Residents in single-family homes and buildings with five or fewer units can now safely dispose of common hazardous household waste and unwanted electronics without a trip to a collection site.
A new contract with refuse hauler Waste Management includes at-home pickup for materials such as garden...
Families with young children can look to the Collaboration for Early Childhood for information about early development and resources, finding child care or preschool and parenting support.
The organization, funded in part by the Village and school districts 97 and 200 to serve children at their...
The Oak Park Area Arts Council has launched a comprehensive online arts directory that lists available classes, camps, lessons and events in Oak Park and River Forest. The goal, officials say, is to engage youth in the arts through easily accessible opportunities. The project was funded by a grant...
Target will open a new store in downtown Oak Park on Lake Street just east of Harlem Avenue. The 22,000-square-foot, flexible-format store will be part of the discount retailer’s growing number of smaller locations customized for urban and densely populated suburban areas.
The new Target location,...
With the economic heart of downtown Oak Park beginning to pump new blood into every part of the community, eyes now are on the next investment frontier — the Madison Street corridor.
A private developer selected through a competitive bid has agreed to an innovative Village concept to slightly bend...
Planning will begin this year to replace critical infrastructure that is at the end of its life cycle along Lake Street from Harlem Avenue to Austin Boulevard. Actual construction would likely not occur until 2018.
The project also envisions new concrete and asphalt roadway surfaces, lighting and...
Maintaining public safety and improving vital public infrastructure will continue to be priorities in the year ahead, as the 2017 budget takes effect on Jan. 1.
The largest share of general fund expenditures will be on critical public services, including police, fire and public works, which...
Anyone in need of a place to warm up as temperatures dip can find a range of options in Oak Park. Local sites include the following:
Housing Forward – overnight shelters in various locations, 888.338.1744
Rush Oak Park Hospital, 520 S. Maple Ave. – open 24 hours, 708.383.9300
Oak Park Township...
Residents are urged to move their cars from the streets when temporary no-parking signs go up to allow private contractors to prune parkway trees quickly and safely as the winter trimming cycle continues through mid-April.
The areas scheduled for pruning this season are between North Boulevard and...
www.pdop.org
WinterFest…Celebrate winter from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sat., Jan. 28, in Austin Gardens, 167 Forest Ave. This free event will feature outdoor ice skating (weather permitting), games and music. Limited skate rental will be available for $1 per pair.
Camp information…The annual camp guide...
Recent fires on the wooden back porches of multifamily buildings has Oak Park Fire Department officials urging residents not to extinguish cigarettes in pots containing soil mixes, mulch or dried vegetation.
Potting mixes typically contain highly flammable materials like peat moss, dried bark and...
With an estimated 30,000 coyotes currently living in Illinois, like it or not, coyotes are a permanent fixture in Oak Park. Seeing a coyote does not necessarily mean a dangerous situation for humans or domestic animals. If approached by a coyote, do not run — make yourself appear larger by yelling...
The Oak Park Fire Department offers a variety of life-saving classes including CPR and training in how to use an automated external defibrillator, or AED.
Classes are held from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Fire Department’s certified American Heart Association community training center in the main station,...
The Village has specific rules that govern parking when it snows — rules that are enforced seven days a week, including holidays. Residents are urged to monitor local forecasts and plan accordingly.
When snow exceeds two inches, all parking is prohibited on the main streets posted as snow routes....
Property owners who shovel their sidewalks are doing more than making it safer for pedestrians of all ages — they also are complying with the law. Village ordinance requires snow and ice to be removed from the public sidewalk within 24 hours following any snow, sleet or freezing rain. Being a good...
Holiday trees…Holiday trees will be collected the weeks of Jan. 9 and 16. Be sure to remove all decorations and stands, and place the tree in the regular collection area. Since the trees are mulched at a licensed composting facility and used for soil enrichment, please do not leave them in plastic...
The range of information tied to specific property addresses now available online is growing through the Village’s participation in the GIS Consortium, a collective of local governments working together to develop and implement new technologies they can share.
Simply by entering an Oak Park address...
A new hybrid street crossing signal has been installed on Chicago Avenue at Harvey Avenue to improve safety for both pedestrians and bicyclists crossing the heavily traveled roadway.
The high-intensity activated crosswalk beacon, or HAWK, gives Chicago Avenue motorists a red light when activated by...
June may seem like a long way from January, but planning already is well underway for A Day in Our Village, Oak Park’s annual festival celebrating diversity and community involvement.
This year’s event is scheduled for Sun., June 4. A variety of volunteers are needed to help promote and staff the...
