Key Roosevelt Road site likely to remain military
e Illinois National Guard is con dent that the Army Corps of Engineers will approve its request to move to Forest Park
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
The Armed Forces Reserve Center building on Roosevelt Road will likely see a new military tenant this year.
The Illinois National Guard is confident that the Ar my Corp of Engineers, which owns the property at 7402 Roosevelt Road, will process its request and license the land to the Illinois National Guard indefinitely.
“We don’t anticipate any problems,” Rich Munyer, director of the construction and facility management office for the Illinois Army National Guard, told the Review.
The property transfer would put on ice hopes that Forest Park’s village government has long harbored of See NATIONAL GUARD on page 4
ERICA BENSON
Beyond Hunger’s CAN DO Community Challenge has officially started! Throughout the month of April, we’ll be working alongside local schools and community partners to raise awareness, food and funds for our hunger relief programs, which serve 65,000 individuals and families a year. We need YOUR help to make this year’s challenge a success!
We are aiming to raise $250,000 to keep with our organization’s growing demands. Thanks to the Friends of Beyond Hunger, donations will make double the impact with a $100,000 match!
You can also stock our shelves with our most-needed food items that are typically difficult for us to procure. Drop off at the Oak Park Office (M/T/TH/F 9
or one of our drop- off sites during the month of April.
You can also support your favorite school! Students earn points for funds raised and food collected in hopes of earning the coveted CAN DO Trophy.
All information can be found by scanning the QR code or visiting www.gobeyondhunger.org/ CanDoCommunity
Hear t of Forest Park Award given to John Cunningham, Rob Sall
e couple was recognized with the inaugural village award for their e orts in Light Up Beloit and Light Up Forest Park
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
March 24 is now Heart of Forest Park reco gnition day, celebrating residents who contribute to making the village a vibrant, thriving community.
“The inaugural Heart of Forest Park reco gnition has been established to honor those who demonstrate dedication to making Forest Park a better place,” said Village Clerk Vanessa Belmonte, reading the award proclamation at the last village council meeting.
At the March 24 meeting, village staf f and commissioners reco gnized John Cunningham and Rob Sall with the first Heart of Forest Park award.
“The Heart of Forest Park is a celebration of generosity. Both John and Rob exemplify that in everything they do,” said Village Administrator Rachell Entler. “Their dedication and commitment to our community are truly something to celebrate.”
Entler reco gnized the couple’s Light Up Beloit initiative, which started in 2023 as a way to decorate their block for the holiday season. Cunningham and Sall organized with their neighbors to get about 75% of
the trees on Beloit, from Roosevelt to Harrison, wrapped in string lights.
Last year, Light Up Beloit expanded throughout the village, becoming Light Up Forest Park – what Entler now calls a holiday tradition in town.
Cunningham and Sall said village staf f reached out to them the week before the village council meeting to reco gnize them for their light ef forts, but they didn’t know they’d get the inaugural Heart of Forest Park award.
“When they read the proclamation, we were both really touched and appreciative for the reco gnition behind what we’ve tried to create in the village,” Sall said.
“It’s been a really great community building ef fort, and we’ve met so many other neighbors and residents from around the village,” Cunningham said. “We’ve made some great friends along the way and are looking forward to seeing it grow and expand across the village in years to come.”
“It’s amazing to see how something so simple has transformed into such a meaningful event,” Entler said of the couple’s holiday light initiative. “Their ef for ts go beyond just the lights. They contribute to the vibrant, welcoming spirit that makes our village feel like home.”
For the past few years, Cunningham and Sall have been decorating planters at major intersections in South Forest Park. And at the end of last year, Cunningham and Sall started a Hot Chocolate Walk on Beloit Avenue, where participants could look at the holiday lights.
“John and Rob themselves were there, offering warm cups of cocoa to everyone who stopped by, making sure each person felt the true spirit of the season,” Entler said.
According to the proclamation that Belmonte read, future Heart of Forest Park awards will go to residents who “work together to build a strong and supportive environment” and “whose contributions enhance the quality of life, foster community spirit and promote the values of service, kindness and dedication.”
When the Review asked Cunningham and Sall what advice they might have for others in the community who want to make a difference, but aren’t sure where to start, they said find something you enjoy that can put a smile on someone’s face.
“We’ve just found stuf f we’re passionate
about and that gets us excited to do and found ways to make it happen,” the couple said. “We hope other neighbors will find something they’re passionate about and make it a passion project to keep this little village a positive and great place for all our residents to enjoy.”
“We’re incredibly grateful for their continued dedication to making Forest Park a place we’re proud to call home,” Entler said to Cunningham and Sall. “Your hard work and generosity are truly, deeply appreciated by all of us, and we can’t wait to see what you have in store for us in the future.”
Rob Sall and John Cunningham, both of Forest Park, at the Har vard intersection they decorated for the fall in 2021.
NATIONAL GUARD
New owners for Reserve center from page 1
taking ownership of the six-acre parcel for its own use, or for commercial or residential development.
If approved, the Illinois National Guard would station its drilling units at the old Ar med Forces Reserve Center All the Illinois National Guard’s units are drilling units, which train to de ploy to national emergencies or war. The Illinois National Guard has over 100 units, each made up of about 150 people, which move around to dif ferent home bases throughout the state. A few of these units could be stationed on the six-acre property on Roosevelt Road, housing 400 to 600 people.
The move comes years after the village of Forest Pa expressed interest in the Roosevelt Road property – first when the Navy moved out of the area nearly two decades ago, and ag ain in 2022 when the Ar my left. A large plot of land on a main thoroughfare is a hot commodity, since it close to downtown Chicago and has several nearby transit options.
