Village of Westchester February 2023 Newsletter

Village of Westchester

From the desk of Acting Village President Nick Steker

FEBRUARY, 2023

PUBLIC WORKS

PARK DISTRICT POLICE DEPARTMENT

SCHOOL DISTRICT FIRE DEPARTMENT

LIBRARY

REUSEA-PALOOZA

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An announcement was made at the January 10th board meeting by our current Acting Village Manager Greg Hribal that he would be retiring. This came as a huge shock to all of us sitting in our seats as he gave his report. Greg lost his mother, Patricia, on December 28th. To say this past year has been a difficult one for the Village and the Board is putting it lightly. Despite all the difficulties that presented themselves this year, Greg worked tirelessly as our Acting Village Manager to keep the Village moving forward, all while taking care of his mother. Never a complaint, never a missed call, never a missed email. They don’t make them like Greg any more. After Greg was named the Acting Village Manager my goal was to do a spotlight in the village newspaper on Greg to let the residents know, if they didn’t already know, who has been the most important spoke in Westchester’s wheel for the last thirty plus years. In typical fashion for Westchester 2022, things we cannot control do happen, and the employee who used to put together the newspaper resigned. Greg had to take over not only his new responsibilities as manager but now also put together the newsletter. Greg would never want it to be about him and would have probably never run the article. Well Greg you’re now retiring and now I don’t care what you think gets printed, the residents need to know just how much you mean to this community.

Greg is a lifelong resident of Westchester who is married to his lovely wife Sarah and they have two sons, Matthew and Ryan. 31 years ago Westchester became the 1st Enhanced 9-1-1 System in the area. At that time former Village President Sam Pulia was the 9-1-1 Coordinator and was seeking the best candidates to be called Telecommunicators to handle police, fire, and ambulance emergencies. On a recommendation from, in Sam’s words, the best detective Westchester has ever had, Kevin Keag, Sam interviewed Greg for one of those positions.

In the article that was supposed to go out over the summer, Sam was asked about Greg and what he has meant to Westchester. Sam stated, “From the onset Greg excelled as a Telecommunicator and was able to handle any and all emergency and non-emergency calls from homicides to animal complaints with calm and compassion. I could tell his mind was always thinking as he asked the right questions gathering descriptions of offenders or offering pre-arrival CPR instructions to family members saving the life of their loved ones. During that time computerization was in its infancy at the village. Greg immersed himself into the inner workings of not only the myriad of wiring and computer and phone line connections to the 9-1-1 system, but to the entire village electronic systems. From outdoor cameras, police car cameras and in-car computers, 9-1-1 tape recordings to the servers that compile the daily data of the village, Greg was the guy. Invaluable at

any cost day or night. Greg never said no or I can’t. Over his years of employment Greg has been a confidant to many and has learned all of the inner workings of government affecting police, fire, public works, and administrative tasks. He has been called on to assume the role of Acting Village Manager, whose statutory role is to run the day to day operation of the village, with the direction of the village board. He again has accepted this monumental task without reservation, with the only caveat he knows, what is in the best interest of the village he loves. Greg bleeds Westchester. In all my years of service to the village as a police officer, 9-1-1 Coordinator and your former Village President I can honestly say Greg Hribal was my very best hire. To me the name Hribal stands for something. Honorable, Reliable, Invaluable, Believable, Authentic, and a true Leader.”

Having served eight years on the Board with Sam I know almost all of his stories by heart, but I truly echo what he says regarding Greg and his commitment to our community. The wheels of government never stop and I know the day I retire from the firehouse or the day I am no longer in public office, someone will slide into that place, and government will go on without me. Greg has been essentially every department head’s chief of staff and go to guy for literally anything they can’t figure out. He started here on June 9th, 1993. He became 911 Supervisor in October of 2003. This is actually his second round as Acting Village Manager. He previously served in 2019 and now again in 2022 through present. His departure is going to be felt in every office of our Village. Thank you Greg for your devoted service to our community over the past three decades. And thank you Sarah for sharing your other half with us. The spouses of those of us committed to public service are true unsung heroes. Their sacrifice is often never seen by the public and often overlooked. Greg will now be able to give his family the greatest gift they could ever ask for, his time. It’s your time now Greg. Thank you and God Bless you for all you have done for our community.

A few additional items to note. I would like to thank the residents who have come forward and offered up their time and services to serve on our various commissions and boards that I have posted about over the past few months. It is truly a diverse group of residents who care about their community and are looking to be more involved. The Zoning, Ethics, and Citizens Advisory Board have all been filled. Of the seventeen positions total, only five members are reappointments. The other twelve positions were all filled from residents who have contacted me after reading about the opportunities in this newsletter. I am glad the message is getting out to everyone, and I appreciate the new blood looking to be a part of these vital layers of our government.

PUBLIC WORKS

President’s Day Holiday Garbage Schedule

There will be no change to the collection schedule.

WM does not observe this holiday. Please note, yard waste collection will resume your first collection day of April.

Waste Management – 1-800-796-9696

• If your garbage or recycling was not picked up on your regular day, please call Waste Management directly.

• If you would like to request a new garbage or recycling receptacle, please call Waste Management directly.

• If you have large items that will not fit in you receptacle (i.e. couch, chairs, tables, etc.,) please call Waste Management directly to schedule a special collection.

The Waste Management’s “At Your Door Special Collection” service will pick up unwanted-potentially hazardous and hard-to-recycle items from your home. That number is 1-800-449-7587.

The full list of items may be found at www.wmatyourdoor.com/residential.

Public Works

Parkway tree trimming will begin this month.

