Forest Park Review 071923

Forest Park library to recruit residents for policy, nance

committees

Interested community members must submit resumes, letters of interest

By IGOR STUDENKOV Staff Reporter

The Forest Park Public Library Board of Trustees ag reed to put out a call to residents interested in volunteering for its committees, with the Policy Committee being first on the list.

For many years, the library bylaws called for a community member to sit on the finance committee, and they allowed the board to appoint residents to other standing committees as well. During a March 27 special board meeting, Brooke Sievers, board president, raised the issue that the bylaws didn’t explicitly outline the appointment process or spell out exactly what they did. The staf f developed an amendment to address those gaps during the spring, with the board approving the changes on May 15.

With the new policies in place, the board spent the

See LIBRARY on page 8

onDiversity the Menu

Chef Robert Gadsby of Harvest 365 covers the culinary spectrum. Stor y, page 6

Sagan Linda Rooney Kyra Pych

Patti Sprafka-Wagner Harry Walsh

Villegas, Managing Broker/Owner Mike Becker Laurie Christofano Marion Digre Morgan Digre Leticia Cruz

Kribi Co ee grounded in Oak Park high-rise

Albion will be the Forest Park-based co ee shop’s second Oak Park location

By STACEY SHERIDAN Senior Reporter

A new spot to grab a cup of joe is coming to Oak Park later this month – and it will be particularly convenient for residents of the Albion high-rise on Lake Street. Forest Park’s Kribi Coffee is opening a new location on the first floor of the building at Lake and Forest. This will be the coffee company’s second Oak Park location and its third shop total, but it is intended to become the flagship site.

“This third location presents an opportunity for us to build from the ground up, to design and present,” said Kribi founder Jacques Shalo, speaking to Wednesday Journal from his home country of Cameroon on the western coast of Africa.

Located on the side of the building at 149 Forest Ave., a grand opening is scheduled for July 29 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., where attendees can drink coffee made from beans roasted before their eyes. Games, music and food are also on the menu to celebrate the opening of the location that Shalo called the completion of Kribi’s story.

Kribi is an environmentally sustainable, Black-owned coffee company that works with coffee bean far mers across the world to redistribute wealth back to them, breaking the cycle of poverty they face

That poverty Kribi works to end is not insubstantial either. Over 80% of the world’s roughly 12.5 million coffee farming families live below the poverty line, according to Paul Stewart, global coffee director of non-profit TechnoServe. The company works directly with far mers, providing a mutually beneficial relationship, so you can indulge in a cup of Kribi coffee without guilt over the wider, global impact

of the corporate coffee industry.

Supporting the needs of what’s happening closer to home is also a principle of the Kribi company. For every bag of coffee purchased, $5 goes to the Midwest Access Coalition, which provides access to safe, free and legal abor tions re gardless of the person in need’s location. Kribi also takes an active stance against systemic racism while using its products and platform to support youth education with its Black Lives Matter coffee. For each purchase of the special BLM blend, $2 goes to Tutoring

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Chicago, an organization which provides tutoring services for economically challenged children in the Chicago area. These products and more can be tried at Kribi’s Forest Park location, 7324 Madison St., or in Oak Park in the historic Boulevard Arcade building, 1033 South Blvd.

Kribi and its mission makes a good fit for Oak Park, a community that prides itself in having compassion for others and is home to many social support agencies. The winning combination of having a company local to the Western suburbs

ich provides a high-quality product and service makes the opening of Kribi’s third location particularly exciting for Albion Residential, the development and commercial real estate group that built and owns the high-rise apartment building. re really excited for someone local to come in and deliver the level of quality and service that he provides to the neighborhood,” said Andrew Yule, development vice president of Albion Residential.

Kribi is not directly affiliated with the Albion company beyond its landlord-tenant relationship. It’s a separate retail storefront within the building, but the concept of having a coffee shop at the Albion was always part of the plan during its develop-

The space for merly served as a Dollop Coffee Co. location, but the company faced “challenges,” according to Shalo, and the shop ultimately closed. Dollop’s exit freed up the storefront for Kribi, which he called an exciting opportunity for his coffee com-

“It’s a culmination of a vision of the future,” Shalo said.

He’ll be back from Cameroon before the grand opening, which the company is preparing for by redecorating the space with brightly painted walls and a new mosaic outside the entrance.

Shalo is not the only person excited for the shop’s opening. Yule, who works out of the company’s headquarters in Oak Brook, has not had a chance yet to try Kribi coffee, but he hopes to be the first to grab a cup once the Albion location is up and running.

“As soon as it opens, I’ll be his first customer if I can get over there in time,” Yule said.

STAC EY SHERIDAN

Prepping for Kribi’s latest opening, this one on Forest Avenue, just north of Lake Street.

BIG WEEK

Summer Movies in The Park: ‘The Bad Guys’

Friday, July 21, 8 p.m., Administration Building front lawn

Join us as we hang out on the Admin. Building front lawn and enjoy a movie on the big screen. We’ll bring the popcorn, you bring the snacks (concessions will also be open), grab your blankets and chairs and get ready for a Friday night out. This event is free and registration is not required. The movies begin at dusk. 7501 Harrison St., Forest Park.

The Swains

Saturday, July 22, 6:30-10:30 p.m., Exit Strategy Brewing Company

The Swains are a Berw yn band who will be playing originals and classic covers, all in a traditional country vein. 7700 Madison St., Forest Park.

