LLC for a proposed 29 unit, 4 story new construction mixed-use building with 15 enclosed parking and retail space on the ground floor.
Legal Description:
LOTS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 AND 6 IN BLOCKS 27 AND 29 TO 34 IN GROSSDALE, A SUBDIVISIONIN THE SOUTHEAST ¼ OF SECTION 34, TOWNSHIP39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS
The public is invited to attend the public hearing and present oral and/ or written comments. Written comments may be provided prior to 4:00 PM on the day of the public hearing to: Village of Brookfield, Planning and Zoning Commission c/o Libby Popovic, 8820 Brookfield Avenue, Brookfield, IL 60513, lpopovic@brookfieldil.gov, or 708485-1113. Oral or written testimony may be given during the public hearing.
The application may be viewed at the Village of Brookfield Village Hall during normal business hours. Please reference PZC Case 2504. Public hearings may be continued from time to time without further notice except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
Individuals with disabilities requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in any meeting should contact the Village of Brookfield (708) 485-7344 prior to the meeting. Wheelchair access is available through the front (South) entrance of Village Hall.
By the Order of Chuck Grund, Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman.
Published in RBLandmark March 26, 2025
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
The Board of Trustees of the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library is seeking professional assistance for the replacement of the building’s exterior envelope installed on the new 21,000 square foot facility which opened in 2021.
The Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library serves the Village of Brookfield, a western suburb of Chicago with a population of just under 20,000 people and home to the world-famous Brookfield Zoo.
Part 1: Background Information
Firms interested in being considered for this project should provide the following information by mail no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 2.
1. The firm’s description. Please stress work conducted in the last 5 – 10 years. If all services mentioned in (2) are not available inhouse, specify from whom they will be obtained.
2. The firm’s experience in the following specialties. Site planning, architectural design, civil engineering, structural engineering, estimating, etc.
3 Key staff and their resumes. Please be sure to indicate whom you are proposing as project architect / engineer and to provide a full resume for that person, including building envelope design experience.
4. Descriptions of at least four recently completed projects, including client references. Some references must be for jobs where the person proposed as project leader for our library was also the project leader. For each project, please indicate the size of the building envelope project, the project budget and whether the project came in under or over budget.
5. Experience in the area of library design. The Library Board would like the most complete list possible, including the nature of work conducted for each project and dates of completion. The Board of Trustees plans to interview approximately four firms on Monday, May 19, 2025 and will make a selection as soon as possible thereafter.
Firms are encouraged to visit the Library. Please contact Kimberly Coughran, Executive Director, at 708-485-6917 x121 or via email at kcoughran@lsfbrookfieldlibrary. org to arrange for a tour and to answer questions.
Published in RBLandmark March 26, 2025
Submit events and see full calendar at forestparkreview.com/events
