Forest Park Review 050124

Village addresses de cit, discusses future budget

Forest Park’s expenditures have exceeded revenues for more than a decade

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

The Village of Forest Park will be ending this fiscal year with an $11 million-overall government deficit, budget documents show.

That appears to be a patter n for the village, where expenditures have exceeded revenue for more than a decade, the documents show.

Although all department costs have remained under budget for the past several years, Village Administrator Rachell Entler said Forest Park continues overspending when it comes to paying employees overtime in short-staffed departments, funding capital projects and emergency infrastructure fixes.

“Times are changing, and we are at a point where you can only do more with less so much and so well. We have to start having serious conversations of ‘are we actually doing it well? Or are we overtaxing the people we have here?’” Entler said in a nod to the nearly dozen audience members at the village’s second budget-related

DEFICIT on page 3

Makers’ Market makes waves

Tom Holmes: Mike Johnson

DEFICIT

Searching for revenue

from page 1

meeting April 22.

This year, Entler changed the budgetpreparation process. In the past, the village held one meeting, where de partment directors presented itemized costs and submitted them for review to Letitia Olmsted, the village’s finance director. This year, Entler org anized two meetings before commissioners’ final approval to of fer a collaborative, big-picture discussion about the state of Forest Park’s finances all in an ef fort to address continual deficit spending.

Though 2024 fiscal year numbers won’t be finalized until early summer, according to Entler, this isn’t the first that Forest Park has spent from a deficit. Deficit spending occurs when the village accesses its general fund as a fo rm of revenue when spending surpasses income. The general fund consists of money the village receives from property, state and utility taxes, license and permit fees, plus grants.

At the first meeting to discuss the budget, commissioners and department directors brainstormed the most expensive items they wanted to buy and potential revenue streams. In the April 22 meeting, these suggestions were sor ted by priority and cost:

■ Build a new Jackson Boulevard water reservoir for around $10 million. This is the highest-priority, most expensive item.

■ Upgrade water meters, another cost of $4.5 million.

■ Purchase a new fire engine, estimated by Fire Chief Phil Chiappetta to cost up to $1 million and have a three-year wait time.

■ Re place the public works department’s fleet, including a new forestry truck.

■ Assess government buildings’ capital needs and develop a plan for them. The issues include: aging carpets and floors, deteriorating prisoner cells at the Forest Park Police Department, and adding new daycare furniture at the Howard Mohr Community Center.

■ Fix the public works department’s

masonry and leaking roof, estimated at $300,000, and renovate the bunk room at the fire department, a cost of $120,000.

Other needs include re placing the police department’s squad car fleet, purchasing a secure email system to upload FOIA and finance documents, and writing a new comprehensive plan. The last plan was written in 2014 and details the village’s goals over the next decade or so, including strategies and areas of upcoming developments discussed by elected officials, businesses and residents.

It is not yet clear how the village will pay for the projects. Financial paths include:

■ Applying for grants.

■ Exploring home rule.

■ Instilling a food and beverage tax.

■ Increasing parking meter rates and requiring permits for on-street parking.

■ Amending the village’s leaf removal program, because collecting leaves for free in the fall costs the village $80,000 a year.

■ Revisiting video gaming.

Home rule permits municipalities to create local solutions to local problems. Those with at least 25,000 residents automatically have it. But because Forest Park’s population is about 14,000, voters would have to pass a referendum to obtain it. Local control includes things such as taxing Airbnbs or establishing a local transfer or sales tax.

As for food-and-beverage taxes, Forest Park is one of the few area municipalities without one.

“I was really surprised to see that we are one of the only communities here that did not have a places of eating tax in place,” Entler said, adding that most surrounding villages have a 1% tax, and some have 2%.

As a non-home rule community, Entler estimates this tax could generate $500,000 to $1 million.

Video gaming, however, is among the more contentious suggestions. At the April 22 meeting, Commissioners Maria Maxham, Michelle Melin-Rogovin and Jessica Voogd voted to drop exploring that option.

Commissioner Ryan Nero wasn’t in attendance. Because video gaming is newer, and Forest Park is one of the few towns that has

Village Administrator Rachell Entler has changed the budgeting process for Forest Park this year with a series of meetings to address continued de cit spending

reversed it, Entler said the Illinois Gaming Board directed her to the state of Illinois to see whether the 2018 referendum overturning video gaming could be reversed.

“I have more p eople c ome to me with the q uestion about g aming than any other single i ssue,” Maxham said. “What I’ve c ome to realize is there is no quick answe r, ” she added, “it would be cost and time prohibitive. ”

The other two present commissioners ag reed: “I’m here to re present the decision that was made by Forest Park voters,” Melin-Rogovin said.

“The people voted. We were elected to re present the people and we need to support their decision,” Voogd said.

Commissioners also praised the new budget structure.

“I want to thank our village administrator again for changing the process this year and not having just one, static meeting,” Maxham said at the April 22 village council meeting after the budget discussion. “This was really interactive with a lot of great ideas and open, honest discussion, which I think is really important to have.”