Arab Blues

Thursday, July 20, 8:30 p.m., FitzGerald’s

Stoop Session featuring Shannon Adams & Chris Palmerin

Tuesday, July 25, 7-8 p.m., Forest Park Arts Alliance

Special live music concer t, held on a porch and open to the public. In case of rain, there will be a show the following Thursday. 505 Thomas Ave., Oak Park.

Eat The Neighborhood - Mushroom Time!

Sunday, July 23, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Carnivore Oak Park

Dave Odd will lead a guided tour through the neighborhood, discovering 50 species of edible and medicinal wild plants and mushrooms that grow right in our backyards. Brad Knaub, Erik Williams and sta will prepare a basket lunch made from the ingredients found on the tour. $40 per person for the tour, $25 for the meal. 1042 Pleasant St., Oak Park.

The Arab Blues traces an innovative trajectory between the call of tradition and the response of the diaspora. This duo is solidly rooted in Middle Eastern musical traditions, but borrows freely from blues and jazz idioms. 6615 Roosevelt Road, Berw yn.

Light Up Constellations Craft Class

Thursday, July 20, 7 - 8 p.m., Forest Park Public Library Austin Room Jez Layman stops by to help you brighten up your space with a unique wall hanging featuring your zodiac sign or another favorite constellation, complete with glowing stars and an on-o switch. 7555 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park.

Costuming on a Budget

Saturday, July 22, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m., Forest Park Public Library Community Room

The costume designer for the Forest Park Theatre stops by to shar they go about putting together the costumes for their plays on a limited budget. Learn tips and tricks that can apply to more than just stagecraf 7555 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park.

Listing your event in the

Forest Park Review welcomes notices about events that Forest Park community groups and businesses are planning. We’ll work to get the word out if you let us know what’s happening by noon Wednesday a

calendar

week before your news needs to be in the newspaper

■ Send details to Wednesday Journal, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, 60302

■ Email calendar@wjinc.com

Native garden walk returns to western suburbs

‘Birds, Bees & Butter ies’ features Riverside and Berwyn gardens

By LACEY SIKORA

Contributing Reporter

West Cook Wild Ones’ annual garden walk, “Birds, Bees & Butterflies: A Native Garden Walk” returns July 22 from 1 to 5 p.m. This year, for the first time, the featured gardens and gardeners hail from Riverside and Berwyn, Illinois.

The walk will feature 11 gardens, and homeowners and gardeners will be on hand to answer participants’ questions about plant names, favorite plants and other aspect of their native gardens

Laura Hartwell Berlin, who co-chairs the West Cook Wild Ones Garden Walk Committee with Adrian Ayres Fisher, says that in previous years, the walk has been focused on Oak year’s mo citing one

A few Berwyn have been featured in the past, b

Riverside is “all new” to the tour

“Members of the Wi community from Riverside came to us,” she said. “Riverside is a love nity. It meaningful to because she is the site steward Grove W Forest Preser

Berwyn and Ri

Fisher says that expanding the walk to other suburbs makes sense, given the growing membership of West Cook Wild Ones There are more than 250 members throughout the western suburbs, and the membership spans as far north as Evanston and east into Chicago.

Fisher notes that interest in native gardening picked up during the pandemic when people had more time to focus on their gardens, but the growth has continued in recent years.

“It’s kind of remarkable,” she said. “This year, we sold the most plants ever at our na-

tive plant sale. People are becoming more interested in attracting native pollinators and birds.”

This year’s garden roster includes sunny prairie gardens, a spring ephemeral garden, a cutting garden, shade gardens, an edible garden and two rain gardens. Some gardeners have lovingly designed every square inch of their yards themselves. Others have hired top native garden designers.

In one garden owned by two artists, unusual objects play with the garden plants.

“There’s a lot of artistic flair that really shows off,” Berlin said.

In another garden, the owners lunch and dine everyday al fresco. Several gardeners have chosen and arranged plants for their lovely scents.

In Riverside, two traffic triangles are included in the walk. Known for its windarchitect rside has areas etween the streets. Local scout lants riangles featured on the walk.

ids are

” Berlin nspiring that they are about rside’s lawns and lush llustrate one with Fisher says ompelan be done

“People are very creative,” Fisher said. “It doesn’t really matter how big your yard is, you can make a difference.”

Fisher notes that West Cook Wild Ones has embraced Climate Ready Oak Park and the Global Campaign for Nature’s 30 x 30 initiative and explains, “Over 190 nations have embraced the global initiative to have 30% of land planted with native plantings.”

She notes that the simple for mula for letting 30% of local yards go native is tied to the principles of noted conservationist and ecologist Doug Tallamy, who counsels that converting lawns to native plants nationwide

e W

gardens to a spring ephemeral garden, rain gardens and shade gardens. By including Riverside and Berwyn in 2023, the West Cook Wild Ones Garden Walk has both large and small spaces, ones incorporating varying proportions of native species.

could have a dramatic impact on the environment.

While some might be intimidated at the idea of converting a yard to native plantings, Fisher points out that focusing on a portion of your yard can make a big difference. Berlin agrees and notes that’s why the garden walk is so inspiring.

“There are varying degrees of native-ness. It’s a spectrum,” Berlin said. “There’s no right way to do it.”

