Wednesday Journal 061924

Oak Park Village Board discusses next steps

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

The Oak Park Re gional Housing Center’s financial trouble, resulting in staf f’s pay sometimes being delayed and the village pausing its funding for the organization, will require village trustees to navigate next ste ps at their June 18 meeting.

The OPRHC is a nonprofit org anization that offers resources to individuals seeking to locate housing and to housing providers, according to its website. It’s mission, according to the website, is “to achieve vibrant communities and promote intentional and stable residential integration throughout Oak Park and the re gion.”

But now, the village says the organization has been

TODD BANNOR

Troop

Library ceremony on June 17.

Oak Park approves r phase of alternative police response program

Trustees previously sent the proposed program back for review

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

In a unanimous vote June 11, Oak Park’s Board of Trustees approved the first phase of the village’s alternative police response to calls for service pilot progr am, implementing a response to non-mental health-related calls and follow-up connection with services

The first area of focus for phase one is to provide unarmed response to “low risk” calls for police service that may be unrelated to mental health or behavioral health crises. The other is to hire staf f to support the community care navigation model, which connects residents with services such as follow-up care, education and with community partners.

Village officials estimate the start-up costs for phase one of the alternative response pilot program will not exceed $275,000. Trustees have allocated $1.1 million for the full pilot program.

When village staf f presented their recommended two-year pilot program at the April 30 board meeting, trustees expressed concerns about a potentially divided response between village-employed mental health professionals and Thrive Counseling Center employees. Village staf f are still working on a solution to mental health-related call responses but are moving forward with half of the program first.

The updated proposal for the overall program still has a four-pronged approach, covering responses to low-risk and highrisk mental health calls, as well as community care navigation and non-mental health related calls.

■ For low-risk mental health calls, mental health clinicians and peer support specialists would respond. The original pro-

posal included having a paramedic and/or police officer responding.

■ For high-risk mental health calls, li censed mental health clinicians, ics and crisis intervention trained police officers would respond.

■ The community care navig would still be intended to follow-up with services for residents who already eng with other teams.

■ The other team in this progr respond to low-risk, non-mental healthrelated calls for service. These calls would not require an armed police response, so community service officers could respond.

Community care navigation

In the now approved phase one of the pilot program, village staf f has recommended hiring one program manager, two mental health clinicians and three community service officers. The program manager and mental health clinicians would implement the community care navig ation piece of the model.

The community care navigation team, however, would not directly be dispatched to respond to 911 calls. This team would connect residents who already engaged with emergency responders and need additional support for services and case management. People have autonomy, and aren’t required to accept services, Human Resources Director Kira Tchang pointed out. But the hope is to create a positive transition of services to those ready and willing, she said.

In addition to connecting residents to services, this team would respond to calls made directly to the village or initiated by the village for services related to individuals experiencing homelessness as well as for “traumatic community events,” such as the shooting outside the Oak Park Public Library on April 30 which left one person with a minor wound. This team would likely provide services closer to business hours, Tchang said.

This team may also take on additional responsibilities in the second phase of the pilot program. It would be ideal for them to

give input for the second phase’s design, but it depends on timing for hiring and onboarding, Tchang said.

Tchang said village staff are still recommending having some in-house mental health staff so their expertise can be a resource for the village, to understand what training might be needed for village staff and to better serve the community

Additionally, village staff recommend reestablishing agreements with Oak Park Township to bolster community care navigation through the township’s youth engagement program and senior services program.

Community service o cers

The three community service officers, who are unarmed civilian members of the Oak Park Police Department, would respond to low-risk calls for service that are not mental health or behavioral health-related These could include calls for incidents such as property damage, minor thefts, car accidents, falls and other injuries on public property, according to village officials.

Dave Jacobson, Oak Park deputy police chief, said these unarmed officers would likely be sent to get crisis intervention training, like armed officers. The three officers are an increase from the original proposal, which recommended two. That’s so they can serve the community during a broader window of time, Tchang said.

Several board members expressed their desire to not duplicate services in the vil-

lage as the program unfolds, a common sentiment at the April 30 meeting. Tchang said the pilot program is intended to better collaborate with partners and connect residents with the right organizations. For instance, Housing Forward supports individuals experiencing homelessness in 26 communities in west suburban Cook County. So, this program would be intended to aid them and other community partners in their work, not duplicate it.

“There is a lot of need there, and there are not enough resources to resolve it,” Tchang said. “We are not trying to create new things when new things don’t need to be created. We’re trying to set the conditions, through this program, in order to be a better collaborator, to better use the resources and to make sure that all of our intergover nmental bodies are coordinating.”

Village Manager Kevin Jackson said staf f intend to provide data and metrics showing how successful this program is moving forward.

Village staf f are still working on partnerships to respond to calls for service that are mental health or behavior health-related. According to officials, village staf f have met with Thrive, Oak Park Township and Housing Forward since the April 30 meeting to discuss possibilities. Village staf f are tentatively planning to bring a recommendation for the second phase of the pilot program in fall 2024. Communicating the existence of this program will also be part of the next steps.

JAVIER GOVEA

spaces, exper t assistance, and opportunities to connec t with campus departments. 2000 Fifth Ave., River Grove

Mobile Tech Workshop for Older Adults: Rideshare and Parking Apps

Thursday, June 20, 10:30 a.m - 12:30 p.m., Oak Park Public Library

This “bring your own device” (BYOD) workshop will cover the basics of using rideshare apps and parking apps common in Oak Park and Chicago (e.g., Lyft, Uber, Oak Park Parking) via your smartphone or tablet. This workshop is brought to you by the University of Illinois Chicago Computer Science researchers as part of a research study to understand the barriers to mobile use for older adults. 834 Lake St., Oak Park

Read to a Dog

Friday, June 21, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Oak Park Public Library - Storytime Room

BIG WEEK

June 19-26

We See You: Diversity Equity and Inclusion Juried Exhibition

English Language Conversation

Saturday, June 22, 10 - 11 a.m., Oak Park Public Library - Small Meeting Room

Join other English language learners to practice English and learn new vocabulary in an informal setting. Conversation facilitators will lead the session with a variety of topics for conversation. Free and open to all English language learners. Register at https://tinyurl. com/5f7mn9mb 834 Lake St., Oak Park

Raining Pianos Summer Program

Monday, June 24, 1-3 p.m., Nineteenth Century Charitable Association

The Raining Pianos summer program will sprinkle you with harmonic sounds from our Steinway Piano Steinway pianos are considered the “gold standard” of musical instruments, and ours has been lovingly restored, and we to share it with our community. Contact: bgrajeda@nineteenthcentur y.org 178 Forest Ave., Oak Park

May 31 - June 29, Tuesday - Friday 1-5 p.m., Saturday 1-4 p.m., Carriage House Galler y, Oak Park Art League

Open during Pride Month, this exhibit highlights underrepresented artists and aims to showcase diverse voices during this critical election year. More Information: https://tinyurl.com/2rz7wy8s, 708.386.9853 or oakparkartleague@gmail.com. 720 Chicago Ave., Oak Park

30th Annual Garden Walk

Sunday, June 23, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Oak Park and River Forest

Do you need garden inspiration? Are you curious about your Oak Park and River Forest neighbor ’s gardens? Come out and enjoy the Annual Oak Park & River Forest Garden Walk. Sponsored by Friends of the Oak Park Conser vatory and the Garden Club of Oak Park - River Forest. Plan on driving or biking between gardens. Street parking will be available at each location. The walk will take place rain or shine. Tickets are available at gcoprf.org.

Adult Improv

Tuesday, June 25, 7 - 8:30 p.m., Oak Park Public Library

Looking for a way to let your inner comedian run free? Want to improve your quick-thinking skills? Join us for a night of spontaneous comedy. All skill levels welcome. Warning: Hilarity will ensue. 834 Lake St., Oak Park

Dogs love to hear kids read and appreciate the cuddles as well! Come to the Children’s Desk to sign up for a 10-minute reading slot. Book suggestions provided or choose your own. “Spots” limited, rst-come, rstser ved. 834 Lake St., Oak Park Listing your event

Wednesday Jour nal welcomes notices about events that Oak Park and River Forest 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 week before your news needs to be in the newspaper. ■ Email details to calendar@wjinc.com

Compiled by Brooke Duncan

Timothy Leeming

River Forest o cials vote down zoning changes

The surprise action suppor ts vocal opposition by residents

By ROBERT J. LIFKA

Contributing Reporter

It’s back to the drawing board for proposed zoning changes in River Forest after the village board surprised many by unanimously voting June 17 to accept the recommendation of the zoning board of appeals and deny the proposed changes.

The action by officials not only supported the zoning board’s recommendation, but also reflected opinions of dozens of residents who attended zoning boar meetings in January, March April. More than 150 residents attended the April meeting in person or by video conferenc ing. Although some supported the changes, the majority of those attending the meeting were opposed, including fi who spoke June 17.

cials explained their purpose was more to initiate a discussion than to make wholesale changes.

“The initial charge was to explore and we did that,” village President Cathy Adduci said.

“Our intent was to have a discussion,” trustee Rescipio Vazquez said. “We’re trying to raise funding without taxing residents.”

“This was d esigned to explore and discuss,” trustee Bob O’Connell a dded.

“We’ve g ot more wo rk to do. We ’ ll c ontinue to move forward.”

T he vote not only surprised many of the residents attending the une 17 meeting, but also trustee Katie Brennan.

CATHY ADDUCI Village president

The proposed changes were recommended by the economic development commission and proposed by Houseal Lavigne Associates, the village’s planning consultant, following a review of the village’s zoning code designed to evaluate the current zoning restrictions and make recommendations for modernizing the zoning code. The proposed changes were intended to enhance the village’s efforts to attract developers by changing zoning requirements in the village’s C1 (North Avenue), C2 (Madison Street), C3 (Central Commercial) and ORIC (Office, Research, Institutional and Commercial) districts. Officials expressed hope that the proposed changes, had they been implemented, would have jump-started economic development on vacant parcels in the village.

In a memo to officials, village Administrator Matt Walsh said the proposed changes included increasing maximum building height, increasing residential density and reducing of f-street parking requirements.

In expressing their support for accepting the zoning board’s recommendations, offi-

“I’ve g ot wh iplash right now, ” she said, expressing surprise at c omments made by her f elw trustees dduci and others expressed atitude to the residents who attended the zoning board meetings to express their opinions as well as the zoning board members.

“I think everybody did a very good job,” she said. “I think the zoning board members did a very thorough job of listening.”

Vazquez also thanked residents, adding, “We’re here to try to hear from everybody.”

“We’ re here to ser ve the c ommunity,” trustee Ken Johnson said. “Our d uty is to listen to the c ommunity. I appreciate your pa rt icipating.”

“ I’m overwhelmingly impressed by the amount of time and ef fo rt p ut in by our residents, especially those on the south end,” Brennan said.

“The process wo rked,” trustee Lisa Gillis said. “N ow we c an move forward with economic development using the zoning re g ulations we have.”

“I think we c ould have d one more or b etter wo rk ,” trustee Erika Bachner said. Bachner and Brennan b oth suggested the b oard c onsider looking for another p lanning consultant.

“What’s next?” Brennan asked

“We’ll bring it back to the board and decide what we want to do,” Adduci responded

CO RRECTI ON

An article titled “Growing Community Media takes home Illinois Press Association awards” that ran in print June 12, 2024, misstated the number of first place awards the organization won. That number is 16. We apologize for the error.

Chicago West Community Music Center celebrates 25 years on Juneteenth

The music center will run laptop music program at D97 middle schools this summer

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Reporter

The Chicago West Community Music Center will be celebrating its 25th anniversary on Juneteenth with an anniversary gala at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.

The center’s mission is to transform young lives while strengthening communities on the West and South sides of Chicago. It began in 1999 as a response to the elimination of arts programs from Chicago Public Schools due to budget cuts that had begun in the late ‘70s.

While schools in more affluent communities were able to keep programs afloat, low-income communities saw programs completely disappear.

“Years later, many of those schools were still void of any serious music programs,” said Howard Sandifer, executive director of the center. “By that time, we decided that we wanted to do something to help fill that void.”

The event, themed “Celebrating 25 Years Uplifting Lives Through Music,” will feature an original dance suite written by Sandifer, choreography by Joel Hall, and a musical performance by the center’s students.

The landing on the anniversary of Juneteenth is no coincidence, Sandifer said.

“We wanted to commemorate that day as well,” Sandifer said. “The mission statement is about uplifting the community through music and we celebrate the freedom of our community to be able to be free, to learn music, and to enjoy the freedom of music.”

First called Lawndale Community Music Center, Sandifer, along with his wife, Darlene Sandifer, now managing director for CWCMC, began the program out of their kitchen table to help serve “any place that wanted to have high-quality music programming,” said Sandifer.

The first program of fered was an intergenerational guitar program for six students and their parents on the West Side of Chicago.

“They were very grateful for the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and learn about music,” Sandifer said. “The involvement with the parents and the grandparents was so important. It was an ideal situation. Parents are learning along with the students. It was bonding.”

The program expanded, and the center now has programs that include Westside Instructional String and Har p, which brings string training to elementary school children, and The Business of Music program, which is an after-school program for high school students to learn about the music industry. It also offers the Berklee Music Initiative, based on a partnership with Berklee City Music and Berklee’s Colle ge of Music out of Boston.

This year, CWCMC also brought its World Music Pro-

Howard and Darlene Sandifer of Chicago West Community Center.

gram to D97 schools through performances held during the school day.

Eboney Lofton, chief learning and innovation officer at D97, said the program encompasses who D97 is around supporting diversity and equity.

