WednesdayJournal_092816 by Wednesday Journal

W E D N E S D A Y

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

September 28, 2016 Vol. 35, No. 6 ONE DOLLAR

@O @OakPark

Historic River Forest home a tough sell

Beautifully restored former club building has been for sale for 4 years By DEBORAH KADIN Contributing Reporter

A song for peace

the teenager. “The greatest tragedy, other than Joe losing his life, is this kid losing his life, also,” said Block, who has spent the last few months putting together the pieces of the assault. Block spoke with Wednesday Journal

First it was the headquarters of a River Forest organization that promoted education and women’s rights. Then it became a home, resplendently restored to its original grandeur. Now the River Forest Women’s Club, at 526 Ashland Ave., near Lake Street, is ready to enter a new phase. Paul and Ellen Coffey, who have owned the home for more than a decade, have been seeking a new steward. And it is possible that new owner could return it to a civic use once more. “We want to see someone who can become a good steward. There are endless creative ways to use the building,” said Paul Coffey, vice provost and dean of community engagement at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. “I’m excited to see what the next creative person can do.” A lot of creative energy flowed through the building over the years. The board-and-batten clubhouse was designed by the Prairie School architect William Drummond, the chief draftsman of Frank Lloyd Wright and husband of a women’s club member. The 5,200-square-foot building, which sits on roughly a third of an acre near the center of River Forest, was constructed in 1914. The building had been a hub of activity before the adoption of the 22nd Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. The backyard was turned into a victory garden during the Second World

See ASSAULT on page 18

See HISTORIC HOME on page 11

WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff Photographer

Alcuin Montessori School students were among more than 150,000 around the world who performed the song “Light a Candle for Peace,” as part of the United Nations’ International Day of Peace on Sept. 21. For more photos and story, page 23.

Chicago man’s death ruled a homicide River Forest teen charged with assaulting victim outside Oak Park Library

By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter

A River Forest teenager has been charged with two counts of aggravated battery following an altercation outside the Oak Park Public Library in June that resulted in the death of a 60-year-old Chicago man.

Oak Park police said the juvenile, who was questioned after the assault, said he threw the single punch that killed Joseph Maffris, who died of his injuries on Sept. 21, because the man tried to sit in his underage friend’s lap. Hal Block, the brother-in-law of Joseph Maffris, is now speaking out in Maffris’ defense but also urging compassion for

Live Music Returns! David Blamires | Friday 9/30

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

I N S I D E

R E P O R T

OPRF homecoming on Friday, Saturday This year, Oak Park and River Forest High School will kick-off homecoming festivities with a pep rally on Friday, Sept. 30 at 6 p.m. in the fieldhouse. Everyone from the community is invited to the celebration, which includes a DJ, dancing, games, prizes and guest performances, among other features. Enter

at the East Avenue mall doors. Students need to bring their IDs. Later on, at 7:30 p.m., the Huskies will take on York High School. The next day, on Oct. 1, at 7 p.m., students will fill the fieldhouse for the homecoming dance.

Michael Romain

SEBASTION HILDAGO/Contributor

Movement & Music

Here’s to Lonnie Bunch, badass

In a recent article in Smithsonian Magazine, Lonnie G. Bunch III, the man behind the Smithsonian Institution’s vaunted National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opened to much fanfare over the weekend, describes an odyssey that began with a drive from his former home here in Oak Park to Washington D.C. in July 2005. “The trip gave me plenty of time to ponder whether I’d made the right decision,” said Bunch, the museum’s founding director. “After all, I loved Chicago, my home in Oak Park and my job as president of the Chicago Historical Society. But it was too late to turn back.” What happened next, said Bunch, is a tale of wile, heroism, dignity and gumption that might make for a museum exhibition of its own one day. For instance, on his first day on the job, Bunch and his assistant found themselves locked out of their own “temporary offices somewhere off the National Mall.” When Bunch went to the building’s security office to inform the authorities that, as the then-non-existent museum’s director, he wanted access

to his offices, an officer told Bunch no, “because we have no record of you.” “I called back to the Castle, the Smithsonian headquarters building, and confirmed that we were supposed to be allowed in,” Bunch recalled. “As I stood looking foolishly at a locked door, a maintenance man walked by pushing a cart holding some tools. One of those tools was a crow bar. So we borrowed it and broke into our offices.” Lonnie, Oak Park loves you back.

Michael Romain

Ten restaurants honored for sanitation

Oak Park’s cleanest restaurants are getting their annual attaboy from the village of Oak Park, with the release of the Johnson Awards winners. The award, named after Oak Park’s first luncheon, is given to the top 10 restaurants for receiving the highest restaurant inspection scores from the Oak Park Department of Public Health. And the winners are:

Don Stille (left) and Petra Van Nuis (right) perform at the the 2nd annual Momenta Gala at Pleasant Home on Saturday. (Left) Cynthia Fritschi and Kevin Fox dance on the porch. ■ Boss Burrito, 1110 W. Westgate St. ■ King & I, 105 N. Marion St. ■ Sagano Sushi, 731 Lake St. ■ Jerusalem Café, 1030 W. Lake St. ■ Buzz Café, 905 S. Lombard Ave. ■ Penny’s Noodle Shop, 1130 Chicago

Ave. ■ Michael’s Beef House, 6747 North Ave. ■ Munch, 104 N. Marion St. ■ Cucina Paradiso, 814 North Blvd. ■ Wendy’s, 11 Harlem Ave. Seventy-nine restaurants were in the running for the award, which has been given for the last 31 years. The winners are picked based on how well they perform on the 45-point inspection survey based on sanitation, food service and meal preparation. More than 200 food service establishments are inspected annually by the health department, including restaurants, day care centers and senior living facilities, among others. Johnson restaurant operated at 124 Lake St. in the 1890s.

Timothy Inklebarger

D97 clarifies its sex ed offerings

In response to parents’ questions and concerns about District 97’s sex education curriculum — many of which were prompted by the story, “Sex ed program expands in Oak Park,” published in the Sept. 14 edition of Wednesday Journal — district officials released a statement on its current sex education offerings for fifth grade students. The district said that “there was never any plan or intention on the part of the district to eliminate this lesson from our fifth-grade classrooms. In fact, the study of the human body systems, as well as growth and development, is a requirement of the Illinois Physical Development and Health Standards, which have traditionally been integrated into our elementary science curriculum.” To read the full statement, visit our story online from Sept. 14 by typing “Sex ed program expands in Oak Park” in the search field.

Michael Romain

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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Enemy of the People Sept. 30-Oct. 1 and Oct. 7-8 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 2 and 9 at 2 p.m., Madison Street Theatre, 1010 Madison St., Oak Park: No, not Donald Trump. This is a play by Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Arthur Miller. The Collective, the theater production company of Concordia University Chicago will perform the story of what happens when you stand by your truth against the majority. The play is directed by Jason Narvy, associate professor and chair of the Department of Theater at Concordia. Between 1993 and 1999, Narvy portrayed the role of the comic villain “Skull” in more than 300 episodes of Fox Television’s Emmy-nominated “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” and its spin-offs. He is now a Chicago-based actor and director of theater. The Opening Gala will be Friday, Sept. 30, which will include light refreshments and a post-show discussion. General admission tickets are $15, with discounts available for students, seniors and CUC alumni. Purchase tickets online at CUCenemy.brownpapertickets.

The beautiful north Wednesday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m., Dominican University Performing Arts Center: Luis Alberto Urrea will appear at the Martin Recital Hall, 7900 W. Division St., River Forest to discuss his dual-culture life experiences the themes of love, loss, and triumph that he explores in Into the Beautiful North, the centerpiece of the NEA Big Read program. Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and an American mother, Urrea is most recognized as a border writer, yet has said, “I am more interested in bridges, not borders.

com, or by cash or check at the door before showtime.

Harmon rocks Thursday, Sept. 29 at 8:15 p.m., FitzGerald’s Nightclub, 6615 W. Roosevelt Rd., Berwyn: He legislates … and plays guitar. State Sen. Don Harmon of Oak Park will perform during “The Special Session,” a fundraiser for the legislating troubadour’s re-election campaign. General admission, doors open at 7:30 p.m., show starts at 8:15. For more information, call 708-524-2006 or email info@donharmon.org.

Sept. 28- Oct. 5

BIG WEEK My Fair Lady revisited WWednesday, Sept. 28 from 1:30 to 3 p.m., River Forest Community Center, 8020 Madison St.: Charles Troy presents “The Creation of My Fair Lady,” part of the continuing Celebrating Seniors All Year Long series. In celebration of the Broadway show’s 60th anniversary, Troy traces the creative path of what some call the greatest musical of all time.

A New Way to Do Grief Sunday, Oct. 2 from 2 to 4 p.m., St. Giles Church, 1045 Columbian Ave. Oak Park: Former Oak Parker Tom Zuba presents “Permission to Mourn: A New Way to Do Grief.” Zuba, an author and life coach offers knowledge, wisdom and tools to heal hearts broken by the loss of loved ones, creating a safe, sacred space where you can heal. In 1990, while living in Oak Park with his wife Patricia Brennan Zuba, Tom’s 18-month-old daughter Erin died suddenly. His 43-year-old wife Trici died just as suddenly on New Year’s Day 1999, and his 13-year-old son, Rory, died of brain cancer in 2005. His book, Permission to Mourn: A New Way to Do Grief is available in paperback and as an eBook at Amazon. A book signing will follow the presentation. For more, visit www.TomZuba.com.

CALENDAR EVENTS ■ As you’ve likely noticed, our Calendar has changed to Big Week. Fewer items, higher profile. If you would like your event to be featured here, please send a photo and details by noon of the Wednesday before it needs to be published. We can’t publish everything, but we’ll do our best to feature the week’s highlights. Email calendar@wjinc.com.

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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ART BEAT

Symphony marks 85 years of music-making

By ELIZABETH REXFORD

hen I moved to Oak Park in 1972, I was delighted to discover that there was an orchestra here. I had been out of college for 11 years and had stopped playing the violin almost completely. I dusted off my fiddle and began attending weekly rehearsals. My main goal was merely to keep up during rehearsals! Another goal was to begin a routine of daily practice in order to learn to play the music as well as I possibly could. If you were to ask me, “What’s it like to play in an orchestra?” I would say it’s been one of the most thrilling parts off my life. At rehearsals, under the guidance ncce of the conductor, I have learned the subtlebtlleties of making music, not only playing in ng the notes, but delving into the meaning and expressiveness of the music. And I have learned how important it is to contribute to the group musically by listening to everyone and blending in. I love being surrounded by sound. It’s much better than the best sound system! I love the sounds of the different instruments, and I sit back and drink in the beautiful sound of a solo trumpet, for example, or virtuosic timpanist. I enjoy contributing my own emotions and skill to the music. As I look around the orchestra, I feel a warm glow because many of my original colleagues are still playing. In addition, we have lots of new, young players, which adds to the energy of the group. Our concerts have been highly satisfying. We can see and feel the appreciation of our friends and neighbors. We know that we contribute to the cultural life of this community. This season will be the 85th for our orchestra. It’s something to be proud of. Gladys Welge, a professional violinist and conductor, founded the orchestra in 1931and the

orchestra has played every year since then. Our first concert of the season, titled “Heroic Beethoven,” is this Sunday. We will play the “Eroica” Symphony by Beethoven, one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, and Beethoven’s “Emperor” Piano Concerto, with the virtuoso pianist, Winston Choi. We are looking forward to Riccardo Muti’s visit to our rehearsal on Oct. 12. This great musician, the world-class conductor of the Chicago Symphony, will sit in for the fourth year in a row. When he takes the baton, magic happens! We are so fortunate that he likes to to work with us, out of the goodness of his heart and because of his friendship with our conductor, Jay Friedman, principal trombone with the Chicago Symphony. Chicc We W are also looking forward to an extra in February: Beethoven’s 9th a concert c Symphony with chorus and soloists. EvSy ym eryone knows and loves this “Ode to Joy.” ery Not to brag, but Maestro Muti was in the audience at Concordia the last time we played it, and he gave us a “thumbs up.” The Symphony concert begins at 4 p.m. with a pre-concert conversation at 3 p.m., Lund Auditorium, Dominican University Performing Arts Center, 7900 W. Division St., River Forest. Tickets are $28. Visit SymphonyOPRF.com to purchase tickets. Students through college are free. Elizabeth Rexford, a longtime Oak Park resident, was a general music teacher in District 97 until she retired in 2003. She’s been playing with the orchestra from 1973 to the present. From 1983 to 1994, she was the orchestra’s personnel manager. Her biography of symphony founder Gladys Welge was included in Women Building Chicago, 1790-1990, by Indiana University Press. For the orchestra’s 75th anniversary, she wrote a short history, published as a booklet and available by request. It can also be seen online at http://www.symphonyoprf.com.

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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Zombie TIF coughs up final fix

ong abused, seldom transparent, frequently misunderstood and sometimes litigated, the downtown Oak Park TIF will soon be dead. 2018 for certain. But this old bird, neutered in 2011 as the only way out of a stupid lawsuit between the village and the two local school districts, seems to have one final fix left in it. By Wednesday morning, both the District 97 elementary school and the District 200 high school boards are expected to have OK’d an amendment to that legal settlement. The expected outcome will be the result of determined village board lobbying and will rightly be promoted as an actual example of the intergovernmental collaboration that is much touted but seldom realized around here. The deal will allow village government to hang onto a portion of incoming TIF tax revenues to solve a particular shortterm problem: the soil contamination discovered early this year at the site of the now-rising mixed-use project on Lake Street near Harlem. Now why no one knew the soil under longtime village-owned parking lots was laced with fuel from rotted oil tanks is a very good question. Since the village had been plotting a big-time development project for a parcel it had earnestly assembled from many smaller parcels, you’d think there would have been soil borings along the way. But no. Instead, with a deal done and construction of a property and sales tax-infusing project imminent, Oak Park had to take on debt to clean the soil so it could transfer ownership to the developer. Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb immediately

argued that the village was broke, the high school had a pot of gold and that the two school districts would be the main beneficiaries of the property tax streams about to flow from the Elevate retail and apartment complex. It took a while, but Abu-Taleb and other village trustees gradually cajoled and won over/wore down the school boards. It was back in 2011 that the village capitulated to demands and pricey litigation from District 200 and agreed to castrate its sorry, aging TIF by funneling all the incoming cash straight to the schools rather than retain it to invest in development opportunities. Given that Oak Park’s elected and appointed officials had often botched and delayed development projects through micro-managing and petty ego squabbles, the TIF frustration of District 200 was not off base. Though it is worth recalling that, at the same time the village government was squandering development chances, OPRF was beginning a decade of gaming its own tax referendum victory to pile up excess taxpayer cash. There are no innocents here. All that said, the school boards have made the right decision to give up some short-term cash from the TIF to guarantee that the tax boon of new development starts paying out pronto and for decades to come. Strip away the odd TIF history and this is, in microcosm, how the concept is supposed to work. Defer limited shortterm tax benefits to allow investment that will secure long-term, sustained new tax streams. Odd that it took until the very end of this TIF’s long complicated life to accomplish it.

DAN HALEY

The school

boards have made the right decision to give up some shortterm cash from the TIF.

H O W

T O

R E A C H

U S

Wednesday Journal, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, Illinois 60302 PHONE 708-524-8300 ■ FAX 708-524-0447 ■ ONLINE www.OakPark.com | www.RiverForest.com CIRCULATION Jill Wagner, 708-613-3340 circulation@oakpark.com DISPLAY ADVERTISING Dawn Ferencak, 708-613-3329 dawn@oakpark.com

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SALES Mary Ellen Nelligan, 708-613-3342 maryellen@oakpark.com NEWS/FEATURES Dan Haley, 708-613-3301 dhaley@wjinc.com

CALENDAR Carrie Bankes calendar@wjinc.com SPORTS/PARKS Marty Farmer, 708-613-3319 marty@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal is published weekly by Wednesday Journal, Inc. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Wednesday Journal, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302-2901. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, Illinois (USPS No. 0010-138). In-county subscription rate is $32 per year, $57 for two years. Annual out-of-county rate is $40. © 2016 Wednesday Journal, Inc.

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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The future of Rehm Park By MARTY FARMER Staff Reporter

Approximately 25 residents attended the Rehm Park community meeting hosted by the Park District of Oak Park at the Oak Park Conservatory on Sept. 21. John Mac Manus of Altamanu, the landscape architecture firm handling the design of Rehm Park, gave a PowerPoint presentation (can be viewed at www.pdop.org) followed by a questions and comments session from the attendees. Since the Rehm Park Master Plan was unveiled in 2008, about $500,000 has been spent on park improvements there. Upgrades include the additions of a Divvy Bike station, playground improvements, new trees, a walking path plus a GaGa Ball (a variation of dodgeball) pit near the tennis courts on the east side of the park. The park district also removed ash trees that were repurposed for the Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center. At the meeting, Mac Manus and Park District of Oak Park Executive Director Jan Arnold made two points clear: the discussion pertained exclusively to Rehm Park and not Rehm Pool, and future improvements are purely conceptual at this point in time. “We appreciate the feedback we received from those in attendance at the Rehm Park community meeting,” said Diane Stanke, the park district’s director of marketing and customer service. “The plan for the future of Rehm Park is based on the needs and wants of our residents.” There was consensus at the meeting that the addition of a permanent restroom attached to the Oak Park Fire Department building would be beneficial. Other favored ideas included better, more welcoming entry ways into the park, improved sightlines around the playground for parents to watch their children, a curb cut for bike access into the park, additional benches (particularly near the playground), and replacing playground equipment for children with traditional rather than modern equipment. Improved entrances would help reduce or eliminate people cutting paths through the grassy area of the park. The meeting also included a discussion about the possibility of adding a shelter/ picnic area equidistant between the sand volleyball courts, playground and main meadow so all areas can be viewed. A shelter at the east end of the park near the tennis courts was also discussed. Currently, two tennis courts and a GaGa Pit comprise that portion of the park. Several residents expressed support for keeping the two tennis courts, but felt the courts needed some cleaning/maintenance and perhaps a backboard for players. “The consultants [from Altamanu] are taking the information and developing an updated master site plan for Rehm Park,” Stanke said. “They will present in November or December.”

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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Saving sandstone sidewalks Oak Park’s historic goal

Slate sidewalks to be salvaged August Boulevard

120-year-old sidewalk panels could be worth more than $1.4 million By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter

Superior Avenue Erie Avenue

CTA Green Line Ridgeland Avenue

Oak Park Avenue

Pleasant Street

Madison Street

Gunderson Avenue

East Avenue

destrians. Kutz said that over the last century, many of the panels have been replaced with concrete creating a patchwork effect, and village planners would eventually like to fill in the gaps. In the coming years, the village plans to relocate some sandstone panels to create contiguous stretches of sandstone sidewalk, he said. “Another option is buying new sandstone [panels], but obviously there’s a price point with that,” he said. The village Historic Preservation Commission began studying the sidewalks in 2000, when planners began questioning whether the panels should be replaced or preserved. The report issued in 2006 noted that a survey of the village’s sandstone sidewalks identified a total 4,480 historic panels. “Of those, about 3,459 (80%) are in excellent condition with no work necessary except some minor leveling, while some 876 (20%) of the total are broken,” the report states. Kutz said the village also has applied for a grant through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program to advance the sidewalk rehab in the coming years. “We’re hoping to hear about the ITEP grant in the next few weeks,” he said. CONTACT: tim@oakpark.com

Harlem Avenue

From the famous Prairie-style architecture to the long list of former celebrity residents, Oak Parkers don’t have to look far to find the rich artistic and cultural history that permeates the village – in some parts of town its right under their feet. That’s because thousands of panels of sandstone sidewalk around Oak Park are the same ones in place when Frank Lloyd Wright, Ernest Hemingway and others strolled the neighborhoods of the village. Now, after more than a decade of study, Oak Park plans to begin leveling, repairing, and in some spots eventually replacing, the remaining sandstone panels that were first installed more than 120 years ago. The village recently issued a request for proposals from companies to begin work on the project, which is budgeted for about $25,000 this year. Doug Kaarre, the village’s urban planner specializing in historic preservation, said the sidewalks are more than just a historic amenity – the sandstone has a monetary value. The current value of the roughly 4,000 sidewalk panels could not immediately be learned, but a report on the project,

released by the village in 2006, estimated $1.4 million at roughly $400 apiece. “Sandstone walks and other improvements were installed by developers as early as the 1890s as a modern amenity in the subdividing and selling lots – mainly in the central section of Oak Park and Ridgeland,” according to the report. “Other subdivisions in the village followed the early example of the Fair Oaks subdivision [bounded by Ridgeland, Chicago, Oak Park Avenue and Augusta] and provided sandstone sidewalks as well.” The report also notes: “A few properties, most notably Cheney Mansion at 220 N. Euclid, have historic slate sidewalks.” Byron Kutz, assistant village engineer, said the panels were installed between the 1890s and early 1900s, “mainly in the central part of the village.” The panels weigh roughly 1,000 pounds each and are about three to four inches thick, Kutz said. The village released a map in 2006 showing the locations of the historic sidewalk panels, and Kutz said that while some have been replaced with concrete because of breakage not much has changed over the past decade. The recent request for proposals aims to reset about 35 to 50 sandstone panels that are an uneven “trip hazard” for pe-

290 Expressway

D200 greenlights clean-up cost, but with strings attached School board unanimously approved decision to allow village to use TIF for $3 million cleanup on Lake near Harlem By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

At a Sept. 22 regular meeting, the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 board voted unanimously, if somewhat grudgingly, to enter into a settlement agreement with the Village of Oak Park and District 97 that allows the village to use funds from the Downtown Tax Increment Finance District to cover the cost of cleaning up a contaminated development site. Earlier this year, construction planning on Elevate Oak Park, an apartment and retail development on Lake Street near Harlem, was delayed after testing found leaking petroleum tanks beneath the site

that required environmental cleanup costing up to $3 million. A 2011 legal settlement hammered out between the village and the two school districts requires all three taxing bodies sign off on any unplanned uses of Downtown TIF funds. District 97 was scheduled to vote on whether or not to approve the expenditure at a Sept. 27 meeting scheduled to take place after press time. D200 board member Steve Gevinson said the unforeseen cleanup expenses would cost the high school district more than $700,000 in TIF surplus funds it may have realized had the cleanup costs not come up. Gevinson said he wouldn’t have voted for the settlement agreement if school district officials hadn’t also

voted on a second amendment to the 2011 agreement, which would require the village to declare as surplus the $1.2 million that remains of the 2014 Downtown TIF funds after the $3 million cleanup costs are covered. Any 2014 TIF funds not included in that $1.2 million surplus would be distributed to the taxing bodies. In addition, the second amendment requires the three taxing bodies to open an escrow account out of which TIF surplus distributions would be made quarterly. The amendment, said D200 Board President Jeff Weissglass, came after heads of the three taxing bodies met to discuss the $3 million cleanup cost. Weissglass said, while he wishes the

village would have found ways to pass the cleanup costs off to the developer, he still values the village board’s judgement and felt that village officials “had to make the best decisions they could at the time.” Gevinson, however, wasn’t as generous in his remarks, calling the decision to fund the cleanup “a $3 million mistake,” adding that the village “is using TIF to spread the consequences of their mistake to other Oak Park taxing bodies.” Gevinson said cutting into school districts’ share of TIF surplus funds “should not be a standard strategy of the village for correcting actions that have unanticipated financial consequences.” CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

D90 balks at terms of Madison TIF payouts

School district wants cap on certain expenses By DEBORAH KADIN Contributing Reporter

A tax increment finance district for Madison Street in River Forest is probable. But whether taxing districts that are part of the proposed TIF will see any surplus distributions is uncertain. That is because River Forest School District 90 and the village are stuck on language for an intergovernmental agreement that would set the terms and timing of payouts. And positions don’t look like they’ll change in the near future. Village officials say that Madison Street, with its small lots and unusual configuration, is a tough sell to developers, and so financial resources and creativity will be needed. The same could hold true for North Avenue, where a TIF could be created next year. District 90, which sought the intergovernmental agreement, is voicing skepticism over what kind of expenses should be paid from the TIF fund before cash distributions are made to other taxing bodies. This has nothing to do with a lack of trust, school district officials say, but because they are carrying out their fiduciary responsibility.

The lack of an agreement led District 90 to vote against recommending the TIF at the recent meeting of the Joint Review Board, which includes representatives from all taxing bodies within the TIF area. But, the other taxing districts assessed the financial merits of the TIF district and voted 5-1 to recommend its creation. A representative for Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 did not attend the Joint review Board meeting, and that school board has not yet taken an official position on the intergovernmental agreement. Tod Altenburg, District 200’s chief school business official who has been a part of the negotiations on the intergovernmental agreement, told the school board last week that he would have “taken the same position as District 90” had he been there. A municipality declares a surplus when enough money is built up in the TIF fund. Funds are distributed by the Cook County Treasurer’s Office based on each unit of government’s percentage of the overall tax bill. Those distributions don’t come all at once, but over the 23-year life of the TIF, which the village is relying on to boost commercial property values and expand its commercial tax base. The dispute between the village and District 90 is over what costs ought to be paid for with TIF funds prior to disbursing the surplus. The village wants the agreement to

include terms approved by all parties in 1995 for the Lake Street TIF. District 90 wants those terms amended. In 1995, the agreement called for the following expenses to be paid from TIF funds prior to a surplus declaration: ■ Debt service obligations; ■ Operational expenses attributable to the TIF District including consultants, attorneys, financial analysis/audits and salaries/benefits for any work directly attributable to the TIF; ■ Expenses relating to any commitment related to a redevelopment agreement, project agreement, property acquisition, remediation or public infrastructure projects. Because of the Lake Street TIF’s success, District 90 received an $8.1 million surplus payout in 1998 and two more in later years, bringing the total to around $10.5 million. The last one was made in 2009-10. The intergovernmental agreement proposed for the Madison Street TIF, which the parties began discussing in June, is similar to the Lake Street agreement. The only difference is that River Forest is offering the taxing bodies an additional 50-percent surplus declaration in the 2017 levy year, to be payable in 2018, because it is a reassessment year. But District 90 officials want a larger percentage of the 50-percent distribution for 2017, and they want to get their disbursements before the village pays for operation-

al and related TIF expenses. District 90 school board President Ralph Martire was skeptical about operational expenses, saying they should be capped at $50,000 and that the village should provide documentation for them. If operational expenses are more than that, Martire said, “there is something screwy going on.” “It strikes me as a reasonable cap on [operational expenses] because that’s a total scam line in my opinion,” Martire said. Village officials disputed Martire’s claim, saying that during the Lake Street TIF, the village was careful on how funds were spent. But in a telephone interview with Wednesday Journal, Martire indicated the school district was standing firm. “The district will not enter into a bad long-term agreement that has too many potential problems to get a couple of dollars today,” Martire said. Without an intergovernmental agreement, Palm said, “there would be nothing requiring the village to make a surplus declaration in any year. It would be up to future trustees to decide on their own volition whether or not to do so.” No future discussions on the intergovernmental agreement are scheduled, officials from District 90 and the village say. A public hearing on the creation of the Madison Street TIF District is slated for Oct. 24.