“We’ve been looking for property in that area for quite some time, so when it popped up, we jumped on it. It’s ide al for our purposes” Brad Leighton, public af fairs director for the Illinois National Guard, told the Review. “We very well recruiting in the Forest Park area.”
Last year, the Illinois National Guard enlisted eight people from Forest Park, and has recr uited six so far this year Forest Park has a good number of young people who could join the National Guard.
In the ‘60s, the plant’s tor pedo production decreased and it star ted focusing on research and engineering ef forts, according to the Historical Society of Forest Park When the plant closed in 1970, it had produced nearly 20,000 torpedoes.
At the neighboring 7402 Roosevelt Road, the Navy Reserve Center continued serving as a place to train Naval and Marine Corps reservists who lived in the area.
Because of a Base Realignment and Closure study, a federally approved process that restructured bases to improve ef ficiency and finances, the Navy geared up to leave Forest Park in 2005 and transfer its reservists to another base.
Around that time, village staf f and commissioners star ted discussing development options for the reserve center – including a new municipal building that could
Forest Park was because it had built a new reserve facility in the Chicagoland area.
In June of 2022, the Ar my Reserve star ted taking bids for its Real Property Exchange program to of fload the Roosevelt Road property Through the program, a developer or municipality would’ve gotten the 7402 Roosevelt Road property in exchange for financing improvements on another military property
While the village of Forest Park was discussing whether to bid, Commissioners Maria Maxham and Joe Byr nes voted against it because the village couldn’t finance improvements at a base outside Forest Park and renovations to the Roosevelt Road site Hoskins and Commissioner Jessica Voogd, on the other hand, said the potential proper ty exchange was a big oppor tunity for Forest Park that could be funded by Tax Increment Financing, state and federal money. Commissioner Ryan Nero was absent at the village council meeting, and with a tie vote, the motion failed.
“The population of that area is pretty youthful,” Leighton said, adding that 53% of the population is ages 15- to 29-years old. “A majority of the population is within our recr uiting ages.”
And Forest Park is made up of about 53% females and 47% males, according to Leighton.
“We’ re recr uiting more and more female soldiers They’re becoming a greater percentage of our force,” Leighton said. “The diversity of the population is attractive to us as well.”
The Illinois National Guard is hopeful that, if the Ar my Corp of Engineers approves the transfer of its property in the next few months, it will assume financial responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of the building. Initially, this would include updating the building’s plumbing and HVAC, plus small re pairs to make the building functional. The Illinois National Guard would address larger alterations to the building in the coming years. If all goes well, National Guard members could move into the building as soon as early next year.
Militar y on Roosevelt Road
On Roosevelt Road in what is now the Forest Park Plaza Shopping Center, a tor pedo plant was built in 1942. The plant manufactured over 9,000 tor pedoes and employed over 6,000 workers during WWII. It continued making weapons for the Korean War and Vietnam War.
PROVIDED
A map detailing the location of the Armed Forces Reserve Center, which is soon likely to be taken over by the Illinois National Guard.
house all village services, or a commercial or retail space. In 2007, the village for med a Local Reuse Authority, the first year that now-Mayor Rory Hoskins served as village commissioner Hoskins said one of the group’s early endeavors was to lobby the federal gover nment to get control of 7402 Roosevelt Road. He added that, if the federal and state gover nment didn’t want the property, the local gover nment was likely next in line
“We thought we’d be a prefer red potential recipient,” Hoskins told the Review. “I wanted us to be on the record for having an interest in it, in the event that maybe the [military] would sell it for $1or declare it sur plus property. You just don’t know unless you ask.”
The U.S. Ar my Reserve Command took over the proper ty in 2007. There, they trained and de ployed units for Ar my missions before leaving the building somewhat suddenly in June 2022.
“One of our police of ficers noticed a bunch of trucks coming out of the facility, a convoy that ended up at Portillo’s,” Hoskins said. When the of ficer asked what they were doing, they said the Ar my was clearing out.
Munyer said he was told the Ar my’s de par ture from
About a month after the village council stalemate, the Ar my Reserve said it wouldn’t allow environmental studies on the property until it was transfer red to a new wner. This sealed the deal for Commissioners Byr nes, Maxham and Nero to stop exploring a village takeover of the building, since it would be uncer tain how much site remediation would be.
“We weren’ t able to deter mine what the costs of that ould’ve been,” Hoskins said. “We didn’t have a plan. It came to us so quickly.”
Hoskins added that the Ar my may not have found any bidders for the Real Property Exchange program because “it’s an expensive endeavor … it just seemed like it was an incredible bureaucracy.”
Munyer said he doesn’t know what happened to the Real Property Exchange program. He said the Illinois National Guard expressed interest in the Roosevelt Road property after the Ar my left it in 2022.
“When a De par tment of Defense-owned property becomes excess, other elements of the federal gover nment can – if they have a need that is justifiable – submit through their command a desire to get that property,” Munyer said.
According to Munyer, the Illinois National Guard’s request for the proper ty was sent to the National Guard Bureau in Washington D.C. and is now with the Ar my Corp of Engineers, which will decide whether to approve it.
“Hopefully soon, they issue it to us, and it becomes our facility,” Munyer said. “It provides a local oppor tunity for those young people, not just in Forest Park, but all of the sur rounding municipalities.” Benefits of joining the National Guard include 100% free tuition at any state colle ge or university.
“We’ re super-excited about moving into Forest Park,” Leighton said. “We’ re going to put it to use and hopefully spur a little business in that community as well.”
The Illinois National Guard coming to town would be “a good thing for the village,” Hoskins ag reed. “I see lots of future development oppor tunities along Roosevelt Road, and that’s why I thought it might be fit for the village at some point to gain control of the property if we could.”
“But the state is a great partner,” Hoskins said. “We have a good relationship with the state.”
Pollinator, rain garden is coming to Desplaines Ave.
