Forest Park Review 042623

Council names five to relaunched health board

Members

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

The long-dormant Forest Park Board of Health is ready to go – just in time for the village’s first Mental Health Fair

The Forest Park Village Council voted unanimously on April 24 to appoint five members, all of whom have some experience in either health in general or mental health treatment specifically. Karen Considine, Susan Buss and Leah Shapiro have decades of experience in social work and therapy, treating some of the most vulnerable members of society. Mishawn Pumell-O’Neal has over a decade of experience in teaching about health, while Lindsey Baish-Flynn is a marketing processional who is currently working on becoming a therapist.

The Forest Park Board of Health was originally established in 2002, but it became inactive over time. The health board was already on the books, and the village decided to resur rect it, while changing its mission.

Under the changes approved during a Feb. 27 meetSee HEALTH BOARD on pa ge 3

Spring Fling

Tom Holmes: Forest Park ’s arts superbloom

include mental health professionals, health educator, marketer

Oak Leaf sign has spot in park’s new Harrison Street facility

Historical Society on board with plan

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

When the Park District of Forest Park builds a new indoor facility at 7400-7412 Harrison St., the iconic Oak Leafsign will be put somewhere inside the building – park officials just aren’t sure exactly where yet.

The park district demolished the vacant Oak Leaf Lounge, Pines restaurant and the Forest ParkForeign Car Repair shop last fall to make way for the future facility and avoid liability associated with leaving the buildings standing. The Oak Leafsign goes back to Oak Leaf Laundry, the business that originally occupied the building at 7412 Harrison St. When the buildings were torn down, the park district preserved the sign, but it left its future open.

The Historical Society of Forest Park expressed interest in the sign, and so did Albert Reda, grandson ofthe laundry’s original owner. During the April 20 meeting of the park district’s board, John Doss, board president, said the board agreed to incorporate the sign into the new building, where it would be visible to the public – and the historical society was on board with it.

Oak Leaflaundry was founded in 1933 at 716 Desplaines Ave. It moved to Harrison Street five years later as the business grew The original sign had the “Landerers Cleaners” in smaller neon letters beneath the larger “Oak Leaf” neon letters Forest Parkers are familiar with. In the early 1980s, the family sold the building to the neighboring Pines Lobster and Steak House and agreed to let owner Rich Navratil keep the sign. He converted the laundry into a lounge.

Reda previously told the Review that, when he found out about the building’s impending demolition last fall, he reached out to the park district to ask ifhe could have the

sign. He told the Review that he intended to restore it to its original form and put it in his “mancave.” Ifthe historical society were to get it, he said in an earlier interview, he was willing to trade it for his grandfather’s photo archives and original Oak Leaf Laundry advertisement printing blocks.

The park district hasn’t made any final plans for what the new Harrison Street facility will look like. But during the April 20 meeting, Doss said that “whatever happens to the building, we will put [the sign] into use in the building.”

He said he discussed the issue with other park commissioners, historical society president Mark Boroughfand vice-president Jill Wagner, who serves as the Review’s circulation manager and columnist. Both ofthem, Doss said, were OK with the park district’s plan, because it would keep the sign in the public eye – which is what they hoped to do if they got it.

Commissioner Tim Gillian said this approach made sense.

“It just seems like a good idea keeping it right on the site [where it’s been] for the past 50 years,” he said.

Commissioner Kristen Lyons agreed “It’s about preserving history,” she said. “Doesn’t matter who owns [the sign], so long as it can be enjoyed by the public in the future.”

Reda told the Review that he was willing to spend as much as $9,000 to buy the sign for the park district. He said he made an offer in late winter, and he was told that it wasn’t for sale.

Reda said that, while he has some concerns about the sign’s future, he bears no ill will toward the park district.

“I’m okay with [their decision],” he said “I don’t have a problem with it at all. My only thing – what is your intention to use it?”

48 Hour Film Challenge comes to town Accompanied

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

Talk about pressure! Imagine you and a small team having to knock out a five- to 10-minute film in two days within given parameters — a line of dialogue and a prop that must be used and a film genre like comedy or film noir — that your film must fit.

If that challenge sounds interesting, the Forest Park Arts Alliance (FPAA) has an event for you. It’s called 48 Hour Film Challenge, and similar events are being held in over 30 cities in this country and around the world, including Beijing, China and Geneva, Switzerland.

Here’s the way it works: You get a team of up to six members together and re gister by May 11 at 9 p.m. using the following link: https://forestparkarts.org/48-hr-filmteam-reg-file, download and complete the re gistration form, and email it to forestparkart@gmail.com with “48 Hour” on the subject line. Send the re gistration fee — $10 for students and $25 for colle ge students and adults — by the pay link button on the website or by PayPal to forestparkarts@ gmail.com.

by a red ca rpet gala

Once you’ve re gistered, you’ll receive an email with a Zoom link for Friday, May 12 to receive the parameters. Teams will then have three days (48-hour limit extended because of Mother’s Day weekend) to write, produce, film, edit and turn in a 5- to 10-minute video.

The films will be reviewed by the organizing committee. The videos should be family-friendly, i.e. fit a PG rating. A public showing will occur the next weekend, in the form of a Red Carpet Gala.

The gala will be held on Saturday, May 20. The doors on the south side of St. Bernardine’s Fearon Hall, 815 Elgin in Forest Park, will open at 6:30 p.m. with festivities star ting at 7 p.m.

Lin Beribak, who is producing and coordinating the challenge and gala, said that works by local artists will be hung for viewing, live music will be provided by jazz guitarist David Gulyas and friend, and wine and soft drinks will be sold.

Tickets for the event cost $15 for FPAA members and $20 for nonmembers.

“There is no dress code,” said Beribak, “and no one will be turned away because they are wearing jeans with holes in them. But at the same time we are trying to make

HEALTH BOARD

5 named to relaunch

from page 1

ing, the Board of Health’s mission became advising the village council on “matters pertaining to the public health of the village, including but not limited to mental and physical health.” It explicitly required the commission to meet once a month. The five nominees must be Forest Parkers, and they will serve for five-year ter ms.

Considine is a social worker who currently has a private practice supervising social worker candidates as they take the clinical hours they need in order to g et a license. Her resume shows extensive social work experience in western Cook and DuPage counties. Most notably, she headed DuPage County18th Judicial Circuit Court’s Mental Illness Court Alternative Progr am, which allowed people who were charged with crimes and dealt with mental health issues to avoid criminal sentences by going through treatment.

In a letter included in her application, Considine wrote that,

the event a little more classy than that.”

Films from students will be screened at 7 p.m. and, after intermission, attendees will view videos created by adults.

Forest Park resident Dan Marcu who earns a living making commercials and other films, brought the conc the Arts Alliance. “Back in 2007,” he re called, “a few colleagues introduced the idea of adding a 48-hour film challenge as a small part of an annual screening event we created to support the Chicago commercial production industry.”

“You may think that you can’t make a movie,” he added, “but you can! Just find your team that you’ll have fun with. This isn’t the Cannes Film Festival; this is simply meant to be fun and different. Think of it as a souped-up version of Tik Tok or YouTube.”

Beribak estimated that only about 5% of the 65 FPAA members are able to make a living by selling the art they create. She is among the 95% who are good enough to have some of their creations sold but fall in the category of hobbyist.

Yet she is a very serious hobbyist. When she added a second story to her house in Forest Park, it included a master bedroom

as a Forest Park resident since 1985, she beli eved that the board could be an important resource.

“I believe that my experience working in the criminal justice system in progr ams designed toward improving how that system responds to and works with persons with mental illness could also be an asset to the Village Board of Health,” she wrote Buss is a social worker and a therapist who mostly worked in Chicago and west suburban Cook County. She currently heads the Oak Park-based Big Sky Consulting therapy practice. She is also a re gular contributor to Forest Park’s Invasion of the Scarecrows event.

While the other resumes were not quite as long, the remaining appointees still bring a wealth of experience to the board. Shapiro is a mental health advocate, educator and a therapist who specialized in children’s mental health. Pur nell-O’Neal is a health and nutrition educator who currently works as a senior lecturer at Benedictine University in Lisle, Baish-Flynn spent much of her career in marketing, but she is currently in the process of getting a professional councilor license.