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ak Park’s latest high-end condominium development is generating a lot of buzz in the community. Ranquist Development Group’s District House on the corner of Euclid Avenue and Lake Street in Oak Park has already sold approximately 25% of its highend condominium units, and for the next couple weeks, an exciting opportunity exists to customize your own new condominium home before construction begins. For anyone interested in creating a unique condominium penthouse in the heart of Downtown Oak Park, the time to act is now prior to mechanical drawings being completed for the entire building. During this two week period, buyers will have an unmatched opportunity to create the condominium home of their dreams. Ranquist’s Cory Robertson compares the process to building a custom home without the upfront expense or headaches. “Usually, to get a completely custom home, you have to buy a lot or home, pay cash for the construction and pay to live elsewhere for a year before you can move in. For us, even on a custom unit, we only ask for 20% earnest money down. You get to do the fun stuff like choose the finishes, but you don’t have to deal with the contractors and construction.”

During the next few weeks, top floor units of District House can be combined to create the penthouse home of your dreams. All penthouse units will have ten foot ceilings in the bedrooms and fourteen foot ceilings in the living spaces, and all come with private rooftop terraces. By getting in during the planning stages, buyers will have the opportunity to create the floor plan that best suits their needs.

Whether you envision an enormous, four to six bedroom penthouse, or would like to create a home with three bedroom suites and his and her offices, by getting in on the ground floor, you can tailor the space to fit your specific needs. Jump in now to create your own kitchen design and a traffic flow that suits the way you live. There may also be the opportunity to combine units on a lower, terrace level to create a customized home with enormous outdoor space. Robertson emphasizes that units are selling quickly and plan flexibility is only available for a short time. “Once construction drawings are complete in the next couple of weeks, we will have to cut off our combination conversations,” he said. Combined units will run from approximately $1.5 million to $2 million depending on the square footage and finishes, and all combined units will feature the architectural design and LEED-certified features that make the District House stand apart from other condominium projects. To inquire about this limited time offer to customize the penthouse home of your dreams, stop by the District House sales center at 805 Lake Street or call Frank Vithelic at 708.386.1810.

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Early Childhood Resources Early Childhood Center and Camp

West Suburban Temple Har Zion 1040 N. Harlem Ave. River Forest, IL 60305 708.366.9000 www.wsthz.org 2-5 years old 7:30 am–6:00 pm M-Th 7:30 am–3:30 pm on Fri.

Preschool and kindergarten programs for three, four, and five-year-olds Call for an appointment. 7300 Division St. River Forest 708-366-6900 graceriverforest.org

Helping parents be successful since 1980 708/848-2227 www.parenthesis-info. org Find us on Facebook.

Early Childhood Education at

Pilgrim Community Nursery School Celebrating 50 years. 460 W. Lake St. Oak Park IL, 60302 Phone: 708-848-5869 www.pilgrimschool.net Accepting students ages 2–5 years old.

First United Church Nursery School More than Just a School 848 W. Lake St. 708-848-4910 Find us on Facebook and at www.firstunited school.com Call for a tour and info about summer camp.

The Day Nursery

1139 Randolph Street Oak Park, IL 60302 708.383.8211 Call to Schedule a Tour! oakparkdn@att.net www.oprfdaynursery.org

• Open 7 am–6 pm • Serving children 2½–6 years old • NAEYC Accredited

Raise your profile in the community. Check the early childhood directory on oakpark.com for updated listings, maps, & current open house information. Call Mary Ellen Nelligan for details: 708-613-3342

Collaboration for Early Childhood Strong Start, Bright Future

D200 clarifies stakes in upcoming referendum

School board emphasises only one facilities option is up for a vote, Nov. 8

“The board does not endorse any alternative plan, and in particular the board has no plans to pursue the options for rebuilding the existing two pools in their current location that it previously considered,” the statement notes. “If the referendum fails, the board will begin new deliberations. The By MICHAEL ROMAIN risk that one or both pools will fail beyond Staff Reporter repair would also continue, with potential At a Sept. 22 regular meeting, the Oak implications for the PE curriculum and Park and River Forest High School District aquatics programs.” The board’s plan would replace the two ex200 school board voted unanimously to isting pools with a 40-meter pool adopt a statement clarifying the and a new garage at a total estireferendum question voters will mated cost of around $44.5 milsee on Nov. 8. lion (reduced from an earlier esThe statement notes that timate of $54 million by cutting the board “is committed to the some enhancements). No more 5-year facilities plan that it than $25 million of that total unanimously adopted on [Aug. would be funded by referendum 16] to add new learning spaces, bonds that are subject to voter improve and expand performapproval. ing arts spaces, and replace Option A, which was drafted the school’s two 88-year-old in June, calls for rebuilding the pools.” two existing pools in the spaces In addition, the board stated where they are currently located that it does not endorse an alterand repairing the existing ganative plan that is strongly farage at a total estimated cost of vored by the organization OPRF around $40 million (Pragmatic Pragmatic Pool Solutions. Pool Solutions contends that if On its website, OPRF Pragsimilar cuts were made to Opmatic Pool Solutions states, “We tion A, that estimate would be are not anti-pool. Most of us less). support improving the aquatics During the Sept. 22 meeting, facilities at OPRF, but we favor District 200 board President a more pragmatic approach than Jeff Weissglass said he was adthe plan selected by the school D200 board statement vised by experts that it’s typical board. VOTE NO on the bond for boards to make a statement issue that supports the more “about what happens in the wasteful plan and send a mesevent of a failed referendum.” sage to the school board to follow “I agree with the statement,” said board through with Option A.” But at the Sept. 22 meeting, several board member Fred Arkin at the Sept. 22 meetmembers sought to clarify the board’s Aug. ing. “If this referendum [fails], as a board 16 vote for the estimated $44.5 million plan, member I would look to start basically from which effectively eliminated any other plans square zero.” from consideration. CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

DATE

Mid Week Special

WEDNESDAYS

Courtesy Frank Loyd Wright Trust/James Caulfield

LOCAL LANDMARK: The historic River Forest Women’s Club was meticulously restored and also converted into a single-family home a little more than a decade ago, but the unusual building is having trouble attracting a buyer. It’s possible the building could be used for a civic or organizational purpose once more, but the village of River Forest – and of course neighbors – would have their say on such a change.

HISTORIC HOME

‘Endlessly fascinating’ from page 1 War. Dozens of meetings and events have been held in the building’s auditorium and it became a center of civic engagement in River Forest. But, in later years, dwindling membership and myriad maintenance issues forced the women’s club to part with the building. The future of the house was in jeopardy in 2002-03. Developers had eyed subdividing the property into two lots and demolishing the clubhouse if a buyer could not be found. In 2005, the club made plans to donate the building to the River Forest Park District, which had been renting the property for various uses. The park district, however, was unable to commit to preserving the building for the long term and the village did not have authority to landmark the site, said a spokesman for Landmarks Illinois. The building was in such a tenuous situation that it was placed on Landmarks Illinois’ Most Endangered Historic Places list in 2005. Paul Coffey, who grew up in River Forest looking at the building, which inspired him to consider architecture as a career, said he watched the building suffer and decline. “No one wanted it. I feel we all have responsibility to the community to be stewards,” he said. So he and his wife, Ellen, in 2005 decided to buy the house and committed around $2 million to restore it, both upstairs and downstairs. Over 18 months, with guidance from Don Kalek, a professor of historic preservation and architecture at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago – plus a lot of research -the Coffeys retained the building’s two-story auditorium and brought back missing parts, such as the porte cochere.

The interior was repainted an earthy pine brown. Most of the living space was placed in the basement level. A below-grade patio and entrance were in the rear; landscape was done by noted landscape architect Jens Jensen. It’s been restored to its original glory. It is more than a model of historic preservation, because it has a number of sustainable elements as well, Paul Coffey said, including solar panels and a geothermal heating and cooling system. Their efforts led them to receive a Richard H. Driehaus Foundation preservation award in 2008. The structure is one of 296 architecturally and historically significant properties in River Forest. The Coffeys were saviors of the property and were dedicated to restoring it, said Suzanne Germann, the director of grants and easements for Landmarks Illinois. After renovations were concluded, to ensure that the building remains a community treasure, they donated a preservation easement on the property to protect the site in perpetuity, she said. Any changes to the interior and the exterior of the property would need to be reviewed and approved by Landmarks Illinois, Germann said, which is aiding the Coffeys in finding a new owner. The home is listed on the organization’s website. The house, which is listed for sale at $1,350,000, has been on the market off and on for four years. And despite the accolades and its high-quality restoration, the Coffeys have not found a new owner. There are certain assumptions one needs to relax to live in a space that is a non-conventional home, Paul said. “Such as the fact that there are no walls in the master bedroom. However, the fact that you have no walls allows you to live surrounded on three sides by sunlight,” he said. “In the depths of the winter, I have found this to be a blessing. “Some people find having an auditorium and a stage in your house an unimaginable thing. However, I have found that space to be endlessly fascinating. While it’s unusual, my

family has enjoyed suspending convention to experience living in this unique home.” While it could remain a home, it also could be repurposed. A prospective owner wanting to do the latter will have to take the plans before either the River Forest zoning board or the development review board, based on what they want to do with the building, Cliff Radatz, River Forest’s building official, said. There may be community meetings to see if people may have alternative ideas, Germann said. “We would encourage [any new owner] to contact us to help them determine the best use of the building. We are here to help them,” Historic Preservation Commission Chairman Tom Zurowski said. During the years the Coffeys have lived in the house, they have discovered new details and nuances that Drummond create, like moments of wonder as light passes through the clerestory windows at different times of the day and year. “Because it is a place of wonderment, it was a great place to raise our children,” Paul said. “We’ve enjoyed watching the way their imaginations engage with this special building. This design combined with the pristine condition of the building creates a welcoming environment for the next inhabitant, whether it be used toward its original intent or continues to be used as a home.” Village President Catherine Adduci said there may be a limited use for the building because of the easement. Finding a buyer who would recast it for civic use could prove challenging, because there may be few organizations that could pay for the structure and sustain the cost of maintenance and other factors. That said, Adduci said she was pleased that the Coffeys restored the building to its original grandeur and hopes they can find a suitable buyer. “I hope they find someone who will take a liking to the home … someone who loves historic buildings and wants to live in it,” Adduci said.

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Join us for the

High Holidays!

WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff Photographer

ITCHING TO EXPAND: Patrick O’Brien, owner of Scratch Kitchen and Lounge, says his new Scratch restaurant in Oak Park will be twice as big as his current location.

Welcome to our warm and inclusive Jewish community!

Forest Park restaurant expands to Oak Park location Scratch Kitchen to open on Lake St. near Oak Park Ave. By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter

Rosh Hashanah Sunday, October 2 • 6pm Monday, October 3 • 8:45am Tuesday, October 4 • 8:45am

Kol Nidre

Tuesday, October 11 • 7pm

Yom Kippur

Wednesday, October 12 • 8:45am

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Adir Glick, Rabbi Dr. Victor A. Mirelman, Rabbi Emeritus Stewart Figa, Cantor

Children’s Programming on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Pre-school thru 8th Grade For holiday tickets or membership information, please call or email us at 708.366.9000 / ofﬁce@wsthz.org

1040 N. Harlem Ave., River Forest • 708.366.9000 • wsthz.org

Fans of Forest Park’s Scratch Kitchen and Lounge will soon be able to crack open a cold one at a new location coming to Oak Park. The second Scratch Kitchen aims to open later this year at 733 Lake St., according to owner and head chef Patrick O’Brien. O’Brien, who has worked as general manager of Avenue Ale House, 825 S. Oak Park Ave., and executive chef of Cucina Paradiso, 814 North Blvd., said he’s had success with the first Scratch location, which opened four years ago, and has always aimed to expand. He said the new restaurant will seat about 120 people, roughly double the size of his Forest Park restaurant, and will have a similar style and feel as the original location. “The burgers, mac and cheese and fries will take center stage like in Forest Park,” O’Brien said. He said the only main difference at the new Scratch will be a more upscale bar with craft beers on tap. “We’ll still do cans of beer,” he said, one of Scratch’s signature offerings. Oak Park Scratch will also feature a 3 p.m. menu with comfort foods like fried chicken, meatloaf and pot roast, O’Brien said. And like the Forest Park restaurant, the new Scratch will have live music, bingo and trivia. “You’ll still know it is Scratch,” he said.

He said the build-out of the restaurant and getting the proper permits and licenses are currently in the works, and he hopes to have the doors open by Nov. 1. O’Brien always aimed to open additional locations but has no plans to expand into the city of Chicago. “I don’t want to go down and compete with all the funky burger places in the city,” he said. “I’m the funky burger place in the suburbs.” David King & Associates served as the leasing agent for the new restaurant. “I couldn’t be happier with Scratch opening a second location in the Oak Park and Lake business district,” he said. “It’s offerings of gourmet hamburgers and the mac and cheese will serve a more moderately priced, fun segment that I believe is missing from the area.” CONTACT: tim@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

A new Vantage point

New Oak Park downtown high-rise opens its doors to the public By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter

It’s been more than a decade in the making, has taken many forms — at one point it was pitched as a hotel — but on a cool September evening, the developers of Oak Park’s new high-rise luxury apartment building finally got their day in the sun, literally. Developers from Golub & Co. were joined by local business and government leaders, apartment hunters and local looky-loos on Sept. 20 for the grand opening of Vantage Oak Park, the 21-story, 270-unit mixed-use luxury apartment building at the corner of Lake Street and Forest Avenue. State Rep. Don Harmon (39th), Oak Park Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb, Village Manager

Cara Pavlicek and other Oak Park dignitaries sipped cocktails and snacked on fancy hor d’oeuvres on the building’s rooftop terrace, with downtown Oak Park as the backdrop. Golub literally rolled out the red carpet in the first floor lobby and invited visitors to check out the model apartments — rents ranging from $1,332 a month for a 486-squarefoot studio to $3,070 for a two-bedroom apartment with a den. Golub in recent weeks announced Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Edward-Elmhurst Health as the two commercial tenants that will occupy the 25,000 square feet of retail space on the first two floors of the building. The Vantage tower also includes a 588-space parking garage. It’s been a long road for Michael Glazier, who has served as lead developer of the Vantage Project throughout. Operating under Sertus Capital Parnters, Glazier early on proposed building a 19-story hotel at the location. But the world financial collapse in 2008 brought building projects across the nation to a halt. As the economy began to recover, Glazier returned in 2011 with the proposal that ultimately would become the Vantage project. It is expected to bring an estimated 400 new residents to the village and $1.3 million in annual tax revenue. The project cost an estimated $100 million-plus to build and includes roughly 75,000 cubic yards of concrete.

LOOKING UP: Vantage Oak Park held a grand opening earlier this month for prospective residents and those interested in seeing Oak Park’s tallest building. Take a video tour of the new tower at www.oakpark.com TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER/Staff

Students join song-around-the-world event

Alcuin Montessori takes part in United Nations Peace Day By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

For the entire day on Sept. 21, one song, “Light a Candle for Peace,” was sung by more than 150,000 schoolchildren from 65 countries around the world, according to the website of the Sing Peace Around the World movement. The global musical project was organized by numerous Montessori schools to celebrate the United Nations’ International Day of Peace. At 10 a.m. that day, more than 135 students, faculty and staff members at Alcuin Montessori School, 324 N. Oak Park Ave., in Oak Park tuned up for the marathon singing session in their own unique way. The students performed their rendition in American Sign Language. In addition to singing, the students also displayed artwork they created which was designed to reinforce the day’s focus on peace. “This event is meant to highlight the importance of peace around the world and that our children have a strong ability to make a difference,” said Gina Gleason, director of Alcuin Montessori. “Peace education is a key component of the Montessori philoso-

WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff Photographer

GIVING PEACE A CHANCE: Alcuin Montessori students and staff participate in the UN’s International Day of Peace on Sept. 21. phy, integrated throughout the curriculum for all of our students, from birth through middle school. It’s just as important as math, language, and music in the creation of a well-rounded child.” Shweta Tejani, a senior elementary teach-

er at Alcuin, said students also shared stories of what the UN’s Peace Day meant for them. “In terms of the initiative they take, it often ranges from helping someone out, making care packages for homeless people

or by trying to bring a change to their community,” said Tejani, who noted that Maria Montessori, the founder of the Montessori education movement, “was acutely aware of how a relationship with children based on wisdom, skill, and observation naturally leads to harmony, peace and love. She then concluded that the only way to world peace was through an education based on developmental principles reveled by the child.” Alcuin officials said peace education is a primary component of the Montessori curriculum, which features a peace table in classrooms on which items that help students feel safe and calm are displayed. “Often, children need places to sit and enjoy some peace and quiet while they may be listening to others,” said Tejani. “Some need to observe their surroundings first and orient to a new environment before taking action themselves. Many are often overstimulated and need reminders of things to do and say to handle conflicts — whether it’s with other children or a conflict they are having that’s personal. Either way, they benefit from a place where they have the freedom to go.” Before Alcuin launched into “Light a Candle,” the song was started hours earlier in New Zealand. The marathon singing session ended later that day in Hawaii. CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Winning lotto ticket sold in River Forest $350,000 ticket sold at Mobil gas station still unclaimed

By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter

Did you buy a Quick Pick Lucky Day Lotto ticket at the Mobil gas station at 754 N. Harlem in River Forest? Did you? Think hard. Because if you did, you could have a check for $350,000 waiting for you. That’s right, you could be rich! Well, kinda. The Illinois Lottery announced that one of two winning tickets was sold at the Mobil – the other was sold in downtown Chicago at Manhattan Mart, 454 S. Clark St. And now for the winning

ticket number: 04-18-31-34-38. The winning number was picked in the Illinois Lottery’s Sept. 20 drawing. Retailers who sold the tickets also will get a prize of $3,500. If the ticket is yours, write your name on it and keep it in a safe place, the Illinois Lottery says, and if anybody asks you about it, tell ‘em you don’t know nothin’. Then contact one of the Lottery’s five prize centers in Chicago, Des Plaines, Rockford, Springfield or Fairview Heights. The Illinois Lottery gives ticket holders one year to claim the prize, so don’t be lazy; go collect your riches.

Oak Park Trustee Barber to run for second term

Candidate says village should continue attracting new business

ference in the village over the last four years, particularly in the area of economic development. He also lauded the performance of Anan Abu-Taleb as mayor. Barber said he will seek the endorsement of the Village Manager Association, the local political organization that endorsed Barber in the By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter last election. Barber said he plans to run with or without the Oak Park Trustee Peendorsement. ter Barber, who former“I’m going to respect ly served as president the VMA process,” he of the District 97 elsaid. The VMA will beementary school board gin its selection process before being elected soon. to the village board in He said the village 2013, has announced he has made progress in will run for reelection its 2014 revamp of the next April. Oak Park Economic DeBarber, 57, an execuvelopment Corporation, PETER BARBER tive vice president at the a quasi-governmental Village Trustee Chicago-based marketentity tasked with ing firm Lipman Hearne, bringing business to said in an interview announcing his Oak Park. reelection campaign that he believes The restructuring of OPEDC, the board of trustees has made a dif- where he serves on the executive

board, also dovetailed with the reorganization of Oak Park’s building department, which he said has made a big difference in attracting developers to the village. He said that when he was first elected to the board, the village had a bad reputation for working with developers and those seeking various building permits – but Oak Park’s reputation is improving, Barber said. He said the village still needs to take a holistic approach to address the shortage of parking and continue focusing on how to reduce fees and taxes. With three trustee seats and the village president/mayor post up for election next spring, Barber is the first to declare his intention to run again. Trustee Colette Lueck has said she is done after two terms. Uncertain at this point are the intentions of Trustee Glenn Brewer and Abu-Taleb. Abu-Taleb has suggested he will make a final decision on re-election in October. CONTACT: tim@oakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Be the wind beneath my wings

Help me prepare for XXX Wing Eating Contest at Jake Melnick’s

ning at 6:30). So I figure I can generate some dollars for my grandson’s nonprofit school in Oakland, California. But I need suggestions and advice about how I might prepare for such an event and get through it with minimum n Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m., I’m gastro-intestinal distress while going to be participating generating maximum dollars in the super-hot XXX for charity. Wings Challenge at Jake Here’s what I have so far: Melnick’s in Chicago. 1. Night before: Tummy Here’s part of the invitation I stretcher. I slam back about four received: Local Dining cans of lager (a super session “If you’re willing to take on & Food Blogger beer — Miller’s or something the challenge, we’ll donate $50 like that) to extend my stomach for every wing you eat to the cavity to maximum capacity. charity of your choice, and 2. Morning: Gym. Lots of ab work, not you’ll earn your place in Jake’s ‘Wall of to tighten but to loosen gut, preparing it for Flame.’” chow onslaught. Our Original XXX Wings, voted Best Hot 3. Late lunch: Tummy prep. I eat about Wings at Chicago Wingfest in 2010 and 2012 3 cups of white rice, bananas and Peptoand featured on ABC’s Nightline and Last Bismol. Need to lay down a solid foundation Call with Carson Daly, feature habanero, of relatively bland carbs, for absorptive ghost pepper and Trinidad scorpion pepper. capacity and ballast. I will soak the wellDon’t worry, XXX Hot Wings are served salted rice with ghee because it seems an with cooling agents to fan the flames and oily mass will be best for blunting heat your very own fireman’s helmet. It’s a blast. The stickiness of the banana be10-minute challenge and the event will take comes a kind of cement, holding everything place 6-7:30 p.m. (with the contest begintogether, and the Pepto-Bismol is the only

DAVID

HAMMOND

‘s

“medicine” I’m taking to counteract acidity. 4. 45 minutes before event: Gary Wiviott, my friend and Barn & Company Pitmaster, suggested eating some hot sauce to “acclimate” the body to the heat (not sure about this). 5. 5 minutes before event: a. Rub olive oil on lips to keep tender lip tissue safe from capsaicin onslaught. b. Put on safety glasses and Latex gloves. 6. Immediately preeating: a. Drink stomachcoating agent: shot of olive oil. b. Drink neutralizing agent: quick pint of chocolate milk. Milk is probably the best way to counter the effects of capsaicin, and I plan to bring another carton with me to the event. Why not just plain milk? I like chocolate, and sugar seems to be a good substance for counteracting heat. 7. Eating procedure: a. Pull meat from wings with fingers so as to avoid eating excess sauce off bones

Photo by David Hammond

Jake Melnick’s wings, b. During first 7 or so minutes, create pile of meat, separated from bones c. Eat quickly d. Take spoonful of semi-melted chocolate ice cream between bites of wings I’m hoping to generate a few hundred dollars for my grandson’s school. Help. Please. Open to suggestion.

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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ASSAULT

Conflicting stories from page 1 about his correspondence with an Oak Park police detective working on the case and gave a different and more detailed account of the events that led to the attack on Maffris. Oak Park police have not yet responded to a Freedom of Information Act request and multiple requests by phone for the June 16 police report of the incident. Police have stated that the teenager in question said Maffris tried to sit in the lap of his female friend. That prompted the teenager to punch Maffris, Oak Park Police Commander LaDon Reynolds said on Sept. 22, one day after Maffris died of his injuries. Block tells a different story that he heard from an Oak Park detective working on the case. He said Maffris was interviewed by police shortly after the incident. He eventually was sent to Rush Medical Center in Chicago due to cranial bleeding. Maffris was later placed on a ventilator and given a feeding tube as his condition worsened. Block said he was told by police that a stage was set up in Scoville Park that day next to the library and some teenagers were doing a dance routine. Maffris also was

Joseph Maffris dancing and encouraged a young girl sitting on the stage in the park to dance along. Block said he was told Maffris accidentally brushed up against the girl at one point. Maffris left the park and went into the Oak Park Library. When he came out of the library at about 6:25 p.m., two teenagers were waiting for him and a verbal altercation ensued, Block said. “Joe said, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong,’” Block said. A woman, whom Block identified as a 54-year-old school teacher, tried to intervene, and said, “Leave him alone. If you’ve got a problem, then call the police.”

The two teenagers turned to leave, and then the 13-year-old allegedly “suckerpunched Joe on the right side of his head,” according Block. “It cause him to momentarily black out; he ended up hitting his head solidly on the concrete sidewalk,” Block said. “The school teacher had the foresight to stay there and call the police.” Block said he was told that police arrived and took statements from witnesses. Reynolds said last week that the teenager was first charged with misdemeanor battery and released to his guardian, but those charges were later upgraded to two counts of aggravated battery, both of which are felonies, after Maffris died of his injuries. The teenager is currently under the supervision of his guardian and is awaiting trial. Block described Maffris as “an innocent soul” who loved to dance and sing karaoke. “I can’t imagine somebody like Joe trying to sit in her lap; he would never do that,” Block said. Block first made his opinion known in the comments section of the original story published about Maffris’ death on Wednesday Journal’s website on Sept. 22. “If there was ever a person whose soul and heart were pure, it was Joe,” Block wrote. “His family and friends, and there are many, will never be able to fill the void left by this tragic and senseless death.” In a telephone interview, Block acknowledged the youth of the teenager who as-

saulted Maffris and said, “We just want him to get the help he needs.” “Maybe because of this he’ll dedicate his life to helping people like Joe did,” he said, adding, “I don’t want to compound the tragedy.” CONTACT: tim@oakpark.com

Join the conversation Please send Letters to the Editor to ■ KTRAINOR@wjinc.com or ■ Wednesday Journal, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 Include name, address and daytime phone number for verification.

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff Photographer

A FUTURE STAR?: Oak Park native and rapper Christopher Harris, whose stage name is Chris Crack, is making an impact on Chicago’s underground hip-hop scene.

Rapper, producer making their mark By MICHAEL ROMAIN Staff Reporter

The past few years have been kind to Oak Park native and full-time rapper Christopher Harris, 30, who goes by the stage name Chris Crack. His 2015 self-released album Public Domain 4 garnered a respectable review by Pitchfork magazine, which noted that the Oak Park and River Forest High School graduate has “played local support for acts like Slick Rick, Mystikal, and Can Ox.” Last May, Crack was the subject of a Twitter shout-out from the actor John Leguizamo after the Carlito’s Way star was mentioned in a song, “Wanna See a Dead Body?” on which Crack collaborated with his two musical mentors, the widely respected underground rapper Vic Spencer and the rapper/producer Tree. “I’ve contemplated quitting almost every day,” said Crack during a recent interview in his Austin apartment. “This isn’t very lucrative, but it’s like right when you want to quit, that’s when things start happening.” Crack’s elevated stature in the Chicago hiphop scene didn’t come out of nowhere. The rapper, who currently lives on Chicago’s West Side, developed his sound alongside his longtime best friend and roommate Paul Gulyas, 30, who goes by the name Cutta and is something like Crack’s muse (the rapper shouts out his best friend in virtually every song). In their teens, the former Longfellow and OPRF classmates would meet inside of Cutta’s parents’ basement studio, cranking out mischief and music during rambunctious jam sessions that, in the beginning, were heavier on the mischief than the music. “It was pretty much us [messing] around and recording,” Gulyas said. “It would be a bunch of people in the basement. Over the years, people would fall off. It wasn’t really who they were. They were just doing it for fun, so the crew got smaller and smaller.