Restoration of parkways that have been

damaged by sewer/ water excavations and snow plow damage will resume this spring, as weather permits.

The Public Works Department has been filling potholes with cold patch throughout the winter months, weather permitting. Please call Public Works at 708-345-0041 to report a pothole.

Westchester Tree Replacement Program

A Village ordinance amendment passed in October 2021 is allowing the Village to replant trees on parkways where tree removal has taken place, due to disease, storm damage, or premature death. As such, the Village has been doing this on eligible parkways for three plantings now, at no cost to the resident. This replacement program does not allow for residents to choose the species of tree planted, the location, the amount of trees planted, nor are residents able to opt-out of having a tree planted in the Village parkway in front and/or side of their residence.

If you would prefer to choose the species of the tree to be planted, this can be achieved through our 50/50 program. The resident can choose the tree from a list provided by the Village, and shares half of the cost of the tree and planting

News from WPTC

2023 is off to an amazing start! January brought us together at the Wolves Game! A fantastic time was had by all! Our fundraisers last month at Panera and Paul’s Pizza were delicious! We appreciate your support at these wonderful events and fundraisers.

February will hold our fun-filled Valentine’s parties at WPS and WIS; as well as the WMS Valentine’s dance. We are all looking forward to those fun festivities. We need volunteers to make these activities happen so please check out the sign-up genius for available volunteer opportunities this month and in the future.

February 6-12th is the Nothing Bundt Cake Spirit Week so be sure to take part and enjoy some delicious sweets! This month’s restaurant fundraiser is on the 23rd at Jason’s Deli where you can enjoy dinner, while supporting the WPTC.

Please remember the WMS School Store has returned and will be open once a month!! Dates will be announced on our Facebook page and announcements are made during school to remind the students.

IT’S BACK!!!! Stay tuned for info about Trivia on March 31st!!!!

Keep an eye out for upcoming events and volunteer opportunities!

with the Village. To request a 50/50 tree, please call the Public Works Department at 708.345.0041.

VILLAGE SNOW RESTRICTIONS

Public Works crews keep our streets free of snow and ice during the winter months. Please assist us by observing the following:

• Place garbage cans 3 feet behind the curb line- do not place them in the street.

• Do not shovel or blow snow back into the cleared streets.

• Please observe the “NO PARKING SNOW ROUTE” signs.

-The snow portion of the signs will be enforced after 2 inches of snowfall between December 1st and March 31st.

If you reside on a Primary designated SNOW ROUTE, after 2 inches of snowfall you must remove all vehicles from the snow route. Vehicles must stay off the street until the streets are cleared thoroughly by the plows by Public Works. If the snowfall is continuing, the restriction is in place until Public Works completes the plowing for the day. Please check the signs at the corners of your block.

If you reside on a Secondary route, there

is no parking Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday on the even numbered house side and no parking Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday on the odd numbered house side after 2 inches of snowfall. Please check the signs at the corners and center of your block for guidance. (This includes ALL side streets not designated a Primary snow route.)

If you have a Fire Hydrant on your parkway, please help keep the hydrant clear of snow so that the Fire Department may easily access the hydrant in case of an emergency, and so that the snow plows may quickly identify the hydrants while plowing.

Public Works crews work hard to keep the Village streets clear and safe during these long winter months. We appreciate your cooperation & please drive carefully!

As always, residents are asked to call Public Works at 708.345.0041 or the Police (after 3:30pm M-F & on weekends) if an unusual amount of water is visible in the street or parkway. This could be a main break or water leak that requires our immediate attention.

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Job Well Done

On Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023, the Westchester Police Investigation Unit arrested Craig P. Satchell for the shooting homicide of a 22 year old male on October 11th 2022 in the 10200 block of Chaucer Street.

Following an in depth investigative process and Cook County State’s Attorney’s review of the case, Mr. Satchell was charged with one felony count of First Degree Murder with a firearm. On January 5th 2023 his bail was set at $500,000.00 D Bond along with an electronic monitoring system at his County Court Bond Hearing.

The Westchester Investigations Unit was able to solve this homicide within three months due to long hours of continual surveillance of the offender, locating witnesses, great interviewing techniques, use of technology analysis equipment and hard work by the members of the investigations unit.

In closing I would like to thank all members for their hard work and persistence in following up on all information obtained to apprehend this individual. Their dedication brought this case to a close.

POLICE BLOTTER

1) At 11:20pm on December 19, 2022 an Attempted Burglary was in progress at the Dollar General located at 10201 Roosevelt Road. An officer on patrol observed a subject attempting to gain entry to the front doors. Subject was taken into custody and charged.

2) At 11:32am on December 21, 2022 a Criminal Damage to Property was reported on the 10300 block of Bond Street. The resident reported that unknown person(s) knocked the Ring doorbell off their front door. Camera footage was being reviewed.

3) At 8:17pm on December 28, 2022 a Robbery was reported at 1935 Mannheim, Shortcuts Hair Salon. A male subject entered the establishment and took money from the hands of a client attempting to pay for services.

4) At 5:19am on December 30, 2022 a Burglary was reported at the Dunkin Donuts located at 1005 Mannheim Road. An employee reported that when arriving to work they noticed the drive-thru window was broken and the cash register had been taken from the store.

5) At 3:23pm on January 8, 2023 a Criminal Damage to Property was reported on the 1600 block of Westchester Blvd. The resident advised that they noticed tire marks on the grass and damage to the downspout.

6) At 10:51pm on January 15, 2023 a Residential Burglary was reported on the 2300 block of Boeger. The resident reported the side door open upon returning home. Various items were taken from the home.

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