GROWING COMMUNITY WEDNESDAY JOURNAL, INC.
ForestParkReview.com
Vol. 99, No. 49
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F O R E S T PA R K
REVIEW
Holiday Gifts 2016
Special pullout section inside
DECEMBER 7, 2016
Di Febo seeks grant to help fund music park If successful, $50K could pay for engineering and architectural study By JOHN RICE
D
Contributing Reporter
uring this season of giving, Ralph Di Febo is trying to land a big gift for Forest Park. Di Febo has sent a proposal to the Oak Park-River Forest Community Foundation seeking $50,000 in seed money to fund feasibility studies to build a park and music venue on the Altenheim property. He is vying with other applicants to win the foundation’s 2017 Big Idea Competition. The panel is soliciting ideas that would positively impact the area, transform the community and perhaps put a near west suburb on the map as a national leader. Di Febo sent a proposal to the foundation last year. It didn’t win but received an Honorable Mention. This year’s proposal carries more weight, as it contains a letter from Mayor Anthony Calderone supporting the idea of building a “mini-Ravinia” on the property. Mayor Calderone is proposing that the village’s Civic Center Authority float a bond issue to finance the project. Di Febo noted that this was exactly how River Forest paid for the construction of its community center. “It’s a tried and true plan,” he said. There’s another wrinkle about this proposal. Last year, Di Febo partnered with the Forest Park Kiwanis Club to apply for the grant. This year, he is joining forces with the Historical Society of Forest See DI FEBO on page 10
WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff Photographer
A SINCERE APPLIANCE PATCH: The Forest Park Review’s Joyce Minich, dressed as Linus, reacts to the crowd in the Grand Appliance window during the Holiday Walk on Friday night. Snoopy slept through it all. See full story and more photos on pages 4,5 and 10.
D209 board votes to streamline architect hiring process Divided board casts a 4-3 vote on how much input to seek By JACKIE GLOSNIAK Contributing Reporter
In yet another clash — both personal and policy related — the Proviso Town-
ship High Schools Board of Education ended last week’s special meeting divided on how to handle selecting a new architecture firm. In the end, the board majority chose to make the selection
NICE HAIR! Randolph Street Barbers
with limited input from the public and the administration. On Nov. 29, the board met at Proviso See D209 ARCHITECTS on page 8
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