Across the street from village hall, funded by the National Association of Realtors
By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter
The village will have a new green space this summer in the small plot of land across the street from Forest Park Village Hall on Des Plaines Avenue.
At a village council meeting on March 24, two representatives from the Oak Park Area Association of Realtors gave public comment to announce that the National Association of Realtors awarded Forest Park a $7,500 grant that would fund most of the cost for a new pollinator and rain garden. Pollinator plants provide nectar and pollen to the likes of bees and hummingbirds,
which help plants to re produce. The new pollinator garden will include Willowleaf Amsonia, Buttonbush, Beardstongue, Culver’s Root, Swamp Rose Mallow, BromeLike Sedge, Wild Bergamot, Cape Breeze Switchgrass, Spotted Joe Pye Weed, Swamp Milkweed, Golden Alexander, and Queen of the Prairie.
The rain garden element comes from landscapers installing screening underneath the pollinator plants, which absorb more water than other plants.
“We were originally going to make that parking lot a paver lot to absorb some of the rainwater,” Sal Stella, Forest Park’s public works director, told the Review
The preparation for the garden will likely start in early spring, and the garden will be open by summer.
Mayor Rory Hoskins told the Review that he met the two re presentatives who gave public comment – Sharon Halperin, CEO of the Oak Park Area Association of Realtors, and Michael Bailey, Oak Park
A rendering of the pollinator and rain garden near v illage hall.
Area Association of Realtors’ government af fairs director – last summer at a for um with other local mayors. He said Halperin and Bailey presented the idea of the grant afterward.
“We didn’t necessarily seek this out,” Hoskins said. He originally wanted to put a gazebo across the street from the village hall, but that would’ve been several thousand dollars more expensive than the grant amount.
According to Stella, the National Association of Realtors grant was given for a beautification project that the public could interact with.
“It’s a central space that can be enjoyed by people visiting village hall or passing by,” Hoskins said.
“The new garden will not only provide several ecological benefits, but it will also offer an opportunity for residents to interact, for community engagement and for
youth education,” Halperin said during public comment.
Stella said that the Forest Park Public Library and the Howard Mohr Community Center down the street from Forest Park Village Hall often ask staf f about opportunities to bring children in their programs to village facilities for outdoor time and education.
The proposal the village received puts the garden cost at $7,569.15. The village will be on the hook for about $70 of that.
According to Rachell Entler, village administrator, that cost is within the staf f’s spending authority, so the village council doesn’t need to approve the grant.
Because it’s a reimbursement grant, the village must provide the money up front. It will submit receipts and invoices to the National Association of Realtors after the garden is complete and before the reimbursement deadline on Oct. 1.
What you get for your money: condo edition
Home prices for attached homes continue to soar in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park
By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter
In 2024, single-family home prices rose at a rapid pace in Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park. Attached housing prices rose as well, albeit at a slower rate.
In Oak Park, the median attached housing price rose 9.5%, to a median sales price of $213,500. In River Forest, the rise was 8.57%, to a median sales price of $260,000. In Forest Park the increase was 13.42%, to a median price of $179,000.
An article in Sunday’s Chicago T ribune posited that if would-be buyers are put of f by the high prices of single-family homes, it could pay to consider buying a condominium.
With that suggestion in mind, this week we take a look at what’s on the condo market in the near-west suburbs
In Oak Park, as of press time, there are 24 condos listed for sale. T he lowest priced condominium is at 125 Washington Blvd.
For $119,000, a buyer can g et an 800-squarefoot condo with one bedroom and one bathroom. T he vintage red-brick building offers touches like hardwood floors. The listing touts the recently re placed roof and boiler and financially secure condo association. T he building is also FHAapproved, which means a qualified buyer could finance the purchase with a Federal Housing Authority loan.
At the high end of the scale, 839 Madison offers three bedrooms and two bathrooms
and 1,460 square feet for $676,566. The unit is part of Oak Park Commons, a co-living community that is currently under construction, with a planned completion date in the f all of 2025. T he unit will include designer features like quartz counters; the green building will offer community amenities such as a common great room with a library and electric vehicle charging stations in the garage
River Forest currently has 10 condominiums for sale. T he lowest-priced unit is at 7200 Oak Ave., where $125,000 will g et you a one-bedroom, one-bathroom space with hardwood flooring. Built in 1939, the brick building shares a yard space with another building.
At the upper end of the River Forest market, 424 Park Ave. is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit with 1,340 square feet. Priced at $282,500 the unit has been updated with hardwood flooring, granite counter tops and stainless-steel appliances.
T he unit comes with a dedicated parking space and a balcony.
Forest Park currently has 10 condominiums listed for sale. T he lowest price is a unit at 314 Lathrop for $105,000. The one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit in a 1977-building with an elevator that includes new wood floors, a new refrig erator and stove and “triple-sized” closet space.
At the top of the Forest Park condo market, 211 Elgin offers a condominium priced at $319,000 in an elevator building.
T he two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit in
cludes 1,400 square feet of living space.
T he updated unit includes a terrace and a kitchen with stainless steel appliances.
Pros and con of condos
For buyers looking to edge into homeownership or leave the burden of singlefamily home maintenance behind, a condo can offer a path to homeownership without the burden of having to do the work your-
tractive lower price for entering the housing market or downsizing.
However, condominium ownership comes with a few different considerations than single-family home ownership.
Condominium buildings typically charge an HOA, or homeowner’s association fee, which is managed by a board to pay for common elements like roofs and boilers. All of the units here have HOA fees ranging from $256 to $438. These fees are on top of property taxes.
Generally, the condominium board also pays for maintenance of common elements, like grass, garages and lobbies via HOA fees.
