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ForestParkReview.com
Vol. 101, No. 42
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F O R E S T PA R K
REVIEW OCTOBER 24, 2018
2018 Forest Park Community Guide Special pullout section
Video gaming vote likely first in state PAGE 4
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HOBO could exit Forest Park by December Just a year after opening, Home Owners Bargain Outlet could close By NONA TEPPER
R
Staff Reporters
oughly a year after opening inside the Forest Park Plaza mall, Home Owners Bargain Outlet (HOBO) seems poised to close, issuing a notice to the village on Oct. 17 that it’s seeking a buyer. “HOBO is pursuing a sale of its business operations and facilities, but due to current economic circumstances, is concurrently preparing to conduct an orderly liquidation and wind-down of its operations,” said Leo Schmidt, company CEO, in a statement to the village. The company “anticipates” closing its doors in Forest Park by Dec. 31 if it doesn’t find a buyer, the statement said, and 48 local employees would lose their jobs. The company expects to begin terminating employees by Dec. 20. Village Administrator Tim Gillian said that if HOBO does close, the village’s budget deficit will increase. “That tax revenue we got from them was very helpful and we have a deficit. We’re not going to get that tax revenue [and] the deficit will grow,” Gillian said. He declined to comment on how much sales tax revenue HOBO contributed to the village, specifying only that it is a “large producer.” The village of Forest Park projected a $1.9 million budget deficit See HOBO on page 12
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
SPEED SKATER: Carolyn Bednar, 66, of Forest Park, warms up by skating in loops on Oct. 12, in the skate rink at the Park District of Forest Park on Harrison Street.
Skating, aging gracefully
Resident Carolyn Bednar has been roller skating for 30 years By LUCIA WHALEN Contributing Reporter
For most, the vision of retirement is one of a slow pace in a warm place with a body unable to move with the agility or strength that it once had. That is, un-
A good neighbor has your back.
less you are Forest Park resident Carolyn Bednar. Go outside any day of the week, and Bednar will be speeding past on roller skates. Bednar has been roller skating for the past 30 years and ice skating since she was a child. She said the practice eas-
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es her mind and trims her body: Bednar still fits into her high school clothes. “Most people can’t believe I’m 66 when they see me skate. My face shows aging, but my body doesn’t feel like a 66 year old See BEDNAR on page 10
Meaghan Good, Agent 7601 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130 Bus: 708-366-3779 meaghan@goodsgotyou.com