W E D N E S D A Y
May 29, 2019 Vol. 39, No. 43 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
Re-imagining North Avenue
The Star & Stripes makes its way down Ashland during the annual River Forest Memorial Day Parade on May 27. For more photos, turn to page 16.
By IGOR STUDENKOV Contributing Reporter
See NORTH AVENUE on page 12
Page 19
Forever
Draft plan for busy corridor’s revitalization May 9
The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) has officially released the draft of the new North Avenue Corridor Revitalization and Mobility Plan — and it represents one of the most ambitious comprehensive plans for the area in years. The plan includes strategies to revitalize the portion of North Avenue, between Austin Boulevard and Harlem Avenue, on both the Oak Park and Galewood sides of the corridor. Last year, the North Avenue District, Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) and the village of Oak Park, successfully applied for CMAP’s Local Technical Assistance Program. The program helps municipalities and nonprofits develop plans to improve transportation, land use and quality of life. Since then, the agency has been working with other entities, including the Urban Land Institute, which bills itself as “membershipbased, multidisciplinary real estate forum that offers communities strategic advice from development experts,” to figure out the particulars. The draft plan was released to the public on May 9, during an open house held at Galewood Trinity Church, 1701 N. Narragansett Ave. It was posted online the following day. The agency is expected to use the feedback to create the final versions of the plan, which will need to be approved by the three partner organizations. The draft plan was largely developed during a technical assistance panel conducted by ULI Chicago that took place in December 2018. The
Disrepair to desirable
SHANEL ROMAIN/ Contributor
Oak Park ordered to reinstate, reimburse cop
Village inappropriately fired Oak Park patrol officer in 2016 By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter
The village of Oak Park could be on the hook for more than $200,000 following an arbitrator’s ruling that the village improperly fired veteran police officer Rasul Freelain in 2016.
Arbitrator Peter R. Meyers ruled in Freelain’s favor on the more serious accusation leveled against Freelain and issued a strong rebuke of the village’s action in not only terminating his employment but also damaging his reputation. Meyers ordered the village to pay Freelain back pay and benefits since his termination. An employee compensation report from the village notes that in fiscal year 2016, Freelain earned $118,172 in pay and benefits. The village was also ordered to reinstate Freelain to the police force. Freelain attorney Jeffrey Burke, an inhouse lawyer for the Fraternal Order of
Police Union, declined to comment. Oak Park spokesman David Powers declined to comment, noting that the village does not comment on personnel matters. The village made multiple claims in his termination letter, many of which were tied to an excessive force case in 2013 – the village lost that case in 2016, when a jury verdict ruled that Freelain acted improperly during the arrest of an Oak Park man suspected of domestic violence, and was ordered to pay the complainant $35,000 in restitution. See FREELAIN on page 13