T hough the final budget meeting hasn’t been scheduled yet, during it , the village council and staf f will review each de partment’s draft budget for disc ussion and approval.

NEWS FLASH!

BIG WEEK

May 1 - May 8

Celebrate the Year of the Dragon

Wednesday, May 8, 4-5 p.m., Forest Park Public Library

Kids Beginner Amigurumi Crochet Kit

Forest Park Public Library

Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native Hawaiian Heritage Month migurumi means “c r ocheted or knitted ark

Fan Fest 2024

Sunday, May 5, 3 - 5 p.m., Forest Park Public Librar In-person again and unforgettable. Come to celebrate comics and culture at our mini- con. Meet artists, creators (and familiar characters), shop, and show o your fandom. 7555 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park

FAN FEST

The Year of the Dragon begins on Feb. 10 and ends on Jan. 28, 2025. Children in Chinese-speaking countries celebrate Lunar New Year by wearing new clothes, eating Chinese food, visiting temples with family, and playing games. 7555 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park

Homeboy Sandman, E-Turn, Bob Rok, Greenlights Music

Friday, May 3, 7:45 p.m., Rober t’s Westside

You can read more about Homeboy Sandman on the “news - ar tist spotlight” page of the Rober t’s Westside w ebsite. Suffice it to say that he is as outspok en in conv ersation as he is on his re cords, and he headlines an all-star hip-hop bill 7321 Madison St ., Fo r est Park

Thursday, May 2, 7 p.m., Rober t’s Westside

Test your knowledge of local football history. Teams of 10 people are $600. Tickets for non-par ticipants include pizza and an open bar from 6-10 p.m. 7321 Madison St., Forest Park

Listing your event in the calendar

Forest Park Review welcomes notices about events that Forest Park community groups and businesses are planning. We’ll work to get the word out if you let us know what’s happening by noon Wednesday a week before your news needs to be in the newspaper. ■ Email details to calendar@wjinc.com

Compiled by Brooke Duncan

D209 president says

she’s ‘not sure’ how the superintendent search will end

Her comments come as the school board plans its recon guration during its May meeting

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Reporter

T he Proviso High School Township Dist rict 209 school b oard i ntended to name a new superintendent in late April, but as the expected d eadline p assed, b oard President A manda Grant said she had d oubts. S he said she is “not sure how this proc ess is going to g o” and “not sure how it is going to end.”

In order for a superintendent to be succ essful they need to have b oard, staf f and c ommunity suppo rt , Grant, explained , but the p ast two b oard meetings made it clear that wo n’ t be the case in Provis o. Grant’s c omment c ame after an early April b oard of education meeting, where public c omment po rt i on of the meeting was largely d ominated by c ommunity members who expressed c oncern re ga rding the three selected finalists, included not having students reflected in distric t leadership and c andidate q ualifications During the meeting, b oard member A rbd ella Patterson also c alled for the search to restart from the be ginning . Patterson told Fo rest Pa rk Review that her position stand s.

“In the s pirit of transparency, I b eli eve the superintendent of schools search proc ess wasn’t c ompleted fairly,” she said. “Thus, I am c alling for the b oard of education to restart the superintendent of schools search process, immediately. ” S he did not elaborate the reasons. Grant, however, has said publicly that she believed the search was properly handled “ Times have changed, f amilies have changed, c ommunities have changed , technolo gy has changed but one thing has to remain c onstant and that is that our students need to c ome first,” she said. “They d eser ve a superintendent who has experienc e, who has the g rit, who has the

knowledge, and who truly cares them as individuals and our next g enerations who is going to be leading the countr y. ”

“We need that. I b eli ev she said.

According to Grant, there ha reasons why the search has tak including the refusal by two board to sign confidentiality agreements

Hazard Young A ttea agency hired to c onduct the c onfidentiality ag reements are standar practic e. N ot signing one “compromised the search,” said Grant.

Grant also said that not all board members pa rt icipated equally in the process. S he did not name the member she was refer ring to.

“The b oard also ag reed they present for the i nterviews and that wasn the c ase either,” Grant said. “Some tended the i nterview but ticipate. Re f used to ask c tions and refused to ans asked of them by candidates

Grant also said those wouldn’t speak with the HYA associates to discuss what they wanted in a superintendent

“In many ways the process was set up to fail by certain b oard member said. “By not pa rt icipating, input, and by making the decision from the g et go that if it c ould son, they didn’t want any Board members Ro d ney

A rbdella Patterson did not c omment by the time of this ar ticl e. Neither did b oard members S andra Hixson, Jennifer Barbahen or David Ocamp o.

Grant also said she has been experiencing outside “political pressure” re garding the search from the day after it was announced.

“N ever in seven years have I f elt the p olitical pressure that I am f eeling now, ”

In Fe bruary 2024, the b oard announced the appointment of two i nterim superi ntendents wh i le Karvelas stepped aw ay d ue to a family medical emergenc y.