During the April 24 meeting, Maxham said that she was glad to see the board come to g ether.

“I just want to thank you and other people that applied, and I’m thrilled that this is happening,” she said.

in the back but it is no longer a place to slee p. After retiring, she finally had time to focus on the watercolor painting she loves and that space is now her studio.

Beribak re presents perhaps the majority of FPAA members who are “in it” for the love of art. Karen Ro zmus, FPAA president, confirmed that saying, “The mission of the Arts Alliance is to bring people together through the joy of art.

“Anyone can participate in this project,” she added, “and it’s perfect for young people and families to show their creativity. I can’t wait to see what creative ef for ts will be shown at the Red Carpet Gala.”

Comple te lo cal ne ws cove rage. Breaking news email updates. Expanded photo coverage. Event calendar. Searchable archives. Community links. Check it out!

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April 26-May 3

BIG WEEK

Family Pond Paddle

Wednesday, April 26, 5 - 7 p.m., Trailside Museum of Natural History Families, enjoy an evening out paddling. Instruction, equipment and kayaks provided. Registration required: 312-533-5751 or experience.nature@cookcountyil.gov. 738 Thatcher Ave., River Forest.

The Science Of Pandemics

Monday, May 1, 1:15-2:15 p.m., Nineteenth Century Charitable Association

Dr. Theresa Chapple, head of the Oak Park Health Department, discusses what is necessar y to track the cases and direct policies to limit the pandemic. Free, but a suggested donation of $15 is suggested for non-members. 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park.

Forest Park Celebrates Na tional Arbor Day

Friday, April 28, 9 a.m., Forest Park Public Library

For the fourth time, Forest Park will be celebrating by planting a tree. Community members are invited to join the village of Forest Park, the Recreation Board and the Forest Park Public Librar y to watch the Forest Park Public Works Department plant a Cornelian-cherry dogwood tree and enjoy a t ceremony. 7555 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park.

Jean Stevens Band

April 29, 6 p.m., FitzGerald’s This Oak Park resident is both a talented artist as well as musician in the Americana/alt-country genre. 6615 Roosevelt Road., Berw yn.

Sibling Synchronicity

Saturday, April 29, 7:30 - 8:30 p.m., Let’s Play Work

A workshop on how to foster healthy relationships and help create strong bonds between siblings. Learn how to foster healthy relationships between siblings, ways to resolve sibling rivalry/ con ict and help encourage strong bonds. Tickets: star ting at $10. Registration: https://tinyurl.com/mwcnb472. 7228 Circle Avenue, Forest Park.

Sensory-Friendly Family

Movie: DC Super Pets

Sunday, April 30, 2 - 4 p.m., Forest Park Public Librar y, Austin Room

Our sensory-friendly family movies are shown with our usual captioning, plus a slightly lower sound volume, and gentle lighting. Additional sensory supports like noisemu ing headphones will also be available. This month’s feature is DC Super Pets, a lm where an unexpected group of animals nd themselves in the position of harnessing their individual talents to save Superman (and just possibly the world?)

Churro Truck Visit

Friday, April 28, 3:30 - 5 p.m., Forest Park Public Library

Help us celebrate National Library Week with us. The Xurro Churro Truck will be stopping by on the Jackson Boulevard side of the building. First come, rst ser ved. One per person, while supplies last. The truck will be here only as long as we have churros. 7555 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park.

Registration For Men’s And Co-Ed Adult Basketball League

Open until May 23, Park District of Forest Park $700 per team. Register now to get the early bird discount of $650. O er expires April 25. 7501 Harrison St., Forest Park.

May Day Outdoor exhibit

Monday, May 1, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., The Historical Society of Forest Park

In celebration and remembrance of May Day, the Historical Society of Forest Park will have biographies about residents of Radical Row at various graves as well as other information about the Haymarket A air and monument. We will be honoring our Mark Rogovin Award recipient at noon, please join us in celebrating their contribution to labor history.

Mohr Community Center playground bids exceed budget

Puts future ARPA spending in question

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

The bids to rehab the Mohr Community Center playg round and re place the playground have increased the project costs by nearly a third, leading the village council to dip into the American Rescue Plan Act federal funds — which could leave it less to spend on everything else.

Village Administrator Moses Amidei originally proposed spending $150,000 in ARPA funding on the project. But the bid responses pushed the project costs up to $218,285. During the April 24 village council meeting, Amidei said the village could potentially fill the gap with state grant funding.

Commissioner Jessica Voogd argued that the village had to prepare for a scenario where it wouldn’t get the funding at all. She asked to table the vote until the village council had a chance to hold a special meeting where they can discuss ARPA spending and where they might need to make cuts. The commissioners ended up with a compromise — they approved the contracts, and Mayor Rory Hoskins ag reed to convene the meeting at some point after May 8, when commissioner-elect Michelle Melin-Rogovin will be swor n in.

Later during the meeting, the council discussed whether to give Amidei a goahead to give the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce ARPA funds to be gin its village marketing ef forts. In light of the earlier vote, the commissioners agreed to postpone that decision until after the ARPA meeting.

The lowest bidder for the Community Center playg round, Playg roundsafe LLC, bid $154,470 for construction. The village also plans to spend $37,771.70 to buy the

playg round equipment from Play Illinois LLC, and pay Christopher Burke Engineering, Forest Park’s re gular project consultant, $15,300 for engineering services

Amidei previously told the council that, if the bids are “significantly” over the original estimate, Forest Park would look into applying for the Illinois Depar tment of Natural Resources’ Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant or the Park and Recreational Facilities Construction Program (PARC) grants to cover other aspects of the community center renovation, of fsetting the overall costs. According to the IDNR website, the PARC grant program is currently inactive. OSLAD grants can be used to, among other things, redevelop public land, with IDNR funding half of the project or $600,000, whichever is smaller

During the April 24 meeting, Amidei said it was still the plan, adding that, given the fact both grants are reimbursement-based, they can potentially be used to cover the extra spending.

Voogd emphasized that she wanted to see the playg round improved, but she argued that the village was “in a tough situation” where it would have to decide where they would need to cut $70,000 wor th of ARPA spending, specifically mentioning the mental health service expansion that Commissioner Maria Maxham advocated for and Chamber of Commerce marketing ef for ts as examples. Voogd argued that the council should hold of f on the contract until it figures out where the cuts might come from.

“I’m not sure what the r ush is when we have a new council being seated at the May [8] meeting,” she said. “I’m not saying we should wait 3-4 years, but we want these improvements to happen, and we have a couple of months to figure out our course of action.”

Hoskins, who made playg round improvements a major priority, urged the council to approve the contract now,

Hang in Fothere rest Park

describing the cur rent state of the playground as an equity issue.

“This playground is where children from families with the least resources spend quite a bit of time,” he said. “I’m going to suggest we go ahead and move forward with the improvements because that playg round is hor rible, and kids play on it, and it’s exposed to unhoused people who live back there, it’s right next to a trash heap in our public works [facility], and I don’t want to keep waiting just because the costs went up a little bit.”

After fur ther discussion, the council ag reed to a compromise and unanimously approved the project.

Marketing plan

During the Jan. 23 special meeting on ARPA funds, the council broadly agreed to give the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce at least $40,000 to spend on marketing the village and another $75,000 for small business g rants — but they asked it to share a plan on how the money would

be spent.

During the Feb. 27 meeting, Chamber President Neil Rembos presented the plan to the council. It called for spending $6,000 on digital marketing, $12,000 on printing Welcome New Residents guides “to drive new residents to FP [sic] to patronize our businesses,” $6,000 on digital billboard ads, $10 on social media promotions, $4,000 to team up with Visit Oak Park to put digital ads on streaming services, and $2,000 for in-person events such as a Restaurant Week. The village funding would run through the chamber’s fiscal year, from May 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024.