While HOAs are a mechanism for building management that can leave individual owners with fewer responsibilities, the associations set rules for individual owners on a variety of issues from remodeling to pet ownership and parking restrictions. In I llinoi s, bu ye rs of c ondominiums are entitled to certain disclosures prio r to purchasing a c ondominium. T he I llinois C ondominium Property Act gove rn s disclosures wh ich include info rm atio n on the finances of the HOA, and p endin g le g al actions or disputes and any defect s or deficiencies in the c ommon elements of the building.
CO-LIVING: 839 Madison St., Oak Park
Ovation Academy expands into Forest Park
Musical theater group will be able to accommodate more classes, rehearsals and community engagement
By HECTOR CERVANTES Contributing Reporter
Ovation Academy for the Performing Arts is expanding into a new studio space at 7419 Madison St. in Forest Park
Founded in 2014 by Tina Reynolds, the Oak Park-based academy offers musical theater training for all ages. While Ovation Academy remains the anchor tenant at Madison Street Theater, the new space will provide additional room for classes, rehearsals, private lessons and summer camps. The storefront, for merly home to Centuries and Sleuths bookstore, had been vacant for over six months before Ovation secured the space.
A growing demand for musical theater programs post-COVID has driven Ovation Academy to seek a new, permanent space.
After years of searching, which began in 2022, they found a location in Forest Park, aligning with their goal of expanding within the community and providing greater access to the arts for local children, while fostering connections with neighboring organizations.
“We found a really good place. It’s a storefront, so we’re excited to be right on Madison Street,” Reynolds said. “We’re also excited to welcome new people to Ovation and to expand, giving us a little more room than we currently have at the Madison Street Theater, where we are the anchor tenant.”
Madison Street Theater, a nonprofit performing arts venue, houses Ovation Academy, its educational program. As the theater expands and launches a new arts season, Ovation Academy has outg rown its current space.
To accommodate its growth, the academy’s new location will allow for additional rehearsals, classes and private lessons. The new space will support a wider range of musical theater programs, including Broadway Academy productions. This expansion aims to enhance arts education and provide more opportunities for aspir-
ing performers in the community.
“We produce around 11 to 14 musicals per year,” she said. “During that time, we also run a program called the Junior Theater Festival Company Members Experience, which is a more intimate and
“We’re super-excited to engage with the Forest Park community and I hope everyone comes to Madison Street eater to see ‘Legally Blonde’”
TINA RE YNOLDS
intensive group for performers ages 8 to 18. They participate in a musical theater festival, allowing us to expand and hold additional rehearsals. This gives us greater flexibility, and we’re really excited to be in Forest Park.”
When asked about the impact Ovation Academy will have on the art scene in Forest Park and the surrounding Oak Park area, Reynolds responded that she sees Ovation as contributing to community building and prioritizing a safe inclusive environment that gives students a sense of belonging and empowers them beyond their after-school activities.
“It’s a place for everyone, a place for people to find their voice. Within that community, we offer classes for kids and adults as well. We have a very popular adult musical theater class that takes place on Mondays, which is essentially musical theater for grownups. We’re excited to bring quality arts experiences to Forest Park and create a little bit of magic,” Reynolds said.
The new studio space, with its full dance studio and two smaller rooms, provides versatile opportunities for music classes and solo rehearsals.
“With productions like Le gally Blonde, the Musical Junior and Sweeney Todd coming up, the new space will help tremendously in preparing students for these shows,” Reynolds said. “We’re so excited for this
expansion, especially since our Sweeney Todd cast has 50 high school students and Le gally Blonde has 55 middle school students. Fitting that many students together at Madison Street Theater can be a real puzzle, so the new space will make planning much easier,” Reynolds said.
This summer, the academy is expanding its offerings at Forest Park, including camps for younger and less experienced students. T he new space allows Ovation to provide its full range of progr ams to younger and newer f amilies, something that was previously impossible due to limited capacity at the Madison Street location.
“We’ re super-excited to eng age with the Forest Park community and I hope everyone comes to Madison Street T heater to see Le gall y Blonde at the end of April. T hen, of course, there’s Sweeney Todd, which is especially exciting because it’s an all-high school cast. I know there are great progr ams at neighboring high schools, but these kids are truly the best of the best, and it’s going to be outstanding,” Reynolds said.
ERICA BENSON
River Forest resident Alice Bath and Ovation Academy Ballet Instructor Chloe Jancosek use the new studio space in Forest Park.
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Oak Park activists host local ‘Hands O !’ protest Saturday
Gathering in Scoville Park opposes Trump and Musk e orts
By DAN HALEY Senior Advisor and Interim Editor
When Americans turn out Saturday to protest the actions of the Trump Administration during the nationwide Hands Off! event, Oak Park will be represented. Local critics of President Donald Trump and of his counterpart, Elon Musk, will gather at noon at Scoville Park, Oak Park Avenue and Lake Street. Cynthia Breunlin, an Oak Park activist for a good long time, is more than ready to lead the protest but decided last week that she and other older activists in the village were not up for the trip to the Loop protest.
“Several of us who are older realized we could not get to the Federal Plaza,” said Breunlin, 77. So, spontaneously, she
reached out to MoveOn.org, an organizer of the national event, sought its OK through its “Plan Your Event” feature and 24 hours later was recruiting a crowd. As of Monday morning, more than 250 people had registered to take part
“We hope to fill the park,” said Breunlin.
“And we might wind up marching to Harlem.”
Four years ago, Breunlin and others organized Congregations Networking for Social Justice. It is now about 100 members strong and represents lay members of faith organizations in Oak Park, Forest Park and River Forest. That group is the sponsor of Saturday’s Hands Off! protest.
“This is not along political lines,” said Breunlin. “But about our rights around our democracy, which are being taken away.” She offered a lengthy list of issues protesters want Trump and Musk to steer away from.