Students were introduced to music from James Reese Europe, a Black American ragtime and jazz composer, as well as music from Asia, Latin America and Europe.

Programming for D97 was free through a grant secured by CWCMC, Lofton said.

Lofton said students also learned about the History of the Blues, where students seemed very eng aged with the teaching musicians.

CWCMC will also be bringing a laptop music program to both Brooks Middle School and Julian Middle School this summer, Lofton said.

“It looked really eng aging and I am excited to learn about it myself,” Lofton said. “I think because we want to always promote music and also ourselves always use tech-

nolo gy it sounds like a perfect fit.”

CWCMC was planning a free concert at Scoville Park early in June to showcase the music curriculum and “A Day of World Music” but it was rained out. A new date has not yet been announced.

“There is a desire for really high-quality education, particularly music education,” Sandifer said. “It is a lot of fun for all ages and an opportunity for people to express themselves, but also, [it’s] an opportunity to bring people together from different backgrounds: economic backgrounds, racial backgrounds. It is an opportunity for people to learn and grow at the same time.”

CWCMC now serves North Lawndale, South Lawndale, Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Oak Park, and also has students coming from as far as Arlington Heights.

Tickets for the 25th Anniversary celebration, also honoring Helen Zell, a philanthropist and civic leader, can be purchased at CWCMC’s website at www.cwcmc.org.

PROVIDED BY CHICAG O WEST COMMUNIT Y CENTER

Taste the Town brings together 10 local restaurants

By RISÉ SANDERS-WEIR Contributing Reporter

During the p andemi c, we we re a fraid of many things and one of them was that we would lose our vibrant local restaur ant scene

The group Takeout 25 was a key factor in activating the community to shore up those restaurants. Now Takeout 25’s signature event, Taste the Town, is back for its third edition.

On June 23, ten local restaurants will provide an array of dishes, showing of f the area’s culinary can-do. Tickets are a flat $50 per person or $100 for a family – two adults and children in their household under 16. The festival of food will continue rain or shine on the patio and under the tents at Fitzgerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt Road, from 4PM to 7PM.

A single ticket is wor th three coupons. A f amily ticket g ets seven food coupons. Bar drinks ar not included.

Restaurants taking part are Piacere Mio, Billy Bricks, Khyber Pass, Media Noche Café, Berwyn Cafe, Babygold BBQ, Poke Burrito, Taco Mucho, Happy Apple and Twisted Cookie.

Entertainment and music are a part of the event as well. Local R&B artist Gerald McClendon, known musically as “Soulkeeper,” re tur ns for another year as the musical accompaniment.

The event is sponsored by T dence Group, Carnival Grocery, Pillar Financials and West Suburban Garage doors. T he goal is more than savoring flavors. Through Taste the Town, Takeout 25 extends the care for our local restaurants to local causes and non-profits that make our community special,” said Ravi Parakkat, founder of Takeout 25.

Musica Youth Chorus, and the Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest.

T he success of the Facebook c ommunity i nspired an expansion i nto a nonprofit organization with a mission to help local small food businesses a ddress larger i ssues of food i nsecurity and environmental challenges.

steNot Compost.

As the goals have grown bigger, Takeout 25 remains an active social media community for local foodies.

This year, proceeds will support nonprofit One Voice for Arts. Its mission is to make live arts accessible for residents of Oak Park and surrounding communities. This is the parent organization for the Oak Park Festival Theatre, Oriana Singers, Pro

The idea behind Takeout 25 launched during the stay-at-home times of the pandemic, when it looked like many restaurants might close. The concept was simple math. If households in Oak Park spent $25 per week at local restaurants that would push more than a million dollars per month into the local food economy. The group soon spread its $25 challenge into neighboring communities as well.

Through Takeout25 ef for ts Oak Park has become the first Green Dining Hub in Illinois with a goal to reduce food waste, plastics, and energy use. Being designated as a hub by the Illinois Green Business Progr am means that businesses receive encouragement and support to improve energy efficiency, use of renewables, reduction of solid waste, improve water efficiency, prevent pollution and de-carbonize transportation.

One facet of this progr am is offering grants to local businesses who opt to compost their organic kitchen and dining room waste. This helps cover the cost of commercial composting through Wa-

“We want to both celebrate and actively assist restaurants in Oak Park and the surrounding re gion,” said Parakkat. “Eating together builds community. And that is what we are all about. ”

Taste the Town

Date: June 23

Time: 4-7 p.m.

Location: Fitzgerald’s, 6615 Roosevelt Road, Berwyn

Tickets: https://www.givesignup.org/ TicketEvent/TakeoutTastetheTown2024

PROVIDED BY TAKEOUT25

A Poke bowl from Poke Burrito.

Juneteenth

Oak Park turned out for Juneteenth Saturday in style with a cookout and party that featured Black business vendors, food trucks, inflatables, g ames and music and perfor mances

There was also a soul food and vegan spread open to the public for free.

The live entertainment lineup included the Jesse White Tumblers, the Bucket Boys, Kuumba Kids and the return of funk, soul and R&B band Midnight Sun. A Black History Bike Tour developed by Oak Park River Forest Museum also was offered.

Winners of the Jubilee SPEAKS! original oratorical essay competition read their works about the importance of celebrating Juneteenth/Black liberation.

PROVIDED

e 2024 Village of Oak Park Juneteenth logo was designed by local ar tist Hasani Cannon.

lee SPEAKS!, a Juneteenth original oratory competition sponsored by Ase’ Productions, were invited to read their speeches at the village’s Juneteenth Flag Raising. Ase’ Productions is a community organization designed to uplift Black culture in Oak Park and neighboring communities

“The flag raising was very emotional for me because The Pan African Flag and the Juneteenth flag were raised,” said Juanta Griffin, founder Ase’ Productions and one ofthe original founders ofthe village’sJuneteenth cookout.

“For me, it represented the duality and complexities ofbeing Black in America. I am American with deep African roots ... and although my ancestors were separated from their homeland and the wealth of America was built on the backs ofenslaved Black Americans, my original history and identity were stolen, Africa is in my DNA ... that connection will never be severed. Seeing both flags raised while singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing” in the village that raised me ... brought tears to my eyes,” she said.

COURTESY OF JUANTA GRIFFIN

How does cutting the grocery tax a ect Oak Park?

By JESSICA MORDACQ and LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporters

Now that Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s $53.1 billion budget for 2025 has eliminated the state grocery store tax, Oak Park stands to lose about $1 million in revenue per year.

Revenue from the 1% state grocery tax was distributed to local municipalities. The cut takes effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Over the last four years, Oak Park has made about $4.3 million in revenue from the state grocery tax, according to Arlene Pedraza, the village’s management analyst.

than 25,000 residents, can pass their own grocery tax without state oversight.

Oak Park does have home rule status, as a municipality with about 52,000 residents

“We will try to ght what we can and convince them not to do it, but we will adjust and move forward .”

DONNA GAYDEN

However, villages, cities and towns have options to cover lost funds. According to the state, municipalities can create their own grocery tax up to 1%. Those with home rule authority, or municipalities with more

But Donna Gayden, Oak Park’s interim chief financial officer, said they are not planning to raise taxes to make up for the lost revenue.

Meanwhile, in Forest Park, the amount of revenue lost is smaller but still a blow to a much smaller community

“It’s still not great that this has been eliminated because it’s going to put the burden on the municipalities,” said Maria Maxham, Forest Park’s commissioner of accounts and finance.

Maxham added that she expects Forest Park to implement its own local tax, especially with the arrival of a new

grocery store. An Aldi is expected to open later this year in the for mer Bed Bath and Beyond building at 215 S. Harlem Ave. So, when Pritzker proposed eliminating the grocery tax in February, Forest Park officials were disappointed, Maxham added.

But Gayd en said she wasn’t sur prised

“Once something is p assed throug h legislation, the local municipalities, we j ust have to a djust,” Gayd en said. “We will t ry to fight wh at we c an and c onvince them not to do it, b ut we will adj ust and move forward. ”

Gayden said she anticipates modifying the village’s budget and looking for ways to reduce spending but didn’t know where yet. However, the fiscal year 2024 budget for Oak Park had a lot of one-time expenditures, she said, that would not necessarily af fect the 2025 budget.

“At this time, we will look at additional grants coming in, additional funding from other sources without raising taxes,”

Gayden said.

Illinois was one of 13 states that taxed grocery sales. Pritzker proposed eliminating the grocery tax to save families money. Dropping the 1% tax saves Illinois shoppers $1 for every $100 of groceries.

“I don’t think there’s any benefit to getting rid of it,” Maxham said. “It’s obviously going to save people who grocery shop, which is everybody, money,” but the amount, she added, is insignificant.

“It tends to have a smaller impact on a person buying $100 worth of groceries than it does on a municipality as a whole, that’s losing out on a significant chunk of money that they use for all kinds of different things,” Maxham said.

Oak Pa rk will li ke ly a ppr ove i ts fisca l year 2025 budg et around December of this year. Pe draza said they c ould n’ t say yet whether the loss of the state gr ocer y tax reve n ue would r esult in a deficit fo r the village

“Block/Garage” Sale

Saturday, June 22nd

1124 Lake Street, Oak Park � 8am � 1pm

Our condo association is having a “Block/Garage” sale.

Furniture, household/kitchen items, art, tools, rugs, fishing equipment, clothing and more!

You will see us selling our wares on the red brick road just east of Chipotle on Lake Street in Oak Park.

Estate Sale • Friday/Saturday, June 21 & 22

9am - 4pm • 417 S. Grove Ave., Oak Park

• Victorian-era platform rocker

• Stereopticon with over 50 cards

• Hand-stitched quilt

• Rare Louis Sullivan designed door knob and backplate from the Chicago Stock Exchange Building

• Lustreware

• Marshall Field’s memorabilia

• Small tools and appliances

• Linens, tools, safe, books

• Women’s clothing size M to XL

• Shoes size 8

Help Wanted - Bus Driver

The Village of Forest Park has immediate opening for a responsible fulltime PACE Bus Driver to transport senior citizens, disabled residents and school children. Must have a valid Illinois Driver’s License, and a good driving record. In addition, must be physically fit and submit to criminal background check, annual physical exam and drug and alcohol testing.

M-F Days Starting salary $36,687 with excellent benefits. The position is a non-exempt, AFSCME union position.

Apply in person at Howard Mohr Community Center, 7640 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park. 708-771-7737.

HOUSING CENTER

Financial woes

from page 1

falling short of financial obligations and performance expectations which it sets for each of its partner agencies. The financial issues at OPRHC aren’t new, either.

Athena Williams, executive director of the OPRHC, said that’s the result of cash flow issues, lack of village funding and inherited financial trouble

Village officials said the OPRHC ended fiscal year 2023 with a deficit of about $356,617. Williams said that number is an operating loss, not all deficit. She said the village’s shortfall in funding the housing center is almost $230,000 and the OPRHC’s remaining deficit is about $127,000. The OPRHC is still working to complete its 2023 audit

If the village board decides at its June 18 board meeting to stop or limit funding for the OPRHC, Williams said she’ll have to close the Live in Oak Park program, which helps foster residential racial integration in the village.

But what led to this point?

Timeline of events

On Aug. 4, 2023, village staf f discovered the housing center had an “inactive status” with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for its West Cook Homeownership program, according to village officials.

This prompted village staf f to meet with OPRHC staf f to discuss compliance. Funds, including from the village’s general funds and Community Development Block Grant programs, were paused

On Aug. 23, a financial monitoring of the OPRHC took place. Village staff discovered that OPRHC staff had not been paid for multiple pay periods, beginning in March 2023. The staff were not paid for three consecutive pay periods, a total of seven weeks, until August 2023, according to officials. OPRHC staff, at this time, were also awaiting payment for July and August. Those wages were later confir med as received.

Williams told Wednesday Journal money from funders was coming in late due to funders’ internal issues. She said some staf f told her they were willing to wait for their checks. But then two staf f members told HUD about the delayed payments, she said. That’s when HUD inactivated the OPRHC’s status to check its financial procedures, determining them to be OK,

Williams said. HUD did not revoke the OPRHC’s certification altogether, she said. Four OPRHC staf f members left around this time, she said.

Village staf f also discovered the OPRHC’s Housing Action Illinois funding grant ag reement was terminated.

HUD reinstated the OPRHC on Oct. 10, 2023, for a probationary period to end April 10, 2024. That probationary period has since been extended to Oct. 10, 2024.

In November 2023, Kolnicki, Peterson & Wirth conducted a performance review of the OPRHC. It was inconclusive, according to village officials, due to a lack of financial documentation from the OPRHC. The housing center was given seven extensions to provide the documentation, village officials state.

In January 2024, the OPRHC contested the review and requested a 45-day extension to submit documents. The village denied this request, asking the OPRHC to focus on “strengthening the organization’s operations and financial oversight.”

Williams told Wednesday Journal that KPW’s review included the week of Thanksgiving in 2023. The OPRHC was closed for a few days, and when they came back, half of the staf f had COVID-19, she said, contributing to the inconclusive review. When KPW asked for payroll documents for every staf f member, Williams said she wasn’t done with the budget revisions after some staf f had left.

Dan Yopchick, the village’s chief communications officer, told Wednesday Journal the village did not give KPW a certain timeframe in which to complete their review. But he wrote that “there were established goals to have the review completed before the end of 2023 and for the village board to review the re port and consider next steps re garding funding in the fiscal year.”

In February 2024, Village Manager Kevin Jackson asked the OPRHC for a corrective action plan. Williams submitted one.