At the time, the council didn’t direct Amidei to release the money, which is why he brought the matter up on April 24. He proposed giving the first $20,000 on May 1. On Oct. 1, the chamber would need to present “receipts and documentation,” showing how it spent that money, and if there are no issues, the village would release the remaining $20,000 on Nov. 1

But with a potential $70,000 gap to fill, the council ag reed not to release anything until the ARPA meeting takes place.

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Hoskins won all precincts in mayoral elections

Campaign funds improved odds but didn’t guarantee victory

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

The Office of the Cook County Clerk released the precinct-level April election results, giving a closer look at how different parts of Forest Park voted

In the mayoral election, not only did incumbent Rory Hoskins win by an overwhelming margin, but challenger John Doss didn’t win a single precinct among the village’s 10 precincts. On the village commissioner side, Jessica Voogd got the highest number of votes, ear ning 20.79% of the vote, and won most of the precincts, even if, in some cases, by a very small margin. Incumbent Maria Maxham, who won her first election after being appointed to her seat in July 2021, came a close second, getting 20.52% of the vote and winning two precincts. Incumbent Ryan Nero, who got the third-highest number of votes, or 18.24% of the vote, won one precinct

The Review also looked at the candidates’ most recent quarterly reports, which cover campaign spending up to Election Day. It showed that, while Hoskins had an overwhelming financial edge over Doss, things were less cut and dried for village commissioners. Maxham, who had the biggest campaign war chest and benefitted from donations from Hoskins, came in second to Hoskins And commissioner-elect Michelle Melin-Rogovin won largely on the strength of the loans and donations she made to her own campaign.

While Voogd won most precincts, there were several where she was neck-in-neck with Maxham. In the 8th Precinct, which encompasses the largely commercial and industrial portions of the south half of the village, Voogd had 155 votes to Maxham’s 154. Voogd also beat Maxham by one vote in the 67th Precinct, which includes much of the Madison Street corridor between Beloit Avenue and Harlem Avenue, and the section of the Harlem Avenue corridor between Ran-

dolph Street and Eisenhower Expressway.

Maxham won two precincts at the north tip of Forest Park, mostly north of Randolph Street. The results were close in the 61st Precinct, the wester n half of the area, with Maxham beating Voogd by five votes.

Nero won the 68th Precinct, which falls between Adams Street, Beloit Avenue, Harrison Street, Marengo Avenue and the section of Circle Avenue south of Eisenhower Expressway. His own home is located just outside the precinct

In the mayoral race, the only precincts where the race was anywhere close were the 67th Precinct, where Hoskins led by 19 votes, 68th Precinct, where Hoskins led by 17 votes, and 76th Precinct, which mostly includes the residential portion of the Harlem Avenue corridor south of the Eisenhower Expressway, where Hoskins led by 41 votes, On May 8, the new village council will be swor n in, and they will choose which commissioner leads which departments by a simple majority vote. The commissioners who got the highest number of votes traditionally got to pick their department, and they tended to choose Accounts & Finances The position gives them oversight over village finances and expenditures, as well as collective bargaining agreements That post doubles as the village council vicepresident. Per the Forest Park municipal code, this means that they “shall preside over the village council and perform all the usual duties of the mayor” if the mayor’s office becomes vacant or “or in the absence of the mayor, or his inability to act.”

While this could make Voogd the most powerful commissioner on the council, the tradition hasn’t always been followed. In 2011, then-commissioner Hoskins got the highest number of votes, but then-commissioners Chris Harris and Mark Hosty and then-mayor Anthony Calderone voted as a block to give Hosty the seat instead. Hoskins was selected as Commissioner of Public Health & Safety

Campaign spending

Hoskins started actively fundraising last spring, raising $54,866 in 2022 and another $7,400 in 2023. Some of the biggest

contributions came from Chicago area labor unions Most notably, Iron Workers Local Union #1 contributed a total of $4,000, while Chicagoland Operators Joint Laborers Management Political Action Committee donated a total of $2,000, Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters donated $1,500, and LIUNA Chicago Laborers’ District Council construction and municipal workers union donated $1,000. Hoskins got some help from local political heavyweights Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, who serves as the Proviso Township Democratic Committeeperson, donated $1,000, while a political action committee for Illinois Senate President Don Har mon (39th) donated $250.

It isn’t unusual for companies that do business with a municipality to donate to incumbent elected officials, and the mayoral race was no exception. Most notably, Christopher Burke Engineering, which handles construction project planning for Forest Park, donated a total of $3,000 to Hoskins’ campaign. Omar Fakhouri, who sought to open a craft cannabis grower last year, donated a total of $550.

Hoskins spent a decent portion to help Maxham win, donating $750 to her campaign and spending another $3,549 to pay

for her campaign mailers. He also donated $500 to Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, and $250 to Har mon’s campaign fund.

By contrast, Doss raised a total of $14,200 throughout the entire campaign cycle, and he loaned $1,100 to his campaign. The one labor contribution he got was $500 from Liquor and Allied Workers Union #3. He got donations from two Republican politicians – $500 from DuPage County Board member Sam Tornatore and another $500 from for mer Illinois State House Rep. Dennis Reboletti. Most large contributions came from a mix of individual donors and businesses, and there were cases of businesses donating to both candidates Nobbs Towing donated $2,000 to Doss and $1,000 to Hoskins

Looking at the commissioner races, Voogd raised a total of $6,999, mostly from individual donors, but also from Motion Picture Studio Mechanics Local #476 union. Notably, she got $500 from Forest Park Historical Society President Mark Boroughf, who mulled a run for commissioner this year but ultimately decided to pass The campaign also got a $300 loan from Voogd’s husband, Daniel Marcus.

Maxham raised a total of $7,492, with

the largest donor being Hoskins She got a $200 donation from community tivist and Environmental Control C mission member Etta Worthington, a $250 donation from Iron Workers Union #1. The remaining larger donations a mix of individual donations and donations from local businesses

Nero raised a total of $5,857, mostl from individual donors.

Melin-Rogovin stands out because majority of her campaign funding came from money she gave to her own c paign either as loans or as donations. Th only funding her campaign got in 2022 was a total of $4.997 she donated to own campaign. In 2023, Melin-Rogo loaned a total of $5,607 to her campaign but she also got $4,180 in small contributions during the same period.

Challenger Ryan Russ raised a total of $4,089, with $2,407 coming from small contributions. All but one large donation came from Forest Park and west subur ban business Notably, Mohr Oil donated $300, and $299 came from Dolphin Promotions

The Review was unable to find c paign finance reports from Joe Land grebe, a candidate for commissioner

The Proviso Township Mental Health Commission - Serving Your Community

Since 1976, the Proviso Mental Health Commission (PTMHC) has helped provide myriad mental health care services to tens of thousands of people throughout Proviso Township. We know that during these times mental health care services are needed more than ever. In addition to traditional therapies for behavioral care, the commission funds services for substance abuse, developmental disabilities, domestic violence, and crisis intervention. All critical areas of need in our community.

Following the Pandemic, we found a growing demand for virtually all of the services we offer. The stress of daily life in our current environment can sometimes be too much to bear but the Proviso Township Mental Health Commission has always been a beacon of hope.

“For nearly 50 years, The Proviso Township Mental Health Commission has stood ready to extend a helping hand when needed,” said Jesse Rosas,

Executive Director of the Commission. “We are in the business of saving lives and restoring people to be productive members of society.”

It is worth noting, that while countless units of local government have taken steps recently to address what many believe is a crisis in mental health in the U.S., Proviso Township has been doing it for more than 40 years making it a recognized leader in the getting local residents the mental health care services they need.

For decades mental health professionals have worked to educate the public that mental health is as important and vital as physical health. It has not been an easy task with the stigma attached to it. Today that stigma is largely gone and mental health is finally beginning to receive the attention it deserves. This leads to a better society based on strong families and sound relationships that foster respect, care, and love.

Mental health issues strike their victims in countless ways, ranging from depression to stress, anxiety, and other emotional factors. They can be caused by an actual chemical imbalance in the brain, by trauma, family or job strife, violence, domestic abuse, substance abuse or countless other factors. Regardless of their origin, one thing is certain; mental health problems lead to physical problems. Did you know that even some cancer and heart disease are believed to be caused by mental health issues? And that’s just the beginning. Mental Health conditions also cause physical maladies such as high blood pressure, lowered immunity, diabetes, fatigue, headache and even asthma. The toll that poor mental health extracts from us is enormous and undeniable.