Now, it’s really just us and our one mission is to make great music.” The duo, who call themselves the New Deal Crew, have since gotten more serious about the work that goes into making a career of this. Crack sounds like a craftsman recalling that he learned from Spencer how to write his lyrics in a more efficient and workmanlike way. They are now focused on cultivating a sound that Pitchfork music critic Winston Cook-Wilson described as “lightly psychedelic,” “personable,” a bit quirky and spontaneous, less ambitious than atmospheric (“On every level, this is music that is about just living, moving forward and getting by, told from the perspective of a proverbial Lothario and party-hunting nomad, loose in the city at night”). But during the day, Crack talks about properties he owns, which allow him to rap fulltime, a process that varies by the season. A small shelf of books underneath the television betrays deeper sensibilities, which the rapper said “make up like 80 percent” of his lyrical content — Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine, W.E.B. DuBois’ The Souls of Black Folk, Michael Moore’s Stupid White Men and Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. “If you play 10 songs, eight of them will have that [stuff] in there,” Crack said. “It’s like super-conscious. I feel like that awareness [of injustice and systemic racism] skipped the last generation.” Cutta, who produces much of Crack’s music, is also a musician in his own right, working as a full-time sound engineer for live concerts. But the pair is right where they want to be. “Most people aren’t in this music thing forever,” said Crack. “Some just do it for months, some try to make a hit and some do it for a couple of years. Then you’ve got people out there who are like, ‘Yo, I’m going to die doing this.’” CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

C R I M E

Two allegedly involved in Sept. 9 carjacking charged

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Hillside police say that two juveniles involved in a Sept. 9 carjacking incident have been charged with vehicular hijacking, but at least one and possibly two others believed MONTHS ^ to be involved in the incident — which Plus included a police chase through Forest NEW 2016 Park and ended when the hijacked vehicle ** + /mo crashed on Harlem Avenue at the I-290 interx 24 OFF ^^ change — remain at large. Months* or Lease For MSRP *10,000 miles/year. $2500 due at signing + $0 sec. dep. plus tax, title, license, Police reportedly sought to charge the two and doc fees. Mileage charge of $0.25/mile over 20,000 miles. Stk. #B1968 captured juveniles as adults, but the cases And are being handled by the Cook County Juvenile Justice authorities. Police expressed disappointment in that decision. “These guys are dangerous,” said Detective Sgt. Carlo Viscioni of the Hillside Police Department. “Why they were on the street to NEW 2016 NEW 2016 NEW 2016 do this is unfathomable to me and my chief.” ** ** ** It’s unclear whether the two juveniles arrested by police are still in custody. According to police, four or five suspects /mo /mo /mo x 24 x 24 x 24 hijacked a black Jaguar in the parking lot of Months* Months* or Lease For or Lease For Months* or Lease For a gas station at 442 Mannheim Road in Hill*10,000 miles/year. $1000 due at signing + $0 sec. *10,000 miles/year. $2000 due at signing + $0 sec. *10,000 miles/year. $2500 due at signing + $0 sec. side about 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 9. Viscioni said dep. plus tax, title, license, and doc fees. Mileage dep. plus tax, title, license, and doc fees. Mileage dep. plus tax, title, license, and doc fees. Mileage a handgun was recovered from that vehicle charge of $0.25/mile over 20,000 miles. Stk. #B812 charge of $0.25/mile over 20,000 miles. Stk. #B2019 charge of $0.25/mile over 20,000 miles. Stk. #B2300 at the crash site in Forest Park. Police also reported that another vehicle, a limousine reported stolen during an armed robbery four or five hours earlier in Chicago, was involved in the incident. Both the limousine and the Jaguar were reportREGULAR edly seen speeding from the scene of the NEW 2016 NEW 2017 NEW 2016 CAB WT Hillside carjacking. The limousine was lat** ** ** er found abandoned in Bellwood. Police believe the same offenders were involved in the theft of the limousine, since it /mo /mo /mo x 24 x 24 x 24 was at the gas station when the carjacking Months* or Lease For Months* Months* or Lease For or Lease For occurred. *10,000 miles/year. $2400 due at signing + $0 sec. *10,000 miles/year. $3000 due at signing + $0 sec. *10,000 miles/year. $2500 due at signing + $0 sec. Officers from multiple police agencies dep. plus tax, title, license, and doc fees. Mileage dep. plus tax, title, license, and doc fees. Mileage dep. plus tax, title, license, and doc fees. Mileage chased the Jaguar, which headed east on I-290, charge of $0.25/mile over 20,000 miles. Stk. #B1291 charge of $0.25/mile over 20,000 miles. Stk. #B1801 charge of $0.25/mile over 20,000 miles. Stk. #B2124 exited at Desplaines Avenue and then weaved through Forest Park before crashing while OIL CHANGE, TIRE ROTATION CABIN AIR FILTER trying to re-enter I-290 at Harlem Avenue. & MULTI-POINT INSPECTION REPLACEMENT The occupants of the vehicle — Forest Park police reported there were five people Not valid on prior service. Valid at listed location who bailed out, but Hillside police could not Not valid on prior service. Valid at listed location only. No cash value. Synthetic and diesel only. No cash value. Expires 9/30/16. thatBusiness number — ran from the car. additional cost. Expires 9/30/16. Nice Peopleconfirm To Do With Three headed down the east ramp; one of Nice People To Do Business With those subjects was apprehended by police. Nice People To Do Business With One ran northbound on Harlem Avenue and Nice People To Do Business With was captured by police. A fifth occupant Nice People To Do Business Nice People To Do Business With With may have run down the west expressway ramp, eluding capture. One of the three who fled down the east 8401 ROOSEVELT RD. SERVICE: SALES: ramp, 17-year-old Tyrece Coleman, of the 290 (Roosevelt Just East of 1st Ave.) M-Th 7-7 M-F 9-9 7400 block of South St. Lawrence Avenue in FOREST PARK, IL Fri. 7-6 SAT. 9-7 294 Chicago, died from injuries sustained after 38 Roosevelt Rd. SAT. 8-4 he jumped onto the expressway from the TEXT US AT 708-628-5903 ramp while being chased by police. Cermak According to Forest Park police, one of CurrieChevy.com the suspects who fled on foot to the east was Dealer not responsible for errors in this advertisement. 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However, Viscioni said there have been no reports of a car being hijacked on the expressway at that time or place. “It’s not unusual for guys doing this to have chase cars or follow cars,” Viscioni said. “Or it could be someone who was just assisting someone being chased by the police. There’s been no follow up in regards to someone saying they were carjacked in the Eisenhower.” Viscioni also stated that at the time of the police chase from Hillside, a separate carjacking incident was reported in Broadview. It is unclear whether that incident was related to the one in Hillside.

Robbery An Oak Park woman was robbed of her cell phone in the 600 block of Division Street on Sept. 25 at about 4:05 p.m. The offender was described as a black male in his 20s, standing about 6-foot 2-inches and weighing about 120 pounds and wearing an orange T-shirt. He reportedly ran up behind the woman, who was walking, and stole her iPhone 6S from her hand. The offender then mounted a green BMX-style bicycle and rode northbound on East Avenue. He was last seen on Berkshire. The loss was an estimated $550.

Damage to government property ■ A village-owned H-14 Rhino vehicle boot was damaged in an attempt to remove it from the wheel of a 2004 Jeep Cherokee in the 500 block of Wenonah Avenue. The boot was discovered damaged on Sept. 22. The damage was an estimated $535.

Armed robbery arrest ■ Willie Johnson, 23, of the 1100 block of North Latrobe in Chicago, was arrested on three counts of armed robbery for an incident that occurred on Sept. 16 in the first block of Madison Street. Johnson was arrested in the 2100 block of West Roosevelt Road in Chicago on Sept. 21 at 5:15 p.m.

These items, obtained from the Oak Park and River Forest police departments, came from reports, Sept. 9-25, 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 Timothy Inklebarger and Bob Uphues

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

Heroic Beethoven JAY FRIEDMAN, Music Director

Sunday October 2, 2016 - 4PM Dominican University Performing Arts Center 7900 W. Division, River Forest

Celebrating 85 Great Years of Glorious Music! The Symphony of Oak Park & River Forest

BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) Winston Choi, soloist

BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) Pre-concert Conversation at 3PM with David Leehey. Season tickets (4 concerts) are $100 or $90 for seniors (65+). Students through college are free. Single tickets are available at the door for $28.

Please help us Pay It Forward: bring a cash donation or item for the OPRF Food Pantry and be rewarded with a free pass to our Maestro Riccardo Muti Open Rehearsal. It’s the Can-Do Challenge to ‘can-cel’ hunger in our community.

For tickets call DUPAC at 708-488-5000 or visit www.SymphonyOPRF.com. Call 708-218-2648 for more information about the orchestra.

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

NEED TO REACH US?

oakpark.com/real-estate editor Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

Homes

South side rising

New construction is happening south of the Eisenhower By LACEY SIKORA

Contributing Reporter

n a land-locked suburb such as Oak Park, there isn’t much room for newly constructed homes, but on the south side of town, more and more new homes are popping up anyway. An inventory of low-cost homes that can be deconstructed, empty lots, plus demand for larger, updated homes is part of the reason the south side is seeing more new construction action than the rest of the village. This summer, 1122 Wisconsin sold in just over one month for its asking price of $949,900, a likely record for a single family home south of the Eisenhower. The six-bedroom, five-bathroom house was newly constructed on an undeveloped lot. While its exterior was crafted to look right at home in a neighborhood of bungalows and Victorian-era four-squares built a hundred years earlier, the home’s size, layout, efficiency and multiple bathrooms were clearly from the 21st century.

Clinton Avenue trio Just a few blocks away, two new homes and one nearly new home on the 900 block of Clinton are testing the market for high-end, new construction. Developer Stacey Zontini of Eddy Street Properties is collaborating with Oak Park-based builder Bob Picchiotti and Coldwell Banker Stratford Place realtor Laura Catrambone-Gerace on all three houses. Currently under construction, 946 and 944 Clinton promise amenities hard to find in older housing stock. The first floor of each home will be open-concept with kitchens connected to living and dining rooms. The second stories will include three bedrooms, including a master suite, and a separate full bathroom. The attics are being finished to include another bedroom and full bathroom, as well as a family room space.

Provided

OLD LOOK, NEW CONTRUCTION: At 937 Clinton, the previous structure was taken down to the foundation, and this new home built in its place. Full-height basements, mudrooms, plenty of bathrooms and large closets make these houses stand apart from their older neighbors. The corner property, 946, is on the market for $924,900, and Catrambone-Gerace reports that 944, with an asking price of $899,900, is under contract. Down the street, the team took 937 Clinton down to the foundation, dug and re-poured the foundation and created an entirely new home on top. What was once a small stucco, one-story home is now a three-story frame house that Catrambone-Gerace is marketing for $849,900. Zontini calls the home, “new

and modern, but with a traditional Oak Park feel.” The new, open concept kitchen’s high-end appliances includes two ovens and opens to a family room with a bar, creating a gathering and entertaining space that Zontini believes today’s young families are interested in. On the second floor a master suite fronts the house, and two other bedrooms share a hall bath. The finished third floor includes a fourth bedroom and third full bath, as well as a den. The high-ceilinged basement includes another, fully-finished space for family to gather.

Of the finishes and mechanicals, Zontini noted, “We definitely did not skimp in this house. As builders, you walk into similar houses in a similar price range, and it’s not as nice. You walk through here, and it’s nicely finished. We spent a lot of money on things you don’t even see, like the plumbing, the furnace and the hot water tank. We don’t want to be everyday cookie-cutter. We’re more specialized. I sort of design the houses on how I’d like to live there.” See RISING on page 29

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

PREVIEW HOUSE Produced by the Advertising Department

Open House October 2, 1:00PM-3:00pm Opera Club! 110 South Marion Street , Units 408 and 508

New Price! Large Floor Plans! Best location in town! Each unit is now $535,000 For more information please visit 110SMarionStreet408.info

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Road Trip on the Horizon? Let us know we’ll hold your paper!

Email: circulation@oakpark.com

Lavish Redevelopment!

ocated on a tree-lined cul-desac, 432 South Humphrey is a contemporary, 4,200 square foot Chicago-style home. Step into an astonishing transformation: golden sunlit rooms with soaring 10’ ceilings, crown moldings, detailed baseboards, walnut-stained hardwood floors and magnificent windows. On the first floor you’ll find an opulent living room with a gas fireplace, plus a large dining room, and a gracious powder room. Walk through the archway and in to a breathtaking kitchen/great room with a large island, under-lit cabinets, quartz countertops and Five Star/Samsung appliances. Adjoining the kitchen is a breakfast area and wet bar. The second floor has four bedrooms and a laundry room. The master suite includes an impressive marble bath with dual vanities, soaker tub, and shower. A grand walk in closet completes the package. The fully finished lower level includes a family room, a spectacular full bath, and a massive fifth bedroom. 432 S. Humphrey will be open this weekend, 12-2 on Saturday and 1-3 on Sunday. For more information, please contact Robert Royals from @Properties, 312.607.0801 or visit 432SouthHumphrey.info

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Generations of Excellence since 1958

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STUNNING ENGLISH TUDOR in the perfect location. Two level Party Deck. Three Car Garage. Family room off eat-in kitchen with stainless steel appliances. Lower level recreation room with wet bar. Close to schools, Lindberg Park and transportation. .................................................................................................$755,400

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BEAUTIFUL, SPACIOUS, MOVE-IN READY VICTORIAN. Enjoy an inviting open front porch, rich oak floors, beautiful natural woodwork, pocket doors between LR and DR, and stunning, original leaded glass windows. Eat-in kitchen, expansive finished basement. Two garages. ...........................................................................................................................................$728,000 PRICE REDUCED! ATTRACTIVE BRICK COLONIAL HOME recently painted and hardwood floors redone, offers the modern updates you want! Huge Liv Room with Fireplace, open and updated kitchen floor plan, 1st fl office, four BRs. Attached 2 car garage, LL Family Room, Laundry and Storage........................................................................................................$709,000 PRICE REDUCED! BEAUTIFUL KENILWORTH PARKWAY! 3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath Classic Colonial. Brick, slate roof, curb appeal galore and move in ready!!! Walk up attic, lower level playroom, screened porch overlooks exquisite landscaped backyard. Ideal location. All you need to do is move in!...................................................................................................................$689,900 CHARMING, BEAUTIFULLY MAINTAINED 4 bedroom, 2 bath home. Tasteful updated décor blends seamlessly with original details which include natural wood and art glass windows. Cooks kitchen, family room, spacious finished basement, three car garage. $499,000 QUINTENSSENTIAL OAK PARK HOME! This 3BR, 1-1/2 BA home offers lots of space to grow. Enter thru the substantial light filled Living Room, proceed to the Dining Room with coved moldings. 1st floor family room located right off the kitchen. Generous sized bedrooms. ..........................................................................................................................................................$485,000 CLASSIC OAK PARK HOME ready to move right in. Spacious LR with brick fireplace, formal DR and hardwood floors throughout. Updated kitchen, 3 nicely sized BRs on the 2nd fl and enclosed porch off the back. Finished fam rm in bsmt, enclosed backyard. ....................$409,000 VALUE MAY BE IN THE LAND. Major renovation needed to the house. Being sold “As Is”. .....................................................................................................................................................$250,000 BEAUTIFUL THREE BEDROOM BUNGALOW with large rooms, double living area and nice location. Oak floors, well maintained, freshly painted and easy to move into! Spacious pantry, enclosed back porch and/or mud room, inviting front porch, many additional storage areas. ................................................................................................................................................$236,500 GREAT CHARM in this lovely 2 bedroom, 2 bath home on a quiet street. Why own a condo when you can own a cute house with a backyard. Hardwood floors, Enclosed front porch, Side drive. Walk to everything: Transportation, shops and restaurants......................................$219,000

1433 KEYSTONE • RIVER FOREST OPEN SUNDAY 10:30-12:30

N E W L IS T ING! METICUOUSLY MAINTAINED BRICK GEORGIAN with 3 bedrooms, 1-1/2 bath, an open floor plan, expansive kitchen, and spacious family room. Living room has wood burning fireplace. Partially finished basement, entertainment deck, landscaped yard, two car garage. ....................................................................................$339,000

RIVER FOREST HOMES A ONE OF A KIND HOME! Impeccable restoration of original home with a fabulous addition surrounded by lush professional landscaping. Gorgeous decor & architectural detail throughout, yet warmly welcoming, house is perfect for intimate or grand scale entertaining. .......................................................................................................................................................$3,750,000 BURMA BUILT BUHRKE HOUSE combines Tudor revival & chateau style architecture elements. Gorgeous décor and impeccable attention to detail and care found in house and landscaped grounds, extends to fabulous in ground pool and patios. Perfect for entertaining. .......................................................................................................................................................$2,649,000 RESTORE THIS HOUSE with fabulous curb appeal or Build your dream home on this 100’ x 184’ lot. .......................................................................................................................................$1,400,000 HANDSOME AND BEAUTIFULLY MAINTAINED traditional brick home for those who appreciate tradition and elegance. Distinctive home offers 5BRs, 2 full/2 half baths. Professionally landscaped fenced yard with in-ground pool and spa. Ample storage in basement..............................................................................................................................................$1,389,000 GEORGOUS FRENCH NORMANDY with 5 bedrooms, 5 full & 5 half baths sits on a 75 foot corner lot. Gleaming hardwood floors and fireplace in LR, simply stunning eat-in kitchen with adjoining family room. Lower level rec room with gas fireplace. Beautifully landscaped grounds. .......................................................................................................................................$1,139,000 BEAUTIFUL STYLISH UPDATED HOME with 4 BRs, 3.2 BAs on four floors of living space. Includes LR w/ frpl, new high end kitchen, Breakfast Rm, 1st FL office. LL has Fam Rm, Rec Room, Laundry, Wine Cellar and Full Bath. 2 car garage with extra storage and rooftop deck. ........................................................................................................................................................$1,049,000

OAK PARK HOMES UNPRECEDENTED ESTATE in the Frank Lloyd Wright Historical district of Oak Park! This meticulously renovated 5 BR, 5 full / 2 half bath property offers exquisite details and refined finishes that boast timeless materials and over the top custom millwork. This is a showcase home!...........................................................................................................................................$2,525,000 BEAUTIFUL ESTATE HOME in Historic Oak Park with a perfect blend of modern and vintage details including hardwood floors, leaded glass windows and a grand staircase. Large rooms, tall ceilings and a lot of windows make this 5BR, 3-1/2 BA home spacious and bright. .......................................................................................................................................................... $949,500 CLASSIC BRICK COLONIAL has it all! Move right in to this 4BR, 2BA home. Tastefully decorated, updated gourmet kitchen that opens to family room, and hand turned French doors that open to DR. Addl fam room on lower level. Great house for entertaining! ..............$865,000 SO MUCH TO SEE, LOVE & ADMIRE in this renovated 4BR/3.5BA American Four Square. You will love the renovated the 3rd floor w/a MSTR suite featuring a high end bath, plus an office. Other features include a new back porch retreat, Fin LL Rec Room, 3 plus car garage. ..$765,000 ROOM FOR EVERYONE and stunning finishes throughout. Newly finished kitchen features 2 dishwashers and a built in bar with beverage center. Top end bathrooms. Master Suite features a deck, walk-in closet and a redone bath. Beautiful decorating. Beautiful landscaping.$745,000

FOREST PARK HOMES JUST MOVE IN!! Meticulously maintained new construction built in 2006. Open floor plan features 10 foot ceilings, hardwood floors, and many custom details from crown molding to door handles. High end kitchen. 4 generously sized BRs. Open basement ready to finish. ....$489,000

ELMWOOD PARK HOMES MANOR BRICK COLONIAL HOME sits on an over sized lot w/ mature, professional landscaping. Expansive family room with hardwwod floors and vaulted ceiling, generous sized bedrooms with ample closet space, finished basement with separate laundry room. Many updates! ........................................................................................................................................$419,000 GEORGIAN STYLE HOME boasting three levels of living space. Solid brick home sits on double lot. Basement has eight foot ceilings and is finished with bedroom and family room. Home has all new stainless steel appliances. 2.5 car detached garage with driveway and alley access. ..............................................................................................................................................$417,650

P R I C E R E D U C E D! BEAUTIFULLY MAINTAINED HOME features a detailed LR, DR and kitchen with east facing sun/breakfast room on 1st FL. 2nd FL features sun filled library w/fireplace, large master suite. Finished basement includes a family room with a fireplace and a game room. .....................................................................................$983,000 METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED BRICK GEORGIAN. Features 3 bedrooms, 1 full bath, 1 powder room. Updated kitchen, 1st floor family room, generous sized living and dining room. Partially finished basement with laundry and storage room. Beautiful yard, 2 car garage. ...........................................................................................................................................................$302,000

CONDOS/TOWNHOMES/2 FLATS RIVER FOREST 2 Flat.............................................................................................................$499,000 RIVER FOREST 2BR, 2BA, Eastern facing balcony. ..........................................................$209,900 NEW LISTING! RIVER FOREST 2BR, 1BA. .................................................................$135,000 RIVER FOREST 1BR, 1BA. Entertainment area. ..................................................................$99,000 NEW LISTING! OAK PARK 3BR, 2-1/2 BA. .................................................................. $560,000 OAK PARK 3BR, 3-1/2 BA. Large corner unit. ....................................................................$489,000 OAK PARK 3BR, 2-1/2 BA. Finished basement...................................................................$325,000 OAK PARK 2BR, 1BA. Redone corner unit. ..........................................................................$149,999 OAK PARK 1BR, 1BA, Convenient location ............................................................................$84,900 NEW LISTING! OAK PARK 1BR, 1BA. ..............................................................................$52,000 FOREST PARK 2BR, 2BA, Spacious corner unit ................................................................$289,000 FOREST PARK 2BR, 2BA. Large balcony. ...........................................................................$178,000 FOREST PARK 2BR, 2A. West facing balcony. ..................................................................$150,000 PRICE REDUCED! FOREST PARK 1BR, 1BA. ...............................................................$89,500 ELMWOOD PARK 4BR, 2-1/2BA. Stunning unit. ...........................................................$195,000 ELMWOOD PARK 2BR, 1-1/2 BA. Remodeled corner unit............................................$169,900 ELMWOOD PARK 1BR, 1BA. Top floor. ...............................................................................$85,000 NEW LISTING! ELMWOOD PARK 1BR, 1BA. .............................................................$74,900

For more listings & photos go to GagliardoRealty.com

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

In The Village, Realtors®

189 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 (708) 386-1400 HomesintheVillage.com

April Baker

THIS WEEK’S FEATURED PROPERTIES 1030 S KENILWORTH AVE OPEN SUN 12-2 PM

1646 HARVEY AVE OPEN SUN 1-3 PM

Joelle Venzera

Mike Becker

River Forest • $1,499,000 4BR, 3.1BA Call Jane x118 Roz Byrne

Oak Park • $469,800 3BR, 2BA Call Kyra x145

Berwyn • $234,000 4BR, 2BA Call Steve x121

River Forest • $1,450,000 4BR, 3.1BA Call Elissa x192

Oak Park • $919,000 5BR, 3.1BA Call Gary x125

Oak Park • $649,500 3BR, 2.1BA Call Roz x112

Oak Park • $390,000 3BR, 1.1BA Call Kerry x139

Oak Park • $344,900 3BR, 1.1BA Call John x180 Haydee Rosa

Kelly Gisburne

Oak Park • $325,000 3BR, 3BA Call Kelly x113

Forest Park • $289,000 Multi unit Call Dorothy x124

Kerry Delaney

Forest Park • $257,000 3BR, 3BA Call Joe x117

Berwyn • $234,900 3BR, 1BA Call Mike x120

Marion Digre

Morgan Digre

John Spillane

Kris Sagan

Tom Byrne

Laurie Christofano

Harry Walsh, Managing Broker

Dorothy Gillian

Ed Goodwin

Joe Langley

Dan Linzing

by our office • View all properties listed erties listed • View thousands of prop throughout Chicagoland on of Luxury Homes • View the Remax Collecti erties • View Foreclosure Prop • View Open Houses ur neighborhood • View recent sales in yo

Linda Rooney

Kyra Pych

Gary Mancuso

Jane McClelland

Keri Meacham

Alisha Mowbray

Elissa Palermo

Steve Nasralla

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

1139 Lathrop, River Forest $1,049,000

ELEGANT & REFINED! Perfect for entertaining with spacious rooms and gracious layout. Gorgeous handcrafted details like plaster moldings and carved stone mantel in Liv. rm. Sunny kitchen and open dining area connect to a huge family room w/fireplace. Courtyard and landscaped backyard. Both 2nd floor BAs were recently updated w/ top of the line finishes. Two additional enCall Laura! suite living quarters for guests, nanny or office. Heated, attached two-car garage. A second detached garage w/ loft can handle an RV or boat! 1200 bottle, climate controlled wine cellar. Walk to Schools, Library and Parks!

1526 Clinton Pl, River Forest

UNDER CONTRACT

730 Linden Avenue, Oak Park $769,000 :: 4 bed :: 3.2 bath Oak Park landmark with a light-filled, open floorplan. Beautiful home in a great location!

1416 Ashland Ave, River Forest $1,599,000 :: 5 bed :: 4.3 bath Grand French inspired stone estate on extra large lot. Large bedrooms and open floor plan.

PRICE REDUCTION

1142 Franklin Ave, River Forest $1,600,000 :: 4 bed :: 4.5 bath Custom modern 6000 sq. ft. home. Dramatic design and unique detailing throughout.

847 Clinton Pl, River Forest $1,195,000 :: 4 beds :: 3.5 baths Beautifully designed center entrance brick colonial with a gourmet kitchen. Walk to train.

410 Kenilworth Ave, Oak Park Architecturally significant Arts & Crafts 6bd/3.1 bath home located on one of the best blocks. $1,389,000

KATHY & TONY IWERSEN

4BR 3.5BA • $775,000

GORGEOUS STONE Georgian. Modern amenities! Fully renovated in 2014. Open layout on 1st flr perfect for family, entertaining. Sep office space. 2nd flr feat 4 BRs, laundry, balcony, master suite. Finished Bsmt has full BR. Call Laura!

OPEN SUNDAY 2-4PM

Price Drop!

David Gullo, Managing Broker

708.567.1375

GulloAssociates@gmail.com

511 Lathrop, River Forest 3BR, 2.5BA • $544,900 Charming Tudor, walk-to-everything location! Light and airy home, great for entertaining. Updated kitchen feat granite counter tops, a casual dining area and high-end appls. Lovely living and formal dining rooms. East facing sunroom, the perfect spot for your Call Laura! morning coffee! Master suite has generous closet space, and a large BA with double sinks. Two other nice sized BRs and full bath round out 2nd flr. Finished basement is perfect for family and kids. Landscaped, backyard has newer paver patio. Don't pass this one by!

JUST SOLD

Laura Maychruk 708.205.7044

LMaychruk@comcast.net

Talk to your neighbors, then talk to

OPEN SUNDAY 11:30-1:30PM 230 S. Scoville, Oak Park New Listing! • 5BR, 3.5BA $849,000 INCREDIBLE REHAB! Newer windows, HVAC, Electric, Rf, Kit, BAs etc. Kit with center island, applncs. Large fam rm. Master Ste, walkin closet, BA. 3rd flr + 5th BR, BA. Front/back porches, landscaped grounds. Walk to everything!