This garden walk is $10 for West Cook Wild Ones members and $15 for non-members. Kids attend for free. Ticket holders will receive a tour map two days before the event. Visit westcook.wildones.org to register

Proceeds from the walk and the West Cook Wild Ones annual plant sale, which takes place every spring, are used to fund the organization’s grants, which allow Cook County nonprofits such as schools and churches to create their own native garden spaces

Robert Gadsby, a chef for all seasons (and ethnicities)

By TOM HOLMES Contributing Reporter

Chef Robert Gadsby is opening a restaurant called Noe in Barrington on Sept. 4 where he will charge $125 per person.

“There are two types of diners in the world,” the award-winning chef explained “The first wants to be filled up when hungry; the second wants to be dazzled.”

Diners at Noe will experience a five-course meal that will dazzle, he said. “If you come to Noe,” he declared, “you will have one of the best meals of your life.”

Gadsby is also the culinary director at Harvest 365, the restaurant in the Forest Park Mall on Roosevelt Road where the most expensive item on the menu is a large Perfect Pan Pizza for $28.95. He also oversees the Living Fresh Market.

When asked if he is getting rich in his role at Harvest 365, Gadsby smiled. “It’s not about the money,” he said.

To understand his bi-vocational vocation, it’s necessary to begin in England where he grew up and started out as a kick boxer, which took him all over the world, competing in matches and exposing him to an amazing variety of cuisines

When he returned to England, he left kick boxing behind and enrolled in culinary school at Westminster College in London. Following graduation, he embarked on a selfdesigned series of extended internships in Italy, France, Japan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Russia and Iceland

The result is that Gadsby is not stuck on one cuisine. He uses mac-and-cheese as an example. It is often thought of as soul food, he said, but the noodles can be Italian, Chinese or Thai. Macaroni can also be served with a mornay sauce. It can be baked or cooked loose.

“Same with oxtails. It isn’t necessarily African American. The Chinese cook oxtails too.”

Working with a series of award-winning chefs to refine his craft, the result is not a fu-

sion cuisine that combines ingredients into a “melting pot” but an approach he calls Progressive American, which juxtaposes dishes from all over the world, allowing each to retain its individual flavor, texture and color

“I don’t cook for myself,” he explained. “I cook for the customer.”

For example, when he opens Noe in the fall and people make a reservation, he will actually interview them to find out their individual preferences

“I would classify myself as an alchemist,” he said. “If you don’t like spicy food, for example, we won’t do spicy food. If you want red meat, we can do that. If you are a barbecue person and want sweet chili sauce, we can adjust.

“If you are recovering from cancer,” he added, “I cook what’s best for you.”

Gadsby doesn’t drink, yet he has 3,000 bottles of wine in his cellar which he will pair with each of the five courses in his soon-toopen restaurant. He also pays attention to seasonality, only cooking with strawberries, when they are at peak flavor in the spring, or apples in the fall.

“When we start the wellness program at Living Fresh Market,” he said, “people who have high blood pressure, hypertension, or diabetes can learn how diet affects their condition. It will encompass everything having to do with wellness and food.”

A gourmet chef, who is also the culinary director of a less-than-gourmet restaurant like Harvest 365, still aspires to serve quality food

Four or five years ago he worked as a consultant for Melody Winston, senior executive of Living Fresh Market and director of Commercial Property Assets for Living Word Christian Center, helping her put together the menu for Heritage 365. In so doing he connected with her father, Bill Winston, pastor of Living Word Christian Center, which is housed in the entire south half of the mall and lists its membership at 20,000 members.

“I want to make Pastor Winston’s vision a reality,” he said. “I have a contract with the Lord. I walk by faith and not by sight. With faith you can achieve anything. My success is based 100% on faith, and my business partner at Noe is the Lord.”

He describes himself as an ‘alchemist’ whose partner is ‘the Lord’

Todd Bannor

Chef Robert Gadsby is opening Noe, a restaurant in Barring ton, on Sept. 4.

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LIBRARY Seeking committee members

from page 1

July 17 meeting discussing how they would actually go about recruiting residents. They agreed to prioritize the policy committee, with the goal of potentially reviewing resumes as soon as next month. The move comes as libraries everywhere face heightened scrutiny from residents, and pressures to remove materials reached new heights

Under the bylaws, the library board has three standing committees – policy, finance and buildings. During the past meetings, the trustees agreed that, with the significant renovations completed, the buildings committee doesn’t have to meet often, but policy and finance committees should meet on a re gular basis.

The finance committee’s duties are to “monitor the working budget, prepare yearly budget, annual Appropriation and Tax Levy and funding sources.” The policy committee’s duties are to “review current policies and make recommendations to the board for changes and additions and to make recommendations on new policies.”

Each committee must include at least two trustees, the library director and a staf f member. Under the changes approved in May, the committee can also choose to appoint a community member

Interested residents must submit a resume and a letter of interest. The full board will then review the documents and interview the candidates, if necessary. The board would then vote on who to appoint. The resident will serve for one year, and the board will have the right to reappoint them for as many terms as it wants

During the March 27 meeting, trustees broadly agreed that there was value in having a resident on a finance committee, because it deals with how the library would spend tax dollars. They also talked about how some community members can bring skills and experience that might be useful to the committees’ decision-making.