That’s why organizations like the Proviso Township Mental Health Commission can play such a vital role in our community. Through tax dollars we receive, the commission has funded dozens of

agencies, programs and organizations that provide tangible services—free of charge—to residents of Proviso Township. These programs run the gamut from one on one and couples therapy to drug and alcohol abuse treatment, to medical interventions for depression or bipolar disease, domestic violence and elder abuse, suicide prevention and many others.

We welcome your thoughts and comments and invite you to check out our website to learn more about the Proviso Township Mental Health Commission. (ptmhc.org). Our job is never done but with your help and support we are making Proviso Township the kind of place we are all proud to call home.

Maria Maxham Ryan Nero Jessica Voogd

Park district approves Reiger Park renovation contract

Work expected to be completed by fall

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

The long-waited Reiger Park renovations are only a few ste ps from becoming a reality

Park District of Forest Park Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on April 20 to approve a series of contracts to put in a new playground, redo the walking paths and add a small soccer field for kids’ g ames While the park district originally hoped to finish the renovations in the summer-fall of 2022, there was a delay in getting the $400,000 Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) state grant, which will cover about a third of the project costs. Renovations are scheduled to take place during the summer, with the goal of opening the refreshed park this fall.

Reiger Park, 1526 Circle Ave., is one of four “pocket parks” the park district is leasing from the village of Forest Park for a symbolic $1 a year. As part of the lease, the park district took over the responsibility for maintaining and improving them. It contracted Naperville-based Hitchcock Design Group to develop the design for those improvements

The design the park district ultimately went with largely follows Option 2 presented during the Aug. 19, 2021 public meeting. Similar to what’s there now, it will have the playground in the nor ther n half and a more open area with a soccer field in the souther n half It adds a water play feature in the middle, close to the west entrance, and a gaga ball pit a little fur ther east. It will include a play mound in the nor theast cor ner, a new shelter near the newly redone playground, and new restroom facilities It also calls for a small, amphitheater-like stage area in the southwest cor ner

The $801,443.09 contract went to Elginbased Clauss Brothers landscaping company. The park district will spend a total of $348,703.83 on the new playground equipment, shelter and restrooms, and

an additional $115,244 on design and engineering fees. Overall, the project will cost $1,265,390.92

The OSLAD grant covers 50% of the project costs or $400,000, whichever is smaller. The rest of the money will come from the park district’s capital funds.

The project budget was originally $881,400. During the April 20 meeting, Park District Executive Director Jackie Iovinelli told the board that the budget was set when they originally applied for the grant in 2021, and the costs have gone up since then.

She told the board the park district would order the new playground equipment “first thing tomor row” in order to lock in the prices, but the equipment won’t be delivered until Se pt. 18.

meetings. We also need inspiring, funny, heartwarming and, at times, heartbreaking stories about our friends, neighbors and children. Perhaps now, more than ever.

Education,

If you have children, then you know planning for summer can be a challenge: Choosing a variety of activities. Planning around vacations and friends. Committing to weekly sessions 6 months in advance. But with Steve & Kate’s Camp coming to Oak Park, your entire summer could be solved!

Choice For Kids

Steve & Kate’s Camp, which has been a San Francisco Bay Area staple since 1980, is opening in Oak Park this summer! Steve & Kate’s Camp was founded on the belief that trusting a child helps them build their self-confidence and helps teach them to trust their own judgment.

Oak Park Campers will design their day in real-time by choosing from a variety of activities including, sewing, stop-motion animation, music, performing arts, makers crafts, bread making, coding, sports &

recreation, and more. The children will decide what they want to do and for how long.

Flexibility for Parents

Steve & Kate’s Camp operates a flexible day-pass system where families can sign up for one day here, 22 there, or pay a flat fee, which covers the entire summer. Either way, families can use their passes any day this summer–without advanced notice! If your plans change, they’ll even refund your unused passes automatically at the end of the season.

And just like everything else at Steve & Kate’s, kids will get to choose their lunch entree daily. Most of their meals come from local vendors and are prepared just moments before lunch. They throw in snacks and the occasional frozen treat to boot!

Lunch, snacks, and all hours (8am–6pm) are included.

Unplug your kids and let them get dirty at Terra Incognito!

Terra Incognito offers fun and educational wheel throwing camps for ages 8 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!

Students learn the skills to make functional pots and decorative clay art both on the wheel and by hand. They will then learn how to decorate their creations using underglazes and glaze. The projects they complete will be food safe, made from non-toxic materials which are all supplied. In addition, students will

be shown the firing process, leading to a full understanding of the entire operation. With our low teacher-tostudent ratio, every camper will get

the attention they need.

Morning sessions are from 9:00 am until noon for preteens (8-12 years old) and afternoon sessions are from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm for teens (13 years old and up). Each session is 2 weeks long, Monday through Thursday, starting on Monday, June 12th. The cost per 2-week session is $330.

Terra Incognito is located at 246 Chicago Ave in Oak Park. It has held Potter’s Wheel camps for over 30 years. Several of our former students are now well-known artists and teachers. We are thrilled to

Summer Potter’s Wheel Camps

Fun and intensive Wheel Throwing Camps for Preteens (8-12 yrs.) and Teens (13+yrs). Sessions run June 16 - August 17

help cultivate the next generation of artists from Oak Park.

TerraIncognitoStudio.com

Summer Cooking Camps at Schoolhouse Kitchen are so fun!

Schoolhouse is celebrating its 6th year of Cooking Camps this Summer.

• HOMESTEADING CAMP - AGES 5-11

Kids will love baking and cooking in our beautiful kitchen studio each day. Learning new recipes, crafting, playing games and making friends is the perfect way to relax and learn.

Young chefs are so happy to bring home what they made to share with you and you’ll enjoy trying our kid approved recipes at home with them, too.

½ day camps - M-F - AM or PM

Frick Kids Art

Frick Kids Art

Frick Kids Art

Kids Love Art!

Kids Love Art!

Kids Love Art!

Kids Love Art!

Nurture your kid's natural creativity with fun, hands on creative art classes. Check out our after school classes and summer programs.

• T/WEEN COOKING CAMP - AGES 11-15

T/weens are challenged by our well designed projects that teach practical cooking and baking techniques. They build on skills all week long as they explore a variety of fun and creative recipes. Chefs bring home what they made each day to share with you and we send home all recipes at the end of the week.

4-6PM - M-F

Camps are available at our three locations!

River Forest, Portage Park and Wicker Park

349 Ashland Ave. River Forest

Learn more @ www.iloveschoolhouse.com

Frick Kids Art

Free Trial Class for new students!

for new students!

The Love of Learning through Art & Play

Nurture your kid's natural creativity with fun, hands on creative art classes. Check out our after school classes and summer programs.

Nurture your kid's natural creativity with fun, hands on creative art classes. Check out our after school classes and summer programs.

Nurture your kid's natural creativity with fun, hands on creative art classes. Check out our after school classes and summer programs.

Group, semi private, events and parties available at your home or at our studio in Oak Park, Illinois For children and adults!

Group, semi private, events and parties available at your home or at our studio in Oak Park, Illinois

Group, semi private, events and parties available at your home or at our studio in Oak Park, Illinois

Group, semi private, events and parties available at your home or at our studio in Oak Park, Illinois

frickkidsart.com

frickkidsart.com

frickkidsart.com

frickkidsart.com

725 Woodbine Oak Park

725 Woodbine Oak Park

725 Woodbine Oak Park

725 Woodbine Oak Park

630-215-9789

630-215-9789

630-215-9789

630-215-9789

Teaching art has been Phyllis Frick’s passion her entire life. She began as a camp counselor and instructor at YMCA camps and after school programs as far back as high school. She then became a girl scout leader in college and a cub scout den mother when her two boys became old enough. She went to school to become a pharmacist because that was the preferred way to have a career back in the 70’s when women could have a profession. But her heart wasn’t in it. She always wanted to be more creative.