Margaret Jones 708.804.0368

Mark Finger 708.990.8115

Terry!

Call Laura!

See why State Farm® insures more drivers than GEICO and Progessive combined. Great service, plus (708) 383-3163 discounts of up to 40 percent.*

Terry Lemley State Farm Agent

7616 Vine St., River Forest 3BR, 2 Full BA • $599,900

Terry and his staff are licensed and together have over 75 years of State Farm experience.

BUNGALOW with many upgrades, like new! Fabulous state-of-the-art designer kit and fam rm addition. Baths have been completely updated. Basement is fully finished. Call Laura!

823 S. Harvey, Oak Park 4BR, 2.5BA • 3 Car Garage $579,900

Call Laura!

BEAUTIFUL REHAB Almost everything is NEW! Gorgeous finishes, spacious rooms, incredible layout make this the ONE!

W W W. G U L LO R E A L E S TAT E . CO M

708.772.8040 708.772.8041 tonyiwersen@atproperties.com

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.® CALL FOR A QUOTE 24/7.

191 N. Marion, Oak Park, IL 60301 • Fax (708) 383-2107 905 South Lombard Ste. 2 Oak Park, IL 60304

Email: terry@terrylemley.net www.terrylemley.net • www.statefarm.com *Discounts vary by states. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company; State Farm Indemnity Company, Bloomington, IL

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Serving Our Community For Over 70 Years

114 North Oak Park Avenue Oak Park, Illinois 60301

HOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY 9AM-5PM SATURDAY 9AM-4PM • SUNDAY 10AM-2PM 723 WOODBINE • OPEN SUN 2-4PM

708.524.1100

OAK PARK. GORGEOUS OAK PARK HOME near award-winning schools. Chef’s kitchen, OAK PARK. TIMELESS CLASSIC HOME with master ste, 4+1 BRs, 3.1BAs, finished bsmt. x many updates. 4BR, 2BA. New kitchen, Nat’l wd & ..................................................................... $875,000 flrs, fam rm. Big yard. x.........................$529,700

www.gloor.com

OAK PARK. SPACIOUS PRAIRIE school home on double lot 5BR, 3.1BA. Choice location! x .....................................................................$925,500

RIVER FOREST. SPACIOUS PRAIRIE SCHOOL home built in ‘06 w/classic architectural design & contemporary amenities. 4BRs, 4½BAs. Family rm. SPECIAL! x ...........................................$1,225,000

OPEN HOUSES • SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016 OAK PARK OPEN 12-2PM • 718 S. OAK PARK AVE

FOREST PARK OPEN 1:30-3PM • 1318 ELGIN

SMART, FRESH & EXCITING! 3BR, 1.1BA home in perfect loc’n. Stylish décor. Updated kit. Deck. C/A. Lots more! x............$459,000

OAK PARK. STEPS FROM METRA & Green Line. Spacious 2BR vintage condo, remodeled kitchen & BA, lndry in-unit, C/A, sun rm, office, huge yd & gar pkg. x............................. $279,000 OAK PARK REDUCED! LIKE GREEN SPACE? Love to Entertain? Exceptionally restored, expanded home on private park-like lot offers huge family rm/ kitchen combo. 6BR, 3.2BA. x ......................................................... $1,925,000 GREAT VICTORIAN in Estate section. Beautiful details: wdwk, glass & hardware. 5BRs, 3,2BAs. Updated kit & BAs. Newer systems. x .............................................................................................................$1,150,000 A WOW VICTORIAN w/6BRs & 3½BAs. Designer eat-in kitchen, original wdwk & 3rd flr home office. Too much to list! x .............$850,000 UNIQUE BRICK HOME w/extraordinary pegged oak flrs, cathedral ceiling LR & limestone kitchen. 4BR, 2.2BAs. Gorgeous garden. 2-car gar. x ................................................................................................................$699,900 CAVALCADE OF PRIDE winner on a fabulous lndscpd lot. Interior rich w/birch wds & stained/leaded glass windows thru-out. 4BRs, 2.1BAs. Hi-ceiling bsmt. C/A. x ........................................................................$699,000 SPACIOUS 4+1 BR, 3 BA bungalow beautifully finished on 3 levels. A must see up-to-date classic. x...........................................................$695,000 UPDATED 3BR, 3.1BA w/lovely woodwork, leaded glass windows, large FR, french doors and much more! x...................................................$624,900 UNIQUE CLASSIC Prairie-style home. 3BRs, 2.1BAs. Newly remodeled kitchen. WBFP. Fam rm. 3-tier cedar deck. Enjoy! x........................$599,000 THE PREFECT classic brick home. 3BR, 1.1BA. Hdwd floors, wood burning frplc, breakfast rm & tandem. x..................................................$580,000 ENJOY LIFE IN FLW Historic District. 5BRs, 1½BAs. Spacious LR w/ FRPLC. Family rm. Great yard! x .........................................................$519,000 ORIGINAL OAK PARK HOME. Tremendous space in this 5BR, 1½BA Gunderson. Beamed ceiling, stained glass, pocket drs, WBFP & hdwd floors. x ...............................................................................................................$499,000 SUN-FILLED COLONIAL. 3BRs, 2 new full BAs + ½BA. Hdwd flrs. Wd cab kitchen w/pantry. C/A. Deck. Great house. x ..........................$489,000 SURPRISE INSIDE! Fantastic spc in this deceptively lrg cottage offering 2BR, 2BA, wonderful lot, + deep, dry bsmt. Super loc’n, worth the investment! x ....................................................................................................$459,000 BEST VALUE in town. Move right into a freshly painted & carpeted 3BR, 2.1BA. Awesome bsmt & great location. Tons of space. Fall in love! x ..............................................................................................................$409,000 ENJOY ONE LEVEL living in the 3BR mid-century brick ranch in NW Oak Park. Hdwd flrs. C/A. Spacious LR & separate DR. Full bsmt. Great yd. 2-car gar. x ......................................................................................................$389,000 ARTS DISTRICT vintage charmer on a corner lot! Updated kitchen. 4 BRs, 1BA. x.....................................................................................................$385,000 THREE BEDROOM, 1.2 BA Gunderson on one of OP’S fav blocks. 3-season porch, den & attic. Charming fixer-upper! .........................$365,000 SOLID BRICK bungalow in super location - large rooms and great yard. x ..............................................................................................................$279,000 VERY NICE 3 BR, 2BA. Huge living room, eat-in kitchen, finished basement. 2014: roof, boiler & hot water heater! x.................................$239,000 ATTENTION REHABBERS! 3BR, 1.1 BA farmhouse style home on large corner lot. Lots of potential. ...........................................................$220,000

PERFECT 10! New kitchen, BAs, roof, furnace, 4 BRs, 2 baths waterproofed & finished basement. x...........................................$399,000

CONDOS/TOWNHOUSES OAK PARK OPEN 2:30-4PM • 721 ONTARIO #302

OPEN 2-4PM • 723 WOODBINE OAK PARK. TIMELESS CLASSIC HOME with many updates. 4BR, 2BA. New kitchen, Nat’l wd & flrs, fam rm. Big yard. x ................................................................................................................................................$529,700

RIVER FOREST OPEN 12-2PM • 527 THATCHER QUEEN ANNE Victorian w/open frt porch on lrg lot! 6BRs, 2.2BAs. Dble parlor. Frplc. Great location near train, schools, park. x ........................................................................................................................................$649,000

FAB UNIT, FAB LOCATION! Great architectural details & mod amenities. 2BR, 2BA. Priv. deck. 2 deeded gar spcs. x .......$495,000

OPEN 12-2PM • SHOWROOM AT 139 S. OAK PARK AVE.

NEW CONSTRUCTION! New standard of luxury! 1808-2200 SF units, 3 BRs, 2 indoor pkg spaces, spacious terraces, eco-efficient LEED certified. ................................................................Pricing starts at $649,900

OPEN 1-3PM • 248 S. MARION, #101

NICELY UPDATED eat-in kitchen in this bight & spacious 2BR condo. Great location. Parking. .................................................................$153,000

RIVER FOREST

VACANT LAND

MAGNIFICENT HOME! 5BR, 4.2BA Tudor built on massive 200 x 188 lot. Rehab & addition offer modern amenities. x........................$2,999,000 SPECTACULAR 6 BR, 3.2 BA on amazing block. 4 flrs of living space. High-end, designer kitchen & vaulted family rm. x ...................$1,580,000 PERFECT ATTENTION TO DETAIL. 5BR, 2.1BA home w/coach house. Chef’s kitchen w/over-the-top amenities. Family rm. Much more! x .............................................................................................................$1,165,000 FANTASTIC RANCH w/open floor plan. 3 BRs, 2.2BAs. WBFP. Large MBR ste. 1st flr lndry. C/A. Att garage. x..........................................$609,000 IMMACULATE & UPDATED 2-story brick home on deep lot. 3BRs, 2.1BAs. Remodeled kitchen. New MBA w/Jacuzzi. C/A. Lovely! x ...............................................................................................................$594,000

OAK PARK. LOCATED IN CENTRAL OP this vacant property is yours with immediate possession possible. Make an offer! ............$399,000

FOREST PARK TASTEFULLY DECORATED 3BR, 2.1 BA home in prime loc’n. Beautiful new kitchen & BAs, & C/A, new windows, plumb & electric.x...$399,000

OTHER AREA HOMES CHICAGO. BELMONT-CRAIGIN bungalow. 2BR, 2BA. Nice kitchen! Rec rm +3rd BR in bsmt! x .................................................................$172,500 CHICAGO. UNBEATABLE LOCATION! 2BR, 2BA boasts lots of amenities such as a deck, upgraded decorative windows, 2015 roof & more. ...................................................................................................................... $339,000 DOWNERS GROVE. DARLING 2BR, 1BA home sitting on a 50 x 296 lot has potential. Close to train, school & shops. .................................$344,900 ELMWOOD PARK. WANT TURNKEY? 3 BR, 1.5 BA on great lot. This is the home for you! x..................................................................$338,000 ELMWOOD PARK. GREAT HOME, terrific location – can’t ask for more! 3 BR, 2BA. C/A. x........................................................................$249,000 ELMWOOD PARK. CUTE 3BR, 2BA in terrific location - great kitchen and yard. x ............................................................................................. $227,000 ELMWOOD PARK. A MUST SEE! Spacious 2BR bungalow with super yard. x .............................................................................................$169,00

CONDOS/TOWNHOUSES OAK PARK JUST LISTED! IN THE HEART OF TOWN, 2BR, 1BA condo w/ view of lovely lndscpd courtyd. Ceiling to flr windows. Open flr plan. Pkg. ........................................................................................................................$155,000 STYLISH & SPACIOUS Decker bldg. unit on 2nd flrs. 3BR, 2.1BA. Wellmaintained. Move right in! x..............................................................$299,000 CLEAN CORNER CONDO facing south and east. 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. Large closets. Covered pkg. A deal at .....................................................$169,900 NICE VIEW. Tastefully decorated, ready for the next owner. 2BRs, 1BA. In-unit W/D. Balcony. ................................................................................$160,000 WELL-LOCATED & UPDATED 2 BR, 2 BA condo in the heart of DTOP. Updated kitchen & BA. Elevator bldg! x............................................$156,900 ATTRACTIVE 1BR UNIT in a beautiful bldg. Galley kitchen, living rm & den – ideal 1st home................................................................................ $152,000 IDEAL LOCATION close to DTOP, library, Scoville Pk, & transportation. 2BR w/new flrs. Elevator bldg. Parking. ................................................$125,000 GREAT AFTERNOON sunlight brightens the space in this 1BR, 1BA condo with working fireplace & hdwd flrs. ..........................................$108,000 PERFECT LOCATION. Freshly painted vintage 1 BR condo with 2 parking spaces. .....................................................................................................$95,000

ONLY

LEFT!

INCOME

COMMERCIAL OAK PARK. MIXED USE BLDG. 1st flr: lrg commercial spc – approx. 3000SF. 2 apts on 2nd flr: 3BR, 1BA /1BR, 1BA. 2-car gar. 1st flr handicapped access. Call for more info. ........................................................................$395,000

Starting at $649,900 EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

CONDOS/TOWNHOUSES RIVER FOREST VERY CLEAN, attractive & affordable brick townhouse. 2BR, 1.1BA, bonus LL rec rm. Parking...........................................................................$159,000

CONDOS/TOWNHOUSES FOREST PARK

Call for a FREE Market Analysis today!

RARE 3 BEDROOM at the Grove with balcony & patio. Granite & SS applnces. 2-car garage. x.....................................................................$349,000

CONDOS/TOWNHOUSES OTHER AREAS LOMBARD. HIGH-END 3BR, 2BA spacious corner unit in newer building. x .......................................................................................................$317,000 WHEELING. LIGHT-FILLED 3-STORY townhouse with many fantastic upgrades. Recently decorated, hardwood floors. C/A. x ..............................................................................................................$299,900

COMMERCIAL RENTALS OAK PARK. OFFICE SPACES in lovely Art Deco bldg. 2 Elevators. Entry handicap equipped. Tenants pay electric. Public pkg. Call! Rent ranges from ............................................................$2,616/mo to $898/mo WESTMONT. CLASSIC STORE FRONT/walk in office on busy street. 2 blocks from Metra train. In-suite restrooms and kitchen. Great exposure. ................................................................................................$1,525/mo

We Need Your Home!

Housing stock is low... This is the time to sell.

DESIGN SHOWROOM OPEN SUNDAY • 12-2PM Located at 139 S. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park

RIVER FOREST. MUCH MORE THAN A 2-FLAT. Side-byside living. 3BRs, 2.1 BAs in each unit. Hdwd flrs. C/A. 3½-car garage. x ...............................................................................................................$799,000

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

SUNLIT & SPACIOUS 1BR, 1BA unit with central air. Updated kitchen. 1 parking space.................................................................................................$89,000

OAK PARK. BEAUTIFUL VINTAGE 3 BR unit! Spacious rms, lots of sun, fresh paint, hdwd flrs, 2 BAs, garage pkg, nice backyard, pets ok!! x ..............................................................$298,000

A New Standard of Luxury in Oak Park. • • • • • • •

11 spacious, deluxe residences Close to vibrant downtown Oak Park 3 bedroom units 2 indoor parking spaces 1808-2969 sq. ft. units Spacious terraces Eco-efficient- LEED certified

Don’t Miss Out on Pre-Construction Pricing!

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

RISING

New construction from page 23

Allowable teardowns Contractor Picchiotti, whose firm, Homestead Remodeling, is building all three Clinton houses from the ground up, said this reimagining older spaces is happening with great frequency. “This kind of construction is very similar to what’s happening in Chicago,” he said. “People are taking two-flats and old houses and converting them into singlefamily homes because that’s what people want.” Zontini agreed, saying the trend is moving west to Oak Park. “I think what we’re starting to see more of in south Oak Park is people buying these little homes, tearing them down or adding on a floor. You can’t do that in north Oak Park because the taxes there are more than double and the prices of the properties are too high.” Some may think that teardowns are prohibited in Oak Park, but it’s not entirely true. “You can tear down a house in Oak Park, as long as it’s not in a historic district,” said Doug Kaarre, the village’s urban planner. “You can also tear down a house in a historic district if it is classified as a ‘noncontributing’ structure. Anything not protected by our local preservation guidelines can be demolished. The one exception is homes that are designated as landmark homes, even if they are not in a local historic district. We probably have about 15 of those in Oak Park.” There are only a few blocks south of I-290 in a historic district: the south side Gunderson district on Home and Wenonah Avenues. Two of the aforementioned Clinton houses, 944 and 946, are being built on the site of what was once one smaller house on two lots. The Wisconsin Avenue house was built on a lot that formerly belonged to the house next door. When the house was sold, the realtor marketed the side lot as a separate lot, and a developer bought it and built 1122 Wisconsin there.

Provided

IN PROCESS: (Left) 944 S. Clinton Ave. (Right) 946 S. Clinton Ave. Local realtor Michael Nowicki of Oak Park’s Gloor Realty said a quick scan of the MLS reveals that, prior to 2016, the highest sales price for a single-family home south of 290 was the pre-real estate crash sale of a new home constructed on the 1000 block of Home Avenue, which sold for $839,000. Nowicki said the interest in new construction south of 290 makes sense on several fronts. Of the older homes being torn down, he said, “Cost of the existing property is a huge factor. It obviously increases the profit margins for the developer.” The new homes fill a niche, he added, for

families in the community. “These large, newly developed houses are not only beautiful, but they are also meeting a need. A conundrum I often see is growing families looking for a larger house within their current school district. The schools in south Oak Park are excellent, and the families that make up that area are loyal to their community networks, so it makes sense that they are willing to pay a higher price to upgrade within that community.” Catrambone-Gerace said the trend of building new will continue on the south

Provided

SOUTH OF THE IKE: The interior of 937 Clinton is all new.

side due to the wide range of buyers interested in new construction. “I think this appeals to buyers from the city and Oak Park. You have people who want to stay in Oak Park but want more space. You also have interested buyers from the city because houses like 937 Clinton in the city would start at $1.5 million. Coming from the city, this looks like a steal. As time goes on, you’ll see this kind of thing happening to a lot of these houses around here.”

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Your local face of real estate since 1933. OPEN HOUSE • SUN. 12-2 309 N KENILWORTH AVE

Oak Park

$990,000

Amazing 6 bed, 4.1 bath Queen Anne designed by Patton and Fisher in the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District. Architectural details, enormous windows and hand-carved central staircase. Music room, enormous eat-in kitchen, SpacePak Central Air. Newer boiler heat and water service. So Much More! Steve Scheuring & Arrick Pelton - ID# 09348862

OPEN HOUSE • SUN. 12-4 300 S OAK PARK AVE

OPEN HOUSE • SUN. 2:30-4:30 240 S EAST AVE

Oak Park

$675,000

Amazing space in this updated 3 bed, 3 bath home. Great open flr plan with updated kitchen flows into a spacious DR, gorgeous hdwd flrs throughout, family rm, sunroom/office, basement with recreation rm, newer HVAC, newer water heater, bluestone patio, 2 car garage with exterior 3rd parking space. Catherine Simon Vobornik - ID# 09324568

OPEN HOUSE • SUN. 1-3 721 ONTARIO ST UNIT 202

OPEN HOUSE • SUN. 1-3 1018 AUGUSTA

Oak Park

$519,000

Spacious 4 bed, 2 bath home with 3-season porch, natural woodwork and built-ins, private office, kitchen features quartz counters, stainless steel appliances, island, and breakfast bar. Large master bedroom with walk-in closet and shared master bath, finished basement, deck and patio! Oversized 1-car garage + 2 exterior spaces. Bethanny Alexander - ID# 09328095

OPEN HOUSE • SUN. 1-3 835 N MARION ST

OPEN HOUSE • SUN. 1:30-3 847 S KENILWORTH AVE

Oak Park

FEATURE PROPERTY

$519,000

Updated 3 bed, 1.1 bath American 4-Square features remodeled 3 season enclosed front porch, wood burning fireplace, pristine wood floors, detailed trim, colorful leaded glass, Frank Lloyd Wright inspired light fixtures, mission style radiator covers, dining room with beamed ceiling, nursery and full unfinished walkout basement. Bill Geldes - ID# 09314369

OPEN HOUSE • SUN. 12-2 517 S HIGHLAND

1023 Hayes Ave, Oak Park

Oak Park

$499,000

Beautiful 4 bedroom, 1.1 bath Oak Park Victorian on corner lot in the heart of it all! Grand foyer with built-in bench, vintage detail throughout...pocket doors, hardwood floors, natural oak woodwork and two fireplaces. Newer high-end kitchen, updated baths, central air, newer boiler and hot water heater, 3 car garage and MUCH More! Ann Keeney & Jane Swibel – ID# 09327973

Oak Park

OPEN HOUSE • SUN. 12-2 1185 S TAYLOR AVE

Oak Park

$319,900

4 bed, 2 bath home with hardwood floors, enclosed front porch, large living room, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen and mud room. Large bedroom on 2nd floor offers built-in shelving and dresser; potential for master suite, recent updates - C/A, furnace, roof and privacy fence, partially finished basement and garage. Catherine Simon-Vobornik – ID# 09195424

$490,000

Duplexed 2 bed, 2.1 bath condo features elevator to the private unit entrance, gas fireplace, high-end kitchen, master suite with skylights in vaulted ceilings, 3rd level loft office space with walk-out balcony area. The 2nd level also features the home’s large 2nd bedroom with its own en suite full bath. So much more! Steve Scheuring – ID# 09245479

Oak Park

$319,000

Updated 1816 sq ft 3 bed, 2.1 bath home. Everything is new! New hardwood floors in living room, dining room and eat-in kitchen, family room, laundry room, central air, deck off kitchen overlooks fully fenced yard and 2 story, 2 car garage with loft/office space and 60 amp panel and gas line. So much more! Catherine Simon-Vobornik – ID# 09347100

NEW LISTING

NEW PRICE

Westchester

Oak Park

$320,000

Charming 3 bed, 2 bath brick bungalow features hardwood floors, decorative fireplace and built-in shelving. Formal dining room, newer nice sized kitchen, enclosed back porch, pantry storage, basement features a family room, full bath and private office. New water heater, boiler and sump pump. 2 car garage plus an extra parking space. Catherine Simon-Vobornik - ID# 09308183

OPEN HOUSE • SUN. 3-4:30 834 N AUSITN BLVD

NEW PRICE

NEW LISTING

Forest Park

$419,000

Fresh and clean and ready to move in! This 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath home has wood burning fireplace in living room and lower level family room, gleaming hardwood floors, nicely finished family room in basement, 3 season enclosed porch overlooks nice deck and generous yard and side drive to 1 car garage. Peggy Letchos – ID# 09291192

$284,000

Contemporary architecture, split level 3 bed, 2.1 bath home offers floor to ceiling windows and vaulted ceilings. Recent improvements include new cabinets, quartz counters, and tile floor in the kitchen, new carpeting in the living/dining room, and two updated full baths. Private courtyard – 2 terrific patios. Bethanny Alexander – ID# 09200958

Oak Park

$270,000

Completely remodeled 3 bed, 1.1 bath with enclosed front porch, hardwood floors, new laminate floor, kitchen features all new stainless steel appliances and new porcelain floor. Basement has new led fixtures and new stairs, roof 7 years, GFA/CA 5 years and Parking for 2 cars. Mary Ann Bednarke - ID#09248459

OPEN HOUSE • SUN. 2-4 322 N LAVERVE AVE

Bobbi Schaper Eastman – ID# 09345990

F E AT U R E D N E W CO N S T R U C T I O N OPEN SUNDAY • 12-2PM 319 CHESTNUT LANE, OAK PARK

50%

SOLD

NEW PRICE

Oak Park Berwyn

$260,000

Updated 4 bed, 2 bath Bungalow featuring hardwood floors, marble floors, crown molding in living room and dining room, updated bathrooms and kitchen, 2 large bedrooms in attic and a bonus family room in basement. Newer furnace, newer central Air newer roof, and paver brick patio with firepit in backyard. Cristina Medina – ID# 09199771

Cicero

$190,000

Beautiful 3 bed, 1.1 bath brick bungalow on corner lot! Classic details with modern touches, hardwood floors and trim, spacious, eat-in kitchen connects with an adjacent family room, recreation room in the basement is a great space, walk up attic also has a bonus room that could be used for an office. Truly a move in ready home! Bobbi Shaper Eastman - ID# 09349087

Hillside

$179,000

GREAT for a starter home! Beautiful hardwood floors, 2 bedrooms on the first floor, one could be used as a dining room. Huge lot with a gigantic fenced backyard! Loft area on the second floor (between 2 bedrooms) could be used as a family room. 2.5 car garage has tons of storage space. Ed Bellock - ID# 09279598

$365,000

Vintage meets modern in this lovely three bedroom one and a half bath home. This home features gleaming hardwood floors throughout the home. The updated, eat in kitchen with stainless steel appliances and tile backsplash truly makes this home move-in ready. Updated bathrooms feature modern touches. Bright rooms, beautiful details! The newly updated basement has recently installed flooring and a private office space. The beautiful back yard with patio and deck is a great place to entertain and play. The recently built garage finishes out the full package! Close to great parks with tennis courts, one of Oak Park’s sledding hills, and amazing schools.

Berwyn

$169,900

Terrific 2 bedroom brick Georgian with wonderful fenced in yard! Updated kitchen and bath, fresh paint throughout, and refinished hardwood floors on the main level, large closets, pretty deck with play set and a big yard! Basement has high ceilings; great for storage. 2 car detached garage. Mary Carlin – ID# 09252889

Starting At: $529,9000

The Oak Park Oasis, 22, 4 level townhomes with a fresh new approach to townhome living. Sleek and modern with a downtown flair, featuring versatile 3 or 4 bedroom layouts, 3.5 baths, open kitchens with large center island, balcony off kitchen for grilling, 1st floor office/bedroom that features an en-suite full bath, beautiful master suite, 4th level has cozy loft space - plumbed for wet bar, large private roof deck and 2 car attached garage. Many great cabinet selections with quartz closets, marble bathrooms, oak flooring, and stainless steel appliances! Buy now and pick your finishes! Great center of town location! Delivery Spring 2016! Call for details.

Patricia McGowan – ID# 09154664

Call us today to use the local knowledge and skill of our agents paired with the broad reach and power of Baird & Warner. 1037 CHICAGO AVENUE, OAK PARK I 708.697.5900 | BAIRDWARNER.COM

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

BECAUSE MORE THAN A QUARTER OF U.S. HOUSEHOLDS DON’T HAVE A COMPUTER WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION. GET A CARD. USE YOUR CARD. ACCESS THE FULLEST BENEFITS. OPPL.ORG/CARD

Apartment living with congregate services

114 South Humphrey Oak Park, IL 60302

his property with its architecturally award-winning atrium, provides seniors and persons with disabilities with parking, library, laundry room, wellness center and other conveniences. A service coordinator is on staff to assist tenants who may need additional services. The units are studio and one bedroom, each with electric appliances, tile bath, and wall to wall carpeting. Modern fire and safety systems are installed in each apartment and common areas of the building. There are 8 accessible one bedroom units for the mobility impaired. The Oaks is owned and operated by the Oak Park Residence Corporation and is funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development through the 202/section 8 Program. Residents pay approximately 30% of their monthly income for rent. For additional information, please visit our web site at www.oakparkha.org or contact us at 708-386-5812.

LUXURY TOWNHOMES UNDER CONSTRUCTION STARTING AT $509,000 WASHINGTON

FOREST

VINE

MADISON

thepromenaderiverforest.com · 708.457.1400

DES PLA

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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Sunday, October 2, 2016

SINGLE FAMILY HOMES

ADDRESS

REALTY CO.