During the July 17 meeting, library director Vicki Rakowski suggested that the board recruit for the policy committee first, since they have some important policies, such as the social media policy, on the docket in the next few months. With the finance committee, timing was an issue, she said, because they might not be able to get someone in place before the committee has to start working on the tax levy.

processes ha in recent years across the country as they face a growing number of requests to remove materials. While the Forest Park library hasn’t seen the upswing, on Jan. 16, the board updated its policies on requests to remove materials to limit such requests to Forest Park residents and business owners.

After some discussion, the trustees agreed to develop an online advertisement

y

shared in the village and the library newsletters, with the goal of reviewing the resumes during the re gularly scheduled Aug. 21 board meeting.

Board member Keary Bramwell said she didn’t expect the board to get “flooded” with applications.

“This is a community of volunteers,” responded Sievers

Two youths lead police on late-night chase down Madison

Two teens who may have been involved in the theft of an Oak Park vehicle led Forest Park police on a high-speed chase down Madison Street – and one of them later claimed that he was robbed on the Forest Park side of Harlem Avenue.

On July 10, at 1:52 a.m., a Forest Park police officer on routine patrol spotted a black 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee and a black 2013 Hyundai Sedan waiting at the red light at Madison Street and Circle Avenue in the westbound lanes. Both cars had their headlights and taillights of f, and the Jeep had dark tinted windows. As the patrol officer tried to curb them, both cars raced west, traveling at three times the speed limit. The Jeep eventually stopped near the Lathrop Avenue intersection, while the Hyundai ke pt going west.

The driver, an 18-year-old Chicago man and a younger brother of the re gistered owner of the Jeep, was cited for negligent driving and for improperly stored cannabis

found inside the car. The man tossed the citations outside and drove of f, heading west on Madison Street.

A few minutes later, River Forest police responded to an accident re port involving a Hyundai matching the description of the Hyundai at the earlier incident. The car was left on the scene, and an examination revealed that its steering column was stripped. The owner, an Oak Park woman, subsequently confirmed that her car was stolen.

At 2:36 a.m., 911 got a call from Rush Oak Park Hospital, 520 S. Maple Ave., from a man saying that he was robbed at the nearby Wendy’s location on the Oak Park side of Harlem Avenue, at 11 N. Harlem Ave. He claimed the two vehicles were involved, specifically mentioning a Hyundai matching the stolen Hyundai’s description. The young man changed his story, saying that he was robbed in the alley on the Forest Park side.

A minute later, Oak Park police responded to a hit-and-run near the Harlem Avenue and Eisenhower Expressway crossing involving a Jeep matching the Grand Cherokee’s description. Forest Park police caught up with the Jeep as it was heading west on Madison Street, ignoring the red light as it crossed Harlem Avenue. The officer stopped it in front of Rush Oak Park hospital, and the 18-year-old Chicago man was still driving it.

The officer involved identified the alle ged robbery victim as a suspect in the string of armed robberies, and said he looked like the Hyundai driver. The man maintained he was a robbery victim, but he declined to explain what he was doing in the area in the first place.

The Chicago man was cited for littering (for throwing away the citations earlier in the night), in addition to the earlier detention. The second man wasn’t charged.

btained from police reports filed by the Forest Park Police Department, July 9-12, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Unless otherwise indicated, anybody named in these reports has only been charged with a crime. These cases have not been adjudicated.

Compiled by Igor Studenkov

OPINION

Forget reworks, save the turkeys!

Re: “Revisioning America’s birthday party,” [Forest Park Review, July 11]

Columnist Alan Brouilette is right: Fireworks sound exactly like “bombs bursting in air,” and they terrify dogs and other animals. Some jump over fences, break chains, and even crash through windows in an attempt to flee the deafening blasts. Shelters see a spike in admissions whenever fireworks go off.

The explosions also scare wildlife, cause wildfires, and pollute the environment. Fortunately, cities such as Galveston, Texas; Castle Pines, Colorado; Imperial Beach, California; Taos, New Mexico; and Lake Oswego, Oregon, have used animal-friendly laser light or drone shows to wow citizens and protect animals

America needs a kinder, more progressive way to celebrate Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and other joyous occasions — because all animals, including dogs, cats, chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows, are sentient individuals who feel pain, form strong family ties, and grieve when they lose a loved one.

Turkeys, for example, are charismatic, personable birds. When not confined to animal factories, they are spirited explorers who like greeting sanctuary visitors and gobbling along to music. But since humans like to eat turkeys, they’re usually packed tightly together in filthy, dark sheds. In slaughterhouses, the terrified turkeys are often scalded alive in the tanks of water used for feather removal.

Eating turkeys for Thanksgiving is just as unnecessary and unconscionable as shooting off fireworks for the Fourth of July. There’s no rational way to justify petting one animal and eating another. But we can enjoy our favorite holidays without harming animals in any way.

Heather Moore

The PETA Foundation

Time to consolidate Proviso football

A big shout-out to coach Scottie Ware in re gard to his push to get the District 209 school board to consolidate Proviso football. I am a teacher at Proviso East and I work the East football games. The kids deserve a chance to compete, and by consolidating they will have just that. Successful football programs today rarely have two-way players and we cannot continue to expect our student-athletes to perform when they are tired. Offense, defense, and special teams need fresh legs. By having more kids on the team, less will get hurt.