This plan outlined areas of improvement for the OPRHC, including restructuring financial procedures, ensuring staf f are paid wages on time, working on the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus housing study recommendations and reassessing racial inte gration plans. Village staf f said they have met twice with Williams and housing center board members to address concerns since then.

In April 2024, the MMC presented a housing study plan to the village board. T he plan outlines challenges facing the OPRHC and suggested additional monitoring of all programs.

The OPRHC has also applied for vil -

Two previous requests from the OPRHC were also rejected.

Housing Center response

Williams said the cash flow issue started years ago. During COVID-19, the OPRHC received reimbursable gover nment grants that helped keep the programs afloat. But as the pandemic started to die down, private funders the OPRHC was relying on changed their funding direction, Williams said, to aid those experiencing homelessness.

Live in Oak Park does not focus on individuals experiencing homelessness. This program costs, on average, about $750,000 per year to run, Williams said. Without Oak Park’s allocated funds, which aren’t enough alone to cover the cost, it would have to be shut down. And other private funders believe Oak Park should be the one to fund it, Williams said.

“With the distraction of no funding for a year, with the distraction of the funding processes, we need developmental time,” Williams said. “And the only way we can do that is with a different type of partnership with the village.”

Williams said when she became the agency’s executive director in September 2019,

since she started

“Ever since I’ve been the ED (executive director), every year there has been an issue with the village to pause funding, and it slows down our progress,” Williams said.

HUD deactivating OPRHC’s status did not necessarily need to affect village funding, Williams said. But their contract states that if the OPRHC is not in compliance with HUD, the village can pause funding, and it did.

When that funding ceased, she said she had to pay staff salaries from other funds. The agency also took out lines of credit to perform basic operations, funds which have to be paid back.

Another public misconception Williams said is that there was a “ghost payroll” at the OPRHC. This refers to allegations of payments for staff members who don’t exist, that others pocket. Williams said the village had missed two payroll identification numbers, leading to that misconception.

Yopchick said the village was initially unable to identify two individuals on the payroll records, but later did.

The OPRHC’s next performance review from HUD will happen in July. This is an annual process, Williams said. To prepare, Williams said she’s working to make sure the

and procedure in ensuring policy compliance and that the contractual terms set forth in the housing center ag reement were met,” Yopchick wrote in response. “The process is the same for all organizations.”

What could the village do?

According to village staff, there are four possibilities for how the village board could respond to the financial trouble facing the OPRHC. At the June 18 meeting, trustees could decide to adopt one of these options

■ Pause funding of the OPRHC until the organization is fully reinstated by HUD.

■ Fund the OPRHC at a lesser amount than the traditional $300,000 annually and put the organization on probation.

■ Fund the OPRHC at the traditional $300,000 with no accountability measures.

■ Fund the OPRHC’s request for the CDBG program year 2022, fiscal year 2023 ag reement and $400,000 for fiscal year 2024.

With time and funding, the OPRHC intends to increase staf f capacity, improve the inte gration program, increase rental and homeownership opportunities, increase housing inventory and increase support for “resident advocacy,” according to a presentation.

next steps with the OPRHC’s funding at its June 4 board meeting. Trustees voted to postpone that discussion, as the June 4 meeting lasted almost five hours prior to reaching that agenda topic.

Williams said she wants to sit down with village staf f, talk about each item and work through it to g ether. Although Williams alle ged they have not been willing to do so, Yopchick wrote that “the village has not denied the housing center an oppor tunity to meet and discuss concerns re garding their finances or agreement scope and has always made staf f available to discuss any concer ns.”

In response to village concerns, Williams also wrote “through the past 10 months this process came across very systemically oppressive to me as an individual, to the OPRHC board of directors and staf f, and to the clients who seek to gain entry into the Village of Oak Park causing much harm, which I believe was not the intent of the village staf f and or its board of trustees.”

Willliams told Wednesday Journal she still feels singled out as a Black female leader. She said she believes if she was someone else, the village’s approach would have been different.

“The village followed established protocol

Without funding, the Live in Oak Park program will have to be shut down immediately. With some funding, but not all the OPRHC is asking for, the program would still likely have to be shut down within 2024.

It is vital people don’t take racial inte gration work for granted, Williams said. Some think Oak Park has already achieved what it needs to, but that’s not true, she said.

“The inte gration work has helped to increase the overall value of the community,” she said. “This work is intentional. We have to continue to do this work, to make this difference.”

If Oak Park pulls its funding entirely, Williams said that could risk the OPRHC’s re putation with other funders, too. The power dynamic between the village and the OPRHC has to change, she said.

Yopchick also told Wednesday Journal, “the Village of Oak Park continues to support the le gacy of the Oak Park Re gional Housing Center and has remained focused on collaborating with housing center’s staf f throughout the process in order to firmly establish and foster an open line of communication. This includes being readily available to discuss issues outside of re gular business hours.”

The issues surrounding OPRHC are expected to be discussed after publication at Oak Park’s June 18 villa ge board meeting. Check online at oakpark.com for updates.

JAVIER GOVEA

Oak Park Regional Housing Center at 1041 South Blvd.

Hemingway program expands to near by communities

Scholarship awards have been increased to $1,500

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Reporter

For the first time since the Hemingway Foundation Scholarship was for med, applications were opened to students outside of Oak Park and River Forest.

According to the Foundation’s website, the scholarship essay contest is open to all juniors at OPRF High School, D201 BerwynCicero, D209 Riverside-Brookfield, D209 Proviso Township and D401 Elmwood Park

“There are a lot of resources already for students in Oak Park-River Forest,” said Keith Strom, executive director of the Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park. “Not so much in some of those collars. It was always my intention at some point to have a scholarship that would expand to some of those areas, and it just worked out, our board agreed that we should just expand it.”

Strom said students can apply the schol-

arship to whatever the “next step of higher lear ning” is, including trade school.

Sinai Arreola from Proviso Math and Science Academy was the recipient of the 2024 Hemingway Foundation Scholarship for excellence in writing for the prompt “What is your escape.”

“Hers [Arreola] was just above and beyond the others we received for sure,” Strom said.

Ar r eola did not r espond to requests for comment.

T he Foundation was founded in 1983 to increase Hemingway’s legacy in the village

“A lot of the scholars neglected his first 20 years; they go straight to when he was in Paris,” Strom said. “The people of Oak Park said, ‘hey what about the first 20 years?’”

The foundation also created a scholarship program for students, which was reintroduced in 2016 for junior level students with “the intent of discovering and fostering writing talent.”

Strom started in 2017 and said he “expanded the mission” to support artists of today in various realms including music, performance and writing.

For the writing scholarship, Strom said students submit an essay, usually between 500 to 600 words and must have a minimum 2.5 GPA.

The recipient receives a $1,500 colle ge scholarship at graduation, and they also receive a one-year mentorship with the foundation’s writer in residence for their senior year.

Strom said this year’s writer will be determined in July.

Past writers in residence have included Scott Nations, a best-selling author and decade-long contributor to CNBC, Rebecca Morgan Frank, author of four poetry collections including “Oh You Robot Saints!” and “Sometimes We’re All Living in a Foreign Country.”

This year also marks the first year the foundation is offering $1,500 for each scholarship, raising its awards by $500 because the cost of colle ge tuition continues to rise.

“It is my ho pe that in the next few years we will g et the scholarship progr am to the point where it is end owed and we will actually raise the level on that as well,” Strom said.

Along with financial support, Strom said that the foundation also continues to work with schoolteachers, hoping to be a resource for them to be able to reach more students and also help promote the scholarship.

The Foundation also offers the Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Student Scholarship, which is open to seniors at OPRF, D201 Berwyn-Cicero, D209 Riverside-Brookfield, D209 Proviso Township and D401 Elmwood Park.

T he student is awarded a $1,500 c olle ge scholarshi p

To be eligible, students must have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA.

The 2024 Allan O. Baldwin Memorial Student Scholarship was awarded to Alexa Vateva of Elmwood Park High School.

Both scholarship recipients will also have their winning submissions published in the Foundation’s annual Hemingway Shorts literary journal publication, which was first published in 2016.

“The student essays are in there as well,” Strom said. “Normally it works out to be their first published work.”

Kevin Farley brings laughs and memories to Oak Park

The brother of Chris Farley per formed standup at Oak Park’s Comedy Plex

By KATHERINE FRAZER Contributing Reporter

Help Wanted - 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 Belmonte, 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.

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more crafting of jokes, and making jokes work and doing them over until you get them perfect,” Farley said. “They can be a little play on words or the way you say it, so it’s a lot more refined.”

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Actor and comedian Kevin Farley made his way back to Chicago for smiles and laughs with stand-up performances at the Comedy Plex Comedy Club in Oak Park last weekend.

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Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Farley got his start in comedy doing improv shows at The Second City. Today, he splits his time between New York and Florida when he is not traveling for work To Farley, being back in Chicago reminds him of the start of his career when he was just getting started and lear ning the ropes.

Audience members can expect a set centered around observations from the comedian’s busy life. Farley said his set runs the gamut – ranging from his relationship with his wife, his battle with food, his observations on politics, and his life with seven dogs. His favorite part of his set is when he has the chance to talk about his relationship with his wife.

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“We used to do these improv shows that are in people’s basements, and we’d be in this van, going across the country to colle ges,” Farley said. “So, we didn’t make a lot of money, but it was a lot of fun and it’s a time in my life where comedy was done primarily for fun and to learn.”

Today, Farley mainly does standup comedy, like his shows at the Comedy Plex. For Farley, his approach to standup varies greatly from the start of his career in improv.

“Stand up is different because it’s a lot

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“She’s quirky, and we have a very wild relationship,” Farley said.

Farley, who has starred in shows like “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” is in the middle of filming a movie in Texas. Titled “Pickleball,” the film is set for release in 2025. He is also inching toward the release of his book “Growing Up Farley,” a comic book centered around his rowdy childhood as the brother of the late comedian Chris Farley. Amid the busyness of filming a movie and releasing a book, Farley plans to spend the rest of the year touring the United States doing standup. After his stop here, Farley heads to Connecticut for another weekend of laughs.

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Oak Park, IL 60302

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Fans can visit Farley’s website, https:// www.kevinfarleyofficial.com, for updates and information about his projects and touring dates.

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CRIME

Two men attempt to rob Chicago residents at gunpoint

Two men approached two Chicago residents June 11 on the first block of Madison Street. One man demanded money and the other displayed a black handgun. Both men then tried to shoot one of the victims after the two victims walked into the currency exchange. Both men then fled in an unknown direction. No loss or injury was re por ted at the time.

Motor vehicle theft

Someone used an unknown object to break the rear driver’s side window and get into an Orland Park resident’s white 2019 Nissan Maxima between June 9 and June 10 on the 400 block of South Elmwood Avenue. The person then stole the vehicle, and the estimated loss is $20,000.

Ridgeland Avenue. Police officers smelled alcohol on the man’s breath and arrested him. The man was charged with driving under the influence after refusing field sobriety testing, endangerment of the life of a child and leaving the scene of an accident. He was issued a citation and released

■ A 39-year-old man was arrested for violation of an order of protection June 10 on the 1200 block of Hayes Avenue. The man was also found to be non-compliant in registering as a sex offender. He was held for bond hearings

Burglary to motor vehicle

Someone got into an Oak Park resident’s grey 2018 Mercedes June 10 and June 11 on the 800 block of South Euclid Avenue. The person stole a grey Louis Vuitton purse, a pink bottle of Louis Vuitton perfume and Mac makeup products. The estimated loss is $2,650.

■ A 24-year-old Oak Park man was stopped for traffic June 11 on the 900 block of Randolph Street. He was found to be driving with a suspended driver’s license and had an active DuPage County warrant for traffic. Police searched the vehicle and found a loaded handgun. The man was charged with unlawful use of a weapon, driving on a suspended driver’s license and for the DuPage County warrant. He was cited and given a notice to appear

Criminal damage to vehicle

■ A 33-year-old Oak Park woman was a passenger in a car stopped for traffic June 11 on the 1100 block of South Euclid Avenue She was found to be in possession of narcotics and charged with possession of a controlled substance. She was transported to bond hearings

A man and a woman driving a silver Honda Pilot had a confrontation with a Chicago resident driving a red 2019 GMC Terrain on June 12 at the 300 block of South East Avenue. The man threw multiple objects at the Chicago resident’s car and broke the rear driver’s side window and rear windshield. The estimated loss is $1,250.

Arrests

■ A 46-year-old Chicago man was arrested for endangering the life of a child June 7 on the 100 block of Madison Street. The incident for which he was arrested occurred July 18, 2023, on the 400 block of North Austin Boulevard.

■ A 55-year-old Oak Park man was arrested for battery against an Oak Park resident June 8 on the 400 block of South Kenilworth Avenue

■ A 41-year-old Oak Park man was stopped as the driver of a vehicle who struck another vehicle June 8 on the 500 block of South

■ A 37-year-old Chicago man was arrested for aggravated assault to a Forest Park resident and criminal damage to gover nment supported property June 13 on the 1100 block of South Harlem Avenue. The man also had an active warrant from Cook County for criminal damage to property

■ A 34-year-old Oak Park woman was arrested for endangering the life of a child June 13 on the 1500 block of Maybrook Drive in Maywood. The incident for which she was arrested occurred July 18, 2023, on the 400 block of North Austin Boulevard. These items were obtained from Oak Park Police Department reports dated June 7 - 14 and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest

Compiled by Luzane

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ART BEAT

Oak Park approves 2 art installations for about $350K

Installations are part of next year’s Oak Park Avenue streetscape project

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Oak Park village trustees unanimously approved a contractor ag reement with Ray King Studio Ltd., to do a “Flame Beacon” art installation at the southeast corner of South Boulevard and Oak Park Avenue and one with Graham Carraway to do a viaduct art installation under the Green Line el tracks at the same intersection.