“Our libraries, public lands, Medicare, Medicaid, VA benefits, the Education Department and our public schools, our bodies, Social Security,” she said.
Also joining in support of Hands Off! is the non-partisan Oak Park-River Forest League of Women Voters. So while reminding members in its March newsletter that “the league is about positions, not politicians or political parties,” it asked its members not to wear “league paraphernalia” while protesting either in downtown Chicago or at Scoville Park
Breunlin, who worked in housing programs for the village of Oak Park for 10 years, has been involved in fair housing issues across the metropolitan area for decades.
Asked why people who may feel overwhelmed by the news coming out of Washington should turn out on Saturday, Breunlin said, the protest “empowers people to have a voice. We don’t need to educate people about the issues, but we do need to respond with moral outrage. In these times we must take action.” And, she made the point, “Retirees should not retire.”
Spring 2025
Enrichment and guide Camp
IAn Inspiring Opportunity for Gifted Students at Dominican University
t’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
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
Terra Incognito Studio and Gallery has proudly called Oak Park home for over 30 years.
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.
Terra Incognito Studio and Gallery has proudly called Oak Park home for over 30 years.
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.
Unplug your kids and let them get dirty at Terra Incognito Summer Camp!
We
Adult wheel throwing classes
We offer fun and educational pottery making camps for ages 5 and up. Summer clay camps provide young artists the outlet for exercising both critical and creative thinking through clay. If you want to nurture your child’s creativity, this is the place to be!
Adult wheel throwing classes
Kids classes and camps
Kids classes and camps
Private space rental with 24/7 access
Private space rental with 24/7 access
Birthday parties
Birthday parties
What Summer Camp Offers
> Skill to make functional pots and decorative clay art both on the wheel and by hand.
> Skills to decorate their creations using underglazes and glaze.
> Learn the firing process, leading to a full understanding of the entire operation.
> Low teacher-to-student ratio, every camper will get the attention they need.
Summer Camp Sessions
Corporate team building events
- Adult wheel throwing classes
Corporate team building events
Private parties
> Each session is 2 weeks long, Monday through Thursday, starting on Monday, June 9th. The cost per 2-week session is $340.
- Kids classes and camps
- Private space rental with 24/7 access
Give
Private parties
- Birthday parties
MORNING SESSIONS: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (5-9 years old)
Give us a call and sign-up today!
- Corporate team building events
- Private parties
AFTERNOON SESSIONS: 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm (10 years old and up)
JULY 13TH ($10
12u13u-14u15u-18u
1:00-2:00PM2:15-3:15PM3:30-4:30PM
JUNE SESSION
16, 17, 18, 20*, 23, 24, 25, 26
Mon-Thurs (8 days)
3rd-5th Grade 8:00A-11:00A 6th-8th Grade 11:00A-2:00P Min/Max 8/24
JULY SESSION
7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17 Mon-Thurs (8 days)
3rd-5th Grade 8:00A-11:00A
6th-8th Grade 11:00A-2:00P Min/Max 8/24 (8 Min/Max 8/24
LOCATED AT: MELROSE PARK CIVIC CENTER 1000 25 Ave th
Registration Fee: $275 for EACH session ($50 two session discount) Ave
COME SPEND YOUR SUMMER WITH THE SHARKS! THIS JUNE AND JULY, OUR SHARKS COACHING STAFF WILL BE HOSTING A SUMMER CAMP FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 3RD-8TH AS OF THE FALL 2025 SCHOOL YEAR.
WILL BE HOSTING SUMMER CAMP IN GRADES OF THE 2025 SCHOOL YEAR.
Medicaid cuts causes concern for Infant Welfare Society
Legislator outreach, donations crucial for Children’s Clinic
By GREGG VOSS Contributing Reporter
Uncertainty around restructuring of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and announced cuts in late March to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are creating concerns locally, especially for the nonprofit Oak Park and River Forest Infant Welfare Society
According to John McIlwain, the organization’s executive director, any Medicaid cuts would likely have a deep impact for the IWS Children’s Clinic, which has provided medical, dental and behavioral health services to lowincome families throughout the entire Chicago area for more than a century.
McIlwain said approximately 30 percent of clinic revenues come from Medicaid, with Medicaid paying approximately 30 to 50 percent of the cost of providing patient services. The clinic serves approximately 3,000 patients annually.
The clinic is located at 28 Madison St., a larger, two-story building it acquired and refurbished in recent years to grow its services.
“There is great concern,” McIlwain said. “On a day-to-day basis, people are scared. They are concerned about what this means. This is a complex social issue.
“We’ve worked hard to assure we are here for them for their health and primary care needs.”
OA K PARK-RIVER FOREST INFANT WELFARE SOCIET Y Oak Park-River Forest Infant Welfare Society medical director, Dr. Diane Butter eld, works with a youngster at the IWS Children’s Clinic.
John McIlwain
Rowena A brahams, IWS marketing director, a dded if Medicaid c uts, however de ep, go forward, “we’d have to raise more d onations and look for more gr ants. If Medicaid went aw ay, the other piece s of the pie chart would have to increase.”
Medicaid is federal funding distributed to states to meet the needs of citizens at the lower end of the economic scale, McIlwain said, to provide them fundamental access to healthcare. Cuts to Medicaid will “nar row the channel” of care for residents who patronize the clinic.
PROVIDED
“This is not the average Oak Parker,” he said. “These are people who working three jobs to care for their children.”
McIlwain said for local residents, the solution, at least of the moment, is to reach out to their legislators at the state and federal level to voice their concerns about the cuts. That includes U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Danny K. Davis, for example.
IWS is also accepting donations at its website, OPRFIWS.org.
“Twenty dollars could cover a portion of a visit for a child,” McIlwain said, adding a donation can en be designated to Medicaid reimbursement.