After twenty years of counting pills, she decided to switch directions and get a master of arts in teaching. She taught middle school science for fifteen years in Oak Park and was always sneaking art into her classes

to make it more hands on and interesting for her students. When she and her husband, along with their two young boys bought their home in Oak Park, the first thing she did was gather her boys and the neighbor children together and give them paint and brushes and let them go to town on the playroom walls. A wonderful mural resulted that stayed there until the boys left for college. Now her lifelong dream of having her own childrens art center has come to fruition. Frick Kids Art will focus on fine arts for kids and teach them the love of learning through art and play.

Learn more about our Art Classes at FrickKidsArt.com and 630-215-9789.

Mathnasium Transforms

Lives Every Day.

Students get the tools to fulfill their potential

We see it all the time. Kids come into Mathnasium who are struggling with math, and after a short time, they actually begin to love it. Or, we see kids who are advanced in math but not being challenged, and we’re able to propel them ahead. Because the Mathnasium Method™ focuses as much on the emotional aspects of learning as it does on the technical aspects. It’s why families around the world rave about the changes they’ve seen in their children’s scores and confidence.

LMS/International Mansion: every child has a gift to be shared

Our school can be best described as a ‘Homeschool in School’ style program. We have a full dynamic Spanish Immersion curriculum and are listed by MENSA as a recommended program for gifted students.

We are a small school with only 30 students total between Preschool and 8th grade.

What sets us apart?

- Fluency in Spanish Achieved within one year during Preschool years, or within two years during Elementary School years. The Spanish language is spoken

Current subjects, but not limited to, are:

• Penmanship

• Reading/writing

• Math

• Science

• Geography/history

• Logic/coding

• Theater (improv, superhero stage combat, musical theatre)

• Martial arts

throughout as the target immersion language. Academic classes are all taught in English and/or Spanish and English. If weather permits, many of our academic classes are done outdoors.

- Student to teacher ratio: some classes are one on one, two to one, with a maximum of six students to one instructor.

- Daily schedule is customized and flexible.

- Professional and passionate instructors.

- Guest tutors with real life experience.

- No test to enter, no traditional testing.

- Students paired by interest, in mixed age setting.

- Weekly reports sent to parents.

• Art (including painting, clay art, comic book art and more)

• Music (Rock band, intro to most instrument, harmony, chorus)

• Social emotional discussions/Life skills

• Spanish immersion spoken through out the day and taught in lesson format. Russian immersion taught in lesson format.

• Intro to Foreign languages (Hebrew, Italian, chinese, japanese, korean, etc.)

• Physical education: Archery/Ice Skating/ Soccer, and more.

• Chess and board games.

• Architectural design

Spring Fling roars back at Grant White School

Shared e ort by uni ed PTO

By JILL WAGNER

Contributing Reporter

Grant White School was transformed into an indoor block party on Friday April 21. The return of the Spring Fling, which was on hiatus during the pandemic, was bursting at the seams with family events and activities. It is now a project of the new and unified District 91 PTO.

Both an inflatable bounce house and a giant inflatable safari obstacle course with slides thrilled the young crowd as DJ Ryan Russ provided the enthusiastic theme music to keep the party lively Throughout the first floor of the school rooms were transformed to host different activities including a Treat Trot for cookies, one of a kind balloon twisting art, a photo booth, and a temporary tattoo station with every school’s mascot to choose from. The school was bursting with entertainment for hundreds of visitors.

Several food vendors and snacks were available for the rollicking crowds includ-

ing hot dogs, tacos, root beer floats, popcorn, cotton candy and quick snacks. Local businesses sponsored tables with baskets of prizes that were raffled of the night, including the highly prized pool pass from the park district.

Taking advantage of perfect spring weather, many guests took to the pl ground for volleyball and a quick ride on the equipment. Several people took advantage of the outdoor space to create a picnic or conversation space on a beautiful spring evening.

The annual Spring Fl days of the Betsy Ross PTO and the tradition was transfer red into the South PTO when Field and Betsy Ross became a center. Now with Garfield, Field, Betsy Ross and the Middle School merging into one Parent Teacher Organization, the talents of the full network of teachers and parents have been able to connect and serve the gr whole.

(Top) Paul and Piper Murray await the balloon twister’s smiling alligator in one of the classrooms at Grant White. (Above) Students rev iew the Spring Fling oppor tunities and map out their plan for the night of fun. (Le ) Lining a whole hallway were tables and tables of locally collected prizes being ra ed o as a fundraiser for the Forest Park PTO.

(Right) Elijah orders a rootbeer oat from one of the many vendors.

(Below) Forest Park Middle Schoolers pick up a game of volleyball on the Grant White playground during the Spring Fling.

(Above) DJ Ryan Russ brought the party atmosphere into the gym for dancing and revelry. (Le ) Springing into position for a photo, this young Forest Parker shows he’s ready for the spotlight

Man chases car to gas station, pulls gun

A man driving a black 2016 Lexus followed a woman driving south on Harlem Avenue and pulled a gun on her when he caught up with her at Thorntons gas station, 601 S. Harlem Ave.

The incident happened on April 19. The victim said that, at around 11:08 a.m., she approached Jackson Boulevard when she saw the Lexus “begin to tailgate her.” Concerned, the victim pulled into the gas station. The Lexus followed and pulled up alongside her The driver yelled at the victim and pointed a semi-automatic handgun at her. The driver then fled south on Harlem Avenue

The police officers saw the car drive onto the Eisenhower Expressway eastbound ramp and gave chase, but didn’t catch him.

Burglary

A tenant living in an apartment on Van Buren Street came home on April 22 at 10:05 a.m. to discover that his apartment had been burglarized

The victim found his bedroom window

open, with the screen cut and placed off to the side. He found that an Xbox and four video games were missing, an Amazon Fire TV stick was missing from his TV set and an envelope with rent money was missing from his kitchen drawer.

The police officer investigating the scene was able to take multiple fingerprints from the bedroom window, but the police had no suspect at the time of the report

Catalytic converter thefts

Forest Park saw two catalytic converter thefts on the afternoon of April 20.

The first theft took place at the Proviso Math & Science Academy, 8601 Roosevelt Rd. At around 12:24 p.m., a teacher saw three men in the process of stealing the catalytic converter from a 2012 Toyota Prius parked in the school parking lot. He asked students to call the police as he ran towards the car. The thieves spotted him and got into a black Infiniti with the catalytic converter in tow and drove off, heading east on Roosevelt Road

Meanwhile, the owner of a beige 2010 Toyota Prius parked his car on the 1300 block of Desplaines Avenue at 12:30 p.m. When he returned an hour later, he heard a “really loud noise” coming from the car and took it to Elite Tire to have it checked. The check revealed that the catalytic converter was stolen.

Another catalytic converter theft took place on the night of April 22 at Currie Motors dealership, 8401 Roosevelt Rd. A security camera captured the suspect arriving at the dealership at 2:03 a.m., getting out and going to a black 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander, and leaving with a catalytic converter one minute later

A traffic camera spotted what was potentially the suspect’s vehicle turning north on 1st Avenue from Roosevelt Road

Fraud

A Chase Bank giving her posing as a fraud pr

used it to steal $4,370 from her account.

On April 19, at around 9:04 a.m., the victim got a text message claiming that someone made an authorized purchase at Target. She got a call from a man who claimed to be a Chase Bank representative, saying that he wanted to help her secure her account and asking her for her social security number The victim did but didn’t realize anything was amiss until someone used the Zelle money transfer service to send $2,800 to her brother and $2,090 to her co-worker. When they tried to send the money back, the money didn’t make it to the victim’s account.

The real Chase fraud department is investigating the incident.