TOWNHOMES

CONDOS

ADDRESS

MULTIFAMILY

LISTING PRICE

TIME

322 N. Laverne Ave, Hillside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$179,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4 1646 Harvey Ave, Berwyn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Re/Max In The Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$234,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 834 N. Austin Ave, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$270,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4:30 1185 S. Taylor Ave, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$319,900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-2 517 S. Highland Ave, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$320,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-2 1040 N. Mapleton Ave, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weichert Realtors Nickel Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$384,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 462 Longcommon Rd, Riverside. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beyond Properties Realty Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$399,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 1318 Elgin Ave, Forest Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gloor Realty Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$399,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:30-3 835 N. Marion St, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$419,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 718 S. Oak Park Ave, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gloor Realty Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$459,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-2 1030 S. Kenilworth Ave, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Re/Max In The Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$469,800 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-2 300 S. Oak Park Ave, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$499,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-4 1018 Augusta St, Oak Park IL,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$519,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 847 S. Kenilworth Ave, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$519,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:30-3 723 Woodbine, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gloor Realty Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$529,700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4 511 Lathrop, River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gullo & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$544,900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3 533 N. Harvey Ave, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weichert Realtors Nickel Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$549,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 527 Thatcher Ave, River Forest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gloor Realty Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$649,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-2 240 S. East Ave, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$675,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2:30-4:30 520 Washington Blvd, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weichert Realtors Nickel Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$759,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 230 S Scoville, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gullo & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$849,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11:30-1:30 1433 Keystone Ave, River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gagliardo Realty Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$983,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:30-12:30 309 N. Kenilworth Ave, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$990,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-2 1103 Keystone, River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . @Properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,245,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-2

REALTY CO.

LISTING PRICE

TIME

224 N. Kenilworth Ave. UNIT 2C, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . @properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$129,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12:30 248 S. Marion UNIT 101, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gloor Realty Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$153,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 721 Ontario St. UNIT 202, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$490,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 721 Ontario 302, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gloor Realty Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$495,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2:30-4 110 S. Marion St., Units 408 & 508, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . @properties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$535,000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3 Showroom at 139 S. Oak Park Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gloor Realty Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$664,900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-2 Showroom at 139 S. Oak Park Ave. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gloor Realty Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$684,900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-2

ADDRESS

REALTY CO.

LISTING PRICE

TIME

318 Pennsylvania Way, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$539,900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-2 1025 Walnut Way, Oak Park. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$549,900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-2 319 Chestnut Ln, Oak Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$554,900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12-2

ADDRESS

REALTY CO.

LISTING PRICE

TIME

7000 16th St, Berwyn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weichert Realtors Nickel Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$349,900 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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OAK PARK OPEN SUNDAY 1-3PM

OAK PARK

BERW YN

OPEN SUNDAY 1-3PM

NEW PRICE!

1040 N. Mapleton Ave 3BR, 2BA $384,000

7000 16th St 4BR, 2.1BA + Coach House $349,900

533 N. Harvey Ave 4BR, 2BA $549,000

1105 Wisconsin Ave 5BR, 3.2BA $724,500

520 Washington Blvd 4BR, 2.1BA + Coach House $759,000

OAK PARK

NEW LISTING!

1112 N. Humphrey Ave 3BR, 1.1BA $299,500

NEW PRICE!

220 S. Taylor Ave 4BR, 1.1BA $315,000

214 S. Euclid Ave 5BR, 5.1BA $1,450,000

OAK PARK

1127 N. East Ave 4BR, 2.1BA $822,000

1032 N. Harvey Ave 3BR, 1BA $270,000

NEW PRICE!

NEW LISTING!

734 Woodbine Ave 4BR, 2.1BA $584,900

726 Forest Ave 3BR + 1BSMT, 3.1BA $649,000

847 N. East Ave 3BR + 1BSMT, 3.1BA $727,000

RIVER FOREST

1050 N. Humphrey Ave 2BR, 1BA $239,000

RIVER FOREST

931 N. Elmwood Ave 3BR + 1BSMT, 3.2BA $875,000

1208 N. East Ave 3BR, 2.1BA $549,000

1206 Lathrop Ave 4BR + 1BSMT, 4BA $1,089,000

F O R E S T PA R K

711 Belleforte Ave 4BR + 1BSMT, 3.1BA $883,500

NEW LISTING!

1407 Lathrop Ave 4BR, 2.1BA $849,000

131 Ashland Ave 4BR + 1BSMT, 3.1BA $724,900

F O R E S T PA R K 3D

530 Forest Ave 5BR, 3.1BA $1,350,000

1115 Thomas Ave 4BR, 3BA $479,777

7925 Washington Blvd 3BR, 1.1BA $449,800

121 Des Plaines Ave Duplex + PKG! $225,000

Condos

NEW PRICE!

1051 Dunlop Ave 4BR, 2.1BA $399,900

1435 Park Ave 4BR, 4.1BA $724,000

613 Ferdinand Ave 3BR, 1BA $249,000

101 N. Oak Park Ave, Oak Park, IL 60301 • 708-848-5550 www.weichertnickelgroup.com

222 N. Grove Ave - 2BR, 2BA $225,000 221 N. Kenilworth Ave - 2BR, 2BA $268,000 3D 344 S. Maple Ave - 3BR, 2BA $325,000 214 S. Oak Park Ave – 1BR, 1BA $86,900 3D 222 N. Grove Ave – 2BR, 2BA $238,500

Go to

WeichertRNG.com to view 3D 3D Tours and see what else is on the market!

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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GRAND OPENING IN PALATINE/ROLLING MEADOWS! CHICAGOLAND’S OLDEST FLOOR COVERING STORE

All CARPETING on SALE!

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Community Mental Health Board

The Oak Park Developmental Disabilities Consortium,

under the auspices of the Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township, and with support from the River Forest Township Mental Health Committee, is dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities in reaching their dreams and aspirations. CHECK THE WEDNESDAY JOURNAL FOR INSPIRING STORIES FROM THE MEMBERS OF THE CONSORTIUM.

PACTT

Connecting people with autism to the community

The Answer Inc. is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering families impacted by Autism & Developmental Differences. We accomplish this through support, resources, education, recreation and advocacy. The Answer’s purpose is to de-stigmatize society’s opinion of our participants and provide awareness and education beginning with the families and reaching out through the entire community. Its services extend to the near western suburbs, including Oak Park and River Forest. The Answer Inc. offers and encourages mentoring opportunities. We provide effective, successfully tested techniques that build and nourish vital health, life and cohabitation skills. Our vision is to build cohesive families and influence awareness by providing: • Monthly support groups that host guest facilitators, provide information on resources and create dialogue for discussion and support; • Family Outings and Peer Dances that provide educational opportunities, teach/practice acceptable public behaviors and socialization skills; • 1st Responder Trainings teaching the signs and symptoms of Autism; • Trainings for staff at the local park districts and businesses; • Bullying Prevention Program “BULLYING is not THE ANSWER”; • Music N Me exercise, nutrition and dance program; • Sponsorships for children and young adults to Special Camps for Special Citizens, a horseback riding camp in Winfield, IL.

Max has a smile that is contagious and warms the hearts of all who cross his path each day. He is an energetic fifteen year old who delights in every chance he gets to participate in all that Oak Park has to offer. But that wasn’t always the case. Before coming to PACTT two years ago, Max was having difficulty understanding the physical changes in his body as well as how some new medications were affecting his emotions. His family, who has lived in Oak Park for over twenty-five years, thought they were losing their son. With the help of medical professionals and the autismspecific services at PACTT, Max began to build on the communication and socialization skills needed to live the integrated life he enjoys today. Over the past two years, Max has improved his interaction with his peers at PACTT’s therapeutic day school and at PACTT’s Oak Park children’s group home. His ability to communicate in other community settings has increased significantly as well. His family is grateful to see that their son is once again happy and on the path to a bright future. PACTT’s mission is to assist individuals with autism in becoming as independent as possible with the ability to integrate effectively into their homes and community. At the core of this mission is to see each individual as a unique gift and then provide the personcentered supports that foster learning and growth. PACTT programs include a therapeutic day school and residential services for children, transition program for older teens, vocational training/job placement and residential services for adults.

The Answer Inc 7600 W. Roosevelt Road Forest Park, IL 60130 708.296.5651 • theanswerincnfp@gmail.com theanswerinc.org • facebook.com/theanswerinc

The Community Mental Health Board of Oak Park Township (CMHB) is a branch of Oak Park Township. The CMHB is comprised of nine residents appointed by the Township Supervisor with the approval of the Township Trustees. One CMHB member is a Township Trustee. The purpose of the Community Mental Health Board is to assist in planning, developing, coordinating, evaluating, and funding mental health services in Oak Park. This includes services for persons with mental illness, alcohol or other drug dependence or developmental disabilities. The Township’s Community Mental Health Fund provides over $1 million in financial support for programs and services to 12-20 agencies per year in Oak Park. The River Forest Township Mental Health Committee (RFMHC) works to enhance the mental health and developmental potential of residents by supporting a continuum of community based services that are costeffective, systematically evaluated and responsive to evolving needs. The RFMHC’s mission is fulfilled through partnerships with community agencies, which provide a flexible network of easily accessible services for treatment and prevention of mental illness, developmental disabilities and substance use. Services include case management, supervised housing, psychiatric treatment, volunteer opportunities, 24hour crisis management and social/recreational services.

DD CONSORTIUM AGENCY LIST Aspire aspirechicago.com

Community Support Services cssservices.org

Oak-Leyden Developmental Services oak-leyden.org

Oak Park Township Senior Services oakparktownship.org/departments/seniors

Opportunity Knocks opportunityknocksnow.org

PACTT Learning Center pactt.org

Riveredge Hospital riveredgehospital.com

Seguin RCA seguinrca.org

Suburban Access, Inc. subacc.org

• Spectrum University Tutoring Program for Special Needs Young Adults.

of Oak Park Township

The Answer, Inc. theanswerinc.org

PACTT Learning Center 712 Belleforte Oak Park, IL 60302

UCP Seguin of Greater Chicago

773.338.9102 • www.pactt.org facebook.com/pactt • twitter.com/pacttchicago

West Suburban Special Recreation

ucpseguin.org wssra.net

You can show your support for our Consortium members and the great work they do by visiting their websites – learn more, donate, volunteer, and follow them on social media. We appreciate your support!

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M. Call Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

VIEWPOINTS

Pool plan debate rages p. 40-42

How to prove we’re serious about the gap

y last column [Revisioning the achievement gap, Viewpoints, Sept. 14] focused on the decades of Oak Park schools’ failure to make any headway toward closing the educational achievement gap between our children. That gap is, of course, not limited to Oak Park. It is a national problem. At least we have tried harder than most to close the gap, but alas, we have had no more success than anywhere else. However, current educational research has provided a bit of hope. Poorer children entering school have begun to close the gap. Those gains have been modest, but given the seeming impossibility of the task, something is better than nothing. The implications are obvious: Community focus and the commitment of human and financial resources should be directed to early childhood education. If it is too late to catch up by third or ninth grade, then let’s start when the child is 2 or 3 years old. We are fortunate in Oak Park and in Illinois to already have the educational architecture in place to make this paradigm change. The missions of Oak Park’s Early Childhood Collaboration as well as Reach Out and Read Illinois are to facilitate the preparation of children for kindergarten by getting all children ready for school. The Early Childhood Collaboration is already supported by districts 97 and 200. It seeks to make sure all the many daycare and pre-school programs are utilizing best practices. It now has years of experience in screening, assessment, recruitment and instruction. Reach Out and Read, run by physicians who promote literacy as a standard part of primary pediatric care, emphasizes the obviousbut-paramount importance of reading as essential to academic success. They say that learning to read is the single most important skill a child can acquire. Districts 97 and 200 should provide significant funding to these organizations if they are truly serious about equity in education. The annual hand-wringing rite of angst and guilt over the gap needs to stop. We need to do something different, radically different. The schools need help in solving the problem. Of course, it will cost tax dollars to fund such paradigm-shifting initiatives. That’s what referenda are for — an opportunity for our community to put our wallets behind our good intentions. How about districts 97 and 200 each committing $1 million for each of the next five years, with a goal of each child entering the system ready to read? Then we will see how serious we are about really doing something about the problem — or whether all we really want to do is wallow in our liberal guilt.

JOHN

HUBBUCH

Photos courtesy of Jack Spatafora

STAGE PRESENCE: Comedian Bob Newhart (right) got his theatrical start in Oak Park. Above, he plays a guard at the Emerald City gates in ‘Wizard of Oz.’ Below, he plays Eliza Doolittle’s father in ‘Pygmalion.’

Discouraged? Maybe you need a Newhart

o paraphrase an old lament, this was the summer of our discontent. We are discontented with so many things: The forest fires in the West, the flooding in the South, the banking in the East, not to mention the political rantings of two presidential candidates who can barely make a dent on our national “like” meter. So what better time to consider the remarkable state of American comedy? All those razor-sharp tongues that slice and dice our national discontent with humor. Humor — be it on a TV sitcom or in a comedy club — so often helps us see our world and its players for what they really are, rather than what they pretend to be. Humor is a rare kind of candor, hard to find in today’s zeitgeist of managed news and manipulated images. When you take the time to examine it, American humor over the last century has been characterized by a pronounced East-to-West migra-

JACK

SPATAFORA One View

tion — with an important pause right here in the Midwest. More specifically, with Chicago’s own, Bob Newhart. You see, most of the earlier East-Coast funny men were loud, ethnic comics like Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Mel Brooks and See NEWHART on page 47

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

O U R

V I E W S

Clarifying the pool vote

n Nov. 8, voters in Oak Park and River Forest will either pass or fail to pass the tax hike referendum tied to a new pool at OPRF. Yes, that seems obvious. Last week, though, the school board felt the need to clarify that point for voters. In our villages’ own fractured political moment, the school board said that if the referendum proposal it has backed goes down to defeat, no one should assume that the scaled back pool plan, promoted by aggressive referendum opponents, will become the de facto second choice. It is a fair point. To a point. This is a straight-up vote on a very specific aquatic center and a plan to pay for it combining spending down of outlandish reserves and selling bonds that will be repaid over years via a property tax increase. If voters in Oak Park and River Forest approve the plan, it will be built. If, however, voters defeat the referendum, the topic of swimming pools won’t simply vanish. Nearly everyone agrees the current pools are obsolete, that replacements are necessary, and it all comes down to where, how big, how much. And that means another referendum is inevitable. Somewhat defensively, we’d say, the school board warns voters not to count on the so-called “pragmatic pool solution” being the new first choice. Instead, says the board, the process would start from scratch. Maybe so, but scratch still presumably reflects the limited possibilities our postage-sized campus allows. So, voters, make your decision, cast your vote. And then wait, either for construction to begin or for more politicking.

Lonnie Bunch, favorite son

Finding its way to the surface of our chaotic and often dismaying news cycles this past weekend was the long-awaited opening of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. And the Oak Park connection? Well, Lonnie Bunch, the founding director of the museum, is a former resident of our village. It was 11 years ago that Bunch was chosen to build and invent, fund and inspire this enormous project on the National Mall. At that time, Bunch was the president of the Chicago History Museum and called Oak Park home. At the time of his hiring for this project, the Tribune quoted him as saying his work in Chicago had “nurtured his soul,” but that the new project “was work that would nurture the soul of my ancestors, and that is too powerful to turn down.” The coverage of the opening, from the bold architecture to the breadth of the collection assembled and displayed, has been enthused and reverential. In real measure that is a tribute to Lonnie Bunch.

The bane of plastic bags There are times when it appears ideas pop full blown onto the stage of public discourse in Oak Park. Such is the case with a new proposal that Oak Park begin charging consumers 10 cents a pop for single-use plastic bags from retail stores. Of course this being Oak Park, the truth is the concept has been studied for months after the idea was first raised by Trustee Colette Lueck. The village’s Environment and Energy Conservation Commission has assiduously reviewed similar plans from Chicago, from Evanston, from communities across the country. They brought options actively out to the business community on multiple occasions and offered online surveys as well. Only then did the commission bring its recommendations to the village board for consideration. Finding a way to limit, preferably to gradually eliminate, the use of these sacks is a worthy goal, worthy especially for a community with the stewardship ideals of Oak Park. We think the fee approach is preferable to an outright ban and we hope the village board moves quickly to adopt this proposal.

V I E W P O I N T S

@ @OakParkSports

As the year turns decidedly toward night Now are come the days of brown leaves They fall from the trees, they flutter on the ground, When the brown leaves flutter they are saying little things. They talk with the wind. I hear them tell of their borning days when they did come into the world as leaves. … Today they were talking of the time before their borning days of this springtime. They talked on and on and I did listen on to What they were telling the wind and the earth in their whisperings. They told how they were a part of earth and air before their tree-borning days. And now they are going back. In gray days of winter they go back to the earth again. But they do not die.

act of this year’s Oaktoberfest. Louder, bluesier, accompanied and amplified, Lane’s forceful voice commands attention. That night summer reigned, the aroma of stale beer and cigarettes hanging in the air, evoking memories of baseball stadiums. Hills’ effortless contralto, on the other hand, is never overpowered by instrumentation (guitar alternating with banjo), her content more poetic, less driven by all that remains unresolved in the human heart. Rock and roll chronicles the internal storm, folk the calm after. It has more in common with the poet’s solitary daily walk along the ocean, emotion recollected in tranquility (as Wordsworth put it), but set to music. And it evokes that elegiac mood I feel each fall, intensified now by age. Most of the hundred-plus in attendance this equinox evening had grey in their hair, as does Hills. Her appearance was one of a series of folk concerts made possible by Nancy Clark and her late husband Peter, a gift to the community. Occasionally, Hills encouraged clapping, but I was there to luxuriate in her voice and the shared consciousness she taps. We’re not that different, one from another, the songs seem to say, though some of us have harder lives. The need to come together, to tell and hear stories through song, is ancient, and just as strong as in our storied past. I wonder if our songstorytellersinger realizes the spell she casts, which happily we huddled under. The consensual act of listening and witnessing helps us understand our lives better by hearing what strangers sing about theirs, momentarily raising the lives we lead to the level of art. This is one of the reasons major holidays are meaningful — because we know so many others, in some fashion, are celebrating them too. That’s why it’s more meaningful to “go to” movies instead of watching at home alone — because we view them in community. Life is more meaningful when we raise our eyes from the sidewalk or from our smartphones and notice that our path has room for multitudes, room possibly for everyone. The year is turning toward winter, the season of deep sleep mimicking death, buffered by autumn, the season of enlivening and dying. Fixed as we are in the seasonal cycle of death and regeneration, that’s not a problem. It’s only an issue in a cycle that runs from birth to death, which happens to be where our lives seem stuck — until we experience some small hint of regeneration that makes us wonder if, or tempts us to believe that, there might be a larger regeneration awaiting all of us on the far side of dying. Squirrels scurrying to bury nuts seem to believe. Sandhill cranes, flying south in November and north again in March, seem to believe. Leaves, which burst into color then fade to brown, seem to believe. Roses, still flowering into fall, seem to believe. Storysongs and songstories, too, capture our borning days of springtime and whisper softly of regeneration.

KEN

TRAINOR

The diary of Opal Whiteley, age 6

Sung by Anne Hills, music by Michael Smith

e have clocks to let us know that time is driving forward, and the sun rises and sets on another day, bookended by dreams. But none of this has quite the impact of the year turning from summer to fall. For some, the changing season kindles excitement. The cooler air brings them out of their summer torpor. They feel alive again, eager for the holidays. But for me it engenders elegy. Autumn signals the dying of what I love: the life that burst forth so hopefully just six months aft. Not everything I love is dying, however. Last Thursday, on the evening of the autumnal equinox, Anne Hills performed in the Veterans Room of the public library, providing a gentle reminder of how much I love folk music. Most musical genres maintain an uneasy relationship between words and tune. With rap, words are dominant. In opera, the emotional exhilaration of the aria is seldom matched by the lyrics. With rock and roll, words often seem an afterthought, almost a necessary evil. Musical theater establishes a better balance, but true fusion takes place in folk music. Melody, voice, and lyrics blend with equal value. Folk songs aim to capture the sacredness of the ordinary (as Joyce put it), chronicling the lives of the kind of folks Garrison Keillor read notes from during Prairie Home Companion. Folk songs, or as Hills calls them, storysongs (or was it songstories?) celebrate nature and the seasons. They convey a strong yearning for justice, saved from scolding by self-humbling humor. I don’t know if I would love folk music so much if I heard it often, but I don’t. Whenever I come upon it, therefore, the effect is tonic, soothing, a reminder of how creative unpretentiously simple music can be. Other genres have their place and claim on my affections. The previous Saturday evening, I spent a pleasant hour listening to Nikki Lane, the final

V I E W P O I N T S S H R U B T O W N

by Marc Stopeck

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

W E D N E S D A Y

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley Senior Editor Bob Uphues Associate Publisher Dawn Ferencak Staff Reporters Michael Romain, Timothy Inklebarger Viewpoints/ Real Estate Editor Ken Trainor Sports/Staff reporter Marty Farmer Columnists Jack Crowe, Doug Deuchler, John Hubbuch, May Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger, Stan West Staff Photographer William Camargo Editorial Design Manager Claire Innes Editorial Designers Jacquinete Baldwin, Javier Govea Business Manager Joyce Minich IT Manager/Web Developer Mike Risher Advertising Production Manager Philip Soell Advertising Design Manager Andrew Mead Advertising Designers Debbie Becker, Mark Moroney Advertising Director Dawn Ferencak Display Advertising Sales Marc Stopeck, Joe Chomiczewski Media Coordinator Kristen Benford

A G I N G

D I S G R A C E F U L L Y

Ghostwriting for Hillary

illary’s got a tough opponent who will say anything, reverse himself, attack again and then deny he ever said it. Even though I know she won’t do it, I’d love to see her start saying exactly what she’s thinking. Here’s how I think she should respond to all those questions from the media:

hair and your clothes? That’s rich. I’d like to see someone throw a match at that mess on his head to see what would happen when the hairspray caught fire. I love that he left bobby pins in his hair. Maybe I’ll appear with rollers in my hair. As for my clothes, we both have middle-aged spread, but at least I change my outfits.

Do you regret saying “basket of deplorables”? Yes, I should have said “cauldron of inflammables.”

Do you think Donald Trump is a misogynist? You’re kidding, right?

MARY KAY O’GRADY

Seriously? Seriously. The Constitution and the three branches of government are too hard for a lot of people to grasp, so they get frustrated. They want simple answers, and there are none. For instance, most of what the Meg-Nar — that’s short for megalomaniacal narcissist — and I are promising to voters must be passed by the House and the Senate, but neither of us is talking about that. People are naive and that alone makes them angry. Meg-Nar, by the way, should be wearing a cape and a top hat. I mean, he is a circus act.

Do you really think Donald Trump would use nuclear weapons? He might do it to impress Putin, but I hope the generals would defy him. By the way, I plan to fire those generals who came out in support of Trump. What do you think about people who criticize your

What would you do about the war in Syria? My dream would be to have our spies figure out a way to assassinate Assad and Putin on the same day. I’d also love to take over Trump Tower and Mar-a-Lago to house refugees. What do you think about Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green candidate Jill Stein? Can’t Gary Johnson count? Does he really want to throw the election to the Meg-Nar? Plus he looks like a deer caught in the headlights. As for Jill Stein, she has good hair. What will be your husband’s role in the White House? I don’t know. He may not like it when he walks into my office and finds Huma Abedin and I smoking cigars, drinking vodka martinis and laughing about revenge served cold.

Inside Sales Representative Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner Comptroller Edward Panschar Credit Manager Laurie Myers Front Desk Carolyn Henning, Maria Murzyn Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

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, fire 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 filing. Please understand our verification 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 verification, 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 confirm a detail, we may not print the letter or essay. If you have questions, call Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at 708-613-3310 or email him at ktrainor@wjinc.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR ■ 250-word limit ■ Must include first and last names, municipality in which you live, phone number (for verification only)

‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY ■ 500-word limit ■ One-sentence footnote about yourself, your connection to the topic ■ Signature details as at left

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

V I E W P O I N T S

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

O P R F

P O O L

P L A N

School board actions speak louder than words

n Sept. 22, the OPRF High School board issued a statement that said if its $44.5M pool referendum question doesn’t pass in November, the board would begin new deliberations rather than consider the available and vetted pragmatic pool plan. The board statement glaringly failed to explain its rationale. Why would the board refuse to consider the most practical and least expensive of all pool plans and the overwhelming favorite of voters in the school’s recent, objective phone survey? Legat, the board’s own architects, fully vetted and drew up the pragmatic pool plan this year, and the plan was also recommended in two different board-commissioned engineering studies, the 2013 Stantec Report and the 2003 Wight Report. The pragmatic pool plan would provide superior aquatic facilities than the school has ever known. It would expand the East Pool into the South Gym and build a brand-new, 8-lane, 25-yard, deep competition pool that supports diving. It would also include seating for 300 spectators and all the extras. Unlike the engineering studies, Legat’s plan also includes a brandnew, 4-lane, 25-yard, water safety pool in the West Pool site. By any standard, these pools are expensive at $22.3 million. The price tags for other proposed or recently built high school pools in Illinois range from $9-15 million. Yet, the pragmatic pool plan still costs less than the board’s revised 40-meter pool plan, and if similar cuts were made to the performing arts elements of the pragmatic pool plan that were made to the school board’s revised plan, the pragmatic pool plan would cost dramatically less than

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

D E B A T E

There is only one facilities plan on the table

he one and only OPRF High School Facilities Plan, approved unanimously by the District 200 school board in August, will be on your November ballot. This plan is a carefully thought out, cost-effective and pragmatic investment. It will benefit OPRF students and our community for decades. Do not be misled by opponents who claim there is a better “plan-in-waiting” if voters reject this one. There is only one plan on the table. If it fails, the board will be back to square one, spending more time trying to re-solve this challenge, while also hiring a new superintendent, and leaving less time to deal with other pressing issues. Meanwhile, the concrete and rebar containing two 88-year-old pools degrades, they leak 3,000 gallons of water daily, construction costs go up and, if we delay further, so will the historically low interest rates that we should use to help fund the project. Two different D200 boards, with input from administrators and architects, concluded that the option now being pushed by opponents — rebuilding two pools in place — had sub-optimal outcomes for PE and athletics and severely limited future facilities use. That option was unanimously rejected by the board in August. It cost $39 million (only $5.5 million less than the plan on the ballot), but it was shortsighted and delivered too little for that considerable price tag. This rejected plan would have shrunk the weight room, eliminated the adaptive PE gym (used daily by students with special needs and by athletic teams), reduced green space with a bump-out to the sidewalk on

its current total estimate of $39.9 million. According to the school’s own pool usage chart and its athletic director, the pragmatic pool plan meets all of the school’s aquatic needs and increases community pool usage. Moreover, the board plan would demolish the garage with 25 years of serviceable life, per the board’s engineer, and build a smaller garage, wasting more than 12 million taxpayer dollars. Important to note, this same garage was thoughtfully built in 2003 with future needs in mind and can accommodate another level of parking, classrooms or any other space needs. The existing garage enables rather than prohibits any future expansion needs for the school. The board now deceptively promotes its pool plan as a “facilities and a performing arts and learning spaces” plan, even though only $4.3 million would be spent on one orchestra room, one band room and six classrooms. That’s it, whereas $37.3 million would go to the oversized pool and garage expenditures. The board’s statement is a passiveaggressive, political maneuver to try to manipulate the vote in November. The scare tactic is the 2016 version of last year’s board action that tried but failed to prevent us from voting on a previous $48.5 million, 50-meter pool plan that would have eliminated all parking at the high school. Thanks to everyone who signed the Petition for Referendum and helped reclaim our right to vote on this massive project. The board’s latest action is just one more reason to vote NO in NOvember. Monica Sheehan is a member of OPRF Pragmatic Pool Solutions.