He also said that deferring healthcare to the future isn’t a viable option for patients, because when the issue is finally addressed, it will likely cost more to cor rect it
Then there is the matter of the moral issue of life expectancy.
“As the federal government considers these potential cuts to Medicaid, I hope they realize that life expectancy in the Loop is approximately 84 years of age,” McIlwain said. “If you jump on the Green Line heading west, just a
few stops west of the Loop, in East Garfield Park, life expectancy drops to 67 years old. If they take the Green Line all the way to Oak Park, life expectancy improves to approximately 81 years of age. These proposed cuts will have real-world implications for the most vulnerable members of our society.”
While Medicaid cuts are the financial side of the story, there is the human side as well. For example, McIlwain was touring the clinic recently and there was a youngster with Down syndrome who was receiving dental care for the first time. The child was very upset, but McIlwain understood the level of service the clinic was of fering.
In fact, it was a textbook case of the clinic doing its job.
“It was a child who can’t get care anywhere else,” he said. “With the size we are, and the unique skill set, just being in the caregiving world, we are a unique entity.
“It was a powerful realization of how important this clinic is.”
Abrahams added that the other part to consider is how patients, and their loved ones, are treated.
“In terms of day-to-day basis, we hear their deep appreciation of the services we offer,” she said. “One of the benefits of the IWS Children’s Clinic is we treat our patients as if they are in a private clinic specialized pediatricians servicing them, they have short wait times and they say it’s like a family
“They aren’t being shuttled from provider to provider. It’s a more consistent experience.”
CRIME
Gun at Gar
On March 28, police were dispatched to Garfield Elementary School, where the principal told them that a special education teacher’s aide put a purse with a gun in it on a classroom table, according to the police re port. Police said the class’s teacher saw the gun and, when she confronted the aide, she admitted to the gun and said she has a Concealed Carry License. The aide was escorted out of the school to put the gun in her car and terminated from her position, according to the police re port. Police said that the superintendent wants to file charges against her, though she was not charged at the time of the re port
Road rage
On March 25, police responded to 7329 Randolph Street for a battery in progress. At the intersection of Belvidere and Randolph, a man told police he was involved in a road rage incident. He said the other driver followed him to the Citgo gas station, approached his car and pepper sprayed him. The other driver told police she followed the man to the gas station and pepper sprayed him because she is “sick of the way these young boys drive,” according to the police re port. Both the man and woman said they were driving aggressively and apolo gized to each other. No one was charged.
Injured deer
On March 27, police were dispatched to 2001 Des Plaines Ave. for a deer in the road. A police officer noticed that the deer’s right legs appeared to be broken and used his duty rifle to shoot the deer once in its chest. He removed the deer from the road and asked the police department’s desk officer to contact public works to remove the carcass.
Apartment break-in
Police arrived at an apar tment on the 7500 block of Jackson Blvd. on March 25 after they got a call that a man wearing all black was inside an apar tment unit, which had a broken window. One apar tment resident told police she was walking in the rear stairwell to her unit when she saw a broken window in another unit. Another
resident told police that she saw someone in the ich was supposed to be vacant, and contacted the police. The two witnesses told police it’s a usual occurrence for unhoused people to get access to one of the apar tment units and stay there for a short period of time. Police contacted the apar tment’s management company to inform them of the squatter and damage and checked the residence to ensure it was empty. No one was charged.
On March 27, police responded to a Marengo Avenue residence after a caller was watching his unit’s surveillance cameras and saw a woman in a mask walking through his unit. According to the police re port, the officer found the woman in the unit and handcuffed her. She told them she used to live in the unit with her ex-boyfriend, has a spare key, and wanted to get back a photo she gave him. The man who lives in the unit said he and the woman broke up last year and that she followed him to his job two weeks ago. The man said he wanted to sign complaints against the woman, who was charged with criminal trespass to a residence.
These items were obtained from Forest Park Police Department reports dated March 24 - 28 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.
OUR VIEW
And now … the National Guard
It is a missed opportunity as a prime development parcel on Roosevelt Road is tur ned over to yet another branch of the military. How long the Illinois National Guard will lay claim to the six-acre site at 7402 Roosevelt is anyone’s guess But when the transfer of the land from the Armed Forces Reserve to the Illinois Ar my National Guard is approved by the Ar my Corp of Engineers, the timeline will be open-ended
There is no criticism here. While Forest Park leaders have been eyeing this land for about 20 years as a redevelopment site, it is tough to intervene in the machinations of the federal gover nment.
It was Mayor Tony Calderone who first saw the potential for residential and commercial projects on a site that has long seemed like an afterthought to any grand military purpose He made the appropriate efforts when the Navy moved out to position Forest Park as the likely winning bidder if the feds ever gave up the property
They didn’t give it up, and the Ar my took up residence, though there seldom seemed to be much activity on the site. It has sat vacant since 2022.
Mayor Rory Hoskins set his sights on the property then. But his preliminary plan to move all village government functions — municipal offices, police, fire, public works — to the site has never made sense for a cash-strapped village government. And while the existing village facilities are best classified as under-maintained, the Roosevelt Road site calls out for tax-producing projects
This is Forest Park’s second major commercial street and the largest producer of sales and property tax revenue, lined with Walmart and car dealerships.
Someday, the opportunity to grab this parcel will come around. We’re confident Forest Park will eventually find a way to control or purchase the site and integrate it into the village’s funding stream.
A native garden
There is a happier outcome on a worthy small project on Desplaines Avenue, across from the under-maintained village hall. With a grant from of all places the National Association of Realtors, Forest Park is about to plant a pollinator garden on the street-facing portion of the village parking lot.
The village is planning a robust mix of native plants specially chosen to attract bees and hummingbirds. It will create an appealing and sustainable ecosystem that is just another small step in loving this planet.