These items were obtained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, April 19-22, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in harged with a een adjudicated

Compiled by Igor Studenkov

7 Month Certificate of Deposit

7 Month Certificate of Deposit 5.10%

OUR VIEW

Things we like

There’s a lot to like this week in Forest Park. Here’s what we ’re taking note of:

■ Construction at Reiger Park, Circle and 16th, is about to get star ted. The park district has been working on this for years. Seeking and winning state funding. Holding solid listening sessions with neighbors to find out what they wanted in this long-ignored and underdeveloped flat surface. Creative design work that will make this a destination that deserves destinations And now actual construction. Good work

■ The first-ever, all-district Spring Fling was launched last week by the newly unified District 91 PTO. Held at Grant White School, this was a busting-at-the-seams success. Hundreds of locals tur ned out for this nothing-but-fun event. And it was a good indication of the energ y a single PTO can generate in the village.

■ Forest Park Theatre held a successful Shakespeare’s Bir thday fundraiser for the nascent equity theater company that is the dream of Rick Corley, a Forest Parker and theater professor at the University of Illinois Chicago who is working toward a goal of finding a per manent home for the company by 2024.

■ Forest Park Ar ts Alliance has a new venture ready to unspool. The 48 Hour Film Challenge is coming in May. Those adventurous enough will have three days (extra day for Mother’s Day) to write, film, edit and submit a shor t film on a theme chosen by the alliance. The entries will be reviewed and then presented at the Red Car pet Gala, held at St. Ber nardine’s on May 20. Nothing but fun.

■ The Oak Leaf sign, the venerable and reco gnizable neon icon on Har rison Street, will have a new home, also on Har rison Street. The sign was saved during the demolition of its for mer restaurant/bar home as the park district cleared the site for a future building project. The district announced last week that once the new building goes up, the sign will come out of storage and be prominently displayed as par t of the building. That is a worthy outcome.

■ Matt Walsh, who we first took notice of when he was elected to the park district board at a very young age, was just appointed to the per manent post of village administrator in neighboring River Forest. Smar t, capable, approachable, Walsh took the promotion after River Forest’s village administrator left the post. Good choice by River Forest’s leadership

OPINION

Forest Park’s arts superbloom

Apparently, something spectacular is happening in Death Valley. It’s called a superbloom

When all of the conditions — temperature, generous rainfall, accumulation of seeds in the soil — are just right, that area of the world, known more for death than life, bursts into an enor mous blanket of floral color

It only happens, as they say, once in a blue moon, so you can’t plan your family vacation around a predictable occurrence of this gorgeous phenomenon like you can with fall colors in nor ther n Wisconsin.

When I heard about the superbloom happening in California, it made me think about what ’s happening on the arts scene in the village with big city access and small town char m. What has happened in the last 20 of 40 years I’ve lived in Forest Park is that the residents of the big city are increasingly coming to us because, added to our small town, unpretentious char m is some big-city class

HOLMES

Rick Corley is working with D91 of ficials to have actors teaching in Forest Park schools.

Public Works Hangs Rainbow Banners

Public Works got into the act by hanging something like 70 rainbow banners on the light poles last year, creating a stunning streetscape

Drag Show

Erich Krumrei, owner of Play It Ag ain

Spor ts, coordinated a drag show in Constitution Cour t last year.

Food as Ar t

Several local chefs present their food in ar tistic fashion.

Christmas Windows

Live Christmas displays and live music in local business storefronts.

Makers Market

Another oppor tunity for local artists to sell their creations.

Garden Club

And par t of the transfor mation is the emergence of an energized ar ts scene. Call it an ar ts super bloom. So with the help of some Forest Park Ar ts Alliance (FPAA) members I compiled a list of the ar ts events occur ring in the last 12 months

Shakespeare on the Altenheim Lawn

As You Lik e It in 2021 outside the Roos Center. Last summer Imogen on the south lawn of the Altenheim campus and this summer Measure for Measure at the same location.

Tellers Night

Storytelling in the style of the Moth Radio Hour at Exit Strate gy Brewing Company.

Stoop Concer ts

Concer ts held on local front porches during the summer by local talent.

Garage Galleries

On an eight-year run, up to 30 g arages, featuring works by as many as 70 artists

Cover our Rust

On the Circle Avenue bridge, since 2017 48-Hour Challeng e

The challenge is to create a 5- to 10-minute film within parameters set by the FPAA.

Scarecrows

Residents and business owners purchase a scarecrow kit from the FPAA and dress it up with lederhosen (or whatever).

Vision of a Permanent Theater

Rick Corley is leading the charge to have a per manent theater and arts center in Forest Park.

Ar t in District 91

The ar tistry of gardening.

FPAA/FPPL writing contests

A writing contest co-sponsored by the FPAA and Forest Park Public Library.

Street Art

Street art became fine ar t on the west wall of the building at Madison and Circle.

Casket Races

The Ar ts Alliance created the trophies.

Superblooms happen in Death Valley only when the conditions are just right. In 1985 Wayne Buidens, Joe Bass and Karen Skinner tried hard to make Circle Theater a go, but it did not spark an ar tistic superbloom.

The owner of Charlie’s Restaurant told me that what is required to be successful as an athlete or a restaurateur is talent, hard work and luck. The members of the FPAA cer tainly have worked hard and they clearly have talent, but right now the conditions for a superbloom also seem to be right.

Lucky us.

When I became pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in 1982, the leaders of the denominational churches in town were talented and we cer tainly worked hard, but the conditions for that ecclesiastical species were disappearing and the Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians have for the most part been re placed by a species that once was foreign to the cultural ecolo gy here in the first half of the 20th century.

Thank God for the talent and hard work we are witnessing in town these days, but we dare not take the present superbloom for granted.

Because they only occur when the conditions are right.

Sheltering the unsheltered

‘Unhoused heroes” are what I call veterans suffering from homelessness. Lillian Coleman is a longtime Forest Parker who has been helping homeless veterans for the past 11 years. She is a social worker at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. Lillian and her colleagues were recently honored by Denis McDonough, U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs. His visit to one of their transitional housing sites was a high point in Lillian’s VA career.

Secretary McDonough met with Lillian and her colleagues at Hope Manor 1. This is a newly built, four-story building at 3053 W. Franklin Blvd. It contains 50 low-income apartments and provides services that vets need to get back on their feet. The $14 million facility is the first large-scale development specifically designed for veterans in Chicago.

Hope Manor was developed by Volunteers of America (VOA), a nonprofit organization that believes “having a safe, affordable home is a basic human right.” VOA gives a substantial grant to the VA for transitional housing. Lillian helps oversee the program that helps homeless vets transition into per manent housing.

During his visit, Secretary McDonough

was personable and complimentary. He participated in a 45-minute roundtable discussion with Lillian and her colleagues, then toured the living quarters where the veterans are housed. He was so “hands-on” that Lillian was flabbergasted. The visit ulminated with Secretary McDonough presenting commemorative medallions to Lillian and her colleagues

The honor reflects the importance of the work they’re doing. It’s been estimated that vets make up 21% of our chronic homeless population. Many live in places that aren’t fit for humans. They can be found living in parks, under bridges and in abandoned buildings

Their homelessness has numerous causes. Poverty is a key factor, as many have lost their jobs. They may be suffering from mental illness and/or substance abuse Many suffer from chronic medical conditions. Personal crises like domestic violence and evictions can be causes of homelessness. Many are battling PTSD after serving in war zones.

The program Lillian is part of provides a safety net for veterans who have experienced such crises. Their goal is help them become productive citizens again. The process starts with going out into the

‘A simple act of justic

Illinois Gover nor John Peter Altgeld’s political was destroyed when he pardoned the remaining three men who had not been executed or died in their after the Haymarket Af fair. The peaceful rally that be came deadly at Haymarket Square in 1886 would in an unjust trial, conviction and execution of men were involved in the labor movement. The Pioneer Aid and Society would raise funds for a monument at Forest Cemetery. Although eight men were put on trial, only men were present when the unrest at Haymarket occu Four men were executed by public hanging, one died cide in his cell and the remaining three men were pardoned in 1893. Gover nor Altgeld said, “No man has the allow his ambition to stand in the way of the perfor of a simple act of justice.”

community to engage homeless vets. These volunteers have experience dealing with the homeless and know how to overcome their resistance to getting help

After they have been identified, Lillian meets with the vets at the VA to determine what assistance they are qualified to receive. She registers them in the program and an individual service plan is developed Veterans receive a physical and are linked to the VA agency that can help them. Lillian assists them in making appointments with these providers. The VA has mental-health clinics that specialize in treating PTSD and clinics that help vets with substance-abuse issues

The program also addresses their financial issues and helps them find jobs. Lillian deter mines whether they’re eligible for disability benefits and follows up after three months to see if their needs are being met.