MONICA SHEEHAN One View

the southeast corner, and delivered a west pool too small for a full swim team practice. The board concluded the resulting facilities would not even maintain the status quo for PE, aquatics, and athletics. As one board member pointed out, the two-pool plan would actually waste money by building something less than we’ve had for the last 90 years and something inadequate for the next 90. It’s not pragmatic to choose a plan that would have negative ramifications on the school’s space use for the next century. This is not 1928 — we don’t need separate boys’ and girls’ pools, and the associated costs of duplicate mechanical systems and upkeep. Nor should we limit the ability to increase instructional space because the current ill-conceived parking garage takes up too much premium space on the campus. Just last Thursday, the board publicly reiterated that there is only one plan and that it has no intention of pursuing options for rebuilding two pools in place. Do not be fooled by claims to the contrary. The board has approved the most pragmatic plan — the only one that achieves the objectives identified at the start of the project and more: performing arts space, classroom upgrades, locker rooms, garage parking, and a single, efficient pool that accommodates PE and athletic needs without encroaching on athletic fields. This plan is a smart investment in our facilities and our future. Vote Yes. The Vote Yes D200 Referendum Committee consists of Ben Campbell, Lisa Colpoys, Wayne Franklin, Lynn Kamenitsa, Matt Kosterman, Mary Anne Montgomery, Ellen Pimentel, Peter Ryan, and Karen Steward-Nolan.

VOTE YES D200 REFERENDUM COMMITTE One View

Tax burden argues against a more expensive pool

have no doubt that the $44.5 million facilities plan would be very impressive and would serve our high school students well. However, what I feel is being lost in the arguments for and against this plan is that the taxpayers of Oak Park and River Forest simply cannot afford a project with this price tag. The board has the option of pursuing an alternative Option A still listed on the high school’s website in which new pools would be built in existing spaces. This option would cost $22.3 million for the pools, as opposed to Option B’s $37 million, and could be paid for with funds from the district’s existing reserves. [Editor’s note: The rest of the Option A facilities plan would raise the overall cost to $39.9

million. Option A is no longer being considered by the board] Anyone who has lived in Oak Park since 2000 has most likely seen their tax bill grow by 100150% since 2000. This tax growth is unsustainable and due in large part to passed referendums and extravagant spending by our taxing bodies. It is now very common for a home’s tax bill to be $15,000 or more. District 200 is owed much of the blame for this reckless tax growth. As explained by the Oak Park Township Assessor in this paper on Feb. 2, the district passed a referendum in 2002 and used a quirk in the law to increase its 2005 tax levy by 16.5%. Fur-

thermore, the district increased its levy by 6% for 2016. These tax increases allowed the district to amass a surplus of over $100 million just over two years ago. A look at the second installment of an Oak Park 2015 tax bill will show you that D200 receives approximately 25% of each home’s tax bill. So if you own a home with a $15,000 tax bill, approximately $3,750 goes to the district per year. Despite this excessive taxation, D200 is now asking the taxpayers of Oak Park and River Forest to pay for the financing of $25 million in bonds for their $44.5 million plan. Make no mistake about it, the passage of

DAN

MORONEY One View

this referendum will significantly increase homeowners’ annual tax bill. According to OPRF’s own website (http://www.oprfhs. org/facilities/Tax-Impact-Calculator.cfm), a home in Oak Park with a tax bill of $15,000 will see an increase of $112 per year. A River Forest home with this same tax bill would see an increase of $128 per year. I am sure these numbers are conservative and the impact would be even greater. While these amounts may not seem very high by themselves, they would be added to tax bills that are already extraordinarily high and may be subject to further referendums by other taxing bodies. I cannot support, nor do I feel homeowners

V I E W P O I N T S

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

O P R F

P O O L

P L A N

FRED ARKIN

in activities and athletics, which correlates with improved student outcomes over a wide range of students. The plan provides expanded space for our growing performance arts programming. The plan reconfigures outdated classrooms to create modernized, flexible spaces for 21st-century collaborative learning. The plan eliminates the archaic gender-separating floor plan of the 1920s and provides more equitable access to facilities. The plan will

address student health concerns by providing modern ventilation systems in both aquatic areas and locker rooms. It addresses disability access issues in order to make our facilities available to all. And it creates an asset that will be shared with the greater community. The many other options under consideration did not offer the same long-term improvements to benefit our school at an appropriate cost. And while this plan’s total investment is significant, the cost to current

taxpayers is in line with the 2013 financial plan set in motion by the board to responsibly reduce the fund balance by realizing a $72 million tax savings over 10 years. I believe this plan is a historic opportunity to shape our educational campus for the future and funding via the referendum on the November ballot is the right thing to do for our students, our staff, our community and our future. That is why I voted for this plan. Fred Arkin is a longtime resident of Oak Park and River Forest and currently serves on the District 200 Board of Education.

One View

of Oak Park and River Forest should support raising our tax bills and reducing the affordability and values of our homes so that an extravagant pool can be built at the high school with some relatively minor facilities improvements. D200 could have moved forward with a pragmatic plan that could be paid for with their existing reserves. This option may not be as optimal as what they are asking for; however, sometimes sacrifices need to be made for the betterment of a community. Please join me in voting no on this referendum so that the district can renew their facilities at a more affordable price that does not require the passage of a referendum. Dan Moroney is an Oak Park resident and property owner.

D E B A T E

Why I voted for the OPRF facilities plan

y grandparents moved to Oak Park in the 1940s and my parents followed in the mid-1950s just before I was born. They, like many before and many after them, chose Oak Park for the stable neighborhood, proximity to their congregation and excellence in education. Growing up in both villages and residing here most of my adult life, I have experienced all of the change brought to the villages over six decades. Despite the changes, the one constant that remains is that the high school has been, and continues to be, the heart of our community. The generations that came before us had the foresight to provide facilities that would serve not only their generation but the generations to come. Now it is incumbent on our community to provide for future generations. Last December, the community asked the school board to develop a revised plan for investment in our facilities. The request was: to keep parking on campus, provide more value for the dollars spent, and to obtain taxpayer approval. We listened. We held five wellattended and fruitful community meetings. Countless hours have been spent analyzing, reviewing and revising various solutions. At those meetings we heard a strong preference to integrate the pressing need to address our failing pools with our ongoing long-term facilities plan. As a result of this difficult work, we adopted a wide-reaching facilities improvement plan that will cost an estimated $44.5 million. The plan is much more than just a pool. The plan is an unprecedented opportunity to improve our most valuable public asset and ensure that it meets the needs of future generations. In addition to better classroom space, the plan provides for continued growth

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

A Free Mammogram Could Save Your Life Do you live in Oak Park, River Forest or Proviso Township and need to schedule a mammogram? Women who live in these western suburbs can receive a mammogram for no cost at Rush Oak Park Hospital.* Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women after skin cancer. Overall, mammography is the most effective breast cancer screening tool used today. For most women, experts at Rush recommend screening mammograms beginning at age 40. Now there’s no reason not to have one. Do you qualify? • You must live in Oak Park, River Forest or Proviso Township. Proof of residence, including voter’s ID, utility bill or a personal check will be requested at the time of your visit. • Your mammogram must be performed by October 31, 2016. * Funds are provided by a private grant for residents of Oak Park, River Forest and Proviso Township.

Digital Mammograms at Rush Oak Park Hospital Rush Oak Park Hospital offers patients Mammomat Inspiration digital mammography screenings. This diagnostic tool is designed to make mammograms as comfortable as possible for patients by using low-dose mammography and high-quality imaging technology.

To register for your mammogram, please call 708.660.MAMO (6266) Make your appointment today! roph.org/breast-imaging

520 S. Maple Ave. | Oak Park, IL 60304 Rush is a not-for-profit health care, education and research enterprise comprising Rush University Medical Center, Rush University, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush Health.

V I E W P O I N T S

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

O P R F

P O O L

P L A N

D E B A T E

Is pool capacity forcing students to take more ‘aquatics’?

idden Assumptions: We’ve wrangled over the OPRF pool issue for years. Throughout, there has been one matter that has been glossed over, with hidden assumptions. How much capacity do we really need? When the existing two pools (Boys and Girls) were completed in 1928, why wasn’t there just one? Other districts built one pool, and had the two genders use it different months of the year. Some History/Past Policy Decisions: Most districts built one 25-yard pool of typically six lanes. That will likely remain the standard for state sports competition because most districts cannot afford anything more. Girls and Boys swimming and diving teams compete in alternate seasons, so there is no overlap in pool demand and usage. Because we had two pools, and pools are the most expensive capital asset in PE/sports, “aquatics” are taken twice in a student’s PE career, presumably to use and justify the expensive pools. No other PE activity is repeated. When we can now rethink things from scratch, why are we lock-step repeating that practice? Actual Needs: Is the Tail Wagging the Dog? We now have 11 lanes total. To fill that pool space, OPRF requires two sessions of “aquatics.” To fill the proposed capacity of 17 lanes, will students have to take three sessions of PE aquatics? We could reasonably and responsibly get by with less capacity than now. Stevenson High School (in Lincolnshire), the only public school in the state with a 50-me-

ter pool, does not require that all students take swimming. Instead, freshmen take a water safety class. In the class they take the Red Cross Swim Test, and if they pass Level Two, “basic skills,” they can opt out of swimming. Students who don’t pass Level Two are required to take one session of swimming that ranges from 3-6 weeks. That’s it. So what’s driving the OPRF swimming requirement of two full sessions or more? It’s the Pool Lobby: Even though high school competitions will always be held in a 25-yard pool, the pool lobby is pushing for what we call “a Mercedes pool” for its children’s practices, particularly water polo, where boys’ and girls’ seasons run concurrently. For the convenience of a few, should we spend another $15 million on a pool project? There were only 63 water polo players on the OPRF team last year (based on a Freedom of Information Act reply). The Answer: As an alternative, the OPRF Pragmatic Pool Solutions people have promoted a plan, drawn up by the school’s own architects, which provides two pools with 12 lanes, a waterpolo compliant deep pool, a beginners’ water safety pool, and deep diving restored. This has always been about priorities at OPRF. I’m a Class of ’66 Huskie. Vote NO in NOvember, then demand a realistic, shovel-ready alternative: The Pragmatic Pool Plan. Kevin Peppard was treasurer of the OPRF Referendum Committee in 1996, the second-to-last successful OPRF referendum to pass. He is now treasurer of OPRF Pragmatic Pool Solutions.

KEVIN

PEPPARD One View

New pool/facilities plan benefits all students at OPRF I am writing in favor of the OPRF High School pool referendum. I am an Oak Park resident and a pediatric physical therapist with over 20 years’ experience working with children with special needs in hospital, clinic and school-based settings. I have also provided aquatic physical therapy to hundreds of children through the years, teaching valuable health, safety and life skills in the water. I had the pleasure of serving as the physical therapist at OPRF High School for the 2014 and 2015 school years, working with the students in the Special Education program. During that time, I worked side by side with three excellent adaptive physical education teachers, Ms. Carlson, Ms. Topf, and Mr. Singletary, to teach students in the TEAM program how to be safe and active in the swimming pool. I had the opportunity to learn firsthand the limits of the current pools as well as the many benefits that would be provided by a

new pool, and the comprehensive facility enhancements proposed by the board. Some in the “Vote No” camp state a new pool would primarily benefit the OPRF athletes, but I want to share that all students at OPRF High School benefit from the aquatics program, including those students enrolled in special education. Representatives of the special education department were included in the new facility planning process from the start. I met with the architects to discuss the needs of my students, and I was impressed with the questions they asked and the effort they made to understand and include all students in the plan for the new facility. For the health and safety of all students at OPRF, please consider voting Yes on the upcoming pool referendum.

Susie Donohue Oak Park

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Learning how to stop … going to River Forest Dear fellow Oak Parkers: What you’ve heard is true. The River Forest red light ticket process is a waste of your time. You will not be found innocent so just pay the ticket. That $100 will spare you a folksy homily from former Maybrook Judge Perry Gulbrandsen about the rigidity of Illinois traffic law. (He suggested I learn how to stop and also likened traffic enforcement to conception: You can’t be a little pregnant and you either fully stop or you don’t!) Paying the ticket will also spare you the silliness of participating in an artificial and rigged game. As Gulbrandsen told us, you can pay the fine or seek redress in the Cook County Courts — where it’ll cost $85 to file. Ha ha. When I called to complain about the ticket last month, Village Administrator Eric Palm encouraged me to contest it. That’s why we have a process, he said. My wife and I received a pair of tickets within a two-week span at Lake and Harlem and we paid the first citation right off. No doubt we rolled through the stop. But the second citation was way more questionable and, I thought, a bad ticket. I don’t think a human police officer would have issued it, and I thought a human adjudicator might agree.

Not so much. Gulbrandsen is there to earn his $300 fee per hearing, after all. And forget about the small army of village employees and police officers crowding the room. Who’s gonna pay them? So save yourself the trip and the hassle and just cough up the dough. Render unto Caesar his car tax. I know, however, that Eric Palm reads these letters because he mentioned one of them when we spoke. In fact, he indicated the woman who wrote it had listed her home and was leaving town, so her threats to avoid River Forest businesses were just so much hot air. Ignoring his dismissal of a critical female letter writer (and for that matter Gulbrandsen’s little-bit-pregnant quip), I do wonder if Palm and other River Forest officials have considered the PR dimensions of their aggressive traffic enforcement regime. These are picayune tickets, the kind I would expect from banana republic ’burbs like Stone Park or Melrose Park, and they really are going to make me rethink how much time and money I spend in the village. As I told Gulbrandsen, I’ll consider learning how to stop but it likely won’t be in River Forest.

Brett McNeil Oak Park

Prove we need the ‘road diet’ or ‘the bend’

A recent Wednesday Journal editorial takes the position that opposition to the “road diet” is opposition to the redevelopment of Madison Street, without making the case that the road diet is essential to the redevelopment of Madison Street. What I take particular issue with is the Journal’s statement: “And then there has been the very public discussion of ‘the bend.’” The first and only time “the bend” was the subject of a vote by the village board was when it was part of the April 18 board meeting agenda. At that time the Village Board of Trustees voted to more than double the contract of Christopher B. Burke Engineering for the design of Phase 1 of the Madison Street road diet, amending the contract to include “the bend.” According to documents submitted to the village board for the April 18 meeting, the request for “the bend” was made by “the developer.” That request was formulated with the Oak

Park Economic Development Corporation, which supported “the bend” in its April 14 letter to the village. The mayor, Trustee Barber, and the village manager are voting members of the OPEDC Board of Directors, a third of that board. The village skirts the open meetings act by limiting its representation on the OPEDC to only two members of the board of trustees. The meetings of the OPEDC are not open to the public. It is hard to find any transparency in the organization’s process, done out of sight but in collusion with the village. The “fix” is in for Jupiter Realty, but the village board has yet to approve the road diet and/or “the bend.” Nor has the village or Wednesday Journal proved that the $11 million in the 2016/2017 capital improvement budget for Phase 1 is vital to the redevelopment of Madison Street.

Chris Donovan Oak Park

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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A view of Robert Cook’s art at The Oaks residential building, a facility administered by the Oak Park Housing Authority. Mr. Cook recently died but his art lives on.

Saying so long

It’s sad to say so long to an old friend. With deep sorrow, we say farewell and happy trails to our dear Mr. Cook, who died earlier this month. Robert Cook called The Oaks his home for over 12 years. He was a kind-hearted man who followed current affairs and loved the racetrack. Robert’s one true love was his art. He was an artist’s artist. Working with whatever he had on hand, he made nothing into something that others found delight in. Robert was always concerned about the

other guy. He maybe didn’t show it, but his heart was made of Jello. He was employed with Illinois Bell until it was taken over by AT&T, and he was very proud of his work history. In the past week, so many have asked about his health and always shared a good word about him. Well, goodbye big guy. Whenever there is some cool, funky art around, we will remember you.

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Rosemary Kevil Serio The Oaks

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2016

Limited Spots Available! Sign up at flwraces.com. Join us Sunday, October 23 for the flat, fast, and scenic route of the FLW Races, featuring a 5K Run/Walk, 10K Run, and the Youth Mile. The course passes by eight Frank Lloyd Wright buildings! Thank you to our sponsors

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Sponsored by:

When: Tuesday, October 4, 2016 Where: Open Door Repertory Company 902 S. Ridgeland Ave Oak Park, IL 60304 Time: 7PM (Doors open at 6:30PM) Cost: $10

W E D N E S D A Y

JOURNAL

Space is limited. Registration is required! (This event is for women only.)

MEDIA

Organized by:

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Receive training from Women in Leadership coaches on how to craft your best and most effective elevator pitch! 4 winners will be selected to practice their pitch at the 2016 Women in Leadership Conference. 1 grand prize winner will receive a branded content story in one of Wednesday Journal Publication’s weekly newspapers and two free consultation sessions with West Side Women committee members! For more information and to register, please visit:

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Calendar: Tuesday, October 4, 2016 Come to: ESO THEATRE 5401-5403 W Madison St. Chicago, IL 60644 Clock: 7:00pm - Doors open @ 6:30pm Cost: $10.00

2nd Annual Women in Leadership Conference

ASPIRE TO INSPIRE!

Organized by West Side Women

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Riveredge Hospital

8311 Roosevelt Rd, Forest Park, IL 60130

FREE

11:30am – 4:30pm Roundtable Discussions Lunch Provided by Everett Wealth Solutions led by prominent female community and business leaders

4:30pm – 6pm Cocktail Hour hosted by Riveredge Hospital

Speakers:

Carey Carlock, Riveredge Hospital Chris Everett, Everett Wealth Solutions Darci Redmond, ‘Makin’ Waves With Darci’ Joanna Sobran, MXOtech, Inc.

Space is limited. RSVP is required! Sponsorship opportunities are available and benefits include a vendor table. Contact Kristen Benford for sponsorship details: (708) 613- 3306 or Reserve your seat at: 2016WomenInLeadershipConference.eventbrite.com Event Sponsored by:

Luncheon Sponsored by: Organized by: W E D N E S D A Y

JOURNAL MEDIA

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V I E W P O I N T S

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

The heart of the United States

This past summer, I had the extraordinary opportunity to visit Philadelphia and tour the many historical sites related to the founding of the United States of America. From about the time I was in middle school, when I developed an intense interest in the history of the American Revolution, I yearned to go to Philadelphia, especially to tour Independence Hall, to experience the setting of where the United States was founded. It was indeed one of the most exhilarating moments of my life when my yearning was finally fulfilled as I stepped inside Independence Hall. The ranger leading our tour group talked about how the men who met in the building launched a nation whose existence was focused on the ideals of freedom and liberty. Ever since those inestimable days in the 18th century, the history of the United States has been a progression toward more fully realizing those ideals for all people. The work our Founding Fathers engaged in then is something that remains for us to do as our own work this day. Independence Hall is one place of many where government assemblies first took place in the early days of the United States. I couldn’t help but notice this theme re-echoed as I toured other sites in Philadelphia. At the National Liberty Museum, the opening video showed examples of how people are living out liberty, like a musical band composed of people with disabilities, Dr. King leading the Civil Rights Movement, and a charity that

grows vegetables for charity kitchens. And a special presentation at the National Constitution Center also conveyed an important message: The principles of the Constitution, which was created at the Constitutional Convention, and operated in government work in historic buildings in Philadelphia in the 1790s, is now a responsibility that falls to us, to carry on and expand those principles. This responsibility includes creating a society where all may live freely, like in the revolutionary vision William Penn had for the city of Philadelphia. This vision resulted in great diversity in the religious congregations in the city, which included Old St. Joseph Roman Catholic Parish, which for many years was the only place in the entire British Empire where Mass could be celebrated publicly. Indeed, there were some important events that happened in Philadelphia that are at the heart of what the United States is all about as a nation. It was the experience of a lifetime to connect with the places that served as the setting for such pivotal events, to be renewed in an understanding of what it means to be a U.S. citizen. Philadelphia is definitely one city that every American should visit, to see the places like Independence Hall, to connect with the heart of this nation, and to gain a deeper sense of the significance of our founding principles.

Paul Rubio Oak Park

Keeping the progressive momentum going

There is a U.S. presidential campaign demanding much attention. However, political and economic issues do not come to a close with cast ballots. Continued popular engagement on issues critical to democracy require understanding and ongoing effort. This past June, the People’s Summit was convened at McCormick Place in Chicago. Coconveners included National Nurses United, the People’s Lobby/Reclaim Chicago, Food & Water Watch, Progressive Democrats of America, and Democratic Socialists of America. That threeday conference was focused on developing and continuing the progressive movement in America. Local representatives of the above-named coconveners are hosting the first of a series of nationwide follow-up meetings. Ours is called the Illinois People’s Summit Convening, and it will take place on Saturday, Oct. 1, with a 10 a.m start and a 3:30 p.m. end at Workers United, 333 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago 60607. There will be an opening panel hosted by Chicago Alderman Carlos Rosa. Speakers from the various co-convening groups will give a brief presentation addressing the moment we are in: crisis and opportunity, and how as individuals and groups do we create change through our en-

gagement? After the opening panel, there will be two breakout sessions with a supplied lunch between. Breakout sessions will focus on the path for running down ballot candidates and building electoral power; policy and issue reforms for Illinois; and overcoming neoliberalism. These three will be repeated, so you can take part in any two of your choice. This one day event has a sliding cost: $25 for those who can afford the full fare and $10 for students and low-income. Coffee and donuts along with a box lunch provided with registration. We do not want cost to stand in the way of your participation. If it is, or to register or to get questions answered, contact Amanda Weaver from Reclaim Chicago at aweaver@reclaimchicago. org. Let’s not allow the progressive momentum that the Sanders campaign released throughout mainstream America ebb. Elections alone do not a democratic politic make. Here is the link to the registration form: https://actionnetwork.org/ticketed_events/ illinois-peoples-summit-convening

Tom Broderick

For the Greater Oak Park branch of Democratic Socialists of America

Courtesy of Jack Spatafora

LIFE OF THE PARTY: During cast parties, Newhart (right) would break up those assembled with his comic bits. Here he plays bongos.

NEWHART

Discovering his genius from page 37 Neil Simon, who could smack you in the face with their wit. Later, many of the West-Coast funny men [and now women] grew up in the more ethnically pasteurized world of late-night television. But here in middle-class, middle-America, in the middle month of the middle year of the century, Bob quietly emerged on the Chicago scene with something uniquely Midwestern, rather than either New York or L.A. I say quietly because his first steps into the comedy limelight were as a 1950 member of a long-ago theater company we called: The Oak Park Playhouse. From bit parts on our stage, he niched his way through the Chicago comedy landscape until he was “discovered” by Warner Brothers on his first comedy club tour. What they discovered in that 1959 gig was a low-key humorist who didn’t say funny things; he just saw his world in funny ways. In recent years American comedy has grown louder and angrier, but it’s worth considering how this Chicago pause helped American humor slip into a gentler mode from what it had been earlier and would become later. Newhart’s softer brand caught on so quickly in the 1960s, one wonders if the country hadn’t been unconsciously waiting for his easy way of poking holes without drawing blood. Bob still returns to town, because some of his family remain here. Actually, though, he has never re-

ally left town because he remains very much what his humor still is: Middle America Lite. And why not? Why not use humor to reveal without revolting? To attack without annihilating? To quietly take stock of our current madness, not by getting mad with it, but more by plucking out its many little absurdities and holding them up to the irrepressible light of a knowing Midwestern smile. Bob has grabbed a fistful of honors over these last 60 years. But I can share a secret with you. Back in our spunky little theater company, he never expected to become a one-of-a-kind humorist who would someday shoulder up to legends like Mark Twain and Will Rogers. At our cast parties, he just had fun regaling us with how he envisioned all those “roles” that were never in the plays we were doing. And so he made them up for fun. For our entertainment. Frankly, for anyone who would listen. Personally, I have this theory that there is some similarity between America’s centrist voting habits, and Bob’s centrist humor. Americans don’t usually swing wildly from one extreme to the opposite; instead our tastes hover more midway. Political landslides are rare. So are runaway consumer bonanzas. Over the generations, we’ve learned evolution works better than revolution, and that flashes-in-the-pan are just that. Consider this my salute to a Chicago friend whose Chicago humor continues to capture what works best in brutish times: An easy, wry smile to help put both the times and the brutes into clearer perspective. Jack Spatafora is a resident of Park Ridge.

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

V I E W P O I N T S

O B I T U A R I E S

Time to out-source our state government?

was musing over the current fiscal crisis in Illinois government when a brilliant notion hit me like an icy slush ball on a chill winter day. The problem with government is that it has no competition. When I was a mere lad, the Post Office was a joke, a paradigm of inefficiency and customer neglect. Then it got competition from the likes of UPS and FedEx. Whamo, the postal service got religion: make better products, be nice to customers. Springfield needs competition; Illinois citizens need to out-source our state government. Out-sourcing is a proven concept throughout the business world. There are 49 other state governments that might be willing to run Illinois for a fee. First, we hire a consulting firm to handle the search. We create an RFB (request for bid) and send it to the best state governments. We would need a set of criteria for deciding who we want to invite to bid on running Illinois. Some criteria that come to mind are: Six states have no state income tax; they must be doing something right. Six states have bans on the open carry of handguns. Illinois is one. That might be a good thing to look at. Alaska, Colorado, and Oregon might be attractive to Illinois citizens who like to toke up. Pot is legal in those states. And how about: No governor of the state has ever been put in prison. Fiscal responsibility would be important. Is the biddingstate solvent? Does it pay its bills? Does it have a budget deficit? Does it have a budget? A 2016 ranking by the Mercatus Center at George Mason

University puts Alaska as the number one state for fiscal responsibility. Illinois ranks 47; that means there are 46 states to choose from that are doing better than Illinois. I personally favor Hawaii. It ranks 45 on the Mercatus list, not much better than Illinois, but, hey, it’s Hawaii! We could negotiate some really good discounts for Illinois citizens on trips to the Aloha State. Mahalo nui loa! Think of the advantages of out-sourcing. We would cap the cost of state government. If we were not happy with the off-site government we chose, we are only stuck with it for the term of the contract — say, two years. We could dump one state and pick another one. As with the USPS, competition drives performance. Imagine our government treating us well; being polite to us on the phone; saying, “Your call is really important to us.” Yeah, there would be some tough choices. For example, would the contract with our off-site government allow us to vote in their elections? We Illinoisans have been electing our state officials for some time now. It does not seem to have done us much good. Maybe we’re not such smart voters. Perhaps we should stay out of the election process and let someone else decide what is best for us. Give up control; get all Zen about government. I know. It sounds absurd. But as Miguel de Unamuno said in 1905 of the novel Don Quixote, “Only a person who attempts the absurd can achieve the impossible.” The impossible: getting Illinois government to behave responsibly. Charles Hughes is an Oak Park resident and a practicing therapist in the village.