The garden will also retain rainwater, which is always a welcome incremental step to reduce flood risks.
Good job by the village to make this plan. We’re looking forward to seeing the garden planted and then watching it bloom as the summer arrives.
OPINION
Should Altenheim’s backyard stay green?
Itry to look at both sides of an issue
On one side of the “Altenheim’s backyard”debate, I hear, “Don’t sell any of the 11 acres the village purchased in 2001. Keep it green.
I cheered when Forest Park bought the 11 acres, in part to prevent it from being developed into townhouses like the ones across the street. My instinct is to retain as much nature in our urban environment as possible.
I therefore have supported the commitment of this community to steward our urban forest. Evidence of this stewardship is the designation by the Arbor Day Foundation of our village as a Tree City U.S.A. in 2020.
We have lots of trees, but not much grass. Walk Madison Street from the railroad tracks on the west to Harlem Avenue on the east and the only blade of grass you’ll see is on the north side of the street in the 7300 block.
If you look at the residential blocks, notice how small the front and back lawns are. A famous resident of Oak Park may or may not have quipped that the village, many years ago, was defined by broad lawns and narrow minds, or something like that. In my view, Forest Park is a community of broad minds and narrow lawns
If, in economic terms, scarcity increases value, then grass (no, not that kind of grass) should be conserved as a precious commodity.
People like John Muir had the vision to prevent the development of townhouses along the south rim of the Grand Canyon, for example, making it off limits to development by getting it designated a national park. Same thing for the lakefront in Chicago.
There’s a joke that the definition of a suburban residential development is a section of land where they cut down all the trees to facilitate development and then name the streets after the trees. Once townhouses are built, grass is gone forever.
Exhibit A: the townhouse development across Van Buren from the Altenheim.
But there’s another side to the issue which makes it complicated
Two pensions are way underfunded
“Forest Park’s fire and police pensions have been underfunded by millions of dollars for decades,” according to an article in the Review. “As the deficit continues growing, there could be serious consequences for the village in the next 15 years.”
So Steve Rummel, a Forest Park resident who is a trustee of the village’s police pension board, suggested
at a village council meeting a month ago that the village sell the Altenheim land it owns in order to fund a small part of fire and police pensions.
Selling the backyard of the Altenheim, he argued, would provide money to start chipping away at the deficit. The hardest part of any journey, they say, is getting out the front door
And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Forest Park does have some “broad lawns” in certain places.
Exhibit B: The Park District’s main campus includes over 16 acres, some of which is grass, although part of that is synthetic.
Exhibit C: The cemeteries. Forest Home Cemetery includes 240 acres and almost all of it is covered with grass and trees. It even has a river running through it
My wife and I have often picked up a coffee from a local shop, parked in the shade of a big old cottonwood tree there, and hung out for hours. The “residents” are very quiet, and often we see deer. Sometimes we are the only living humans in sight.
I don’t think many of us consider Forest Home to be a public space for Forest Parkers, but there it is every day waiting for us to enjoy it
Exhibit D: Thatcher Woods. It’s not inside the village boundaries per se, but it is within “spitting distance.”
Our village motto boasts that we have “big city access” as if the Art Institute, Symphony Center and Wrigley Field are Forest Park assets “on the far edge of town.”
Thatcher Woods is a lot more accessible than Guaranteed Rate Field where the Sox play
Finally, perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” In a perfect world, the previous generations would have set aside more green space in town.
Reality, however, infor ms us that we have a pension fund crisis; we have some available green space; and in the last 24 years no one has come up with a perfect solution for the dilemma we are now facing.
I have a book titled, Leadership Without Easy Answers Let’s not expect easy answers for what to do with Altenheim’s backyard. Easy answers to complex questions are often overly simplistic and not well thought out. Need I mention DOGE?
The more I think of Steve Rummel’s suggestion, the more I think that, although not perfect, it’s good. And that’s as good as it will get.
I therefore am OK with townhouses going up on Van Buren across from the ones that are already there.
60 years ago:
GA LOOK BACK IN TIME
Modernizing on Madison
etting ready for the second annual village-wide “Clean Up, Paint Up and Fix Up” event in the village, the Review celebrated the “modernization” of businesses in Forest Park
“One of the great additions to the Forest Park scene over the past few months has been the renovation of the business block at Madison and Circle, with Rierson Drug Store showing a new face. Also showing well is one of Forest Park’s old landmarks, the Circle Food Mart, with its complete renovation to make it one of the stores of the future. Schmidt’s Coffee Shop and Bakery is an eye-catcher with its
modern front and interior and fresh pastry and coffee shop for shoppers along Madison.”
In 1965, Rierson Pharmacy was one of three independent pharmacies on Madison Street. Golden Drug & Liquor was right at the corner of Harlem and Madison (now USA Liquors, 7200 Madison), and Pearce Pharmacy was at the corner of Beloit and Madison (now Epic clothing at 7446). On the south side of town, Ungers Pharmacy changed hands to N.M. Miller Pharmacy this year at Elgin and Roosevelt (now R. Eck & Sons, 7221 Roosevelt).
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, Robert J. Li a
Columnists Alan Brouilette, Jill Wagner, Tom Holmes
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
Operations Associate Susan Babin
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
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT - CHANCERY DIVISION
WINTRUST MORTGAGE, A DIVISION OF BARRINGTON BANK & TRUST COMPANY, N.A. Plaintiff, -v.-
ARMANI GRIFFIN
Defendants 24 CH 04949 2501 SOUTH 18TH AVENUE
BROADVIEW, IL 60155
NOTICE OF SALE
PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on February 10, 2025, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 13, 2025, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at public in-person sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
Commonly known as 2501 SOUTH 18TH AVENUE, BROADVIEW, IL 60155
Property Index No. 15-22-124015-0000
The real estate is improved with a single family residence.