A lexander Aschof f, district c oordinator for data and assessment, and Lu ke Pavone, de p uty superintendent of operations, we re appointed to the co-acting in -

Our Community Needs Community Journalism

terim position.

the board will be reconfigured Grant said she will not seek to hold on to ent position.

ou that we do not p ut anyone in osition who is r unning for reelection,” she said during her remarks at pril meeting. “It is a c ampaign ou’ re doing the wo rk , it will speak for itself.”

During that meeting Patterson reiterted her concer n over the search

“There was inconsistency in this proess and with that being said this process needs to be d one over,” Patterson said. “I t has nothing to do with p olitics. If you are going to do it, do it right, be transparent. Th at is all I am asking, and that d id not take plac e. ”

T he next board of education meeting is scheduled for T uesd ay, May 14 at Provis o Math and Science Academy.

AMY GRANT

ARBDELLA “DELL A” PAT TERSON

HO Trains Run Here

HO Trains Run Here

HO Trains Run Here

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OPEN HOUSE

HO Trains Run Here

OPEN HOUSE

OPEN HOUSE

The secret to Parky ’s awesome fries

MAY 4

OPEN HOUSE

MAY 4

OPEN HOUSE

By DAVID HAMMOND Oak Park Eats

MAY 4

MAY 4

12:01 pm to 5 pm

OPEN HOUSE

12:01 pm to 5 pm

MAY 4

12:01 pm to 5 pm

Free admission!

MAY 4

Free admission!

12:01 pm to 5 pm

Free admission!

12:01 pm to 5 pm

sunny Sunday afternoon was the right time to have my first hot dog of the season at Parky’s on Harlem.

Oak Park Society of Model Engineers

AFree admission!

Oak Park Society of Model Engineers

Free admission!

Oak Park Society of Model Engineers

12:01 pm to 5 pm Free admission!

Oak Park Society of Model Engineers

Dole Learning Center Lower Level

Oak Park Society of Model Engineers

255 Augusta, Oak Park, IL 60302

Dole Learning Center Lower Level

Oak Park Society of Model Engineers

Dole Learning Center Lower Level

255 Augusta, Oak Park, IL 60302

Dole Learning Center Lower Level

Setting up at a picnic table, I was eating for a few minutes before I realized I hadn’t touched the hot dog. I like Parky’s hot dogs, but their fries are so stratospherically fantastic that for the first few minutes of lunch, I had eyes only for those glistening straight-cut potatoes.

sure and stopped using beef fat, they started using trans-fats, which were found to be perhaps even more injurious to one’s health than beef fat. And the fries, though still a big seller, didn’t seem to taste as good I spoke to guys at Carnivore (because who knows beef better?) and was told that they used to fry potatoes in beef fat, but they got pushback from customers who, for dietary and religious reasons, don’t consume beef. In addition, apparently beef fat frying solution needs to be changed out twice as frequently as vegetable oil, which is an extra expense

Oak Park’s Model Railroad Club.

255 Augusta, Oak Park, IL 60302

Dole Learning Center Lower Level

Dole Learning Center Lower Level

255 Augusta, Oak Park, IL 60302

Oak Park’s Model Railroad Club.

255 Augusta, Oak Park, IL 60302

Oak Park’s Model Railroad Club.

255 Augusta, Oak Park, IL 60302

New members always welcomed! youtube.com/@oakparkmodelrrclub

Oak Park’s Model Railroad Club.

Oak Park’s Model Railroad Club.

Oak Park’s Model Railroad Club.

New members always welcomed! youtube.com/@oakparkmodelrrclub

New members always welcomed! youtube.com/@oakparkmodelrrclub

New members always welcomed! youtube.com/@oakparkmodelrrclub

New members always welcomed! youtube.com/@oakparkmodelrrclub

New members always welcomed! youtube.com/@oakparkmodelrrclub

THRIVE TALKS

Parenting to Create Peace, Love, and Understanding in Your Family and Our World

At this Thrive Talk you will be presented with a perspective that will empower you to respond to your kids and other family members in ways that foster peace, love and understanding.

FREE EVENT!

May 9, 7:00 - 8:30 PM

Oak Park Public Library

834 Lake St. Oak Park, IL

1 CEU Available for Counselors and Social Workers for $20

There are several reasons that account for the excellence of Parky’s fries. As at other classic places like Gene & Jude’s on River Road, Parky’s cuts their fries by hand, and they leave on the skins, which add texture and flavor. Their potatoes are not delivered frozen, as they are at many quick-service restaurants, and so Parky’s has a fresher tasting fry

But the main reason Parky’s fries are so good is that they’re fried in beef fat, which yields a crisper fry and deeper flavor.

McDonald’s used to cook their “world famous” fries in a mixture of vegetable oil and beef fat (also called tallow or suet). In the mid-’80s, McDonald’s was facing heat for serving unhealthy food, and the beef fat in the fries was just one of the targets for organizations like the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog group that pressured McDonald’s to serve healthier food.

and a task that sounds very messy and unpleasant. Still, if you like to fry in beef fat, Carnivore keeps some tubs of the stuff on hand just for you.