T he Oak Pa rk Area Arts C ouncil i ntervie we d finalists for the i nstallations as pa rt of the Oak Pa rk Avenue streetscape project, a ccording to village officials, wh ich had a concep tual design approved in December 2023. T he c ombined c ost of b oth art i nstallations a ppr oved T uesday will be about $350,000. It will be inc luded in the $14.7 million budg et for the streetscap e. Se we r line re p lacements ar e also expected

“We do want art that works for Oak Park, and that our Oak Parkers can embrace,” Village President Vicki Scaman said.

T he “Flame Beacon” will be a oughl 16-foot-tall i lluminated sculptur cording to village officials, $150,000. T he art i nstallation under the viaduct will have a painted mural, minated recessed archways and c osting about $200,000. c ould f luctuate as ag r ized. Both projects are intended to be in stalled in 2025.

“This sculptur e, along with an c ent art i nstallation under the viaduct will impr ove the pedestrian experienc bring visitors to the area, create a strong visual entryw ay i nto the pr ove the b usiness district,” ficials wrote

There were 42 responses to the call for artists for the sculptur the viaduct installation. from landscape architecture ing firms, and a re presentati Oak Park Art League responses first, according to village officials. Ray

e

COURTESTY OF GRAHAM CARRAWAY

viaduct ar t installation combines aluminum panels, colored LED lights along archways, cutouts and murals.

King Studio Ltd. and Graham Carraway were chosen as the final recommended contractors to the village board.

Ray King, the artist for the sculptur e, has exhibited his wo rk since the m id1970’s b oth across the United States and i nternationally. He specializes in use of light, science and c olor to create enticing sculptures. Wi th his art, “Kin g

creates an environment that a ppeals to vie we rs’ sense of wonderment and delight,” according to his bio gr ap hy Fo r the “Flame Beacon” sculptur e, King was i nspired by an Obelisk, wh ic h is Greek for “pointed i nstrument,” according to village officials. T he Obelisk re presents rebir th, eternity and i mmortality, officials wrote, and two moder n i nterpretations use sun-responsive, c olshifting dichroic glass.

he “Flame Beacon” will be made of stainless steel and dichroic laminated which can display multiple he colors will change de pending r’s perspective and the piece’s interaction with sunlight. It will be relaeasy to maintain and clean, too, Village Engineer Bill McKenna said.

Stainless steel is the material of choice withstanding outdoor elements, even harsh winters, McKenna said. It’s resistant damage, does not corrode quickly ly indestr uctible,” he said.

According to the artist, the c onc ep t g eometric b eacon of i nterlocking dodecahedrons that expands outward, then nar row up toward a point, ” ficials wrote

The piece is intended to look like a single flame from afar, according to village offi. Up close, viewers will be able to see intricate structures in the beacon. The in-

terior of the beacon will have LED lights to attract attention at night, the infrastructure for which the village will provide. King’s presentation of the design is available for viewing online

“The piece at the southeast corner is really meant to be an entryway piece into the village for commuters coming of f the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) station,” McKenna said. “As well as [creating] a focal point in that business district.”

Ca rr aw ay, the artist for the viaduct i nstallation, has experience with sign painting, fine art printmaking and sculpture fa brication, a ccording to village officals. His p lan for the viaduct installation is to create an i nteractive experience for vie we rs. T he art is i ntended to be “dy namic” and “eng aging,” a ccording to officials, by c ombining fa bricated elements and a mural.

“By incorporating elements that allow individuals to insert themselves into the artwork, we hope to foster a sense of ownership and connection among residents and visitors alike,” officials wrote.

Carraway’s concept is to use aluminum panels, colored LED lights along archways and cutouts to achieve his vision. The design also intends to incorporate local community elements, officials say, such as an Oak Park-specific mural with a graffitiproof coating. Aluminum panels are also similarly easy to maintain, McKenna said.

T he CTA station will be under c onstruction in a few y ears to accommodat e a ccessibility guidelines. McKenna sai d they’ve taken that i nto c onsideration to make sure the artwork under the viaduct is not af fected .

“This very playful, artistic design provide[s] a lot of interesting contrast,” Trustee Brian Straw said. “This is going to be one of those things that you talked about, making people feel welcome.”

C amille Wi lson Whit e, executive director of the Oak Pa rk Area Arts C ouncil , said art c an also help increase touris m and economic development for the village. Tr avelers under age 33 often choose their next location b ased on “Insta gr amabilit y, ” she said.

“Their [King and Carraway’s] work will also attract visitors to the village to see these unique and very cool public art installations,” she said.

Chamber celebrates Pride Month with local events

Upcoming festivities include a themed Thursday Night Out, Pisco 4 Pride and drag brunch

By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter

Residents in and around Oak Park looking to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month with fellow community members don’t have to look any further: The Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce is hosting festivities for all to enjoy throughout June.

Residents can anticipate festivities at the Pride-themed T hursday Night Out on June 20 in downtown Oak Park, “Pisco Pride” on June 21 and at the drag brunc on June 29.

“As a forward-thinking society, we do have a responsibility to show that we’re inclusive,” said Darien Marion-Burton, OPRF chamber executive director. “Those outward display of openness, I think really help queer people especially younger queer folks.”

Although Oak Park can be seen as an inclusive bubble, Marion-Burton said, many LGBTQ+ kids and adults still have family who are unaccepting. It’s still hard for many individuals, he said, so events like these can help foster a sense of community.

“The more we can position our town to be open and affirming and inclusive, not only to queer people but to all marginalized communities, I think that the better our economic vitality becomes,” he said.

Thursday Night Out, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., is free to attend but to participate in the dine-around program, attendees can purchase a $25 booklet with four tickets at the downtown Oak Park tent on Westgate Street. At the second annual “Pride Night” for this summer tradition, LGBTQ+ service organizations will be featured.

Additionally, drag queens sponsored by local businesses will be handing out swag and information for those interested. The drag queens will also put on a drag show performance for attendees to enjoy. Thursday Night Out is located on Marion Street between Lake Street and North Boulevard Drag queens performing at “Pride Night” include Veronica Pop, Sasha Soto, Ziggy Banks, Kimberly Summer, Neutral Gena, Kitty Banks, Chanel Mercedes Benz, Lola Madison, Riley and Julez Osco. Marion-Burton said proceeds from this Thursday Night Out will support the diversity program in the chamber, which sponsors an inclusive workshop each month.

The third annual “Pisco 4 Pride,” located

at Table and Lain at 7322 Madison St. in Forest Park, will feature cocktails, food, dancing, music and drag. The event, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on June 21, will also showcase catering from Taylor’s Tacos, a Black-, woman- and queer-owned taco shop.

All of the bar proceeds from the event will go to the Oak Park Area Lesbian & Gay Association’s student scholarship fund. This fund provides financial support to LGBTQ+ students and allies to help continue their education. Tickets to attend “Pisco 4 Pride” are $35.

The drag brunch near the end of the month, with shows at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. will be at Kettlestrings Tavern at 800 S. Oak Park Ave. Attendees can purchase brunch tickets that include bottomless drinks such

as pisco sours, mimosas and bloody marys for $80. Non-alcoholic brunch tickets are $50.

Brunch will include pastries, appetizers such as cheese curds and crispy brussels sprouts and entrées like avocado toast, a falafel burger or chicken salad sandwich. All the chamber Pride events are familyfriendly, Marion-Burton said.

Earlier this month, the chamber held two free events: A Pride marketing course to help business owners connect with the LGBTQ+ community and a webinar to help workplaces ensure their cultures are queer-inclusive. Both had good turnout, Marion-Burton said.

Beyond Pride Month, the chamber tries to prioritize spending its dollars to benefit marginalized communities, Marion-Bur-

ton said. Supporting justice, equity and inclusion is embedded in everything they do, he said.

Eventually, Marion-Burton said he hopes to implement a Pride parade in Oak Park. It’s important to ensure these events are sustainable, he said, and one way to do so is by partnering with organizations like the Village of Oak Park and Downtown Oak Park

Another upcoming Pride celebration in the area is the Oak Park Pride Party from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 22 at Village Hall, located at 123 Madison St. This event will feature ice cream, face painting, a DJ, games, bounce house and a magician. Other nearby events celebrating Pride Month can be found on Visit Oak Park’s website.

JAMILLA YIPP

Each year, Drag Queens dazzle Downtown Oak Park at the ‘Out’ in the Burbs Pride event.

Noise o ! Understanding the village’s noise ordinances

It’s more than leaf blow

By LACEY SIKORA Contributing Reporter

Summer is here, and with the warmer temperatures and longer days of sunshine comes another side effect: noise. Beyond the much-heralded hum of the cicadas, summer in Oak Park and River Forest brings with it an increase in construction projects, landscape work and outdoor entertainment.

These activities all bring more noise into the urban suburban landscape where neighbors often cannot escape the sounds from others on their block. Oak Pa lage code has plenty to say about but according to Dan Yopchick, Oak Pa communications person, a lot of over noise can be solved by just being neighbor are bound code and can a.m. until 6 ery day of the week. While contractors’ wo ited, residents are also prohibited from conducting operations between the hours of 6

landscaper hours are a bit more

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

There is some grey area in the difference between working hours for landscapers and contractors. For instance, Yopchick says all landscapers are considered contractors but not all contractors are considered landscapers. When it comes to work like lawn maintenance and care, the work being done is defined as landscaping and should be limited to landscaper hours. If a landscaping company is working

Yopchick their work is more li fined as construction rather than landscaping.

Yopchick says much has been made of the village’s move to limit leaf blowers in Oak Pa to electric leaf blow ers. The new ordinanc which will take effect June 1, 2025, is a boon to those who hate the noise of

wered leaf blowers and has environmental benefits as well.

Per current village re gulations, gasblowers can be operated only between Oct. 31 and May 31 ile electric leaf can be used year-round.

llage re presentatives are ing to get word out on the new leaf blower re gulations. Residents polled last

fall about the companies they use for landscaping, and Yopchick says the village has used that information to communicate the coming changes to landscapers.

“It’s a multi-layered approach,” he says. “I suspect it will be ongoing. When our team is on the street, they can share materials on the coming changes.”

He says when the change was codified last year, there was an intentional long period of education before the ordinance went into effect. Once the ordinance does go into effect in 2025, Yopchick says the enforcement will be more educational than punitive. The purpose of the ordinance is

See NOISE OFF on pa ge 20

occurs between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. “Outside of leaf blowers, which are restricted to 65 decibels or lower, there are no numbers in the code,” he says, noting that noise is subjective.

from page 19

to encourage landscapers to use electric leaf blowers, not to issue citations.

Residents making noise

In general, Yopchick says that a residential noise nuisance is something that

Whether it’s loud noise, music or equipment, the definition of loud can vary. Yopchick says residents are free to call for enforcement during the quiet hours of 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. but notes that the easiest route is often to be neighborly and work it out with your neighbors rather than calling for enforcement.

What ’s in the noise code ? 17-1-30: NOISE:

It shall be unlawful for any person to make, continue to cause to be made or continue any loud, unnecessary, prolonged or unusual noise which disturbs the peace of others.

The following acts, among others, are declared to be loud, disturbing and unnecessary noises in violation of this section, but said enumeration shall not be deemed to be exclusive, namely:

A. The sounding of any horn or signaling device on any automobile, street car, motorcycle or other vehicle on any street or public place of the village, except as a danger warning; the creation by means of any such signaling device of a re petitious sound for an unnecessary and unreasonable period of time. The use of any signaling device except one operated by hand or electricity; the use of any horn, whistle or other device operated by engine exhaust; and the use of any such signaling device when traffic is for any reason held up.

B. The using, operating or permitting to be played, used or operated any radio receiving set, musical instrument, phono graph or other machine or device for the producing or re producing of sound in such manner as to disturb the peace, quiet and comfort of the neighboring inhabitants or at any time with louder volume than is necessary for co or persons who are in the room, vehicle or chamber in device is operated and who are voluntary listeners thereto.

C. or permitting to be pla used or operated, any radio receiving set, musical instrument, phono loudspeaker, sound amplifier or other machine or device for the producing or re producing of sound which is cast upon the public streets purpose of advert the attention of the to any vehicle or person.

D. Yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling or singing on the public streets, particularly between the hours of eleven o›clock (11) p.m. and seven o’clock (7) a.m., or at any time or place so as to annoy or disturb the quiet, comfort, or re pose of persons in any office, or in any dwelling, hotel or other type of residence, or of any person in the vicinity.

E. The keeping of any animal which by causing noise shall disturb the peace.

F. The blowing of any steam whistle attached to any stationary boiler except to give notice of the time to begin or stop work or as a warning of fire or danger, or upon request of proper municipal authorities.

G. The discharge into the open air of the exhaust of any steam engine, stationary internal combustion engine, motorboat, or motor vehicle except through a muffler or other device which will effectively prevent loud or explosive noises therefrom.

H. The use of any leaf blower in excess of more than sixty-five decibels (65 dB) as rated by a manufacturer’s specifications. The use of leaf blowers are subject to the equipment restrictions provided in section 8-41-4 of this code.

*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of May 31, 2024 and is subject to change. A minimum of $10,000 is required to open the account and to obtain the stated APY. Fees may reduce earnings on the account. Penalties apply for early withdrawal. Balances that drop below the account opening minimum will not earn interest. O er is for new money only.

