Village of Oak Park

This holiday season the Village and the Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce are partnering on the Keep the Cheer Here initiative, a celebration of community, connection and local shopping. This new holiday gift card program allows you to purchase a gift card to share the joy of shopping local with friends and family in #OakPark. It’s the perfect way to give the gift of choice and keep holiday spending close to home, supporting Oak Park’s small businesses. Learn more and find information about special events happening this holiday season in Oak Park's business districts at www.keepthecheerhere.org.

Shopping local will be made even easier in #OakPark beginning the Friday after Thanksgiving on Nov. 29 and continuing every Saturday through Dec. 21 when parking will be free in the three Village-operated public garages and for two hours at pay-by-plate parking spaces downtown and in the vicinity of south Oak Park Avenue. Parking is always free on Sunday throughout the year. Village officials say they hope this small gesture will benefit both customers and the businesses they patronize. More info: https://lnkd.in/gEeuvyW8

With the revamped Fall Leaf Collection Program ongoing, we're giving a shout out of thanks to Oak Parkers who are helping neighbors who may need assistance. Local Cub Scout Troop Pack 16 coordinated a group of volunteers who helped clear leaves earlier this month and the OPRF wrestling team wrestling team was out helping rake leaves this past weekend. #OakPark residents can sign up to volunteer or request assistance by filling out the applicable forms at https://lnkd.in/gZ-BcVA5.

The Art & Wine Walk is coming up on Dec. 14 in the #OakPark Arts District! Find more information and get your tickets before the event sells out at https://lnkd.in/gyJPhPdP.

In preparation for the Renew the Avenue streetscape project in 2025, the Village is highlighting businesses that call Oak Park Avenue home. Meet SelleriaVeneta! Moses Valdez loves Oak Park and the Hemingway District — and meeting people. The co-owner of Selleria Veneta, a boutique dedicated to Italian handmade clothing, handbags and jewelry, grew up in Oak Park as one of eight kids. With his business partner Cecilia Romanucci, Moses curates moderately priced fashion made by hand with the environment in mind. In addition to Selleria Veneta (139 N. Oak Park Ave.), Moses brings his energy to the recently invigorated Hemingway District Association as president of the organization. Where Selleria Veneta showcases the spirit of Italian fashion, Moses encapsulates the spirit of #OakPark. More information about Selleria Veneta is at www.selleriaveneta.com. Learn more about Renew the Avenue at www.renewtheavenue.com and be sure to support the businesses of the Hemingway District as we prepare to Renew the Avenue in 2025!

The Village is launching an Alternative Response to Calls for Service Pilot Program with the goal of enhancing overall community well-being and offering a compassionate alternative to emergency calls related to mental health in #OakPark. Earlier this year the Village Board approved Phase 1 of the plan, which will focus on two critical components: Providing an unarmed response to low-risk calls and implementing a Community Care Navigation model. Read more about the changes at https://lnkd.in/gDJcJVju.

We're pleased to introduce an updated version of the Village logo! Like the #OakPark community as a whole, the updated logo is generations in the making, inspired by the original people tree logo developed in 1973 and later updated in the 1990s. The latest iteration of the Village logo was created using familiar elements such as human figures linked together to form a community while also depicting the outreaching and supportive role of Village government. The updated logo will be phased in over the coming weeks and months. A new and improved Village website is on schedule to launch soon, and the new logo will increasingly appear on official correspondence from the Village and other signifiers of municipal government property and assets throughout 2025. More information is at https://lnkd.in/gt55WuaC.

The talented teens who participate in Off the Wall, the #OakPark Area Arts Council's teen summer arts employment program, completed another eye-catching mosaic mural in the community earlier this year. Located at 230 Madison St. across from the Park District of Oak Park's Community Recreation Center, the new art installation is a nod to local history and Madison Street’s former status as Motor Row due to the many car dealerships that used to line the roadway.

The Village is hosting a discussion about constructive approaches to addressing the hunger and homelessness that creates the need for panhandling. The community forum will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18 in the Veterans Room at the Oak Park Public Library. More information is at www.oak-park.us/forum24. #OakPark

A draft of #OakPark’s Vision Zero Action Plan is being presented to the Village's Transportation Commission for consideration and review during its 7 p.m. meeting next Monday, Nov. 11 in the Council Chamber at Village Hall. The Vision Zero project team has spent a year engaging with residents and stakeholders, analyzing data and reviewing Village policies in order to create this draft plan. The Village is making a commitment to consistently having zero deaths or serious injuries caused by traffic crashes on its streets by 2035. The Vision Zero Action Plan outlines a set of 10 strategies with associated action items that set up the Village to achieve this goal. The final plan is anticipated to be brought to the Village Board in 2025 for approval. For more information about the project, visit https://lnkd.in/gd7kJfPN.