McDonald’s hired me to respond to such threats with an ingredients booklet that would detail every ingredient in every McDonald’s product. In writing this first McDonald’s ingredient listing, I discovered that they were putting beef fat in their cookies as well, which I agree sounds kind of gross, but the best pies contain pork fat (leaf lard in the crust), so really what’s the big deal? And beef fat adds flavor

Ironically, when McDonald’s bowed to pres-

Of course, I’m a fan of Parky’s hot dogs as well, even though they lack the traditional poppy seed bun and two of the Magnificent Seven condiments of the classic Chicago dog: they have the mustard, blue-green relish, sport peppers, chopped onions and tomatoes, though they lack a pickle spear and celery salt.

Still, it ’s a g ood hot dog … though I must give highest praise to Pa rk y’s marvelous frie s.

David Hammond writes regularly for Oak Park Eats at oakpark.com.

DAVID HAMMOND

Parky’s stratospherically fantastic fries.

Forest Park cleans up nicely

On April 27, a group met at Roos Recreation Center at 9 a.m. to pick up trash around Forest Park between Van Buren Street and Harlem Avenue.

by TODD BANNOR

Photos

John Cunningham picks up trash along Harrison Street.

Public Property Commissioner Jessica Voogd directs volunteers to their work zone.

Volunteers for the Community Cleanup gather at Roos Recreation Center.

Above: Public Property Commissioner Jessica Voogd and Director of Public Works Sal Stella inst ruct volunteers

THE MACLEAN HOUSE AT CALEDONIA SENIOR LIVING.

Roberts Westside Makers' Market

The Forest Park Arts Alliance held its third spring Makers' Market April 27 with two do z en artisans selling their wares at Robert’s Westside

The Makers' Market grew out of the Arts Alliance's Garage Galleries, an annual art walk in August hosted out of local garages. But in comparison, the Makers’ Market is more of a crafts-oriented, homemade shopping experience, occurring once in spring and again toward the end of the year.

“There are a number of artisans that didn’t really fit with Garage Galleries, but they were fabulous makers,” said Bridget Lane, secretary of the Forest Park Arts Alliance, in a previous interview with the Forest Park Review. “This is an opportunity for those people to show of f their wares and sometimes finance their hobby a bit.”

Elise Townley of Elan Arts.

Patrons check out pottery

Vendors at the Roberts Westside Makers’ Market

Spread the Love table

Vendors at the Roberts Westside Makers’ Market

Patrons check out jewelry

Dima of Dima Jewelr y

Axis Handspun Creations

Photos by TODD BANNOR

A street named Joe

Joseph Byrnes, who has served as commissioner and held several local positions, received an honorary street sign Saturday

On April 27 at 11 a.m., more than 100 Forest Park staf f members and residents gathered for the honorary street naming of Joseph Byrnes Way at the corner of Harvard Street and Thomas Avenue.

Longtime Forest Parker Byrnes served as a Forest Park police officer before retiring as the deputy chief. He also served a six-year term on the Park District of Forest Park Board of Commissioners and two terms as a village commissioner. He is a long-time volunteer

tions, such as the Forest Park Kiwanis Club and Fisher House at Hines VA Hospital.

Byrnes’ impact on Forest Park is why Village Administrator Rachell Entler said they’ re naming a street after him.

Entler said the mayor decides if a street will be named after someone based on whether they have a lasting effect on the village. Mayor Rory Hoskins was present at the street naming ceremony, along with for mer Mayor Anthony Calderone, all four commissioners, and members of Byr ne’s family

Several people spoke about Byr nes, mentioning his loyalty, sense of humor and

TODD BANNOR

Former Mayor Anthony Calderone, Sandy By rnes, Joseph By rnes, Mayor Rory Hoskins, and friends and family at the unveiling of an honorary street sign.

CRIME

Parents le battery report after ght at Field Stev

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Reporter

A fight unfolded behind Field Stevenson School April 26 after a boy and his friend got into a verbal argument with a group of girls, according to a Forest Park police re port. In a video that police watched that was provided by the school, the boy addresses one of the girls, who pushes him. Then he runs at her, and the girl hits him in the face, according to the police re port. Officials said the police were called by parents, and a parent of a victim asked for a police re port to be made. No one was charged, and disciplinary action will be left to the school, the re port said.

23, the student approached the woman’s daughter on the playg round and said, “I want my one,” and the daughter feared she’d be hit. The mother has addressed the issue with the school’s principal and district superintendent, but the problem continues, according to the re port.

Aggravated unlawful use of a weapon

While on patrol April 23, police noticed a vehicle with tinted windows and without re gistration plates. A check showed that the re gistered owner has a revoked license and a war rant out for his ar rest in McHenry County. Officers pulled over the vehicle near Austin Boulevard and I-290 and found a handgun in the pocket of a jacket inside

rant, violation of Illinois Vehicle Code and having a revoked driver’s license.