*Annual Percentage Yield (APY) accurate as of May 22, 2024 and is subject to change. A minimumof$10,000is requiredtoopentheaccountandtoobtainthestatedAPY.Feesmay reduceearningsontheaccount.Apenaltymaybeimposedforearlywithdrawal.Offerisfor newmoneyonly.

*AnnualPercentageYield(APY)accurateasofOctober26,2023andissubjecttochange. Aminimumof $10,000isrequiredtoopentheaccountandtoobtainthestatedAPY.Feesmayreduceearningsonthe account. Apenaltymaybeimposedforearlywithdrawal.Offerisfornewmoneyonly.

Whether

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M.

Call Viewpoints editor

Ken Trainor at 613-3310

ktrainor@wjinc.com

VIEWPOINTS

Our students are not cartoons

In his June 12 Shrubtown cartoon, “Patrolling the border of adolescence” [Viewpoints], Marc Stopeck uses xenophobic stereotypes to call attention to recent discussions of safety at Percy Julian Middle School. In doing so, he dehumanizes immigrants and our students.

The cartoon is set at a border wall topped with razor wire where a border patrol agent cautions a new recruit to be prepared to “break up fights, suppress violence, confiscate contraband, enforce the law and control chaotic crowd movement.” The new recruit responds, “No problem, sir. I used to teach at Percy Julian Middle School.” Stopeck invokes the false and harmful narrative of immigrants as violent criminals and applies it to our Julian children.

D97

The tenor of this editorial cartoon isn’t wholly inconsistent with recent community discussions. Some comments on social media and at school board meetings have amplified student deficits and portrayed concer ns in exaggerated and inaccurate ways

Moreover, several board members, all of whom have or had students of color in the district, have been criticized for expressing concer n over how our students are at times discussed, given troubling narratives around race, violence, and safety that persist in our society.

Our students are not cartoons; they are human beings. They are also adolescents at a crucial developmental stage, making this all the more harmful. We will not let them be reduced to cynical characterizations. That’s not how we view them, and they should know that’s not how the majority of our community — board, staff, residents — views them either. We invite everyone, including those who may be less familiar with our schools today, to visit our website, which includes a gallery of photos from this year that captures our amazing students as they learn, grow, and are joyful together.

There are many great things to celebrate about our schools, staff, and students. And there is much to be done to achieve our shared goals of excellence and equity, including ensuring that all of our school community members feel safe and welcomed. Our children need us to constructively engage in conversations that may be uncomfortable, be accountable for our actions, and address challenges in ways that account for their complexity and nuance. We have to be willing to examine our contributions to the status quo and the roles we can play in advancing or impeding improvement.

District 97 middle-school staf f, exper ts in adolescent development, have been coming together across both middle schools to ensure that school adults are on the same page about key academic and behavioral expectations. As we increase this clarity, align our systems, and build a culture of collaboration, staff and families will be well-positioned to support our students.

We all want the absolute best for our children and their universal success is an aspiration we can realize. That’s what we want Oak Park to be known for and we look forward to your partnership in this grand project.

Colleen Burns, Venus Hurd Johnson, Gavin Kearney, Jung Kim, Cheree Moore, Nancy Ross Dribin, Holly Spurlock

District 97 Board of Education

Ushma Shah

D97 superintendent

Shrubtown: Cicadas vs. Pete’s Market p. 24

Marion Mahony Griffin

was a talented architect, and a very fine artist. She was the second woman to graduate in architecture from MIT, and the first woman in the country to pass the exam and become a registered architect. Though she did much on her own, she is best known as an equal partner with her husband Walter Burley Griffin

Both were from Oak Park

Marion worked alongside Walter in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park studio. She admired Walter’s talents as an architect and landscape designer. She fell in love with him and practically seduced him into marriage. They were wonderful partners in life as well as in architecture. It is said that Marion was never happier than when producing beautiful drawings to illustrate his work and spending countless hours at the drawing board to bring his designs to reality

Marion’s story is told in a new-to-us, beautifully written, scholarly biography by Sydney-based author Glenda Korporaal. Making Magic, The Marion Mahony Griffin Story is part love story, and partly the tale of adventures in three different cultures on three different continents. But mainly it’s a story about Marion, her talent as an architect, and her immense skill as an architectural

artist and an artist depicting nature.

The book depicts a multifaceted woman, whose other great interests included philosophy, the natural world, theater, and working with children.

Marion was Frank Lloyd Wright’s first employee and worked in his studio at Forest and Chicago avenues in Oak Park for 15 years. She became one of his key assistants, taking on great responsibilities. Near the end of her time working with Wright, the studio was busy preparing drawings for the first publication of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, The Wasmuth Portfolio

Architectural writer H. Allen Brooks said that more than half of the plates in the Wasmuth were based on Marion’s drawings. This is not surprising as she was the studio’s best artist, including Wright. It is nor mal for staff to prepare presentation drawings. It is more surprising to learn that Marion invented the fresh style of architectural presentation drawings for which Wright was famous

What is most surprising is that author Korporaal gives Marion credit for the design of the important Chicago Avenue entrance to the Oak Park studio.

“She designed a loggia entrance to the studio

OUR VIEWS

Flock cameras work

It is good that Oak Parkers are conscious of a disparity in local traffic stops by police, which favor white drivers and disfavor Black drivers. There is a legitimate issue to address.

That traf fic stops have now been conflated with Oak Park’s use of Flock cameras, which track stolen cars and missing persons, is inaccurate and a disservice to our police department, which needs technology to battle crime.

In a 4-3 vote, the Oak Park Village Board voted June 4 to extend the contract for these surveillance cameras for another two years. Trustees added some additional restrictions on the use of the cameras and did not increase the number of cameras beyond the eight currently in use, despite a request from Police Chief Shatonya Johnson.

Of course, we share the wor ries so many feel about the proliferation of cameras in our communities, the various methods of tracking movement via our devices. Surveillance is pervasive and setting limits seems beyond us.

That said, specialized cameras that capture license plates, car make and model and the color of a car are not overly invasive — assuming you are driving your own car! It should limit unwarranted traffic stops as those cars stopped will have been actively re ported as stolen.

Chief Johnson made a compelling case for the use of this widespread technology. Oak Park needs more tools, not fewer. However, one reason the cameras are needed, she argued, is the plummeting number of sworn of ficers on the force. As departures just keep piling up, Johnson said one reason is that officers leave for other de partments with greater technology

But we find it difficult to believe that technology is the deciding point when a veteran officer decamps for the department in a far western suburb. There is more at play here than that and those reasons need serious attention. And now.

All-day K rocks

It will never be fully clear to us why it took so very long for River Forest’s public elementary schools to adopt full-day kindergar ten. The need has been obvious for decades as River Forest became an obvious outlier in not providing an oppor tunity that clearly benefits children, their f amilies and schools, which welcome first-graders with greater social and academic skills.

Now the first full year of all-day K is in the books and the response is enthusiastic on all fronts. Teachers, who taught these expanded classes with the luxury of time to know these kids and teach them, were delighted by year one, according to re porting by our Amaris E. Rodrigue z. Families finally able to set a reasonable work schedule for this century also were enthused.

What’s the proof that this move was overdue? District 90 offered its families the option of sticking to a half-day schedule for kindergarten. And not one family took them up on it. So good job, District 90. And what took you so long?

Pieces of the greater puzzle

Today, let’s consider a few pieces of the great puzzle

1) Cicadas have a peculiar life span. The current brood hibernates 17 years, then emerges, conducts the insect version of an orgy, then dies and the brood’s offspring crawl underground and hibernate for another 17 years. Generation after generation. Not much of a life, you might say, though it’s one hell of an effective reproduction strategy. You have to admire their efficiency, even though it results in massive cicada carnage.

TRAINOR

But once they’ve fulfilled their procreative mission and before they keel over, these bugs have time on their hands. I don’t know how much and neither do they, I suppose, but they seem to be making the most of it. They’ve discovered they have wings and they’re flying all over the place, helter skelter, landing on us and giving us a fright. Maybe it amuses them. We know they’re completely harmless, but it’s hard not to do the freak-out dance when you discover one on your neck or, in my case, when it lands in your ear

Last week I was on the road a lot and discovered that one of their favorite pastimes seems to be kamikaze diving at cars on the highways. It’s as if they figured, “Hey, we’re all dying anyway. Let’s go out in a blaze of glory.” It’s been years since I had to clean insect remains off my windshield.

And the din is deafening. Add the nightly barrage of fireworks in the lead-up to July 4th, and June really is busting out all over. Far be it from me to wish other life for ms ill, but if cicadas are going to die anyway … well, the sooner the better We sure could use a little peace and quiet.

2) Meanwhile, the invasion has given me renewed appreciation for other insects. My top five are fireflies (nightglow), crickets (string section of the late-summer symphony), ladybugs (lucky), dragonflies (aerial prowess) and butterflies (all aflutter), particularly monarchs, whose numbers are down, thanks to climate change — in other words thanks to us. I’ve been reading a book on monarchs lately, thanks to longtime Oak Park resident Sylvia Christmas who made a pilgrimage to south central Mexico earlier this year to witness their wintering grounds. Millions of monarchs, resting between migratory marathons. I wouldn’t grouse a bit if a butterfly landed in my ear.

Sylvia asks everyone to plant milkweed and butterfly weed in their gardens to give monarchs sustenance on their long jour neys.

3) And speaking of jour neys, Harriet Hausman’s life sure qualified. This is her centennial year, and though she died in 2023 at the age of 99½, she lived a full and purposeful century. At the

age of 98, in fact, the longtime River Forest resident became the oldest weekly newspaper columnist in the United States, if not the world.

Well, the annual Illinois Press Association contest winners were recently announced and guess who was named the state’s best columnist in the large weekly newspaper category? Harriet won for her column, “Someone who cared,” a love letter to her late husband Marty, in which she wrote:

This episode may seem inconsequential in the bigger scheme of life. However, I believe it speaks to the very essence of our humanity. It exemplifies, whether reciprocated or not, how important it is to write the letter/email that doesn’t have to be written, to make the phone call that doesn’t need be made, and to acknowledge and/or compliment a small act that is typically overlooked. Expressing warmth and kindness to one another adds so much to our lives.

Marty was a man who aspired to be his brothers/sisters’ keeper, and he tried to make life sweeter for all. Even on his gravestone, the printing aptly reads, “Someone who cared.”

I like to think of this honor as the cherry topping Harriet’s long and impressive curriculum vitae. The judges had this to say about her work: “This columnist writes clearly and concisely on subject matter that matters to readers of all ages. It was refreshing to read good, clean writing that gets quickly to a point and stays on point to a comfortable end. Well done, Harriet. Keep up the good work.”

She did keep up the good work, right to the end 4) And finally, for good measure, a definition of mental health, from last Sunday’s episode of Hidden Brain, offered by sociologist Corey Keyes, author of Languishing: How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down:

To be mentally healthy, you have what I call emotional well-being: you’ re either happy, satisfied or interested in life every day, or almost every day. You also have warm, trusting personal relationships You like most elements of your personality — we call that self-acceptance. You feel a sense of belonging to, or integration in, a community, the sense that the things you do on a daily basis matter, or at least contribute worth or value to people or your community. Your life has purpose, meaning it has direction. And you feel a sense of personal growth or the challenge to become a better person.

Harriet Hausman embodied all of it. I hope it describes all of you as well.

As for the cicadas, well, we can hold out hope for reincarnation.

WEDNESD AY

JOURNAL

of Oak Park and River Forest

Editor Erika Hobbs

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Sta Repor ter Amaris E. Rodriguez, Luzane Draughon

Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor

Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora

Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan

Columnists Marc Bleso , Jack Crowe, Doug Deuchler, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger

Shrubtown Cartoonist Marc Stopeck

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Marketing Representatives Lourdes Nicholls, Ben Stumpe

Business & Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner E-MAIL jill@oakpark.com

Special Projects Manager Susan Walker

Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

Publisher Dan Haley

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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

About Viewpoints

Our mission is to lead educated conversation about the people, government, schools, businesses and culture of Oak Park and River Forest. As we share the consensus of Wednesday Journal’s editorial board on local matters, we hope our voice will help focus your thinking and, when need be, re you to action

In a healthy conversation about community concerns, your voice is also vital. We welcome your views, on any topic of community interest, as essays and as letters to the editor. Noted here are our stipulations for ling.

Please understand our veri cation process and circumstances that would lead us not to print a letter or essay. We will call to check that what we received with your signature is something you sent. If we can’t make that veri cation, we will not print what was sent. When, in addition to opinion, a letter or essay includes information presented as fact, we will check the reference. If we cannot con rm a detail, we may not print the letter or essay.

If you have questions, email Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at ktrainor@wjinc.com.

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‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY

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Email Ken Trainor at ktrainor@wjinc.com or mail to Wednesday Journal, Viewpoints, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302

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Betraying D-Day’s gi

June 6 marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day. Also known as “the longest day,” the Allied invasion of about 160,000 soldiers was the beginning of the end for Hitler’s Third Reich. Less than 15 months later, with the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan, World War II came to an end. The Allied forces literally saved the world from fascism and military authoritarianism. It saved the world from evil. Those who died in that objective, and the countless wounded, exemplify the character of the so-called Greatest Generation.

Peace and prosperity followed, exemplified by the U.S. building a solid middle class. Unionized workers could make a robust living wage. A family could count on enough income security to buy a home, take annual vacations, and save for their children’s educational future — all made possible by the grit and determination honored each June 6.

In the U.S., that comfortable middle class is virtually gone. For the past four decades (until the last couple of years), wages were stagnant. The minimum wage was also stuck until recently. Unions have been targeted for decades. A rigged economy is hiding in plain sight. Billionaires make more money in one day than a lot of the working class makes in a year.