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 151701(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.
MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60602. Tel No. (312) 346-9088. 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.
MCCALLA RAYMER LEIBERT PIERCE, LLC
One North Dearborn Street, Suite 1200
REAL ESTATE FOR SALE
Chicago IL, 60602
312-346-9088
E-Mail: pleadings@mccalla.com
Attorney File No. 23-16277IL
Attorney Code. 61256
Case Number: 24 CH 04949
TJSC#: 45-520
NOTE: Pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, you are advised that Plaintiff’s attorney is deemed to be a debt collector attempting to collect a debt and any information obtained will be used for that purpose.
Case # 24 CH 04949 I3263630
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
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING FISCAL YEAR 2026 BUDGET
The Village of River Forest will hold a public hearing on Monday, April 14, 2025 at 7:00 p.m. in the 1st floor Community Room of the Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois concerning the Village of River Forest proposed budget for the fiscal period starting May 1, 2025 and ending April 30, 2026
A copy of the proposed budget is available for public inspection at the Village Hall during regular business hours or on the Village’s website at www.vrf.us. For more information, please contact Finance Director Rosemary McAdams at 708-366-8500
Published in Wednesday Journal April 2, 2025
PUBLIC NOTICES
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on 21 April 2025, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of the Village Hall, 517 Desplaines Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois, the Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing to consider a conditional use permit and site plan review to allow the construction of a selfserve vacuum facility in the B-2 Community Shopping District on the following described properties(s):
Parcel 1:
Lot 15 (except that part described as follows: beginning at the Southeast corner of said Lot; thence South 89 Degrees 11 Minutes 56 Seconds West (assumed) 5.00 feet along the Southerly line of said Lot; thence North 44 Degrees 11 Minutes 47 Seconds East 7.07 feet to the Easterly line of said Lot, said Easterly line being also the Westerly right of way of Harlem Avenue; thence South 00 Degrees 48 Minutes 23 Seconds East 5.00 Feet along said right of way to the point of beginning) in Block 1 in South Addition to Harlem, being a Subdivision of the East 1/2 of the West 1/2 of the South East 1/4 of Section 13, Township 39 North, Range 12 East of the Third Principal Meridian, in Cook County, Illinois.
Parcel 2:
Lot 16 in Block 1 in South Addition to Harlem in Section 13, Township 39 North, Range 12 East of the Third Principal Meridian, in Cook County, Illinois.
Commonly known as 7201 Lexington Street, Forest Park, IL PINs: 15-13-407-026-0000, 1513-407-034-0000
The applicant is CellTech, LLC
Signed:
Marsha East, Chair Planning and Zoning Commission
Published in Forest Park Review April 2, 2025
VILLAGE OF RIVERSIDE, ILLINOIS NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Notice is hereby given to all interested persons that a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Village of Riverside will be held on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as the business of the Planning and Zoning Commission may permit, in Room 4 of the Riverside Township Hall, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois, to consider an application from the Petitioner, Patrick T. Leone, for a four (4) lot subdivision for property located at 28-30 East Burlington Street, Riverside, Illinois, in the B2RC Central Business District – Retail Core District. The application proposes combining the four subject properties.
Application No.: PZ25-0002
Petitioners: Patrick T. Leone Property Commonly Known As: 28-30 East Burlington Street, Riverside, Illinois PINs: 15-36-109-028-0000, 1536-109-029-0000, 15-36-109076-0000, and 15-36-109-0790000
Legally Described As: LOT 689 (EXCEPT THE SOUTHERLY 16 FEET THEREOF) IN BLOCK 5 IN THE 3RD DIVISION OF RIVERSIDE, BEING A SUBDIVISION IN THE WEST ½ OF SECTION 36, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS; LOT 690 (EXCEPT THE SOUTH 16 FEET THEREOF COVEYED TO THE VILLAGE OF RIVERSIDE BY WARRANTY DEED RECORDED AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 10734538) IN BLOCK 5 IN THE THIRD DIVISION OF RIVERSIDE IN SECTION 36, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS; LOT 5 IN MILLER’S RESUBDIVISION OF ALL LOTS 688 AND 772 OF LOT 2 IN OWNERS’ RESUBDIVISION OF LOT 771 (EXCEPT THE SOUTHERLY 16 FEET OF SAID LOT 771) ALL IN BLOCK 5 IN THE 3RD DIVISION OF RIVERSIDE, BEING A SUBDIVISION IN THE WEST ½ OF SECTION 36, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINICIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS; AND LOT 773 (EXCEPT THAT PART LYING WESTERLY OF A LINE DRAWN PERPENDICULAR TO THE NORTHERLY LINE OF SAID LOT, THROUGH A POINT 167.31 FEET EASTERLY OF THE NORTHWESTERLY CORNER OF SAID LOT) IN BLOCK 5 IN 3RD DIVISION OF RIVERSIDE, IN SECTION 36, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
The above application is available for inspection at the office of the Village Clerk, 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois 60546. During the Public Hearing the Planning and Zoning Commission will hear testimony from and consider any evidence presented by persons interested to speak on this matter. Persons wishing to appear at this hearing may do so in person or by attorney or other representative and may speak for or against the proposed subdivision. Communications in writing in relation thereto may be filed at such hearing or with the Planning and Zoning Commission in advance by submission to the Village’s Community Development Department at 27 Riverside Road, Riverside, Illinois prior to 4:00 p.m. the day of the public hearing.
The Public Hearing may be continued from time to time without further notice, except as otherwise required under the Illinois Open Meetings Act.
Dated this 2nd day of April, 2025.
Jennifer Henaghan, Chairperson Planning and Zoning Commission
Published in RBLandmark April 2, 2025
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