Aggravated battery

A woman re ported April 27 that another woman hit her in the face and pulled her hair at Scratch Public House. According to the police re port, the woman’s daughter said the offender also grabbed her and tried to pull her to the ground. One bartender said the woman hit her in the face and another said she threw a bottle at her. Police re ported the offender’s breath smelled of alcohol and appeared intoxicated. While in the police car, she kicked an officer in the chest with her legs. She was arrested on two counts of aggravated battery.

items were obtained from Forest lice Department reports dated April 22 through April 27 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.

Drinking water contains trace contaminants, is safe to drink, report shows

e annual report shows Forest Park’s drinking water is comparable to all served by Lake Michigan

By JESSICA MORDACQ Staff Re

Forest Park’s latest annual water quality re port shows trace amounts of disinfectant and radioactive c found in the village’s amounts still safe to drink, officials said.

“Coming from Chicag numbers are pretty much the same,” said Rick Barger, the village Forest Park’s drinking water comes from the City of Chicago, ter from Lake Michig lion people in Illinois.

Most drinking water contains minerals and other substances, a result of water picking up small levels of nants before flowing like Lake Michig an. Although these contaminants don’t necessarily pose a health risk (infants and those who are immunocompromised are more vulnerable) the Environmental Protection Agency limits certain contaminants in drinking water, according to the water quality report.

Contaminants that are often present in drinking water include: bacteria, which may come from septic systems and sewage treatment plants, salts and metals from urban stormwater runof f, pesticides from residential use, plus chemical and radioactive contaminants.

Barger said Chicago gave most of the numbers on the village ’s April water q uality re po rt to Fo rest Pa rk , including those for lead, i norganic and radioactive c ontaminants, p lus fluoride, sulfate and sodium. But the city d oesn’t test for bacteria, a task taken on by the village ’s public wo rks de partment.

Forest Park tests its water’s bacteria monthly in 15 locations, according to Barger. Quarterly, the village is also responsible for testing levels of trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, byproducts of disinfecting drinking water.

This year, the range of trihalomethanes was no higher than 46.2 parts per billion (ppb), and for haloacetic acids, it was less than 18.9 ppb. Both were well below the maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 80 ppb for trihalomethanes and 60 ppb for haloacetic acids.

Levels of inorganic and radioactive components are also well below MCL. T here are less than 0.95 picocuries per liter of radium in our drinking water, which should be below five picocuries per liter. F luoride, which is added to improve the strength of teeth, has an MCL of four parts per million with actual levels lower than 0.74 parts per million.

“Pretty much everybody in the whole entire Chicagoland area all purchases from Chicago,” Barger said. “So those numbers are all going to look similar from town-to-town.”

The village’s drinking water is treated and safe to drink, officials said.

Proviso unravels again

So, after a months-long search, the Proviso Township High School board had three finalists for its open superintendent post. A current superintendent of a public school district in a large county in Florida. An assistant superintendent at Thor nton Fractional in the south suburbs. And the chief education officer at the Illinois State Board of Education.

Not bad. Better than we expected, actually, for a school district that has pushed out its past two leaders — one in a major error caused by political pettiness on the board; the other should never have been hired and would only have been hired by a flailing school board. Due to the corrosive leadership of Supt. James Henderson over just two years, this Proviso post was never going to be a plum. A nasty teachers’ strike; logistical bungling in technology, food service and student transportation; abysmal test scores; and a sometimes unsafe school environment would all lead a rational educator, working to build a career, to have second thoughts about this job.

But Darius Adamson, Rena Whitten and Krish Mohip all said yes to being finalists for the job. Surely they could not have considered that during the last two school board meetings the search process would fully unravel with a board member insisting the search was fatally flawed and needed to be trashed, the school board president said she was under intense political pressure, and charges that not all school board members took an active part in the interviews of the finalists

What an absurd and depressing situation a minority of this school board has created. It is both embarrassing and infuriating that, yet again, there is not a focus on making a hire who is simply attentive to our students. Instead, we have yet another clash of egos on a school board, which has chosen not to govern.

What’s next? Who knows?

Village’s nancial hole

Forest Park’s village gover nment has faced chronic financial shortfalls for decades. It’s both simple and complicated

As a non-Home Rule community, its sources of revenue are constrained. While larger communities such as Berwyn and Oak Park have Home Rule powers just based on the size of their populations, smaller villages need voter approval to become Home Rule. Voters in Forest Park overwhelmingly rejected Home Rule decades back to avoid empowering the gover nment to impose a raft of fees

Meanwhile many of its steady stream of permitted fees have sharply declined. You can’t tax landlines if most people have abandoned them. A fee on cable bills drops as people shift to streaming, which can’t be taxed. TIF districts may expire. And voters chose to ban video gaming in town, a $1 million bonus fee.

The result is another large deficit in the upcoming fiscal year’s general fund. If all the currently budgeted jobs are filled and pension obligations met, the village will have a deficit of more than $2 million and declining reserves, too.

But the village has become more transparent in talking about its woes and more ambitious about finding new revenue. That’s a good star t.

OPINION

Mike Johnson and humility

‘I’m proud of Mike Johnson, Walt.” Michael and Pastor Walter Mitty were talking about the Speaker of the House of Representative’s decision to let the bill funding Ukraine and Israel proceed toward a vote.