Morton High, with over 8,000 students, consolidated their football program years ago. Proviso District 209 has 5,000 students yet we have two football programs. This makes zero sense. As a proud teacher who coaches at both East and West, I beg the board to let this happen.

Joseph Radecki Proviso East

Cheering for the champions of function

Recently my garden-enthusiast cousin Rachel visited from California. As conversations go betw garden-obsessed, the topics flew between us easily and limitlessly. She recently “discovered” salvia, specifically subgenus Perovskia — commonly referred to as R sage. This plant, which grows 3- to 5-feet tall has silver gray stems and tiny pur ple flowers that burst with an airiness that is mystical and quite beautiful. She thought it was rare and unusual when she planted it.

Now, as if her rare gem was just broken glass, everywhere she looks she sees salvia. Her reality is filled with pop-up ads — in Chicagoland front lawns, at strip malls, in roadway planters, just everywhere. The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, or the impression that something is happening frequently, though it is just an illusion, as perceptions and awareness change, has overtaken her garden-minded consciousness. I have experienced a similar phenomenon with chicory and litter.

WAGNER

ing storyline in town. There is a pole, , there are flag-flying rules, there is a system (Illinois Flag Honors Act) and there are flags. None of these are central to the specific issue. Here it is the installation that is the protagonist in

Last week I walked past a group of men installing the fence at Popelka , and I wanted to cheer them on. oiding a scene, I carried on and world would celebrated labors like we could know if people have children, sisters, and brothers, if they are working long hours, and even know their names. Instead, we will likely have a timeless plaque dedicated to the park district board, which directed the public funds to pay for the park, which included hiring a team to install the fence.

Another fixation parked in my mind is the ar t vs. craft debate — as I mentioned in this space last month. Its origins come from 15th-century Europe, the Renaissance, when individual creativity was valued more than the shared production of a craft. While there seem to be infinite distinctions between what makes art, art & craft, or craft, each quirky definition could be discussed at length. One distinction is that art reflects an individual journey resulting in an aesthetic purpose, whereas craft is a product of a skill that has a function.

So when I was at the Kiwanis Club meeting last night, eating two scoops of Kiwanis-inspired ice cream, this debate was raging away behind the scenes in my mind. On this night a special guest, Commissioner Michelle Melin-Rogovin, made a presentation to see if the Kiwanis Club was interested in contributing to the flagpole installation project.

The flagpole dilemma has become an enchant-

It is the way of the world. Craftsmanship is not center stage. Which is why the installation of a flagpole delights me. It removes any sour spots of individualism, dissolves any rough patches of decisions made by the few, demands democratic input from people directly, and puts the spotlight on something that is typically invisible. When the flags are raised, those who know will feel pride about the symbolism of the base they are standing on and feel connected to the community. While we may not hold a public event to watch the pouring of the concrete (although I would love to be there), creating the foundation for the flags to perch is symbolism enough and that has the power.

Much like Rachel’s salvia, I see the craftsmanship of the landscapers who zip through town managing lawns and landscapes, the concrete I walk on block after block, the freshly painted water towers, the resurfacing of Roosevelt Road, the late-night sounds of the streetcleaner going by, the layout of products in stores — and delight, cheering silently for the craftspeople who are the champions of function. While craftsmanship might not be rare, it is magnificent and belongs in the spotlight now and again.

Sta Reporter Igor Studenkov, Francia Garcia Hernandez, Amaris Rodriguez

Senior Editor Bob Uphues

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Contributing Reporters 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

Sales and Marketing Representatives

Lourdes Nicholls, Marc Stopeck, Kamil Brady, Ben Stumpe

Business & Development Manager

Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Climate change brought me into this world

Last week’s torrential rains were devastating to Chicago-area property owners. But I’ve seen worse. I don’t remember much about it because I was a newborn, but a rainstorm in mid-October 1954 dumped 12 inches of rain in 48 hours. It remains the greatest rainfall in the history of this re gion. It also played a part in bringing me into this world.

When I asked my mother how I was born, she told me I was born during a thunderstor m. I doubted her word at first. I was born in October, when thunderstorms are not that common. Was she confusing me with one of the other eight births?

No, she said a tropical storm hit Florida and it caused a drop in barometric pressure in Chicago. She said this drop caused pregnant women to go into labor. That is why hospitals in Chicago were suddenly overrun with pregnant women.

St. Anne Hospital was where my mom’s obstetrician was on staff. My dad drove her there using Augusta Boulevard, because it had the most bumps, which could speed the birth process. My mom’s water broke during the drive. When they got to the hospital, the

Board of Directors

Chair Judy Gre n

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

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Trouble with tripods

June 30, 1999: With a new sign ordinance, tripods, like the ones shown at 7439½ Madison St., were required to be taken down. The tripods were originally mounted on rooftops decades earlier. At the time, three buildings on Madison Street with the antique holders and one on Roosevelt Road were given 30 days to comply with the ordinance.

Jill Wagner

elivery room was so busy, I was almost born in a waiting room.

Meanwhile, our basement in Brookfield was filled with several feet of water. Our black Labrador, appropriately named Dory, was floating on top of a table. This unprecedented stor m looded basements across the region and caused $25 million in amage.