She is convinced that many Forest Park residents have a heart for the homeless and points to the small food receptacle near the library and the refrigerator in front of the Community Center. Homeless people are receiving medical care and taking showers near the Desplaines Blue Line station. The St. Vincent DePaul Society operates a food pantry at St. Ber nardine’s on Saturdays from 9 to 11 a.m.

Lillian is especially pleased that “unhoused heroes” from her program have found permanent homes here in Forest Park.

Staff Repor ter Igor Studenkov, Francia Garcia Hernandez, Amaris Rodriguez

Senior Editor Bob Uphues

Digital Manager

Stacy Coleman

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

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

Big Week Editor James Porter

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designer Susan McKelvey

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

Business & Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

unjustly

Board of Directors

Chair Judy Gre n

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

HOW TO REACH US

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

EMAIL forestpark@wjinc.com

CIRCULATION Jill@oakpark.com

ONLINE ForestParkReview.com

Postmaster: Please send address changes to: est 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: $34 per year. $55 for two years, $69 for three years

Out- of-county subscriptions: $42 per year.

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

© 2023 Growing Community Media NFP

A L OOK BA

U.S. National Historic Landmark, Haymarket Martyrs Monument at Forest Home Cemetery circa 1900. The bronze statue of Justice was crafted by artist Albert Weinert and was dedicated in 1893, the same year Gover nor Altgeld pardoned the remaining men who were

imprisoned for the ev ents that took place during a labor rally at Haymarket Square se ven years earlier

LICENSED ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PRACTITIONER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Licensed Environmental Health Practitioner in the Health Department. This position will perform a variety of duties including education and enforcement activities for the promotion and protection of the public health environment. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website https:// www.oakpark.us/your-government/ human-resources-departments

Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

SEASONAL FARMER’S MARKET ASSISTANT

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Seasonal Farmer’s Market Assistant in the Health Department. This position will provide administrative support to the Farmer’s Market Manager to allow growers and producers of food to sell directly to the public within established guidelines. This position requires work in inclement weather conditions; some heavy lifting of up to 50 pounds; walking or standing for sustained periods of time. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website at http://www.oak-park.us/jobs.

Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. Open until filled.

HIRING CLEANING

TECHNICIANS FOR OPPORTUNITIES IN WESTCHESTER!

Awesome Cleaning & Janitorial Services is looking for experienced cleaning technicians that are energetic, hospitable, ready to work and AWESOME!

Pay starts at $20/hr. Must be available for weekends also. Ready to work? Contact us by email at info@awesomecjs.com.

CARS WANTED

PART-TIME

ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER

Call for more info.

708-738-3848

PARKING ENFORCEMENT OFFICER FOREST PARK, IL

The Forest Park Police Department is seeking Part-Time Parking Enforcement Officer(s); Shifts to be filled are 8:00pm – Midnight or Midnight – 6:00am. The position is a rotating schedule assigned by the Supervisor – 4 days on and 4 days off which includes weekends and some holidays. Eligible candidates will be required to pass an aptitude test and an extensive background check. Qualifications include high school diploma (or equivalent), a valid driver’s license, knowledge of basic parking regulations, and good verbal and written skills. Open until filled. Applications are available at Village Hall, 517 Desplaines Ave. or at www.forestpark. net and should be returned Attn: Vanessa Moritz, Village Clerk, Village of Forest Park, 517 Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park, IL 60130. Email: vmoritz@forestpark.net

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE CLERK

The Village of Forest Park is seeking qualified individuals for the position of Accounts Receivable Clerk. Duties for this position include, but are not limited to; billing, collections, customer service, answering telephones, cashier duties, data entry and general office functions.

Qualified applicants should have a good working knowledge of computers, accurate typing skills, customer service skills and solid organizational skills. Experience with Springbrook municipal software a plus. A background investigation will be conducted prior to consideration for the position. Applications available at Village Hall, 517 Desplaines Avenue or on-line at www.forestpark.net and should be returned to Vanessa Moritz, HR Director, at Village Hall. Applications accepted until position is filled. EOE.

Management Analyst - Operations Strategy advisory sought by Digital Intent, LLC dba Manifold in Chicago, IL to lead project teams & work across functions to ensure software/ data/analytics products are effectively built to generate return on investment for clients. Reqs: Master’s Deg in Mgmt Studies, Business, Acctg, Finance, Engg, Bus Admin, or rltd field & 2 yrs exp in job offd or rltd role. Must also possess exp w/ conducting research & analysis on business ops, incl regression analysis, machine learning models, & bi-partite analysis & etc. 5% domestic travel req. 100% telecommuting from home allowed from anywhere in US. Apply online: https://www.manifold.group/careers

CLASSICS WANTED

CLASSICS WANTED

Restored or Unrestored

Restored or Unrestored

Cars & Vintage Motorcycles

Cars & Vintage Motorcycles

Domestic / Import Cars:

Domestic / Import Cars:

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

Collector James • 630-201-8122

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

CLASSICS WANTED

Collector James 630-201-8122

Restored or Unrestored Cars & Vintage Motorcycles

Domestic / Import Cars:

RENTALS

Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, Jaguars, Muscle Cars, Mustang & Mopars

OFFICE/RETAIL FOR RENT

SALON CHAIR RENTAL

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

Oak park salon, chair, rental, full-time and part-time. Contact Tony for details 847-732-2595.

BEAUTIFUL 1BD, 1BA

APARTMENT TO RENT

Collector James 630-201-8122

All brand new in 2022; 700 sq ft; lots of storage; stainless steel appliances with dishwasher; quartz countertop; 2 car parking; $1300/mo; 3705 Forest Avenue Bkfield; need income 4 x rent; we follow 2-step Cook Co. leasing process; call Rich at 630272-0086

ROOFING

JOE ROOFING

Roofing repair, tuckpointing, gutters and painting--- bonded, insured

For free estimate call 773 297-1121

PUBLIC NOTICES PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE/PUBLIC NOTICE

YEMBA INC. is soliciting bids for a GENERAL CONTRACTOR to renovate Stucco/DIVT Façade of our small commercial building located in the Village of Oak Park, Illinois.

Complete Bid Packet can be obtained by contacting Ed Redd at: eredd@yemba-inc.org

Pre-bid site inspection is mandatory, and is scheduled to occur by appointment only. Please contact Ed Redd at 708.719.6701 to schedule an appointment.

Bid Deadline is 9:00a on 5/26/23

This is a Federally-Funded (Community Development Block Grant) Project and is subject to all applicable Federal rules, regulations and guidelines, including but not limited to payment of Prevailing Wage.

MBE and WBE contractors are encouraged to bid on this project.

Published in Wednesday Journal April 26, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS

Public Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) of the Village of River Forest, County of Cook, State of Illinois, on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. in the First Floor Community Room of the River Forest Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois on the following matter:

The ZBA will consider an application for major zoning variations submitted by Paul A. Harding, FAIA and Cheryl Harding, owners of the property at 559 Ashland Avenue, who are proposing to construct a detached Garage.

Section 4-8-5 of the Village Code provides the Zoning Board jurisdiction to hold public hearings and offer recommendations to the Village Board concerning variations to Zoning Ordinance.

The applicants are requesting a variation to Section 10-9-7 (10-8-7-C-2c) that would allow the roof overhang of the proposed garage to project 2 feet into the required setback at the south side of the property. The Zoning Code requires a 3-foot side yard setback for accessory buildings which are located in the rear thirty percent of the lot, but allows the roof overhang to project 1 foot into the required yard setback.

The applicants are also requesting a variation to Section 10-9-6 (10-86-A) of the Zoning Code which limits accessory structures to eighteen feet in height. The applicants propose to construct a garage with a height of 20 feet.