“I am too, Michael, but right now I’m not sure why.”

“Isn’t it obvious?” was Michael’s immediate response. “He was willing to compromise. He didn’t let Trump and MTG push him around. He followed his conscience. He did the right thing, knowing he might pay a political price down the road.”

“You mean like Liz Cheney?”

“Yeah, like Liz Cheney. I don’t understand your uncertainty about why you’re proud of the guy. Aren’t we religious folks supposed to stand up for what we believe?”

That conversation took place a couple of weeks ago, but it kept popping up in Mitty’s consciousness. The issue for the pastor of the Poplar Park Community Church was that, on the one hand, he agreed with Michael that people of faith should let their faith guide their behavior, but on the other hand it seemed to him that the Republicans repeatedly let the perfect, from their point of view, be the enemy of the good.

He thought of what Carla Her nandez had said to him a few Sundays ago when the flood of migrants to Chicago was in the news. She told him the homeless shelter she works for has been overwhelmed by the influx and actually felt a little guilty that she found herself empathizing with Gov. Greg Abbot of Texas.

When Mitty asked her why she felt guilty, she explained, “As Christians we are supposed to welcome the stranger. That’s why I think Trump’s populist tirade against immigrants is one of many proofs that the guy is not really a Christian. But we’re only human, Pastor. We can’t be all things to all people. That’s God’s job.”

Wasn’t Carla saying, Mitty thought, that being a person of faith means being clear about what the ideal goal is, but also having the humility to accept that we are not God, that we don’t have a spiritual GPS that reveals the fastest way to get there?

He remembered his sister-in-law Susan explaining why she was going to vote for Trump again. “If I had a daughter,” she said, “I would not want her marrying a guy like him. He lies; he has cheated on his wife; he doesn’t go to church. In fact, I don’t believe he’s really a Christian.”

“Then why vote for him?” Mitty asked her remem-

bering that Carla had said the same thing but from a whole different point of view

“Because he’s pro-life,” she answered, “and is for reducing the size of the deep state which wants to take away our freedoms, and for lots of other things I believe in.”

Recalling that conversation made Mitty think of what Johnny Christian had said on one of his Hour of Power programs. “President Trump is like Cyrus,” the televangelist said. “Cyrus was a Persian and therefore not a Jew, but was called a messiah, one anointed by God, by the Prophet Isaiah, because he freed the Israelites from their Babylonian captivity and helped them build the Second Temple in Jerusalem.”

And, just to complicate matters in his head, Mitty also remembered how Fr. Bob had pointed out that Jesus had been pretty much apolitical, that he had not expected Pontius Pilate or the Roman emperor to bring the Kingdom of God to earth. “My Kingdom,” Jesus told Pilate, “is not of this world.”

Mitty’s mind turned to an op-ed piece in the Poplar Park Times in which Editor Dan Bailey praised Johnson for not being ideologically rigid. Bailey began the piece by showing how far right Johnson was For example, he repeatedly voted against military and financial aid to assist Ukraine in its war against Russia. And that made his decision to move forward with the funding bill so striking.

Bailey’s piece pretty much agreed with what he and Michael had been saying.

Mitty decided to reread an article Bernie Rolvaag from the History/Herstory bookstore had emailed him.

“As Christianity’s hold, in particular, has weakened,” wrote Shadi Hamid, “ideological intensity and fragmentation have risen. American faith, it turns out, is as fervent as ever; it’s just that what was once religious belief has now been channeled into political belief.”

That’s what the Two Dads in their Defense of Democracy presentations were trying to overcome, Bailey argued. They were attempting to promote respectful conversations that enable finding common ground.

It’s not religion or ideology itself that’s bad,” Pastor Mitty concluded, “but self-righteous, arrogant religion and ideology. The religion I and Michael and lots of others hold firmly on to is one in which God commands us to do justice, love kindness and to walk humbly with our God.”

Ibelieve that falling asleep is one of the most difficult parts of the human condition. Just ask the parents of young children. Problems with sleeplessness also plague many adults. I have recently developed a disturbing new disorder.

I’m too happy to fall asleep.

The right side of the bed

Happiness insomnia is what I call it, and it’s just as sleeprobbing as the old-fashioned, anxiety-driven kind. I remember those years of mind-racing wakefulness. But something changed when I retired. I no longer had stress keeping me awake. Now I just feel too good to fall asleep.

Sleep experts have identified the war ning signs of my condition. It starts with a feeling of complete well-being. Fortunately, I live in Chicagoland, which has an unlimited supply of disturbing news.

Start with the sports teams. To keep from feeling care-free, I religiously watched the Chicago Bulls stumble to a losing record and miss the playoffs. Now I’ve shifted to being a diehard White Sox fan, and have celebrated every one of their six wins.

Bad sports teams, though, aren’t enough to ruin my feeling of optimism. Sleep

consultants believe we should raise our misery level just before bedtime. This is why I force myself to watch the local news. The “breaking stories” about random violence make me want to go to bed clutching my pe pper spray.