Maybe in just a few hours! We have had to endure a succession of administrations that have largely been bought and paid for by the NRA, big oil and big pharma, and the military-industrial complex (invoked by Dwight Eisenhower in 1961) all doing the bidding of the few at the expense of the many

Worst of all, the same general public that pulled together to help win that war of the world has become complicit in the inequalities and divisiveness that has people at each other’s throats. Voting against one’s best interest has become standard procedure. Halfwits and nitwits, grotesque cartoon figures, sell-outs and charlatans (do I need to name them?) get elected into positions of influence. Critical thinking is now akin to a superpower.

T hese are the bitter ironies that I cannot help conjuring when watching the precious few D-Day survivors hobble along those same beaches where a saner and safer world was to come owing to their incredible ef fort

The world today, sadly, seems to be in contempt of the gift they granted all of humanity.

Joseph Harrington Oak Park

THire o cers, not cameras

rustee Ravi Parakkat’s recent opinion piece, “Enhancing community safety with technology” [Viewpoints, June 5] is a masterful piece of political writing, filled with assertions unsupported by facts or data, using language designed to manipulate the emotions of the reader

LISA HOELSCHER

One View

Parakkat claims that Flock’s “deployment in Oak Park, with proactive capabilities enabled, could have helped to prevent [Jailyn Logan-Bledsoe’s] murder.” How exactly could it have done that? What real-time alerts and notifications would the killers have triggered through Flock when they drove into Oak Park? A camera catching the killers’ cars leaving Oak Park wouldn’t have prevented the murder. This assertion is cruel to all those who knew Ms Logan-Bledsoe. If there is information Parakkat has about this situation that the public does not have, then he needs to disclose it.

He goes on to claim that “limiting the system’s reach and flexibility” and limiting the number of cameras to eight may have “hindered our ability to prevent recent violent incidents.” Again, please explain to Oak Parkers how Flock can do this in detail with examples. How can Flock technology prevent crime? Asserting that Flock systems, with cameras all over the village, will prevent crime is simply political hyperbole designed to try and convince people that technology is the solution if we would just use it right, or fully, or whatever. Forget privacy, forget the assumption of innocence until proven guilty, forget logic and reason.

Crime prevention is a complicated issue. Despite the fact we are living in a period of significantly reduced violent crime, it’s hard to believe for crime victims or their family members. Politicians like to talk in generalities using loaded language to increase fear so the

public demands policy changes Parakkat believes Flock cameras will make Oak Park significantly safer. If cameras enhanced community safety, then Chicago should have eliminated most of its crime before the pandemic. There are tens of thousands of cameras in Chicago, but I haven’t heard any Chicago law enforcement official professing radical reductions of crime based on the use of cameras with or without Flock software to enhance their capabilities.

At least once a week, I come very close to being hit by a car while on my bike. It is not because I ignore traffic signals or signs. I would love to have a camera on the corner of Jackson and Lombard where I usually have the most dangerous encounters with cars. But I don’t want to become Denver (https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=COBClFEQQJk) or Aurora, Colorado (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=EhV17fHnjoM). Once we start expanding the use of this technology, we will lose control of how it is deployed, all in the name of “community safety.”

Whose community will be safer? And define “safe” please.

The real community safety issue in Oak Park is the lack of officers in the police department. I commend the police department and Chief Shatonya Johnson for their efforts during this period. I expect the board to be working to close that hiring gap, not looking to expand the use of technology as a substitute. As numerous research studies on technology-enhanced law enforcement have reported, technology is never a substitute for good, old-fashioned, human-based law enforcement. I would support a reevaluation of the use of Flock technology only after the department has been fully staffed for over a year

Lisa Hoelscher is an Oak Park resident.

A dog-friendly village

My name is James Yount. I am 16-year-old Oak Park resident. I want express my appreciation for living in a community that has so many dogs. I really enjoy seeing the great variety of dogs being walked around my neighborhood Ger man Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, and Huskies are among my favorites. I also like it when I get to pet dogs that are out for a walk. It is always great meeting a “good boy” or a “good girl” when I’m at the park or walking down the sidewalk.

Correcting Harriette Robinet’s fascinating history

Iread with keen interest Wednesday Journal’s obituary of my amazing Elmwood Avenue neighbor Harriette Robinet [‘She returned kindness’, News, May 22]. Thank you for such a wonderful retelling of her unique Oak Park story. I write, however, to quibble with a line near the top of the article, about Robinet’s great-grandfather, Thornton Gray, who was enslaved by Robert E. Lee at his Arlington House. The article states, “Before he went off to fight in the Civil War, Lee freed his slaves and gave them plots of land.” I have no doubt the line was an attempt to briefly summarize an extremely complicated historical topic But Lee did not actually free his slaves for more than a year after the onset of war. And because the story is so much more complex and ambiguous, because statements like these have been used to peddle the Lost Cause myth of Robert E. Lee as a benevolent slaveholder, and because its echoes resonate in Robinet’s story as well, I think it’s worth exploring here.

One View

But my favorite dog is our family’s cockapoo, Lucy. She is very playful, terribly cute, and likes to go on walks. She is also loyal and loving. And she is locked in an eternal, yet futile, effort to catch the squirrels that perch on top of our fence.

So I just wanted to say thanks to everyone one in the community who make Oak Park such a dog-friendly village.

James Yount Oak Park

When George Washington Parke Custis died in 1857, his property, which included three plantations and the more than 200 slaves who lived on them, was bequeathed to his daughter Mary, and Lee, his son-in-law, was named the executor of the estate. Custis died greatly in debt, and in the years immediately before the Civil War, Lee took an extended leave from the U.S. Ar my in an unsuccessful attempt to settle his fatherin-law’s estate

Custis’ will ordered that his slaves be freed within five years. Many slaves on his plantations, according to a history from the National Park Service, believed that they had been promised freedom upon Custis’ death. While Lee was determined to free the slaves per his fatherin-law’s request, historians believe this was likely out of a sense of honor and duty toward Custis, not because of any moral beliefs about slavery or the treatment of African Americans. He likely decided to keep the slaves as long as he could because their labor was critical for generating income needed to pay off

Custis’ debts.

As war broke out in 1861, Lee’s father-in-law’s slaves were still family property. When Lee ultimately pledged his allegiance to the new Confederacy, the U.S. gover nment soon thereafter occupied Arlington (which, overlooking the capital, is now the site of Arlington National Cemetery) and eventually the other Custis properties. Per the Massachusetts Historical Society: “It was not until the end of December 1862, in the after math of the Battle of Fredericksburg, that Lee finally signed deeds of manumission for the slaves that remained on the Custis (now Lee) properties. By then, however, events largely had moved beyond his control. … Many of the slaves in Lee’s charge had used opportunities created by the war to escape to freedom. As he noted in this letter, ‘Those who have left with the enemy may not require their manumission.’”

I do not personally know how and when Thornton Gray was truly “freed,” but most likely it was well before Lee officially freed his slaves, and it’s unlikely Lee himself had anything to do with his release from bondage.

Gray and many Arlington slaves, the National Park Service writes, petitioned the federal gover nment after the war for land at Arlington that they believed they were entitled to, because Custis had promised them they could stay there after receiving freedom. The U.S. government denied their request. Thor nton and many slaves instead settled in Green Valley, a historically black section of Arlington County, Virginia; Thor nton and his daughters, the NPS writes, would go on to operate a produce business in nearby Washington, D.C., which is where Harriette Robinet was born and raised

And almost exactly 100 years after Lee was defeated in the Civil War, as Wednesday Journal’s article so eloquently tells us, Gray’s great-granddaughter and her family would face their own institutional hurdles in moving to Oak Park, succeeding only when finding a white family to stand in for them.

Sean Flynn is a resident of Oak Park

SEAN FLYNN

Reverse this decision!

I am perplexed and astonished at how out of touch with homeowners the current Oak Park Board of Trustees feels. To presume that a significant withdrawal of services would be accepted (with no commensurate reduction in taxes) seemed so unlikely weeks ago that I paid little attention to the discussion of leaf removal.

As a senior resident, this impacts me in so many negative ways: It is not possible for me to do the required work, therefore I must hire to have it done. My lawncare provider of 20 years works alone. He could not physically do this service without hiring a crew. This would be a significant expense to him, and thus to me, and his many other customers.

As someone with a mobility challenge, the option to leave the leaves on the ground is not only unsightly but more importantly, unsafe. The dropped leaves of my lovely oak tree become slick like leather when wet. Without removing them, it would be unsafe for me to go to my garage, recycling bin or neighbor’s home. Removal would have to be done daily as the leaves blow across our yards.

And this ignores the cost of bags. What are they thinking?

I loved the letter to the editor suggesting that this board remember Bilandic. There are big philosophical issues, and then there are the basics. Leaf collection from village streets is certainly the latter.

Reverse this ill-considered decision!

Marjorie Greenwald Oak Park

Getting ticketed in Oak Park

The recent spate of aggressive parking-ticket writing is driving business away from our village.

A month ago, I parked down the block to meet a friend for lunch at the Onion Roll on North Avenue. I have used Passport Parking for years.

Signage now showed a new app “ParkOakPark:” So I downloaded it only to discover it was still Passport Parking and my account was current.

By the time I paid, I had already received a ticket. My contest/appeal was denied:

“Status: At this time, your appeal has been declined. To make a payment, please access the Web Payment System. Reason: These plates have been entered in a passport account since at least 2023. Parking has been paid for these plates using an app numerous times prior to this citation.

Great. Let’s change the name of the app and get ’em that way!

Then I parked there again a few days ago, used the app, paid correctly and what did I get? Another ticket. My friend from Lincolnwood also got a ticket, even though he paid correctly!

Do they figure we’re just going to pay without contesting? Both citations are contested and in process. He will not be coming back to Oak Park

Then my wife tried to park legally on Kenilworth to do business at the Economy Shop yesterday. She and several others were ticketed. The signage was very confusing. She has decided to take her business to Forest Park, where parking is often free. At the very least there is no aggressive ticketing campaign.

Martin Bernstein Oak Park

We need more books!

I just came back from the Oak Park Public Library where I volunteer sorting books for the upcoming OPPL annual book sale on July 12 and 13. However, after 45 minutes of sorting, we were out of books! You read it right — no more books were left to sort.

So we are putting the word out to all of our friends and colleagues, asking everyone to go through their bookshelves and pull out any books with which you are willing to part and bring them to the main library now. The upsides are many:

■ The book sale will bring in needed cash for the special

programs that the Friends of the Library supports

■ Your friends and neighbors will be able to enjoy these books

■ And best of all, you will free up some space on your shelves to be able to put all of the new books that you get at the book sale

So, please:

■ Cull your books and bring them to the OPPL Main Branch

■ Contact your friends and neighbors and ask them to do the same

■ Come join us at the book sale on July 12 and 13.

Rebekah Levin Oak Park

Imagine there’s no gun violence

Inspired by the banners in front of some Oak Park churches that read:

“Imagine a world without gun violence,” I imagined a world without gun violence. I imagined kindergarten children not subjected to gun emergency drills with their implicit message that the world is hazardous, that children are not safe and that school can be dangerous. I imagined time better spent lear ning and singing songs.

I imagined children playing at a playground or in a park hearing a loud pop and thinking only, “Oh no, a child’s balloon has burst.”

I imagined a child’s greatest fear at the playground being that they would fall from the monkey bars and if they were careful it would not happen and the empower ment of being in charge

I imagined the normal childhood anxieties like tearing your pants, which would make your mother annoyed but could be repaired.

I imagined grade school or high school graduating classes that contained every child that had not moved away or changed schools who had begun school in first grade.

I imagined a child going to play at the home of a friend without concer n that there might be an unsecured gun in the home and the awkward conversation necessary to determine that.

I imagined not having to pass through metal detectors in schools and public buildings lest someone attempt

to enter carrying a firearm.

I imagined the suicidal and homicidally ill not having readily available guns to use during a mental health crisis.

I imagined only police officers being ar med, reducing their anxiety and de-escalating their law-enforcement encounters.

I imagined feeling no imperative to be armed in self-defense because of the threat posed by ubiquitous guns

I imagined that if a student became really, really angry with another student, they wouldn’t resort to extreme action.

I imagined schools concentrating not on defense but on de-escalation and nonviolent resolution of differences

I imagined the ATF having the same authority and influence as the FDA.

I imagined a world where the word “gun” was not an appropriate modifier to describe our culture.

Worldwide, the implications of a consensus for nonviolence would be world peace, something currently hard to imagine.

Imagine children born and raised with the philosophy that life is precious, tolerance is taken for granted, and violence is unthinkable.

We can then imagine where that might lead.

Sandra Shimon Member, Gun Responsibility Advocates

Tax bills likely due Aug. 1

For the first time in several years, second installment property tax bills in Cook County are expected to be mailed by July 1 and due on Aug. 1, in accordance with state law. If this expectation holds true, it may come as a surprise to taxpayers. This is because tax bill due dates in recent years have been considerably later than Aug. 1. Second installment tax bills cannot be issued until the county’s two tax appeal agencies complete the processing of all Cook County tax appeals. But in the last two years, computer compatibility problems between the agencies delayed appeal processing by several months and as

a result, second installment tax bills were not due until December

This year, the appeal agencies made a concerted effort to complete their work earlier and they succeeded in finishing the processing of appeals on May 5. Historically, appeal completion dates in early May have left enough time to complete the other steps necessary for bills to be issued on time. Unless there are unexpected delays in the remaining steps in the process, this year’s bills should be due Aug. 1.