At the height of storm, the Chicago River threatened to overflow. The river was normally 3 feet below the level of Lake Michigan. The heavy rain caused the river to rise four feet above the lake. This forced engineers to open the lock gates for the first time in 54 years. Polluted water from the river endangered the city’s principal source of drinking water

We endangered it again last week. Engineers opened the locks to relieve the flooding and allowed over a billion gallons of bacteria-laced waste to enter the lake. The sluice gate from the North Shore Channel was also opened. These events have become more common in recent years.

For example, our house on Beloit hadn’t flooded in 100 years. We still took extra measures by installing a sump pump and standpipes. Nevertheless, the basement flooded

A LOOK BACK IN TIME

two summers in a row. It was demoralizing because we had finished it with drywall and carpeting. It was relatively clean water but we still had to break out the bleach and scrub everything down.

The Deep Tunnel (TARP) was supposed to prevent flooding in basements and discharges into the lake. It was started in 1975 and has cost $4 billion so far. The tunnels have been mostly completed, but we’re still waiting for the reservoirs to be used to full capacity. This means that every rainfall over 2.5 inches forces discharges into the lake and flooding.

That is why many cities are moving away from massive flood control projects and embracing smaller neighborhood-scale improvements. Forest Park is separating sewer and stor m water pipes one block at a time. We’re installing permeable pavers in alleys. We even purchased a truck dedicated to clearing catch basins. The village helps homeowners pay for check valves. Homeowners also purchase rain barrels to catch runoff from roofs.

But back to my birth. Hospitals do see an increase in deliveries during periods of low barometric pressure. However, experts still dismiss this as an “old wives tale” because they can’t prove a direct connection between weather conditions and the onset of labor. Are they calling my mom a liar?

Photo by FRANK PINC

PART-TIME ELECTRICIAN’S HELPER

Experience or not.

Call for more information.

708-738-3848

SYSTEMS ANALYST

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Systems Analyst in the Information Technology Department. The ideal candidate will perform a variety of complex technical duties in design, application programming and development, PC configuration and support, testing and maintenance of the Village’s computer application systems and perform a variety of technical duties as required. Knowledge of a wide variety of computer programming languages and systems, such as, City View Permit, License & Inspection Suite, Laserfiche, ESRI ArcGIS, MS-SQL, Reporting Tools, Java and HTML is wanted. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application by visiting the website https://www.oakpark.us/your-government/human-resources-department. This position is open until filled.

ENGINEERING TECHNICIAN II

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Engineering Technician II in the Public Works Department. The employee performs layout, draft and design drawings from field survey information and field notes for various engineering and planning projects including existing improvements, right-of-way and various utilities and performs a variety of field inspections. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

Designer III (Chicago, IL) F/T - Plan & dsgn structures, such as commercial & ofc bldgs, & other structural property. Prep scale drawings or architectural dsgns, using computer-aided dsgn or other tools. Prep info regarding schematic dsgn, dsgn dvlpmt, structure specs, materials, color, eqpmt, estimated costs, or construction time.

Prep detailed drawings of architectural dsgns w/ computations & plans incl the corporate & urban dsgn practice.

Utilize technical skills in Autodesk Products (Revit & AutoCAD Architecture), Rhino, Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, & Enscape. Supervised by licensed architect. Master’s deg in Architecture (or foreign educational equiv) or closely rltd architectural field + 12 mos exp in job offd or as Architectural Associate or closely rltd reqd. Past 12 mos exp (full 12 mos) must incl exp working w/ architectural projects w/ a primary focus devoted to corporate, commercial architecture & urban dsgn practices; prep’g dsgn options w/ architectural computation; & working w/ Autodesk Products (Revit & AutoCAD Architecture), Rhino, Adobe Products (InDesign & Illustrator), & Enscape. Email resume to Perkins & Will, Inc., Attn: Laura Byrd, Talent Manager, Sr. Associate at: Laura.Byrd@perkinswill.com w/ ref#dsg3-ch

HELP WANTED

River Forest Public Schools

River Forest Public Schools District 90 is seeking a School Social Worker

Qualifications:

a) Valid State of Illinois Professional Educator License

b) Licensed Clinical Social Work (LCSW) preferred

c) At least three years of successful School Social Work experience preferred.

Job Duties: The School Social Worker provides needs-based behavioral and social-emotional services to the students, parents, and faculty/staff of a school. The role includes, but is not limited to, individual and group counseling with students; direct and indirect consultation with students and teachers; assessment, behavior planning and

Senior Project Manager, Buffalo Grove, IL, Winfield Consulting specializes in the pharma industry, provid’g problem-oriented solutions & data services for the analysis & report’g of in-vivo & in-vitro studies, as well as phase I-III clinical trials & NDA submissions. JD: Plan/direct the OPNS of the COMP. Monitor the OVAL project MGT. Manage the projects for global OPNS/IMP. Define the project success criteria. DEV scheds to track projects. Min. Reqs: MA deg in BUS ADMIN, MGT / a rltd fld. Strong KNWL of project MGT, team MGT, risk MGT. Strong KNWL may be gained thru EDU coursework, TRNG, / exp. Sal: $92,000/Yr. Send resumes: Lily Tan, Winfield Consulting Corporation, 1130 W. Lake Cook Rd, Ste 202A, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089. Job ref: 1001.