The legal description of the property at 559 Ashland Avenue is as follows:

LOT 34 IN BLOCK 2 IN PART OF RIVER FOREST, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF PART OF SECTION 12 AND 11, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, SURVEYED FOR THE SUBURBAN HOME MUTUAL LAND ASSOCIATION, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED JUNE 23, 1890 IN BOOK 43 OF PLATS PAGE 20, AS

DOCUMENT 1291334, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

A copy of the application will be available to the public at Village Hall and on the Village’s website at www. vrf.us/zoningvariation no less than 15 days prior to the public hearing.

The Zoning Board of Appeals meeting packet will also be available at www.vrf.us/meetings no less than 48 hours prior to the public hearing.

All interested persons will be given the opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. For public comments to be considered by the Zoning Board of Appeals and Village Board of Trustees in their decision, they must be included as part of the public hearing record. Interested persons can learn more about how to participate in the hearing by visiting www.vrf.us/zoningvariation

Sincerely, Clifford Radatz Secretary, Zoning Board of Appeals

Published in Wednesday Journal April 26, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS

Public Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) of the Village of River Forest, County of Cook, State of Illinois, on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. in the First Floor Community Room of the River Forest Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois on the following matter:

The ZBA will consider an application for major zoning variations submitted by Priscilla and Philipe Carvalho, owners of the property at 7616 Vine Street, who are proposing to construct a second story addition onto the existing home.

Section 4-8-5 of the Village Code provides the Zoning Board jurisdiction to hold public hearings and offer recommendations to the Village Board concerning variations to Zoning Ordinance.

The applicants are requesting major variations to Section 10-9-7 that would allow the west wall of the home, which has a non-conforming side yard setback of 2.76 feet, to be increased in height from one story to two stories. The Zoning Ordinance (10-8-7-C-2-b) allows additions to buildings which do not meet the side yard setback requirement to be increased in length by up to 20 feet, but does not allow them to be increased in height.

The proposed addition will also increase the Floor Area Ratio for the property from 0.367 to 0.488. Section 10-9-5 of the Zoning Ordinance (10-8-5) allows a maximum Floor Area Ratio of 0.4.

The legal description of the property at 7616 Vine Street is as follows:

LOT 22 IN BLOCK 6 IN THE RESUBDIVISION OF BLOCKS 3 AND 6 AND THE NORTH 450 FEET OF BLOCK 7 IN HENRY FIELD’S SUBDIVISION OF THE EAST 1/2 OF THE EAST 1/2 OF THE SOUTHWEST 1/4 OF SECTION 12, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12 EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

A copy of the application will be available to the public at the Village Hall

and on the Village’s website at www. vrf.us/zoningvariation no less than 15 days prior to the public hearing. The Zoning Board of Appeals meeting packet will also be available at www. vrf.us/meetings no less than 48 hours prior to the public hearing.

All interested persons will be given the opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. For public comments to be considered by the Zoning Board of Appeals and Village Board of Trustees in their decision, they must be included as part of the public hearing record. Interested persons can learn more about how to participate in the hearing by visiting www.vrf.us/zoningvariation

Sincerely, Clifford Radatz Secretary, Zoning Board of Appeals

Published in Wednesday Journal April 26, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICE

LEGAL NOTICE

ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS RIVER FOREST, ILLINOIS

Public Notice is hereby given that a public hearing will be held by the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) of the Village of River Forest, County of Cook, State of Illinois, on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. in the First Floor Community Room of the River Forest Village Hall, 400 Park Avenue, River Forest, Illinois on the following matter:

The ZBA will consider an application for major zoning variations submitted by Frank and Jennifer Lesniak, owners of the property at 7960 Chicago Avenue, who are proposing to construct a one story addition onto the existing home and construct a new detached garage.

Section 4-8-5 of the Village Code provides the Zoning Board jurisdiction to hold public hearings and offer recommendations to the Village Board concerning variations to Zoning Ordinance.

The applicants are requesting major variations to Section 10-9-5, 10-9-6, and 10-9-7 of the Zoning Ordinance.

Section 10-9-5 of the Zoning Ordinance (10-8-5) allows a maximum Lot Coverage of 30 percent of the lot area. The proposed additions and the new detached garage will increase the Lot coverage to approximately 32.55 percent.

Section 10-9-6 of the Zoning Ordinance (10-8-6-A) allows a maximum height for accessory buildings of 18 feet, (as measured from Grade, which as defined by the Zoning Ordinance is the elevation at the public walk). The height of the proposed detached garage is 19 feet 8 ½ inches.

Section 10-9-7 of the Zoning Ordinance (10-8-7-C-2-c) requires Accessory buildings to maintain a minimum 3 foot setback from the rear and side property lines when the accessory building is located in the rear thirty percent of the lot. The proposed detached garage is proposed to have a 1 foot 6 inch setback from the north property line (the rear lot line).

The legal description of the property at 7960 Chicago Avenue is as follows:

LOT 13, 14 AND 15 AS A TRACT (EXCEPT THE WEST 63 FEET AND EXCEPT THE EAST 104 FEET THEREOF), IN ALBERT T. VAN ALSTYN’S SUBDIVISION OF BLOCK 4

IN SNOW AND DICKSON’S ADDITION TO RIVER FOREST, MAP OF SAID VAN ALSTYN’S SUBDIVISION RECORDED JULY 26, 1892, AS DOCUMENT 1706742, IN BOOK 52 OF PLATS PAGE 46, IN SECTION 4, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

A copy of the application will be available to the public at Village Hall and on the Village’s website at www.vrf. us/zoningvariation no less than 15 days prior to the public hearing. The Zoning Board of Appeals meeting packet will also be available at www. vrf.us/meetings no less than 48 hours prior to the public hearing.

All interested persons will be given the opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. For public comments to be considered by the Zoning Board of Appeals and Village Board of Trustees in their decision, they must be included as part of the public hearing record. Interested persons can learn more about how to participate in the hearing by visiting www.vrf.us/zoningvariation

Sincerely, Clifford Radatz

Secretary, Zoning Board of Appeals

Published in Wednesday Journal April 26, 2023

PUBLIC NOTICES EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

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

The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals.

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

GROWING COMMUNITY MEDIA

HEARING DATE: May 11, 2023

TIME: 7:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 (Council Chambers), Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302

APPLICATION: The Historic Preservation Commission will conduct a public hearing on an application for a Certificate of Appropriateness filed by the Applicant, Lucia Marker-Moore & Brad Bare, to build two dormer additions at 312 N East Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois, P.I.N. 16-07209-005-0000, which is located in the Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District.

A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. The public hearing may be adjourned by the Commission to another date without further notice other than a motion to be entered upon the minutes of the hearing fixing the time and place of the date. The Commission shall issue or deny the Certificate of Appropriateness within fifteen (15) days following completion of the public hearing.

Published in Wednesday Journal April 26, 2023

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. local time until 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 11, 2023 for the following:

Village of Oak Park Water System Support Services - 2023 Bid Number: 23-117

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

Published in Wednesday Journal April 26, 2023

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING VILLAGE OF OAK PARK HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

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.

EN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on January 11, 2023, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on May 15, 2023, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker, 1st Floor Suite 35R, Chicago, IL, 60606, sell at a public sale to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate:

Commonly known as 720 N. AUSTIN BLVD, UNIT 2-SW, OAK PARK, IL 60302

Property Index No. 16-08-105-0211009

The real estate is improved with a condominium.

The judgment amount was $17,234.13.

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

If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g) (1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1).

IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW.

You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales.

For information, contact Noah Weininger, THE WEININGER LAW FIRM LLC Plaintiff’s Attorneys, 161 North Clark St., Suite 1600, Chicago, IL, 60601 (312) 796-8850.

THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION

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

You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. Noah Weininger THE WEININGER LAW FIRM LLC 161 North Clark St., Suite 1600 Chicago IL, 60601 312-796-8850

Fax #: 312-248-2550

E-Mail: nweininger@weiningerlawfirm.com

Attorney Code. 63307

Case Number: 21 CH 4185

TJSC#: 43-1440

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 # 21 CH 4185 I3217776

Just hitting your stride.

Susan Bardolph, MD

Access to Duly Health and Care Oak Park for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois Medicare members

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