The budgets of schools and other local gover nments can be severely disrupted when the tax revenue they rely on ar rives four or five

months late, as has happened in the last two years. And the budgets of taxpayers can also be disrupted by unpredictable due dates for tax bills. The expected Aug. 1 due date for this year’s second installment bills will be just eight months after the due date of last year’s second installment bills, and during those eight months taxpayers will have paid three property tax bills. This will cause hardship for some Hopefully, for the sake of taxpayers and taxing districts, there will be more certainty and predictability in tax bill due dates going forward. Ali ElSa ar Oak Park Township Assessor

Who can blame them?

natural look from the water

MARION MAHONE Y Architectural artistry

from page 22

Mark Walden Oak Park

Recently I’ve been seeing posts from people asking when the cicadas will go away. Folks are weary of the noise, and of bugs dropping onto them from trees above. But I hope we can try to enjoy the cicadas’ awkward, raucous teenage energ y. We are, after all, witnessing millions of 13- and 17-year-olds who all got un-g rounded at the same time!

Feeling unprepared for high school

I read with interest the article “After challenging year, new Children’s School chief melds past and future,” [News, June 12] which was about the new leadership at The Children’s School (TCS)

When I was in fifth grade, my parents enrolled me in TCS because they were intrigued by the creative environment they read about on the website. However, as a rising senior at Oak Park and River Forest High School, I can say that TCS did not prepare me academically. They did not explicitly teach science or history, and I also missed a lot of the middle-school math that my high school classmates got in public schools

For example, I only received about 30 minutes of math instruction in sporadic sessions a few times a week (as opposed to the daily, hour-long math instructions offered in public school). When I got to high school, I lacked basic math skills like how to do long division or add fractions.

When I collected data, unofficially, by interviewing a dozen previous TCS students, 50% of them said that they believed the school prepared them for high

Kathy Cannon, 83

Longtime Oak Park Village Hall employee

Kathleen Cannon (nee Kirby), 83, of Oak Park, died on June 6, 2024, finally at peace after a rough couple of years with health issues and dementia. Born to Thoris and Russell Kirby on Dec. 14, 1940, she was raised in Waukegan. She attended Northern Illinois University where she earned her

school, and 50% said they think it did not. The 50% who had a positive experience still said they never felt challenged in math or reading.

I believe this is because TCS teachers are not held professionally accountable. When I looked on the school’s website, I didn’t find teachers’ educational backgrounds or mention of their credentials

In fact, when I searched the Illinois Department of Education (ISBE) website this May I only found Illinois teaching credentials for one of the teachers

Not only did the school not prepare me for high school, in my opinion it didn’t live up to the values of progressive education, which is supposed to provide core subjects while challenging students and adapting to their needs and interests. TCS did not do this for me. It stole three years of my education and caused me mental and academic struggles that may last me throughout my life

Hopefully the new head of school will prevent this from happening to other students.

Maya Marobella Oak Park

with four columns along the front,” Korporaal writes. “She decided each column should be decorated with two tall birds on each side.”

Eventually, however, both Marion and Walter broke with Wright.

Her husband, Walter Burley Griffin, is far better known. In 1912, he won the inter national competition for the design of Canberra, a new capital city for Australia. Korporaal tells us that Walter was hesitant to enter the competition and only did so at Marion’s insistence. We also lear n that many professional observers say it was Marion’s fine renderings of the city design that charmed the jury and earned him the award. Due to delays, rising costs, and changing local political conditions, Walter’s design was compromised as control of the project was taken from him.

After his removal from work on Canberra, new architectural commissions soon filled his time. He executed larger projects in Melbourne and many house designs. The Griffins’ many talents and interests came together in the Castlecrag development. Walter and others purchased a large tract of land on Sydney Harbor near that city. His talent in land planning and landscape design, and the couple’s shared idealism, philosophy, and feelings of equality, resulted in a plan that was an adventure in communal and community planning of 1,000 residential lots. The curvy streets followed the grades of the hilly land. A network of walking paths connected all of the lots. The plan allowed no waterside lots where houses would block views of the harbor. The open strip also made a soft

OBITUAR Y

teaching degree and fell for the sweet Thomas “Kim” Cannon. They wasted no time getting married, quickly followed by Kim going to the seminary, Kathy teaching, and having the five joys of their lives.

She was the quintessential preacher’s wife, spending Sundays at St. Andrew’s in Chicago, and making members feel like family. After staying home with the kids, she relaunched a career at the village of Oak Park in the Village Manager’s Office, then on to become a dedicated Law Department secretary, and eventually worked her way up to Deputy Village Clerk. She made lifelong friends at village hall and retired after more than two decades of outstanding service. Even during her working years, she could be found outside obscenely early in the morn-

Walter and Marion lived in Castlecrag for many years. She designed and built an outdoor theater using the natural rocks as seating and became very involved in community productions, often acting in elaborate costumes. Walter insisted on setbacks and covenants on the lots to maintain the quality of the development. The restrictions hurt sales and the project was not financially successful. After the Griffins’ time, the restrictions were removed and the lots were fully sold.

Walter became well known and was offered inter national commissions. He was so attracted by work in India that he traveled there and stayed there for a lengthy period. Marion joined him and they had one of their most intense periods of working together

He credited Marion as “equal partner” in design, which she denied. She intentionally played down her role in order to give him the major credit. Perhaps if she had broadcast her role, she might have overshadowed him. It is well known that Marion was responsible for the presentation drawings and most of the construction drawings. When Walter was very busy, Marion ran the office and developed the designs from his simple sketches

Because of her long time working in Oak Park, and because Walter is said to be from Oak Park, “we” Oak Parkers have a claim to her as part of our heritage. Oak Park does not recognize our Marion enough. We should celebrate her more.

Their story makes you wonder: What would Walter have been without Marion? Would he have won the Canberra prize? Would he have been able to complete, so well, his body of work?

And what would Marion have been without Walter?

Would she have soared?

ing hours reading a book and drinking coffee, a ritual she picked up when her kids were teenagers, saying it was the only time they didn’t bother her

After retirement, she didn’t know how she ever had time to work, busily volunteering, keeping fit, gardening (her passion), and meeting with friends. And everyone remembers the hundreds of cookies she made every Christmas. She loved her kids with every fiber of her being … until the grandkids came along. The holidays, the baking days, the walks in the garden, the trips to the living room “salon” that required three days of hair washing to remove whatever “product” she allowed them to put in her hair, and every day in between … she spoiled those kids rotten. Kathy is predeceased by her parents; her

brother, Donald; her sisters, Virginia and Sina; and her husband, Kim (joining him for their 61st wedding anniversary). She is survived by her kids, Dave (Sue), Pete, Tom (Michelle), Sarah (Jay), and Josh (Indalia); her grandkids, Jonathon, Jeremy, Alexa, and Mitch; her great-granddaughter, Tatum; as well as her special brother-in-law Jay, sister-in-law Judi, nieces, nephews, a slew of friends, and her cat Finnegan.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 27 at 11 a.m. at St. Christopher’s, 545 S. East Ave, Oak Park.

Because she loved flowers and helping those in need, in memory of Kathy, please consider planting something to beautify the area or donating your time or money to your favorite charity.

Scotty Brown, 92 Patrick Cullen, 49

Traveling chef

ul-

len, 49, died sudenly May 10, 2024 in sconsin. Born and raised est, he ncent ammar Park est admerica in hef hef wner sconsin. He was known ulinary

Patrick is survived by his children, Patrick Ann and Hunter Cullen; his parJ. and Virginia (nee Gaul) Cullen; siblings, Elizabeth “Liz” (David) LanCatherine “Cathy” (William) Kane, and “FJ” Jr. (Kathleen) Cullen. visitation and funeral Mass were held ncent Ferrer Church in River Forest on May 22. Services were held in Wisconsin on May 23. A private family interment took the Cullen family plot in All Saints emetery in Des Plaines. Memorials in Patrick’s name to the Butountry Club Scholarship Program, est Road, Oak Brook, IL 60523, are angements were entrusted to Peter B. y & Co. Funeral Directors.

BJ Richards, 77 rly childhood provider,

called BJ’s Kids out of a two-flat on the east side of Oak Park for 24 years — and then in Forest Park for several more years. It ceased operating in 2021 during the pandemic.

The program started in 1977 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with six toddlers in a small cooperative in space provided by Cesar Chavez’s United Farm Workers union at their headquarters in New York. Her magnetic character and commitment to young children quickly found an enthusiastic community base with New Yorkers desperate for quality child care in the early days of feminism with large numbers of women working outside the home.

UIC Education Professor Emeritus Bill Ayers, who worked at BJ’s Kids for eight years as he and his life partner Bernardine Dohrn raised three sons in New York, said, “BJ was largely self-educated, having read widely and deeply in child development and early childhood education. The fact that she never attended college surprises colleagues because of her broad knowledge of and huge reputation in the field.”

She was a remarkable observer of children. Each day, by hand, she wrote keen observations of each child’s activities, expressed feelings, remarks and evolving friendships in a notebook for each child that the parent could review at pick-up or take home to inform that night’s discussion with their partner and/or child. Later, as the internet appeared, this became a daily email.

On weekends, BJ spent countless hours helping families deal with their concerns and problems around child-rearing. The solutions she offered were neither simplistic nor prescriptive, but based on inquiry and joint problem-solving.

Next, she brought her program to 225 N. Taylor in Oak Park in 1995 and she and Judi co-located again in a second residential twoflat and immediately attracted an enthusiastic community of Oak Park families.

BJ loved going to brunch at her regular spots around town before a matinee at the Lake Theatre. She had a love for interior design shows on HGTV. She and Dandara would often go on drives to admire Oak Park and River Forest architecture. She loved handing out candy at Halloween from her front porch, looking at the costumes and reveling in the joy on kids’ faces when she dropped candy in their baskets. She was an avid fan of Broadway musicals, Oprah Winfrey and Bruce Springsteen.

She enhanced BJ’s Kids with local musicians, storytellers, yoga teachers and elderly helpers. Graduates of her program often returned as teen assistants. Learners became teachers infor med by their knowledge of her evolving offerings to youngsters. An organic community organizer with a commitment to nurturing growth and seeking fairness at the center of her life, her activism extended into neighborhood activity planning, volunteering for committee work with Oak Park’s visionary Collaboration for Early Childhood Care and Education, and serving on the board and recruiting families to The Children’s School, a progressive alternative school with a similar anti-bias and self-directed learning philosophy.

BJ Richards, 77, ccomplished Oak er, had a deep and lasting impact and amilies in the vileacefully une 12, 2024, by her . Her influence ly childhood educaounseling she did with local families on parenting and family life ogram

In New York, BJ’s Kids quickly became known to celebrities and activists for its antibias and child-centered approach to early lear ning. Gloria Steinem visited and profiled BJ in Ms. magazine. Pete Seeger did a concert as a fundraiser for the program. Civil Rights activist Rosa Parks spent a morning with the kids and became a supporter. Dr. Benjamin Spock visited and wrote about her work. Marlo Thomas of the groundbreaking TV special Free To Be …You and Me became a supporter and friend.

In 1987, when she adopted her infant daughter from an orphanage in Brazil, she sought a fresh start. She moved from New York to Chicago where she started a family childcare program in her new home in Logan Square. Her upstairs neighbor and friend, Judi Minter, also ran a home childcare program. The two providers had a collaborative community-based approach to nurturing the lives of a diverse group of families. The two programs shared the yard

She shared her legendary children’s picture book collection by lending out books to parents, doing annual workshops on quality literature for kids’ development, and ultimately in retirement donating much of the collection to the local center, Kindness Creators Intergenerational Preschool on site at the Oak Park Arms retirement home.

She lived at Bella Terra, a nursing home in Morton Grove for the last four years of her life. She continued mentoring and advising teachers, providers and parents on the internet, and loved visits from Dara, Alex and their two “grand-dogs,” Remi and Millie. Last winter, she was elected president of the Residents Council and was hard at work in improving the care at Bella Terra when she was hospitalized on June 4.

BJ is survived by her daughter, Dandara Richards and her son-in-law Alex Cullen; her Oak Park resident “family by choice,” Judi Minter and John Ayers, Maya Minter and Dede Minter; her sisters, Catherine Richards and Patricia Richards Tebeau; and her brother-in-law, Larry Tebeau. She was preceded in death by her brother Randall Richards in 2008.

A memorial celebration is being planned for later this year

SPORTS

OPRF alum Yasmin Ru wins NCAA Division III pole v lt title

Helps

lead Washington University to team championship

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

Oak Park and River Forest High School

alum Yasmin Ruff won the pole vault title for Washington University (St. Louis) the NCAA Division III women’s outdoor track and field championships, May 23-25, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

“Winning a national championship has been a longtime goal of mine,” said Ru a 2020 graduate whose winning height was 4.06 meters (13-3 ¾). “All the blood, sweat, and tears I put into my training finally paid of It was a feeling I will never forget.”

Ruff ’s victory also provided 10 important points in the team standings for Washington, which won the title with 71 points, 23.5 better than runner-up University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse.

OF

smin Ru clears the bar during the pole vault at the NCAA Division III Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, May 23-25, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

got a lot left in me, and I’m so excited to see at this last year brings.”

Garland, Newhar t qualify for USATF U-20 national teams

At the Eastern National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, April 26-28, TJ Carr placed fifth in the all-around. Patrick Britton was 14th, Luca Depa 27th, and Sam Bohrer 31st.

“The team has some extremely talented athletes and we’ve been eyeing this title for a while now,” Ruff said. “Sharing that moment with the amazing women on my team is a memory I will cherish forever.”