CHARLES HUGHES One View

Geraldine Nekrosius, 68 Hephzibah staff member, volunteer

Geraldine Green Nekrosius, 68, of Oak Park, died here on Sept. 16, 2016. Born in New York, New York to Dr. James L. Green and Margaret (née Brown), she was raised on Long Island and moved to Chicago to study journalism and English at Northwestern University where she met Donald, her husband of 47 years. They spent their first seven years of marriage teaching, traveling, camping, and exploring America and Canada before settling here to raise their three children. Gerry devoted her life to helping others as an educator, a counselor, and both as staff member and volunteer at Hephzibah Children’s Association and the OP-RF Food Pantry where she became known for her patient, caring, and generous spirit. In all areas of her life, she was a vigorous champion of women and women’s rights. She cared for everyone around her as a mother and grandmother not only to her own family but also to the children she worked with at Hephzibah. She loved to read, garden, visit museums, and attend the symphony and the theater. She lived a life full of love and adventures and her final days were marked with courage and dignity. Gerry Nekrosius is survived by her husband, Donald X. Nekrosius; her children, Walt (Juliana), Samuel (Lee), and Margaret (Jo); and her grandchildren, Gabriel, Amelie, Violet, Alta, Walter, and Luca. A memorial celebration will be held on Sunday, Oct. 2 from 3 to 5 p.m. at Pleasant Home, 217 Home Ave. in Oak Park. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Oak Park’s Hephzibah Children’s Association.

Try these changes in parking regulations The village board seems to be considering a change in the parking regulations in our fair town. As I see it, the new proposal of side-of-the-street shifting for a few hours each morning is a strategy addressing only one issue. I do not believe street cleaning is our most urgent issue. If there is going to be a change, I believe creating smoother, more efficient traffic flow and bicycle safety are of greater concern. The most radical strategy would be to make all streets One Way and only allow cross traffic left turns at intersections wide enough for a left, right and through lane.

Drechsler, Brown & Williams Funeral Home

Since 1880 Family Owned & Operated Charles Williams, Owner/Funeral Director 203 S. Marion St. Oak Park 60302 708/383-3191

The other approach would be side-shift parking, even side, even days and odd side, odd days every day all day. I believe this would improve traffic flow by eliminating our current pattern of “dodge that oncoming car” and give more space for bicyclists. The third approach would combine both of the above strategies. This would take care of flow, safety, street cleaning and make snow removal more efficient. You may voice your opinion at www.surveymonkey.com/r/f6w5c7y.

W E D N E S D A Y

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miss a lot. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a subscription JOURNAL to Wednesday Oak Park police to car anti-overdosrye Journal, drug youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re missing a lot. Each week Wednesday Journal covers local news, local people, local sports and the local ads you want to see. Village hall, police, OPRF, the elementary schools, business, religion, we have Oak Park and River Forest covered. So why are you waitingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; subscribe today! Three easy ways to subscribe: 1) call (708) 524-8300 2) visit OakPark.com/subscribe 3) mail in the form below. *Sign up today to receive Breaking News email updates! W E D N E S D A Y

June 1, 2016

Vol. 34, No. 42 ONE DOLLAR

of Oak Park

and River Fores t

@O @OakPark

Special pullout

section

Oak Park Fire Depart administers Narcan ment already roughly once a week By TIMOTHY

INKLEBARGER

Staff Reporter

Participants wave at the

crowd during

A day of remem

the annual Memorial

Forest couple says

By TOM HOLMES

brance

Day Parade

An American River

WILLIAM CAMARGO/Staff

in River Forest

on May 30.

Ramadan

For more photos,

Oak Park police with an anti-opioi officers will soon be equipped can, confirmed d overdose drug known as Tony Ambrose. Oak Park Deputy NarPolice Chief A state law that went dates that into effect in January all Illinois mancarrying police departme the drug in nts begin an effort from heroin and opioid-bas to prevent overdoses Ambrose ed prescripti said in a on drugs. telephone OPPD is working interview that the ment to receive with the Oak Park Fire training and Narcan program. grant fundingDepartfor the Oak Park Deputy Fire in a telephone Chief Peter Pilafas said interview paramedi that fire cs have been departme can for some trained to nt administe r Nartimes a monthtime and used it an average of in four Pilafas applied 2014 and 2015. on May 20 will cover for the 100 percent program, of the costs grant, which and it for the OPPD He said now was approved three days police and will attend fire departme later. a training nt officials officers on seminar to instruct how police Earlier this to administer the drug. year, Oak Park Township SuperviSee NARCAN on page 13

Photographer

page 10.

donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make assum ptions about Muslim s

to sunset, Contributing every day Reporter for four weeks. Nausheen sounds very Syed Mohuddin ator, to develop on Yom much like Kippur or (a.k.a. Mohi) patience, and his wife a Christian a Jew to perfect Ahmed Lent when she Nausheen oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character. gratitude and during describes keeping the Akhter will a Muslim When fasting, what Muslims month of begin are striving for during is supposed 5. The River Ramadan behavior, to be on their Ramadan â&#x20AC;&#x153;What people on June Forest residents avoid anger, . may ing without etc. Many bad language, best food or drink, will fast, go- â&#x20AC;&#x153;is that the purposenot know,â&#x20AC;? she said, people give example up bad habits,lies, of Ramadan from sunrise bring you closer spiritually is to spection smoking. It is for to your Creand self-reflec a time of introtion on how to betSee RAMADA N on page 12

Fathe râ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day brunch 9a-2:3 | Sund ay 0p Reservations:

Start delivery of

6/19

dinner 5-9pm

708.358.9800

or mayadels ol.com

today!

Enclosed is my payment of Â¨$32 for 12 months Name _______________________ Address ______________________ City_________________________ Zip _________________________ Phone _______________________ *Email ______________________ Visa/MC/Discover # _____________ ____________________________ Exp Date _____________________ Signature_____________________ ____________________________ Mail to: Circulation Dept. 141 S. Oak Park, IL 60302. Offer valid for new subscribers in Cook County only. Expires 10/31/16

Religion Guide Methodist

Check First.

First United Methodist Church of Oak Park

First Congregational Church of Maywood

400 N. Fifth Avenue (1 block north of Lake St.) Come join us for Sunday Morning Worship at 11 am Pastor Elliot Wimbush will be preaching the message. Refreshments and fellowship follow the service. 708-344-6150 firstchurchofmaywood.org When you're looking for a place to worship the Lord, Check First.

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Invited to A Church for All Nations A Church Without Walls SERVICE LOCATION Forest Park Plaza 7600 W. Roosevelt Road Forest Park, IL 60130

William S. Winston Pastor (708) 697-5000 Sunday Service 7AM, 9AM & 11:15AM

LIVE Webcast - 11:15AM Service Believerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Walk of Faith Broadcast Schedule (Times in Central Standard Time) Television DAYSTAR (M-F)

3:30-4:00pm

Nationwide

WJYS-TV (M-F)

6:30-7:00am

Chicago, IL.

WCIU-TV (Sun.)

10:30-11:00am

Chicago, IL.

Word Network

10:30-11:00am

Nationwide

(M-F)

www.livingwd.org www.billwinston.org

West Suburban Temple Har Zion

1040 N. Harlem Avenue River Forest Meet our new Rabbi, Adir Glick Pray, learn, and celebrate with our caring, progressive, egalitarian community. Interfaith families are welcome. Accredited Early Childhood Program Religious School for K thru 12 Daily Morning Minyan Weekly Shabbat Services Friday 6:30pm & Saturday 10:00am Affiliated with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism 708.366.9000 www.wsthz.org

324 N. Oak Park Avenue 708-383-4983 www.firstUMCoakpark.org Sunday School for all Ages, 9am Sunday Worship, 10am Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chapel during Worship Rev. Jenny Weber, Pastor Professionally Staffed Nursery Fellowship Time after Worship Presbyterian

Fair Oaks

Lutheranâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ELCA

United Lutheran Church 1 5LGJHODQG *UHHQÂż HOG Oak Park Holy Communion with nursery care and Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chapel each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Dennis Bushkofsky, Pastor Handicapped Accessible www.unitedlutheranchurch.org 708/386-1576 Lutheran-Independent

Grace Lutheran Church

7300 W. Division, River Forest David R. Lyle, Senior Pastor Phyllis N. Kersten Interim Associate Pastor Sunday Worship, 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. Sunday School/Adult Ed. 9:45 a.m. Childcare Available

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

744 Fair Oaks Ave. Oak Park 386-4920 Rev. Daniel deBeer, Interim Pastor Sunday Schedule Christian Education for All Ages 9:00am Worship Service 10:00am

Roman Catholic

St. Bernardine Catholic Church Harrison & Elgin, Forest Park

CELEBRATING OUR 105TH YEAR! Sat. Masses: 8:30am & 5:00pm SUNDAY MASSES: 8:00am & 10:30am 10:30 Mass-Daycare for all ages CCD Sun. 9am-10:15am Reconciliation: Sat. 9am & 4pm Weekday Masses: Mondayâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Friday 6:30am Church Office: 708-366-0839 CCD: 708-366-3553 www.stbern.com Pastor: Fr. Stanislaw Kuca Traditional Catholic

Child care available 9-11am

fairoakspres.org

OAK PARK MEETING OF FRIENDS (Quakers) Meeting For Worship Sundays at 10:00 a.m. at Oak Park Art League 720 Chicago Ave., Oak Park Please call 708-445-8201 www.oakparkfriends.org

Roman Catholic

Ascension Catholic Church

The Traditional Catholic Latin Mass

Our Lady Immaculate Church 410 Washington Blvd Oak Park. 708-524-2408 Mass Times: Sat. 8:00am Sun. 7:30 & 10:00am Operated by Society of St. Pius X. Confessions 1 hr. before each mass

Third Unitarian Church 11am Service: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Celebration of Lifeâ&#x20AC;? thirdunitarianchurch.org (773) 626-9385 301 N. Mayfield near Austin and Lake

Grace Lutheran School

Preschool - 8th Grade Bill Koehne, Principal 366-6900, graceriverforest.org Lutheran-Missouri Synod

Christ Lutheran Church

607 Harvard Street (at East Av.) Oak Park, Illinois Rev. Robert M. Niehus, Pastor Sunday Bible Class: 9:15 am Sunday School: 9:10 Sunday Worship Services: 8:00 and 10:30 am Church Office: 708/386-3306 www.christlutheranoakpark.org Lutheran-Missouri Synod

St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church

305 Circle Ave, Forest Park Sunday Worship, 8:30 am and 11:00 am Adult Bible Class, 10:00am Wheelchair Access to Sanctuary Leonard Payton, Pastor Roney Riley, Assistant Pastor 708-366-3226 | www.stjohnforestpark.org

808 S. East Ave. 708/848-2703 www.ascensionoakpark.com Worship: Saturday Mass 5:00 pm Sunday Masses 7:30, 9:00, 11 am, 5:00 pm Sacrament of Reconciliation 4 pm Saturday Taize Prayer 7:30 pm First Fridays Feb.â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dec. & Jan. 1 Holy Hour 6:00 pm Third Thursdays

Rev. James Hurlbert, Pastor

Roman Catholic

St. Edmund Catholic Church

188 South Oak Park Ave. Saturday Masses: 8:30 a.m. & 5:30 p.m. Sunday Masses: 9:00 & 11:00 a.m. Weekday Mass: 8:30 a.m. Holy Day Masses: As Announced Reconciliation: Saturday 4:15 p.m. Parish Office: 708-848-4417 School Phone: 708-386-5131

Unity

UNITY CHURCH OF OAK PARK 405 North Euclid Ave.

We behold the Christ in you. Sunday Services 9 am & 11 am Youth Education 11 am 708-848-0960 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; unityoakpark.org

Upcoming Religious Holidays Sep. 29 Michael & All Angels Christian Meskel Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Oct. 1-10 Navaratri Hindu 2 Muharram New Year Islam 3-4 Rosh Hashanah Jewish 4 St. Francis Day Catholic Christian

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM New local ads this week

YOUR WEEKLY AD

REACHES SIX SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES: OAK PARK, RIVER FOREST, FOREST PARK, BROOKFIELD, RIVERSIDE, NORTH RIVERSIDE, AND PARTS OF CHICAGO

WEDNESDAY

CLASSIFIED

HOURS: 9:00 A.M.â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5:00 P.M. MONâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;FRI

Deadline is Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.

Please Check Your Ad: The publisher will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion. Wednesday Journal Classified must be notified before the second insertion. The newspaper reserves the right to edit or reject any advertisement.

Place your ad online anytime at: www.OakPark.com/ClassiďŹ ed/

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 524-0447 | BY E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM SPECIAL EVENTS

HELP WANTED

Hope Trending!

EXPERIENCED CAREGIVERS Compassionate caregivers needed to service our Clients in the West Suburbs. Live-ins or hourly. One year paid experience preferred. www.cantata.org or 708-4855674. We also accept walk-ins. Cantata Adult Life Services 8700 West 31st St. Brookfield, IL

In the midst of hurt, crisis or fear, everyone is searching for one thingâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; hope. If you want to discover how you can face the future without fear, come to #HopeTrending! This free event will pique your curiosity, challenge your doubts and restore your hope. Light refreshments will be served. October 14-22 7pm WEST CENTRAL SDA CHURCH 1154 Wisconsin Avenue Oak Park, IL 60304 For more information call: (708) 383-1996

HELP WANTED DRIVER-PART TIME Local company looking for part-time parts driver/receiving clerk. Must be drug free & have valid DL. Must be able to lift 75lbs. Hours 9am til 3pm. $10-12/hr. Email resume. hr@ sievertelectric.com. Do not come to office. ELECTRICIANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HELPER PART-TIME Part-time Electricianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Helper. Some experience required. Must have own transportation and some tools. Call 708-738-3848. Buying? Selling? Renting? Hiring? Call 708-613-3333 to advertise.

MARKETING COORDINATOR-PT Energetic creative marketing/communication professional to support promotion of Oak Park, engage key stakeholders particularly commercial real estate community. 2-3 years experience in marketing/PR role, self-starter, strong project management experience, social media, website management, generate email campaigns, support efforts to improve brand visibility. Part-time (20 hours/ week). Send resume, cover letter and 2 references to: marketing@opdc.net Sr. Solution Development Analyst sought by Chicago Public Schools in Chicago, IL. Provd sys anlss & apln dvlp in supt of enhncng functnlty of IMPACT stdnt info suite. Aply @ www.jobpostingtoday.com #35272

SNOW REMOVAL SERVICES WANTED SNOW PLOWING NEEDED St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Parish Riverside Driveways only edge to edge. Call Don Shotola 630-247-9248.

Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 General Production Staff Position Description POSITION:

General Production Staff

DEPT/PROGRAM: Food Service QUALIFICATIONS/ A minimum of a High School Degree. Must complete EXPERIENCE: Food Handler Training within two (2) weeks of being hired. Must be able to comprehend detailed oral and or written instructions from supervisory staff. He/she must be able to work cooperatively with other staff members and be able to work independently on regularly assigned or special tasks. If you or anyone you know is interested in applying please visit our website at: www.oprfhs.org. Go to About Us and Employment Opportunities to be directed to our online application system.

Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 General Production/Cashier Staff Position Description DEPT/PROGRAM: Food and Nutrition Services POSITION:

General Production Staff (Satellite program support/Cashier)

QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE â&#x20AC;˘ Must complete Food Handler Training within two (2) weeks of being hired. â&#x20AC;˘ A minimum of a High School Degree. â&#x20AC;˘ Prior experience as a cashier. â&#x20AC;˘ Able to understand and carry out detailed oral and or written instructions from supervisory staff. â&#x20AC;˘ Able to work cooperatively with other staff members, students and community members â&#x20AC;˘ Able to work independently on regularly assigned or special tasks. If you or anyone you know is interested in applying please visit our website at: www.oprfhs.org. Go to About Us and Employment Opportunities to be directed to our online application system.

SUBURBAN REAL ESTATE

SUBURBAN RENTALS

BEAUTIFUL FOREST PARK HOME Completely Rehabbed Quality Home. Four Plus Bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths on extra large corner lot. $675,000. Contact 312-560-9464.

FOREST PARK COACH HOUSE 2 BR, 1 BA Coach House on quiet family owned prop. Max 2 people. Wtr incld. Ht & Elec extra. 1 sm prkg sp. No smoking or pets. Few blks from Blue Line & dwntwn Forest Park. (708) 689-8750

OAK PARK 2BR 2 Bedrooms, LR, DR, hardwood floors, tile bath, heat included. $1,250 + 1 mo security. Call 708717-3975

Another Award Winning Home by LocalÂ Developer

FOREST PARK 1 BEDROOM 3 RM 1 BR 2nd Floor Apt. Rent includes heating & cooking gas, parking space. Recently rehabbed. No more than 2 people. Good credit & job history. Avail. OCT 1. Rent $950/mo. For Info Call William 773-491-8660. OAK PARK 1 BR 1 Bedroom, LR, DR, hardwood floors, tile bath, heat included. $875 + 1 mo security. Call 708-717-3975.

137 DesPlaines Forest Park Four Plus Bedrooms, 3 1/2 Baths $665,000 with Side Lot

Contact Susan at J P Props 312-560-9464

HISTORIC MAYWOOD MANOR

902 S. 3RD AVENUE (behind Aldi) Tired of renting? Why not consider buying an affordable 2BR condo w/ 1000 sq ft of living space on this historic site at less than market rents? Savings are built in from a unique 12 year tax freeze plus lower utility costs from energy saving systems and appliances. Onsite pkg, exterior lighting and enhanced security systems included. Be among the first to benefit from this unique project in which the buyer can have input into the individual unit(s). Call 708-383-9223.

OAK PARK 3BR Oak Parkâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;3 Bedrooms, LR, DR, hardwood floors, tile bath, heat included. $1,450 + 1 mo security. Call 708-717-3975 OAK PARK SMALL 1 BR Downtown Oak Park. Hardwood floors throughout. All utlities included. $800 per month. Call 708-657-4226.

1 BR CONDO 1001 N HARLEM Completely remodeled 1 BR. Hardwood floors throughout. Laundry on site. $1150/mo + security. Assigned parking space $50/ mo xtra. 708-870-0266

OAK PARK COACH HOUSE Oak Park 1bdrm Coach House: all wood floors, 15 windows, new kitchen & bath, in-unit laundry, heated garage + extra space, 10 min walk to CTA Green Line, dog/cat - negotiable. Available 10/1/16. $1,600/ mo + gas/electric; 1 mnth deposit. PRIVATE-QUAINT-SAFE. Contact Ken at: cozetteken@yahoo.com; 630 660-5293

SUBURBAN RENTALS

Oak Park

GLA PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, INC. LaVerne Collins Managing broker

Office located at: 320 S. Wisconsin Ave. Oak Park

708-763-9927 www.glapropertymanagement.com

Properties may be broker owned.

Call us for a complete list of rentals available.

Oak Park

OPEN HOUSE 730 S KENILWORTH SUN 9/18 1:30PM TO 3:30PM

Great home on a family friendly Block. Lincoln School District. 4 Bedrooms, 2.1 baths, large living and dining room, eat in kitchen. Cherry cabinets, granite counters. Den with built ins. Central air conditioning, hard wood floors throughout, natural wood work, large deck off kitchen. $599,000. More information - call 708-848-7273 or email heff730@sbcglobal.net

M&M property management, inc.

t XXX NNQSPQNHU DPN 649 Madison Street, Oak Park Oak Park: Studios, 1 & 2 BR from $650-$2000 Forest Park: 1 & 2 BR from $725-$1,000

Apartment listings updated daily at:

www.oakrent.com

CITY RENTALS AUSTIN VILLAGE 5939 W. Midway Parkway Remodeled 2 BR. Half block from Oak Park, Green Line & shops. 1st Floor. $875/month. Heat not included. 708-383-9223 or 773-676-6805.

ROOMS FOR RENT AUSTIN CLEAN ROOM With fridge, micro. Nr Oak Park, Super Walmart, Food 4 Less, bus, & Metra. $116/wk and up. 773-637-5957 Large Sunny Room with fridge & microwave. Near Green line, bus, Oak Park, 24 hour desk, parking lot. $101.00 week & up. New Mgmt. 773-378-8888

CHURCH FOR RENT BEAUTIFUL CHURCH FOR RENT

in OAK PARK. Perfect for a congregation. Other potential uses. Corner of Scoville & Adams. rentalinquiry542@gmail.com 708-848-5460

SPACE FOR RENT

You have jobs. We have readers! Find the best employees with Wednesday Classified! Call 708-613-3342

ROOMS FOR RENT OAK PARK FOREST PARK Studio, 1, and 2 BDRM. Heated. Dining room. Parking available. Walk to El. $625-$1250.

Find your new apartment this Saturday from 10 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4pm at 35 Chicago Avenue. Or call us toll free at 1-888-328-8457 for an appointment. OakPark.com | RiverForest.com

OAK PARK SPACE Suitable for not-for-profit. Varied uses possible such as school, office spaces, community services center, clinic, etc. Please call 312-810-5948

OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT * RIVER FOREST 7777 Lake St. - 3 & 4 room suites * RIVER FOREST 7756 Madison St. - STORE 926 sq. ft. * OAK PARK 6955 North Ave. - 3 & 6 room office suites $675 to $1200 * OAK PARK 6142-44 Roosevelt Rd. - 4 & 5 room office suites * OAK PARK 115 N. Marion St. - 2 room office $573

Strand & Browne 708/488-0011

COMMERCIAL SPACE OAK PARK STORE OR OFFICE 350 TO 400 sq ft for store or office. 131-133 N. Ridgeland. $1200/mo. Call Nick 630-212-0509 or Al 773-600-6867

WANTED PARKING SPACE GARAGE PARKING SPACE WANTED

Near Madison & Marengo. Contact johnson312k@gmail.com

GARAGE/YARD SALES Forest Park

YARD & GARAGE SALE 111 CIRCLE (Roosevelt & Circle)

FRIâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;SATâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;SUN 9/30, 10/1, 10/2 9AM TO 5PM

Shoes, Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Clothes, Toys, Videos, Books & More! Forest Park

GARAGE SALE 7700 ADAMS FRIâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;SATâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;SUN 9/30, 10/1, 10/2 9AM TO 3PM

Lots of plus-size womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clothes priced $5 or less to go! Big menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clothes; Comforters; Towels; Sheets; Stereo Equip; Boom Boxes; Side Tables; Chairs; Dining Room Table; Lots of misc. items!

Find more garage sales on the next page.

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

CLASSIFIED GARAGE/YARD SALES Oak Park

GARAGE SALE 1219 HAYES SAT 10/1 ONLY 8:30 AM TO 1:30 PM

(708) 613-3333 â&#x20AC;˘ FAX: (708) 524-0447 â&#x20AC;˘ E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM

GARAGE/YARD SALES River Forest

MULTI FAMILY GARAGE SALE 1435 FRANKLIN SAT 10/1 9AM TO 1PM

PATIO FURNITURE , HOME GOODS, TOYS, BOOKS, AND MUCH MORE.

Collectables, furniture, clothes, jewelry, linens, toys, books and more. 40 years of treasure to pass on.

Oak Park

River Forest

GARAGE SALE 1008 N EAST SAT 10/1 9AM TO 12PM

(no early birds) Purging after 30 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;all sorts of misc household including: 1950s Dartmouth College plates, vintage cane chairs, lamps, vases, frames, kitchen, side tables. Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clothes M/L 12-16. Equipment for Camping(Coleman), Tennis, Golf. American Girl dolls, bed and clothes. Stuffed animals and Beanie Babiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;NO other items for kids. Oak Park

MOVING SALE 726 FOREST AVE SAT 10/1 8AM TO 12PM

Lawn mower, furniture, kitchen goods, games and more! Oak Park

MOVING SALE ROBINSONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S RIBS 940 MADISON ST SAT 10/1 7AM TO 6PM

BBQ Grills, misc. items.

restaurant

equip.,

Oak Park

BLOCK YARD SALE 900 BLOCK NORTH GROVE SAT 10/1 9AM-5PM SUN 10/2 10AM-4PM

Dining table/chairs; China Cab; Nightstands; Bookshelves; Lamps; Art; Mirror; Bike trailer; boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; & womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bikes; Kid/Adult clothes: Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s szs 6-18, Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Girls (11 yr old) Boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s; Designer purses/shoes (incl. Coach) Sports Gear; Books; Toys; Nintendo Wii; Tools/car/hardware items; Paint; Electronics; many NEW items... Oak Park

MULTI-FAMILY GARAGE SALE 900 & 1000 BLOCKS SOUTH MAPLE

Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; clothes sizes 0-4, books, board games, DVD movies, baseball/softball equipment/shoes, small guitar amp, household decor, baby and toddler clothes and toys, 46â&#x20AC;?W x 66â&#x20AC;?H frameless sliding glass shower door, bathroom vanity, tools, lamps, misc. Oak Park

MULTI FAMILY YARD SALE 1205 NORTH ROSSELL SAT 10/1 9AM TO 3PM

Household goods, books, toys, holiday decorations and much much more!

LARGE YARD SALE 140 GALE AVE FRI 9/30 8AM TO 5PM

Rain or Shine Furniture, household, Velox Sky Lights Never installed and in original boxes, Carpet, sofa set, Vintage Dining Room Set, lamps, More More More. River Forest

GARAGE/YARD SALE 823 KEYSTONE SAT 10/1 9AM TO 1PM

Downsizing Sale! Retro and antiques; Household items; Furniture.

ITEMS FOR SALE TOOLS FOR SALE Maintenance Repair Man Retiring. Liquidating tools, carpentry, plumbing, electric supplies, machine shop tools and much misc. By appointment only. Call Greg @ 630-253-5248

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

HEALTH & WELLNESS BOLSEN CLINIC

For all your Medical needs including: High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Colds, Most Infections, Asthma, medical Physical Exams insurance andÂ more accepted Hours 9 amâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;5 pm (Monâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Fri) 9 amâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;12 noon (Sat) 6429 W. North Ave., Suite 106 Oak Park, Illinois 60302 708-763-8334

CEMENT

AIR CONDITIONING/ HEAT AIR CONDITIONING AND APPLIANCE EXPERT Air Conditioning Automotive A/C Refrigerators Ranges â&#x20AC;˘ Ovens Washer â&#x20AC;˘ Dryers Hot Water Heaters Rodding Sewers Lic/Bonded 25 yrs experience

FREE SERVICE CALL WITH REPAIR AND SENIOR/VETERAN DISCOUNT.

708-785-2619 or 773-585-5000

CEMENT Finishing Touch Cement & Masonry Residential and Commercial Driveways | Garage Floors Sidewalks | Steps | Patios Specializing in Stamped Concrete Tuck Pointing and All Types Brickwork

Rocco Martino 708-878-8547 FinishingTouchCement2 @gmail.com

For All Your Concrete Needs!