COVID-19 EPIDEMIOLOGIST

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Covid-19 Epidemiologist in the Public Health Department. This is a One-Year, Full Time Temporary position as of date of hire. This position will serve as a subject matter expert on communicable diseases of public health concern, including COVID-19. This position will work on the surveillance and investigation of infectious diseases and other public health threats; rapid response to disease outbreaks including assisting the community’s emergency preparedness and response team. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website https://www.oakpark.us/your-government/human-resources-department. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. This position is open until filled.

intervention implementation and monitoring; and universal screening/ prevention of behavioral & socialemotional concerns. The School Social Worker hired for this position will assist teachers in development and implementation of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MtSS) social/emotional interventions, and may provide some school-wide SEL programming and parent outreach. Interested candidates, please complete an online application at https://www.district90.org/about/ employment

IT OFFICE COORDINATOR

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Office Coordinator in Information Technology. This position will perform a variety of responsible and complex administrative duties for the IT Department; provide information and assistance to Village staff regarding requests for service; and provide administrative support to the IT Director and the IT staff. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website https://www.oakpark.us/your-government/human-resources-department. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. Open until filled.

PARKING ENFORCEMENT

OFFICER

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

CROSSING GUARD

The Forest Park Police Department is seeking qualified individuals for the position of Crossing Guard. This position requires flexible hours during days when schools are in session.

A background investigation and drug screening 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. For additional information, contact Dora Murphy at 708-615-6223 or write dmurphy@ forestpark.net.

Applications accepted until position is filled. EOE.

GARAGE SALE

GARAGE SALE

1103 CIRCLE AVE FOREST PARK

SATURDAY, JULY 22,

9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Household tools, painters tools, books, kitchen items and misc. household items.

GARAGE SALE

MULTI-FAMILY GARAGE SALE

843 S. Grove, Oak Park

Saturday, July 22

8 AM – 2 PM

IF YOU WANT IT, WE HAVE IT

Kitchen items, household miscellaneous, garden items, art work, vintage & collectibles, antique linens, and

GARAGE

CARS WANTED

WANTED TO BUY

WANTED MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, flags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead, plastic – other misc. toys. Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400

CLASSICS WANTED

CLASSICS WANTED

Restored or Unrestored Cars & Vintage Motorcycles Domestic / Import Cars:

Restored or Unrestored Cars & Vintage Motorcycles

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

Domestic / Import Cars:

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

Collector

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

$$ Top $$ all makes, Etc.

AUTO SERVICES

Collector James 630-201-8122

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICE RESOLUTION NO. R - 2023-

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING

THE LEVY OF ADDITIONAL TAX FOR LIBRARY PURPOSES IN THE VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS

WHEREAS, the Board of Library Trustees of the Village of Brookfield has requested the corporate authorities of the Village of Brookfield to levy an additional tax of 0.02% for certain library purposes, pursuant to Article 3 of the Illinois Local Library Act [75 ILCS 5/1-0.1 et seq. (2016)]; and

WHEREAS, this 0.02% additional tax shall be in addition to the annual levy of .35% allowed for the establishment and maintenance of the library.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE VILLAGE PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, as follows:

Section 1: The corporate authorities of the Village of Brookfield herewith determine to levy an additional 0.02% tax for library purposes for the tax year commencing January 1, 2023.

Section 2: Such 0.02% additional tax shall be levied on the value of all taxable property in the Village of Brookfield, as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue, and shall be used for the purpose of sites and buildings, for the construction and equipment of buildings, for the rental of buildings required for library purposes, and for maintenance, repairs and alterations of library buildings and equipment.

Section 3: The levy of said additional 0.02% tax shall be effected by the adoption of an appropriate levy ordinance by the corporate authorities pursuant to statutory requirements, which ordinance shall be filed in the office of the Cook County Clerk.

PUBLIC NOTICES

Section 4: The Village Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to publish a copy of this Resolution at least once in the Riverside/Brookfield Landmark, a newspaper with a general circulation in the Village of Brookfield, within fifteen (15) days after its adoption, and also the “Public Notice” attached hereto as “Exhibit A” hereof, shall be included with such publication or posting.

Section 5: If no petition is filed with the corporate authorities of the Village of Brookfield within thirty (30) days after publication of this resolution, requesting that the question of the adoption of this resolution be submitted to the electors of the Village of Brookfield, or if all petitions so filed are determined to be invalid and insufficient, the Village shall then be authorized to levy the tax. However, if a petition is filed with the corporate authorities within said thirty (30) day period, which petition is signed by electors of the Village of Brookfield equal in number to 10% of the total number of registered voters in the Village of Brookfield and which asks that the question of levying such a 0.02% tax be submitted to the electors of the Village, then the question shall be submitted at the next applicable election, or at any special election called in accordance with law. The Village Clerk shall provide a petition form to any individual requesting one.

Section 6: This Resolution shall be in full force and effect immediately upon its adoption.

ADOPTED this 10th day of July 2023 pursuant to a roll call vote as follows:

AYES: TTE’s Cote, Gilhooley, Kaluzny, Ketchmark, and Narimatsu

NAYS:

ABSENT: TTE Hendricks None

ABSTENTION: None

PUBLIC NOTICES

APPROVED by me this 10th day of July 2023.

Michael

J. Garvey, President of the Village of the Brookfield, Cook County, Illinois

ATTESTED and filed in my office, this 10th day of July 2023.