Even the weather reports are terrifying. When I hear the forecast, I want to cower in a asement, ready to light an emergency candle. So you can see there is plenty of bad news to destroy my serenity. But happiness is still keeping me awake. It’s especially bad if I start feeling grateful. I start off being thankful for my wife and kids. Then I think of our five grandsons. As I toss and turn, I want to scream, “Stop with all the blessings! I’m trying to get some sleep here!” My only negative thought is about the grandsons still expecting me to play basketball.

I also feel fortunate that Forest Park has its share of urban problems. But all it takes is reflecting on the neighborhood celebrations we held for Ed Nutley, Joe Byrnes and the late Dave Novak. There is no way to fall asleep while you’re smiling.

I can’t lie awake thinking about positive things What if I picture my ESL students at

Triton? We’ve had a lot of laughs, but they come from troubled countries, like Venezuela, Ukraine and Jordan. There’s nothing funny about that. Then one of them says that lear ning American expressions is “a piece of cake.” Sorry, that was too heartwarming.

Sleep is a serious business. Although not having a set time to wake up, just adds to the euphoria. Being retired is just like being a lazy teenager again. Stay up late, sleep late and take plenty of naps in between.

Maybe naps are contributing to my sleep disorder. I’m not alone. I have many friends and acquaintances who take medication to help them sleep. They also use sleep machines to provide a soothing background

We don’t have soothing sounds; we have annoying noise We have screeching Blue Line trains going around a tight curve. We have the roar of daredevil motorcyclists screaming down the Eisenhower. We have early-mor ning garbage trucks, leaf-blowing landscapers and the back-up beeping of delivery trucks.

But I still wake up on the right side of the bed, filled with optimism about the new day. This is not nor mal, so I’m taking steps to address my problem. I recently joined a selfhelp group for my slee p disorder.

At our meetings, we confess, “I am powerless over happiness.”

16th St. park gets a clean-up

The women on the south end of town took on a do-it-yourself project when they decided to clean up the playground at Circle and 16th Street. In order to make the park safer for children, they cleared it of broken glass, rocks, sticks and other debris.

This photo from May 14, 1959 shows “the g als busy at work.”

Jill Wagner

Editor Erika Hobbs

Sta Repor ter Jessica Mordacq Amaris Rodriguez

Digital Manager Stacy Coleman

Digital Media Coordinator Brooke Duncan

Contributing Reporters Tom Holmes, John Rice, Bob Skolnik, Jackie Glosniak, Robert J. Li a

Columnists Alan Brouilette, Jill Wagner, Tom Holmes, John Rice

Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead

Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea

Designers Susan McKelvey, Vanessa Garza

Sales and Marketing Representatives

Lourdes Nicholls, Ben Stumpe

Business & Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan

Circulation Manager Jill Wagner

Publisher Dan Haley

Special Projec ts Manager Susan Walker

Board of Directors

Chair Judy Gre n

Treasurer Nile Wendorf

Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Steve Edwards, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

HOW TO REACH US

ADDRESS 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302 PHONE 708-366-0600 ■ FAX 708-467-9066

EMAIL forestpark@wjinc.com CIRCULATION Jill@oakpark.com ONLINE ForestParkReview.com

Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Forest Park Review,141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302-2901. Periodical rate postage paid at Oak Park, IL (USPS No 0205-160)

PUBLIC NOTICE

On Monday, May 06, 2024 at 8:30 a.m., Oak Park Elementary School District 97 will be conducting a “timely and meaningful consultation” meeting to discuss plans for providing special education services to students with disabilities who attend private/parochial schools and who are home-schooled within the district for the 2024-2025 school year. The meeting will be held at our Central Office located at 260 Madison Street.

If you are a parent/guardian of a home-schooled student who has been or may be identified with a disability, and you reside within the boundaries of Oak Park Elementary School District 97, you are urged to attend. If you have further questions about this meeting, please contact District 97’s Department of Student Services at 708-524-3030.

Published in Wednesday Journal

April 17, 24, May 1, 2024

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on 20 May 2024, at 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers of the Village Hall, 517 Des Plaines Avenue, Forest Park, Illinois, the Planning and Zoning Commission will conduct a public hearing to consider a conditional use permit to allow a drive thru facility for a muffler shop.

LOT 5 AND THE SOUTH 28 FEET OF LOT 4 IN BLOCK 18 OF THE RAILROAD ADDITION TO HARLEM IN THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER

ODF SET/ON 12, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 12, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS. Commonly known as 157 Des Plaines Ave., Forest Park, IL PIN# 15-12-415-015-0000 The applicant is Joe Salem.

Signed: Marsha East, Chair Planning and Zoning Commission

NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park will receive sealed bids from qualified contractors at the Public Works Center, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302 Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00p.m. local time until 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 for the following: Village of Oak Park Variable Frequency Drive Installation Project Number: 24-124

Bid documents may be obtained from the Village’s website at http://www.oakpark.us/bid. For questions, please call Public Works at (708) 358-5700 during the above hours.