CLEANING Pamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A+ Cleaning Service

A cleaner day is just a phone call away. For a detailed cleaning please call 708-937-9110

CEMENT

MAGANA

C O N C R E T E C O N S T RU C T I O N â&#x20AC;&#x153;QUALITY IS OUR FOUNDATIONâ&#x20AC;? ESTABLISHED IN 1987

COMMERCIAL Â&#x2DC; INDUSTRIAL Â&#x2DC; RESIDENTIAL

708.442.7720 Selling your home by owner? Call to advertise in Wednesday Classified: 708-613-3333

'5,9(:$<6 Â&#x2021; )281'$7,216 Â&#x2021; 3$7,26 67(36 Â&#x2021; &85% *877(56 Â&#x2021; 6,'(:$/.6 612: 3/2:,1* Â&#x2021; 67$03(' &2/25(' $**5(*$7( &21&5(7( FREE ESTIMATES LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED

ELECTRICAL

HUGHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ELECTRIC

*REMODELING *LIGHTING *SERVICES *HVAC *SERVICE CALLSAA

LIC* BONDED *FULLY INSURED |708-612-4803 Ceiling Fans Installed

ELECTRICAL

A&A ELECTRIC Let an American Veteran do your work

We fix any electrical problem & we do small jobs Fast Emergency Service

Residential â&#x20AC;˘ Commercial â&#x20AC;˘ Industrial

Ceiling Free Home Evaluations Fans Lic. â&#x20AC;˘ Bonded â&#x20AC;˘ Ins. Installed Low Rates â&#x20AC;˘ Free Est.

Home Re-wiring New Plugs & Switches Added New circuit breaker boxes Code violations corrected. Serv. upgrades,100-200 amp Garage & A/C lines installed

GARAGE/GARAGE DOOR Our 70th Year

Garage Doors &

Electric Door Openers

Sales & Service Free Estimates

(708) 652-9415 www.forestdoor.com

Sr. Discounts â&#x20AC;˘ 30 Yrs. Exp

708-409-0988 â&#x20AC;˘ 708-738-3848 Servicing Oak Park and all surrounding suburbs

HANDYMAN

CURT'S HANDYMAN SERVICE

Electricians serving the greater Oak Park area. Licensed, Bonded & Insuredâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Reasonable Pricing & Free Estimates. Kineticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proud to say you have never experienced service like this! 15 years experience and dedication. No job too big or small!

Drywall Repair â&#x20AC;˘ Painting Fans Installed â&#x20AC;˘ Carpentry Trim Gutter Cleaning â&#x20AC;˘ Window Repair

(708) 639-5271

708-488-9411

FIREPLACES/ FIREWOOD

%,%#42)#!, (!.$9-!. 3%26)#%3

Firewood Unlimited

!LL 4YPES OF (OME 2EPAIRS 2EPAIRS )NSTALLATIONS 0ROFESSIONAL 1UALITY 7ORK !T 2EASONABLE 0RICES 0ROMPT 3ERVICE 3MALL *OBS A 3PECIALTY

PLASTERINGâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; STUCCOING

Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs â&#x20AC;˘ Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates

McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.

HANDYMAN 773-732-2263 Ask for John

Mixed hardwoods â&#x20AC;˘ $130 F.C. CBh & Mix â&#x20AC;˘ $145 F.C. 100% oak â&#x20AC;˘ $165 F.C. Cherry or hiCkory â&#x20AC;˘ $185 F.C. 100% BirCh â&#x20AC;˘ $220 F.C.

HAULING BASEMENT CLEANING Appliances & Furniture Removal Pickup & Delivery. 708-848-9404

Seasoned 2 years Stacking Available

847-888-9999 1-800-303-5150

Credit Cards Accepted

FLOORS KLIS FLOORING INC.

New hardwood flooring installation & pergo. Sanding, re-finishing, staining. Low prices, insured. Call: 773-671-4996 www.klisflooring.com

:D\QH

Mikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Home Repair Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Do

708-296-2060

OakPark.com | RiverForest.com

LANDSCAPING

708/386-2951 t ANYTIME Work Guaranteed

TUCKPOINTING

LANDSCAPING BRUCE LAWN SERVICE Fall Yard Clean-Up Slit Seeding Bush Trimming Fall Leaf Clean-Up Senior Discount brucelawns.com

708-243-0571

WINDOWS

PAINTING & DECORATING

ALEX PAINTING &

BROKEN SASH CORDS?

Exterior and Interior All Work Guaranteed 35 Years Experience Call 708-567-4680

CALL THE WINDOW MAN!

DECORATING

FAST RELIABLE SERVICE

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PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE

CORRECTED LEGAL NOTICE

PUBLIC NOTICE

Chertkow and Chertkow (22019) Attorneys for Petitioner 1525 East 53rd Street Chicago, Illinois 60615

BID NOTICE RIVERSIDE PUBLIC LIBRARY HVAC DESIGN AND INSTALLATION PROJECT

NOTICE OF LOCAL TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES The District House development team, comprised of Ranquist Development and Campbell Coyle, presents opportunities for training and employment of low-and moderate-income residents of the Village of Oak Park and the Redevelopment Area, including business concerns that are located in, or owned in substantial part by persons residing in, the Village and the Redevelopment Area.

STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division. In re the marriage of Adewale Olayeni, Petitioner and Uche Olushola Olayeni, Respondent, Case No. 2016D-008174. The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Dissolution of Marriage and for other relief; and that said suit is now pending. Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before October 18, 2016, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition. DOROTHY A. BROWN, Clerk. Published in Wednesday Journal 9/14, 9/21, 9/28/2016

PUBLIC NOTICE ADVERTISEMENT OF BIDDING Request of bids for the Park Tree Pruning and Removals Owner: Park District of Oak Park 218 Madison St, Oak Park, IL 60302 The Park District of Oak Park seeks bids related to the Park Tree Pruning and Removals. The Park District of Oak Park will receive individual sealed Bids until 2:00 p.m. (Chicago time) on Friday, October 14th, 2016, at 218 Madison St., Oak Park, Illinois. The bidding documents and requirements will be available on the Park District’s website as of 12:00pm Wednesday, September 28th, 2016. Copies of the bidding specifications are available via the Park District of Oak Park website at: http://www.pdop.org/bids-and-rfps/ For additional information, contact Chris Lindgren at chris.lindgren@ pdop.org or (708) 725 2050. Only the bids prepared in compliance with the bidding documents will be considered. This project must adhere to the Prevailing Wage Act of 2015. The Park District of Oak Park encourages minority and women owned business firms to submit bids for this project. Park District of Oak Park By: Sandy Lentz, Secretary Park District of Oak Park 218 Madison St. Oak Park, IL 60302 Published in Wednesday Journal 9/28/2016

INVITATION TO BID Notice is hereby given by the Board of Library Trustees of the Riverside Public Library (“Library”) that sealed bid proposals will be received for the Library’s “HVAC Design and Installation Project” (the “Project”). The Project generally consists of an upgrade to the existing HVAC System of the Library through the design and installation of a new HVAC unit and complete functioning “turnkey” system at the Riverside Public Library building located at 1 Burling Road, Riverside, Illinois. A more specific description of the required design, construction, services and equipment for the Project is set forth in the Mechanical Design Criteria for the Project included in the bid documents. A full set of bid documents for the Project will be available for pick up by interested contractors at the office of the Library Director of the Riverside Public Library, 1 Burling Road, Riverside, Illinois 60546, during regular Library hours (M–TH 9 AM to 9 PM and F 9 AM–5 PM). A mandatory prebid meeting and site walk-through for this Project will be held at 10:00 a.m. on September 23, 2016 at the Riverside Public Library, 1 Burling Road, Riverside, IL 60546. Bidders are required to submit Pre-Qualification documents on or before 4:00 p.m. local time on September 30, 2016. Bidders who fail to submit such documents or do not meet the Pre-Qualification requirements set forth in the Instructions to Bidders shall not be eligible to bid. This Project is subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act (820 ILCS 130/ 1 et seq.). Each bid must be accompanied by a bid bond, cash or a certified check in the amount of 10% of the total bid, made payable to the Riverside Public Library, as a guarantee that the bidder, if awarded the Contract, will furnish a satisfactory performance bond and payment bond, execute the Contract and proceed with the work. Upon failure to do so, the bidder shall forfeit the amount deposited as liquidated damages and no mistakes or errors on the part of the bidder shall excuse the bidder or entitle it to a return of the aforementioned amount. The successful bidder will be required to furnish a performance bond and payment bond in the amount of 100% of the contract amount, as well as certificates of insurance as required by the specifications. Sealed Bid Proposals titled “Sealed Bid–Riverside Public Library HVAC Design and Installation Project.” will be accepted before 4:00 p.m. local time on October 13, 2016, at the office of the Library Director located at: Riverside Public Library Attn: Janice Foley, Library Director 1 Burling Road Riverside, Illinois 60546 The sealed bids will be publicly opened and read aloud in the Library’s Public Meeting Room on the lower level of the Riverside Public Library, 1 Burling Road, Riverside, Illinois 60456, on October 13th at 4 p.m.. No oral, telephone, facsimile or e-mail bid proposals will be allowed. Bidders, their authorized agents and interested parties are invited to be present. The Riverside Public Library reserves the right to reject any and all bids, and to waive any technicalities and irregularities in the bidding and to hold the bid proposals for a period of 60 days from the date of opening set forth above.

All qualified applicants shall receive consideration for employment without discrimination based upon race, religion, color, sex, national origin or ancestry, age, disability, sexual orientation, military discharge status, marital status, parental status or source of income. For More Information www.districthouseoakpark.com or contact John Pawlicki 773-292-1400 Published in Wednesday Journal 9/28/2016

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was filed by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. FILE NO. D16148061 on September 14,2016 Under the Assumed Business Name of LUXE HOME PHOTOS with the business located at: 36B MARENGO AVENUE, FOREST PARK, IL 60130. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/ partner(s) is: CHARLES SCHUMACHER 36B MARENGO AVENUE FOREST PARK, IL 60130 Published in Forest Park Review 9/28, 10/5, 10/12/2016

Starting a New Business? Call the experts before you place your legal ad! Publish your assumed name legal notice here. Call Mary Ellen for details: 708/613-3342

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REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS COUNTY DEPARTMENT–CHANCERY DIVISION FEDERAL NATIONAL MORTGAGE ASSOCIATION Plaintiff, -v.DENNIS HALFPENNY AS TRUSTEE OF THE DENNIS HALFPENNY TRUST DATED 1/28/00, SHARON HALFPENNY AS TRUSTEE OF THE SHARON HALFPENNY TRUST DATED 1/28/00, DENNIS HALFPENNY, SHARON HALFPENNY, GROVINGTON HOUSE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS, UNKNOWN BENEFICIARIES OF THE SHARON HALFPENNY TRUST DATED 1/28/00, UNKNOWN BENEFICIARIES OF THE DENNIS HALFPENNY TRUST DATED 1/28/ 00 Defendants 14 CH 04290 401 SOUTH GROVE AVENUE UNIT 1A OAK PARK, IL 60302 NOTICE OF SALE PUBLIC NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the above cause on July 26, 2016, an agent for The Judicial Sales Corporation, will at 10:30 AM on October 27, 2016, at The Judicial Sales Corporation, One South Wacker Drive–24th Floor, CHICAGO, IL, 60606, sell at public auction to the highest bidder, as set forth below, the following described real estate: Commonly known as 401 SOUTH GROVE AVENUE UNIT 1A, OAK PARK, IL 60302 Property Index No. 16-07-326-0241002. The real estate is improved with a 24 unit condominium; no garage. Sale terms: 25% down of the highest bid by certified funds at the close of the sale payable to The Judicial Sales Corporation. No third party checks will be accepted. The balance, including the Judicial sale fee for Abandoned Residential Property Municipality Relief Fund, which is calculated on residential real estate at the rate of $1 for each $1,000 or fraction thereof of the amount paid by the purchaser not to exceed $300, in certified funds/or wire transfer, is due within twenty-four (24) hours. No fee shall

be paid by the mortgagee acquiring the residential real estate pursuant to its credit bid at the sale or by any mortgagee, judgment creditor, or other lienor acquiring the residential real estate whose rights in and to the residential real estate arose prior to the sale. The subject property is subject to general real estate taxes, special assessments, or special taxes levied against said real estate and is offered for sale without any representation as to quality or quantity of title and without recourse to Plaintiff and in “AS IS” condition. The sale is further subject to confirmation by the court. Upon payment in full of the amount bid, the purchaser will receive a Certificate of Sale that will entitle the purchaser to a deed to the real estate after confirmation of the sale. The property will NOT be open for inspection and plaintiff makes no representation as to the condition of the property. Prospective bidders are admonished to check the court file to verify all information. If this property is a condominium unit, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale, other than a mortgagee, shall pay the assessments and the legal fees required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/9(g) (1) and (g)(4). If this property is a condominium unit which is part of a common interest community, the purchaser of the unit at the foreclosure sale other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by The Condominium Property Act, 765 ILCS 605/18.5(g-1). IF YOU ARE THE MORTGAGOR (HOMEOWNER), YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN IN POSSESSION FOR 30 DAYS AFTER ENTRY OF AN ORDER OF POSSESSION, IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 15-1701(C) OF THE ILLINOIS MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE LAW. You will need a photo identification issued by a government agency (driver’s license, passport, etc.) in order to gain entry into our building and the foreclosure sale room in Cook County and the same identification for sales held at other county venues where The Judicial Sales Corporation conducts foreclosure sales. For information: Visit our website at service.atty-pierce.com. between the hours of 3 and 5 pm. PIERCE & ASSOCIATES, Plaintiff’s Attorneys,

One North Dearborn Street Suite 1300, CHICAGO, IL 60602. Tel No. (312) 476-5500. Please refer to file number 9734. THE JUDICIAL SALES CORPORATION One South Wacker Drive, 24th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606-4650 (312) 236-SALE You can also visit The Judicial Sales Corporation at www.tjsc.com for a 7 day status report of pending sales. PIERCE & ASSOCIATES One North Dearborn Street Suite 1300 CHICAGO, IL 60602 (312) 476-5500 E-Mail: pleadings@pierceservices. com Attorney File No. 9734 Attorney Code. 91220 Case Number: 14 CH 04290 TJSC#: 36-9812 I702861

MORTGAGE DIRECTORY

Dated September 14, 2016 Board of Trustees of the Riverside Public Library By: Janice Foley, Library Director Published in Landmark 9/28/2016

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was filed by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. FILE NO. D16148135 on Setpember 15, 2016. Under the Assumed Business Name of SEC ELECTRIC with the business located at: 330 N PARKSIDE, CHICAGO, IL 60644. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s) is: STEVE STAMPLEY 330 N PARKSIDE CHICAGO, IL 60644. Published in Wednesday Journal 9/21, 9/28, 10/5/2016

OakPark.com | RiverForest.com

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was filed by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County FILE NO. D16148089 on September 14, 2016. Under the Assumed Business Name of M’DIOR HAIR & MAKEUP ARTISTRY with the business located at: 7001 W. NORTH AVENUE SUITE 203, OAK PARK, IL 60302. The true name(s) and residence address of the owner(s) is: CHNIKI MONIQUE THOMAS, 1134 HANNAH AVENUE FOREST PARK, IL 60130. Published in Wednesday Journal 9/28, 10/5, 10/12/2016

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act., which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation or discrimination based on age, race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or intention to make any such preferences, limitations or discrimination. The Illinois Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental or advertising of real estate based on factors in addition to those protected under federal law. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informedthat all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis. Restrictions or prohibitions of pets do not apply to service animals. To complain of discrimination, call HUD toll free at: 1-800-669-9777. WEDNESDAY JOURNAL Forest Park Review, Landmark

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Mortgage rates are accurate as of Monday afternoon. Due to the fluctuation of mortgage rates, the rates may vary before publication. Contact your mortgage lender for complete details. Mortgage rates vary in APR and other qualifying factors.

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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S P O R T S

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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OPRF, Fenwick renew rivalry in pool

Huskies finish fourth, Friars fifth at Friar Invitational By MARTY FARMER Sports Editor

The OPRF and Fenwick High School girls swimming teams are quite familiar with each other. They are also likely to be contenders at the state meet later this fall, considering that the Huskies placed sixth and the Friars seventh, respectively, in 2015. The rivals met twice last week, with the Huskies hosting the Friars in a nonconference dual meet (Sept. 20) won by Fenwick 94-92, before OPRF traveled south on East Avenue, Saturday, to take part in the Friar Invitational. There OPRF placed fourth (227 points) and Fenwick fifth (210). St. Charles North won the title with a score of 370, followed by Loyola Academy (281) and Dunlap (280). “Both teams really get up to swim and swim fast against each other,” Fenwick coach Renee Miller said about the local rivalry. “We told our swimmers every point counts.” At the Friar Invitational, OPRF sopho-

Photo by Karen Anderson

OPRF swimmer Samantha Neilson fared well in the 100-yard butterfly and relays at the Friar Invitational. more Natalie Ungaretti won a pair of races, taking the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.71 seconds and the 100-yard freestyle at 52.08. OPRF senior Hanna Blankemeier also placed first in the 200-yard freestyle (1:54.64).

W J

S P O R T S

At last year’s state meet, the highly touted Ungaretti took ninth in the 50 free in 23.65 after a 23.41 clocking in prelims as a freshman. A premier sprint swimmer, she could win a state title before she graduates.

Blankemeier could also win an individual state championship. In the 100-yard butterfly, the Huskies’ Samantha Neilson touched the wall at 1:00.64 for fourth place at the Friar Invitational. OPRF performed well in the relays with a first-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle. Ungaretti, Neilson, Sara Segal and Blankemeier clocked a time of 3:34.97 to win. In the first race of the day, OPRF finished second in the 200-yard medley relay (1:49.01). Although Fenwick didn’t win any races, the Friars swam well in several events to secure a top 5 showing against tough competition in their own pool. Brooke West earned second in the 100 free with a time of 52.60 and was third in the 100yard backstroke at 57.31. Perri Stahl came in third in the 100-yard breaststroke, posting a time of 1:09.46. “We are a very young team and learning a lot,” Miller said. “We lost most of our state sectional team, so we are working hard to get the pieces in place for sectionals and state. “Our team captains Ellie Carlson, Kelly Frumkin and Marie Towns are doing a great job leading the team. The team is working very hard at getting as many people to the state meet as possible.”

R O U N D U P

Huskies edged by Bulldogs in volleyball Despite 7-16 start, OPRF remains confident under new coach Collins By MARTY FARMER Sports Editor

Beating the Riverside-Brookfield High School volleyball team is a tall order (literally and figuratively), considering the Bulldogs are led by All-American 6-foot-8 senior outside hitter Dana Rettke. OPRF’s chances were reduced further without top players Abby Zarosl and Bella Perez, who missed the match due to injury and illness, respectively. Nevertheless, the host Huskies hung with Rettke and RBHS before losing 25-21, 26-24 in a nonconference match last week. Junior outside hitter Mireya Garcia led OPRF offensively with 11 kills, two assists and an ace. Ale Sleuwen (6 kills), Megan Kirkau (12 digs), Ella Dunavan (6 digs) and Zora Barnett (3 kills, 2 blocks) also contributed for OPRF. The Wisconsin-bound Rettke paced RBHS (14-4) with 20 kills on a .500 hitting percentage, three aces and five digs.

Fenwick girls volleyball Senior setter Mary Marzo dished out 27 assists and junior middle hitter Erin Stehlik had eight kills and four blocks to power the Friars past Regina 16-25, 26-24, 25-14 in a conference match.

Fenwick boys soccer Quinn Shaughnessy scored the game-winner off an assist from Mike Cerceo to lift the Friars to a 1-0 victory over Lockport in the ATI bracket final of the PepsiCo Showdown. Goalkeeper Kyle Gruszka recorded four shutouts in the Friars’ four tournament victories.

OPRF field hockey The Huskies had a tough weekend with four losses at their own Huskie Invite, which annually draws some of the top teams in the country. Although OPRF lost 4-3 to New Trier in their second game of the tourney, the Huskies played well as Katie Bonaccorsi, Christen Conley and Maeve Levy each scored a goal. Conley scored a fourth goal which was disallowed for being a dangerous shot. OPRF goalie Erica Ramos (46 saves over four games) had six saves against the Trevians. Assumption, a high school from Louisville, Kentucky, won the championship. In other action last week, the Huskies defeated Latin 3-0 and Francis Parker 5-1. Conley scored all three goals again Latin as OPRF put 15 shots on goal and drew nine corners overall. Conley also led in scoring against Francis Parker with three goals, followed by Lucy Brandstrader’s two goals. Ella Rossa, Maeve Sheehan, Molly Lena, Hope Nowak, Clare Roarty, Haley Hamilton and Maddie Guerrier also contributed for the Huskies during a busy week.

Fenwick boys golf Fenwick won the Lyons Township Invite at the La Grange Country Club with a team score of 312. Jack Mortell earned medalist honors with a 73, while teammates Mike Scudder, Reese Wildermuth, Josh Kirkham and Billy Bruce finished in the top 10. The Friars also edged St. Francis 154-157 as Mortell led the way with a score of 37. Kirham and Bruce both shot a 38.

Photo by Vic Guarino

OPRF junior hitter Mireya Garcia spikes a ball against Riverside-Brookfield.

Fenwick girls golf The Friars placed third at the Lady Dragon Classic at Lick Creek Golf Course in Pekin. Junior Stephanie Mroz shot an even par 73 to earn the medal. Senior Amy Kucera carded an 89, while juniors Natalie Mortell (92) and Olivia Morrissey (103) and sophomore Alexis Attard (94) also contributed for the Friars. Fenwick (6-3, 5-1 GCAC) recently defeated GCAC rivals Trinity and Rosary on Senior Night at Chicago Highlands as Mroz and Kucera shared co-medalist honors with a score of 39 (over 9 holes). The Friars fell to defending state champion Hinsdale Central in another match last week, although Mroz was the medalist with a score of 34.

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S P O R T S

Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

Courtesy Marie Lillig

Fenwick wide receiver Sherman Martin breaks free from a Loyola defensive back for a 67-yard catch. Martin had four catches for 91 yards in a 52-21 loss to the Ramblers at Triton College on Friday, Sept. 23.

FRIARS

Humbled at home from page 56 touchdowns and two interceptions. But Loyola tallied two more touchdowns in the final two minutes of the first half on an 11-yard run by senior running back Kyle Rock and senior quarterback Tommy Herion’s 12-yard pass to wide receiver Jack Martinus (6 catches, 50 yards) to seize a suddenly commanding 31-13 halftime lead. “We didn’t do our keys, we didn’t handle our responsibilities,” Fenwick defensive lineman Adrian Nourse said. “Loyola is a good team but I don’t think they are all that. Our aggressiveness was a little bit down thinking, ‘Oh, this is Loyola.’” Although Fenwick moved the ball well at times, turnovers proved costly. Loyola defensive back Ryan Lin-Peistrup had two interceptions in the first half. The second pick was particularly timely, setting up Martinus’ TD.

Keller-Polston combo scores twice Loyola (5-0) added another score on Hamid Bullie’s 4-yard scamper into the end zone, extending the lead to 38-13 at 9:25 of the third quarter. To the Friars’ credit, they stayed in the fight as evidenced by Keller’s second TD pass to Polston (6-yard reception). Keller

connected with Jack Henige on a successful pass to add a two-point conversion, making the score 38-21 with 2:39 left in the third quarter. With Keller, running back Conner Lillig and wide receivers Jack Henige, Sherman Martin, O’Laughlin and Polston, Fenwick has options offensively. Lillig rushed 12 times for 58 yards and caught two passes for 49 yards, while Martin added 4 catches, 91 yards and O’Laughlin 4 catches, 37 yards. Defensively, Lorente Blakeney led the Friars with eight tackles, followed by senior defensive end Ellis Taylor (7) and senior defensive back Ryan Chapman (6.5) “I think our offense is stacked,” Chapman said. “You’ve got Jacob at quarterback and then (running back) Conner is really fast, plus a great receiving corps. We have a lot of weapons and we showed tonight we can move the ball. “Defensively, we played a lot of zone with some man-to-man mixed in. I don’t think Loyola was as physical or fast as Phillips, but they are so fundamentally sound. That’s why they win.” Duke-bound tight end Jake Marwede (5 catches, 80 yards) and Rock each scored on TD runs in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring at 52-22 as Loyola won its 22nd game in a row. Herion turned in an efficient performance under center, completing 20 of 24 passes for 239 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Rock (12 carries, 97 yards, 3 TDs) and Bullie (13 carries, 92 yards, TD) led Loyola in rushing. Wide receiver David

Terrell, the son of former Chicago Bears player David Terrell, had six receptions for 92 yards. After surviving stiff tests against Maine South and Mount Carmel earlier this season, the Ramblers rolled into River Grove ready to go. “We knew Fenwick was going to be a tough team so we really prepared for this game,” Loyola senior linebacker Graham Repp said. “We practiced even a little bit longer than usual and got a lot of reps in this week. We gave up a couple of big plays, but then we came back, played more physically and did better. “Defensively, we just tried to keep Keller in the pocket because he’s a very athletic quarterback. Fenwick is an up-and-coming team and has improved a lot since we played them last year.” Fenwick takes on host Marmion this Friday, Sept. 30. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. in Aurora. “Tonight doesn’t really change anything,” Nudo said after the game. “Our No. 1 goal is to win conference, so Marmion will be a big game for us. We got a little dinged up, so hopefully we get our guys healthy and back to action.” “Loyola is a great team, fundamentally sound across the board,” Fenwick linebacker Marty Stein said. “A loss like this, though, isn’t the end of the world. It kind of puts us back in place and shows that we aren’t invincible. “We are definitely going to come out hard in practice and watch film to get ready for Marmion.”

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Wednesday Journal, September 28, 2016

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SPORTS

OPRF, Fenwick renew rivalry in pool 54

Sports Roundup 54

Fenwick can’t keep pace with Loyola Friars not up to upsetting reigning Class 8A state champs By MARTY FARMER

Sports Editor

ust a few minutes into the game, a palpable feeling permeated the Fenwick sideline and stands, the hope that the Friars could actually upset reigning Class 8A state champion Loyola. It was created when Fenwick senior quarterback Jacob Keller rolled out left, buying himself just enough time to complete a 5-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Alec Polston, which put the Friars up 7-0. Cue Friar Nation bedlam. However, unlike Fenwick’s previous wins against state champs Montini (6A) and Phillips (4A) this season, the seasoned and highly skilled Ramblers had more than enough in the tank to topple the Friars. In fact, after the Friars’ impressive first scoring drive, Loyola essentially controlled the action en route to a 52-21 victory in a Chicago Catholic League crossover game at Triton College. “Loyola is a great team,” Fenwick coach Gene Nudo said. “We weren’t quite ready for prime time. We had a couple of mistakes and then we started making a few plays, but it is what it is.” Despite the lopsided score, the Friars showed flashes of the talent that has powered them to a 4-1 start this fall and into the thick of CCL Green contention. After the Ramblers reeled off 17 unanswered points on their next three possessions, the Friars responded with an 8-play, 80-yard drive, capped off by Keller’s 5-yard TD toss to wide receiver Mike O’Laughlin to make the score 17-13 with 4:51 left in the second quarter. Keller completed 14 of 27 passes for 209 yards, three See FRIARS on page 55

Courtesy Marie Lillig

Fenwick defensive end Ellis Taylor applies pressure on Loyola quarterback Tommy Herion. Taylor, from Oak Park, finished with seven tackles against the Ramblers.

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