Brigid Weber, Clerk of the Village of Brookfield, Cook County, Illinois

“EXHIBIT A”

PUBLIC NOTICE

The public is hereby notified regarding the above “Resolution authorizing the levy of additional tax for library purposes in the Village of Brookfield, Illinois” determining to Levy for the tax year beginning January 1, 2023 an Additional Tax of up to 0.02 Percent of Equalized or Assessed Value of Taxable Property for Particular Building and Equipment Purposes in accordance with Article 3 of the Illinois Local Library Act [75 ILCS 5/10.1 et seq. (2016)] that:

1. The specific number of voters required to sign a petition requesting that the question of adoption of the Resolution be submitted to the electors of the Village is 1,373 voters.

2. The time in which the petition must be filed is from the date of publication of this Resolution until 30 days hereof, being the 18th day of August 2023.

3. The date of the prospective referendum, if one should be called pursuant to such petition, is the General Election, held Tuesday the 19th day of March 2024.

4. The Village Clerk shall provide a petition form to any individual requesting one.

DOCKET NUMBER: PC 23-03 (Planned Development)

HEARING DATE: August 3, 2023

TIME: 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the Agenda permits.

LOCATION OF HEARING: 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302 (Council Chambers –Room 201)

SUBJECT PROPERTY ADDRESS: 201 N. Scoville Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60302

ZONING DISTRICT: I – Institutional Zoning District LEGAL DESCRIPTION: PARCEL 4: LOTS 1 TO 25, INCLUSIVE AND THE VACATED ALLEYS LYING WITHIN AND THE SOUTH HALF OF VACATED ONTARIO STREET LYING NORTH OF LOTS 1 AND 25 ALL IN BLOCK 28 IN THE VILLAGE OF RIDGELAND, BEING SUBDIVISION OF THE EAST HALF OF THE EAST HALF OF SECTION 7, THE NORTH WEST QUARTER AND THE WEST HALF OF THE WEST OF THE SOUTH WEST QUARTER OF SECTION

8, ALL IN TOWNSHIP NORTH, RANGE 13, EAST OF THE THRID PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS AND PARCEL

5: THE EAST HALF OF VACATED EAST AVENUE FALLING WITHIN ONTARIO STREET AND THAT PART OF EAST AVENUE LYING WEST OF AND ADJOINING LOTS 17 TO 25, INCLUSIVE, IN BLOCK 28 AND LOTS 10 TO 18, INCLUSIVE, IN BLOCK 27 IN THE VILLAGE OF RIDGELAND, BEING SUBDIVISION OF THE EAST HALF OF THE EAST HALF OF SECTION 7, THE NORTH WEST QUARTER AND THE WEST HALF OF THE WEST OF THE SOUTH WEST QUARTER OF SECTION

8, ALL IN TOWNSHIP NORTH, RANGE 13, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS

P.I.N.: 16-07-221-008-0000

PROPERTY OWNER: Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200, 201 N. Scoville Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60302

REQUEST: The Petitioner is requesting Planned Development approval for a 4-story 170,935 square foot school addition with three (3) allowance requests for:

1) An increase in building height to sixty-two (62) feet, where the maximum height allowed is forty-five (45) feet (an extension of ten (10) feet above the existing building height) as stated in Article 6. Special Purpose Districts, 6.2 Institutional Zoning District, Table 6-2 Maximum Building Height, 2) A decrease in front yard setback to eight (8) feet – three (3) inches where fifteen (15) feet is required (an extension of an existing nonconforming setback along Scoville Avenue) as stated in Article 6. Special Purpose Districts, 6.2 Institutional Zoning District, Table 6-2 Minimum Front Yard Setback, and 3) An increase in illumination at the property line up to four and nine-tenths (4.9) footcandles where the maximum footcandle measured at the property line should be (1) footcandle as stated in Article 9. Site Development Standards, 9.2.B (1) Maximum Lighting Regulations.

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park --Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302-- will receive electronic proposals until 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 17th, 2023 for Project: 23-3, 2023 Sidewalk Improvements Program - Rebid. Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. In general, this contract includes sidewalk angle-cutting, removal and replacement of public sidewalk, parkway and carrage walks, combination curb and gutter, driveways, and PCC basecourse; pavement adjacent to curbs, adjustment of drainage structures, buffalo boxes and all appurtenant work thereto. Sidewalk sequencing during the work and adherence to the completion date is of emphasis for this project as outlined in the plans and proposal forms.

Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic

service starting on Thursday July 27th, at 4:00 p.m. Plans and proposal forms can be found at https://www.oak-park.us/yourgovernment/budget-purchasing/ requests-proposals or at www. questcdn.com under login using QuestCDN number 8596947 for a non-refundable charge of $64.00. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue plans and specifications only to those contractors deemed qualified. No bid documents will be issued after 4:00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of bid opening.

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

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK

Bill McKenna Village Engineer

PETITIONER: Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200, 201 N. Scoville Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60302

A copy of the application and each of the applicable documents are on the Village Website at www.oak-park.us and also on file and available for inspection at the Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, during current business hours, Monday through Friday, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. The Plan Commission may continue the hearing to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

ALL INTERESTED PERSONS ARE INVITED TO BE HEARD

OAK PARK PLAN COMMISSION

Oak Park, Illinois 60302

Published in Wednesday Journal, July 19, 2023