Published in Wednesday Journal May 1, 2024

LEGAL NOTICE

The Village of Oak Park --Office of the Village Engineer, 201 South Boulevard, Oak Park, Illinois 60302-- will receive electronic proposals until 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 23, 2024 for Project: 24-12, North Pumping Station Generator Addition. Bids will be received and accepted, and bid results posted via the online electronic bid service listed below. This project consists of the addition of an exterior standby natural gas generator on top of a concrete equipment pad, new natural gas service to the North Pump Station, as well as various site improvements consisting of a new privacy fence, sidewalk, concrete retaining wall, and hardscaping.

Plans and proposal forms may be obtained via the electronic service starting on Thursday, May 2, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. Plans and proposal forms can be found at https://www.oak-park.us/yourgovernment/budget-purchasing/ requests-proposals or at www. questcdn.com under login using QuestCDN number 8997091 for a non-refundable charge of $64.00. The Village of Oak Park reserves the right to issue plans and specifications only to those contractors deemed qualified. No bid documents will be issued after 4:00 p.m. on the working day preceding the date of bid opening.

The work to be performed pursuant to this proposal is subject to the Illinois Prevailing Wage Act, 820 ILCS 130/0.01 et seq.

THE VILLAGE OF OAK PARK

Bill McKenna Village Engineer

Published in Wednesday Journal May 1, 2024

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

VILLAGE OF OAK PARK ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

CALENDAR NUMBER: 08-24-Z

HEARING DATE: May 22, 2024

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

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 (Council Chambers), Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60304

APPLICATION: The Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) will conduct a public hearing on an application filed by the Applicants, Mirth Hoyt and Andres Padua, seeking a variance requests for an increase in the maximum impervious surface area of the lot to 62%, where the maximum impervious surface area allowed is 60% per Section 4.3 (Table 4-1: Residential Districts Dimensional Standards) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance to permit a two-story addition to the singlefamily residence located at the premises commonly known as 246 Iowa Street, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Number 16-05-316-028-0000 (“Subject

Property”), in the R-3-50 SingleFamily Zoning District.

A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. Interested persons may also sign up to participate in-person in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses by submitting a cross-examination form or by emailing Zoning@ oak-park.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing.

The public hearing may be adjourned by the Board to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

VILLAGE OF OAK PARK ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS

CALENDAR NUMBER: 07-24-Z

HEARING DATE: May 22, 2024

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

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 (Council Chambers), Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302

APPLICATION: The Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) will conduct a public hearing on an application filed by the Applicant, Catherine Bendowitz, seeking a variance from Section 9.3 (A)(5)(c) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance requiring a four (4) foot setback from the rear lot line to construct a new two-car, 20’ x 20’ garage featuring a rear yard setback of 2.5 feet at the northeast corner of the structure. The variance would permit the demolition of the existing one-car garage featuring a 1.57-foot rear yard setback at the northeast corner of the structure and replaced with a standard two-car garage at the premises commonly known as 1018 N. Harvey Avenue,

CALENDAR NUMBER: 06-24-Z

HEARING DATE: May 22, 2024

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

LOCATION OF HEARING: Room 201 (Council Chambers), Oak Park Village Hall, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois, 60302

APPLICATION: The Zoning Board of Appeals (“ZBA”) will conduct a public hearing on a special use permit application filed by the Applicant, Mastec, Mathew Fitzgibbon, on behalf of AT&T Mobility, to install wireless telecommunications antennas pursuant to Section 8.3 (Table 8-1: Use Matrix) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance at the property located at 408 S. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Number 16-07-418-0010000 and 16-07-418-005 (“Subject Property”) in the NC Neighborhood Commercial Zoning District. In addition, the Applicant seeks a variance from Section 8.4 (V) (Wireless Telecommunications Antennas and Towers) (3) (Height) (b) of the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance (“Zoning Ordinance”), which prohibits antennas from increasing the overall existing height of the structure by more than seven feet above the roof, to authorize the installa-

Published

tion of 12 antennas, four (4) antennas per sector (typical of three (3) sectors) at a height of sixty-five feet (65’) to the top of antennas located on the 56 foot tall roof of 408 S. Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Numbers 1607-418-001-0000 and 16-07-418005-0000 (“Subject Property”) in the NC Neighborhood Commercial Zoning District.

A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. Interested persons may also sign up to participate in-person in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses by submitting a crossexamination form or by emailing Zoning@oak-park.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing.

The public hearing may be adjourned by the ZBA to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

Oak Park, Illinois, Property Index Number 16-05-115-004-0000.

A copy of the application and applicable documents are on file and are available for inspection at Village Hall, Development Customer Services Department, 123 Madison Street, Oak Park, Illinois 60302, Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

All interested persons will be given an opportunity to be heard at the public hearing. Interested persons may also sign up to participate in-person in the hearing to cross examine the applicant and its witnesses by submitting a crossexamination form or by emailing Zoning@oak-park.us before 5:00 PM on the day prior to the public hearing.

The public hearing may be adjourned by the Board to another date without further notice by public announcement at the hearing setting forth the time and place thereof.

Published in Wednesday Journal, May 1, 2024