A talented athlete herself, Ruff currently holds OPRF records in the girls’ pole vault as well two girls’ diving records. She credits OPRF pole vault coach Tim Gamble and

COURTESY OF NATALIE SWINEHART

OPRF alum Yasmin Ru (‘20) recieves the pole vault championship trophy at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Women’s Track and Field Championships, May 23-25. Ru , now at Washing ton University of St. Louis, won the event with a height of 4.06 meters (13-3 3/4 inches), a personal best.

diving coach Mark Pappalardo for helping craft her success.

“Their support has been evident in the way they’ve ke pt up with me even after leaving OPRF,” Ruff said. “They both congratulated me on my performance at nationals; it meant the world to me.”

Ruff, who didn’t start colle ge until the fall of 2021, has one more year of eligibility and plans to defend her title. She also has Washington’s school record of 4.15 meters in her sights.

“I’m coming for it,” Ruff said. “I’ve still

Also in track and field, OPRF Class of 2023 graduates Reese Garland and Liam Newhart will be competing for the United States U-20 National Team in the World Athletics Championships in Lima, Peru, g. 27-31.

Both secured their spots in the USATF U-20 Championships held at the University of Oregon, June 12-15. Newhart, now attending the University of Wisconsin, won the men’s 5000-meter run with a time of 14:08.74, while Garland, currently at the University of Southern California, took silver in the women’s discus with a throw of 53.89 meters (176-9).

Park district gymnasts fare well in national meets

Several members of the boys gymnastics program at the Park District of Oak Park turned in splendid performances during recent national competitions

Then last month, five individuals took part in the USA Gymnastics Development Program National Championships in Daytona Beach, Florida. Josh Oxer was third in the all-around. Renny Barnitz came in fourth, and Matt Adler was 13th. Oxer also helped the Re gion 5 team pick up an overall team award.

Keith Kerrigan, program and operations manager at PDOP’s Gymnastics Recreation Center, was thrilled with how the gymnasts performed.

“Our teammates who qualified for championship competitions truly worked extremely hard to achieve this level of skill,” he said in a press release. “I am proud to see all of their hard work pay of f and how professionally they re presented the Park District of Oak Park.”

Kerrigan also gave credit to Nikko Winstead, the program’s coach.

“Coach Nikko has done a tremendous job with the program and the results show,” he said. “He creates a safe, competitive, and most importantly, fun environment.”

COURTESY

NATALIE SWINEHART

YASMIN RUFF

SPORTS

OPRF wrestling gives Habitat for Humanity helping hands

Huskies travel to North Carolina for volunteer service

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

After a couple of down years, the Oak Park and River Forest High School boys wrestling team enjoyed a resurgence this past season, winning the West Suburban Silver title. The Huskies also won IHSA Class 3A re gional and sectional titles to qualify for the state dual-team quarterfinals.

But the OPRF program has long based success not just on meet and tournament results, but also on the level of community service it provides. A prime example took place earlier this month when the Huskies took their annual Senior Trip. The destination? Raleigh, North Carolina.

This year, 10 rising seniors made the journey: Terrence Garner, Eric Harris, Tristan Kidd, Joe Knackstedt, Ben Martin, CJ Robinson, Gabe Rojas, Gabriel Schmidt, Hugh Vanek, and Ryan Wo zniak.

“The concept of the ‘Senior Trip’ was developed by Mike Powell when he was the head coach and started in the summer of 2005,” said OPRF coach Paul Collins. “We did backpacking trips through various mountains. An outdoorsman I am not, so I wanted to incorporate service with some nature.”

After taking over the program, Collins made an important adjustment to the trip.

“I decided to work with Habitat since they’re a nationwide organization and would provide opportunities for service outside Illinois,” he said. “The wrestlers get a chance to work with carpenters and other construction professionals.”

On the first day in Raleigh, the Huskies toured the campus of North Carolina State University and hiked 6.8 miles on the Company Mill Trail in Umstead National Park. The

OPRF wrestling in Raleig h, North Carolina, where they worked building a house foundation

next day, they did work at a Habitat ReStore, which helps provide funding for housing materials, administration costs, and support for needy families

The final two days, the team worked with local Habitat volunteers to construct foundations for new homes on land that had been recently vacant. The goal is to have more than 30 houses and at least 10 multi-unit buildings completed on the site.

“The wrestlers always do a fantastic job on the worksites,” Collins said. “The boys see how the structure changes from the beginning to the end of the day. Oftentimes, one of the residents of a house explains how important the work is to them personally and how they appreciate the volunteering. It’s easy for coaches to try and explain why this is important, but it definitely means more coming from future homeowners or other volunteers.”

Collins says the goals of the Senior Trip are to jell as a team while away from home and to show appreciation for communities that support them. Moreover, the rising seniors further enhance their leadership skills through the trip.

“Our program continually talks about gratitude and back to the community — their own and others,” Collins said. “We have conversations each evening with the athletes — influential people in our lives, the working definition of leadership, and what their le gacy will be as a senior class. We want to provide the foundation for their transition into their senior years.”

Then there’s the benefit of a valuable experience that the team with their own lives.

“The students gain a better understanding of how work goes into providing homes for people less tunate,” said Collins. “Over the years, the groups always taken more back from the trips than I could er explain. T hese trips provide lasting memories with teammates and coaches.”

PROVIDED BY PAUL COLLINS

PROVIDED BY PAUL COLLINS

Coach Paul Collins takes a group sel e with the OPRF wrestling team dur ing a hike on the Company Mill Trail.

PROVIDED BY PAUL COLLINS

e Huskies helped out at the Habitat ReStore in Raleigh.

LEGAL NOTICE

Village of Brookfield

4338 Congress Park Avenue

Brookfield, Illinois 60513

Ehlert Park

The Village of Brookfield does hereby invite sealed bids for Ehlert Park. Work will include site clearing, earthwork operations, asphalt paving, concrete curbs, walks and paving, site furnishings, playfield equipment, planting and seeding, playground safety surfacing, baseball field renovations.

Project manuals, including bid form and specifications, and construction documents are available after 10:00AM on June 18, 2024 from Building Connected. Visit Building Connected’s plan room at https:// www.buildingconnected.com for details.

Bids will be accepted at the Village of Brookfield: 8820 Brookfield Avenue Brookfield, Illinois 60513, during regular office hours. All bids must be submitted in a sealed envelope marked with the Contractor’s name and address, and “Bid for Ehlert Park,” on the face of the envelope.

Bids must be received no later than 2:00 PM on July 10, 2024. Bids will be opened at 2:01 PM at the Village of Brookfield: 8820 Brookfield Avenue Brookfield, Illinois 60513. All bidders will be required to submit Bid Security in the form of a Bid Bond, Certified Check, Cashier’s Check in the amount of 10% of the Base Bid, payable to the Village of Brookfield.

The Village of Brookfield reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, parts of any and all proposals, or to waive technical errors or omissions in submitted proposals. No submitted bid may be withdrawn until a period of sixty (60) days after the bid opening date, without written consent of the Village of Brookfield. The Village of Brookfield encourages minority business firms to submit bids on this project and the successful contract bidder to utilize minority businesses as sub-contractors for supplies, equipment, services, and construction. The contractor(s) selected will also be required to comply with all federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations and executive orders pertaining to equal employment opportunity.

This project is being financed, in part, with funds from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, “Open Space Land Acquisition & Development” (OSLAD) grant program.

Questions should be directed to Daniel Wilson, Wight & Co. at (630)739-7262, dwilson@wightco.com

19, 2024

LEGAL NOTICE

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

Village of North Riverside Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals

VARIANCE REQUEST FOR ALOHA DENTAL

Notice is hereby given that the Village of North Riverside Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals will hold a public hearing to consider a variance request for Aloha Dental located at 2530 S Burr Oak Avenue, North Riverside, IL.

Variance Request Details

The petitioner is requesting a variance for parking requirements and side yard setback.

Public Hearing Details

Date: July 18, 2024

Time: 6:00 PM

Location: Village of North Riverside Village Commons

Address: 2401 Desplaines Ave, Riverside, IL 60546

All interested parties are invited to attend and provide input at the public hearing. Written comments may also be submitted to the Community Development Department prior to the hearing at the following address: Community Development Department

Village of North Riverside 2401 Desplaines Ave Riverside, IL 60546

For further information, please contact the Community Development office at (708) 447-4211.

Published in RB Landmark June 19, 2024

LEGAL NOTICE

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

Village of North Riverside Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals**

VARIANCE REQUEST FOR AVA’S WINE BAR

Notice is hereby given that the Village of North Riverside Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals will hold a public hearing to consider a variance request for AVA’s Wine Bar located at 7700 W 26th Street, North Riverside, IL.

Variance Request Details

The variance request pertains to the installation of a pole sign.

Public Hearing Details

Date: July 18, 2024

Time: 6:00 PM

Location: Village of North Riverside Village Commons Address: 2401 Desplaines Ave, Riverside, IL 60546

All interested parties are invited to attend and provide input at the public hearing. Written comments may also be submitted to the Community Development Department prior to the hearing at the following address: Community Development Department

Village of North Riverside 2401 Desplaines Ave Riverside, IL 60546

For further information, please contact the Community Development office at (708) 447-4211.

Published in RB Landmark June 19, 2024

DOCKET NUMBER: PC 24-04

HEARING DATE: Wednesday, July 10, 2024

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

LOCATION OF HEARING: Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL (Room 201)

SUBJECT PROPERTY

ADDRESSES: 1106 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302

LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Lots 3, 4 and 5 in Subdivision of Lots 65 to 68 both inclusive, and Lots 71, 72 and the Alley between in Block 5 in Scoville and Niles Addition to Oak Park in Section 7, Township 39 North, Range 13 East of the Third Principal Meridian, in Cook County, Illinois.

P.I.N.s: 16-07-322-024-0000, 16-07-322-025-0000, and 1607-322-026-0000

PROPERTY OWNER: Fellowship Christian Church, C/O Ed Ruiz, 1106-1110 Madison Street, Oak Park, IL 60302

PETITIONER(S): Interfaith Housing Development Corporation, 411 South Wells Street, Suite 401, Chicago, IL 60607

REQUEST: The Plan Commission will conduct a public hearing on a planned development application (Keystone Apartments) for a five (5) story 36-unit permanent supportive and affordable housing multi-family building in the MS Madison Street Zoning District. The Petitioner seeks the following allowances from the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance associated with the Planned Development application: 1) Article 5 – Table 5-1 Commercial Districts Dimensional Standards; an increase in height from an allowed 50 feet to 56 feet-

4 inches, 2) Article 5 – Table 5-1 Commercial Districts Dimensional Standards; a decrease in the minimum lot area requirement from 27,000 square feet to 9,474.31 square feet, because of the proposed density increase from 12 dwelling units to 36 dwelling units, 3) Article 5 – Table 5-1 Commercial Districts Dimensional Standards; a reduction in the street setback requirement along Madison Street from three (3) feet to zero (0) feet, 4) Article 10 – OffStreet Parking & Loading, Table 10-2 Off-Street Vehicle and Bicycle Parking Requirements; a decrease in required parking spaces from 36 to 6 off-street parking spaces, 5) Article 9: Site Development Standards, Section 9.2 Exterior Lighting, B.1 Maximum Lighting Regulations; an increase the illumination along a total of 9’-0” of the front property line from one footcandle to 5.7 footcandles.

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 Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, during current business hours, Monday through Thursday, between 9:00 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. Anyone with questions about the application may contact the Village by phone at 708-358.5420 or by email at planning@oak-park.us.

Deadline: Monday at 5 p.m.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Village of Oak Park 2024

Annual Action Plan

Notice is hereby given that the Village of Oak Park Program Year (PY) 2024 Draft Annual Action Plan is available for public review and comment, the Plan can be reviewed during business hours Monday-Friday, effective June 20, to July 23, 2024, from the Oak Park Village Hall, Neighborhood Services Department, 123 Madison Street; the Village HousingGrants webpage https:// www.oak-park.us/villageservices/housing-programs/ community-developmentshelter-grants and at the Public Library, Main Branch, 834 Lake Street. Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities and non-English speaking persons, as needed. This Action Plan was previously subject to a public notice and related public hearing and comment period, as published on June 19, 2024.

Comprising year 5 of the Village PY 2020-24 Consolidated Plan for Housing & Community Development (Con Plan), the Draft PY 2024 Action Plan contains goals and objectives for implementing the Village’s 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan, as well as a description of proposed projects to be undertaken in PY 2024 as part of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for the period October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2025. The Village received $1,581,724 in CDBG funding, along with other program funds to utilize for the Plan.

Any comments concerning the Draft PY 2024 Action Plan can be submitted in writing to Vanessa Matheny, Grants Manager, at grants@oak-park. us, or in person at the Draft Action Plan Public Hearing to be held at Village Hall Room 101 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. on July 23, 2024 at 123 Madison St. Oak Park, IL 60302.

Published in Wednesday Journal June 19, 2024

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, July 11, 2024 for Project: 242, Resurfacing of Various Streets. Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. In general, this contract includes removal and replacement of curb and gutter, sidewalks and sidewalk ramps, and driveways; combined sewer repairs; drainage structure adjustments; pavement patching; full depth pavement removal; earth excavation; cold-milling of bituminous concrete; installation of hotmix asphalt base, binder and surface courses; pavement markings; parkway restoration; and all appurtenant work thereto.

Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on Monday, June 24th, at 4:00 p.m. Plans and proposal forms can be found at https://www.oakpark.us/your-government/ budget-purchasing/requestsproposals or at www.questcdn. com under login using QuestCDN number 9165281 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. The work to be performed pursuant to this Proposal is subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq.

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK Bill McKenna Village Engineer