Mayor Henry L. Kuspa

From the Office of the Mayor

Clean-up efforts continue by our Oak Forest Public Works Department from the derecho storm on Monday, August 10. As always, they are doing a phenomenal job and we are extremely grateful for all the extra hours spent cleaning up city streets. Thanks also to our Fire, Police and Emergency Management Personnel for all their assistance during and after the storm.

Several neighborhoods in Oak Forest experienced severe damage and most areas in our community suffered the loss of electrical power. The City was in constant contact with ComEd, but the job of restoring the power was overwhelming given the damage in so many communities. We've talked with many residents over the last several days about their concerns, hardships suffered and the continued clean-up efforts we are making. Your patience is appreciated as this effort will take considerable time to complete.

The start of the school year began this week for some of our Oak Forest schools. This year is quite different with remote and/or hybrid learning. Let us all remember to drive safely through our neighborhoods, especially near the schools. Also remember to be careful as we continue to face the unknowns brought about by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Please reach out to my office at 708-687-4050, ext. 1005, should you have questions or concerns about anything in our city.

COVID-19 Updates

Here are the current numbers for the City of Oak Forest from the Illinois Department of Public Health website:

Numbers for Oak Forest as of 8/20:
Out of 5097 people tested, there are 362 positive cases.

For more information on the local numbers, please use this link: www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics.

For the Southern Cook Area, Region 10 as of 8/20, we are currently at a Positivity rate of 6.4%, which makes it 4 consecutive days of Positivity Increases.

For more information on the Southern Cook Area, Region 10, please use this link:
http://www.dph.illinois.gov/regionmetrics?regionID=10.

Restore Illinois Mitigation Plan

Governor Pritzer and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) have put forward a deliberate plan that will utilize several layers of mitigations to combat a resurgence of COVID-19 and prevent uncontrollable spread.

Mitigations will be applied on a regional basis based on the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Regions that have traditionally guided the IDPH in its statewide public health work. Expanding to 11 regions allows for a more granular approach in this phase of the response to COVID-19. The City of Oak Forest is in Suburban Cook - Region 10.

Read more about the coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/restore-illinois-mitigation-plan.

Forest In Bloom 2020 Winners

Thank you to all our residents whose front yards continue to add beauty and style to our City. Congratulations to all our 2020 Forest In Bloom Award Winners! Click on the picture above to see a list of all the winners and take a stroll past them this weekend.

Beware of Solicitor's and Home Repair Fraud

The August 10th weather disaster has increased the number of people posting signs for home repair and other services that may not be legitimate. Each resident should be aware that door-to-door solicitation in the City of Oak Forest is restricted. Any organization wishing to apply for a solicitor’s license must do so in the City Clerk’s Office. If approved, there are monthly licensing fees.

Additionally, residents can pick up a NO SOLICITORS INVITED sticker from City Hall.

Avoiding Home Repair Fraud

Please use extreme caution when confronted with the following warning signs of a potential scam:

Door-to-door salespeople with no local connections who offer to do home repair work for substantially less than the market price.
Solicitations for repair work from a company that lists only a telephone number or a post office box number to contact, particularly if it is an out-of-state company.
Contractors who fail to provide references when requested.
People who offer to inspect your home for free. Do not admit anyone into your home unless he or she can present authentic identification establishing his or her business status. When in doubt, do not hesitate to call the worker’s employer to verify his or her identity.
Contractors who demand cash payment for a job or ask you to make a check payable to a person other than the owner or company name.
Offers from a contractor to drive you to the bank to withdraw funds to pay for the work.

Additional Home Repair: Know Your Consumer Rights information can be found on the fact sheet from Kwame Raoul, Illinois Attorney General.

National Night Out Goes Virtual

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. Furthermore, it provides a great opportunity to bring police and neighbors together under positive circumstances.

Unfortunately, current events related to the COVID-19 Pandemic has required the cancellation of this year's event. The Police Department had created a virtual National Night Out program to familiarize residents with the Oak Forest Police Department.

This program will highlight OFPD community-based programs and one of the most popular activities during past National Night Out Events, OFPD station tours. The OFPD has included a station tour in this virtula event. We hope that all residents enjoy this production and look forward to seeing you at a live event next year. This event is currently airing on CIC-TV, which can be found on Comcast - Channel 4, Wide Open West (WOW) - Channel 6 and AT&T U-Verse - Channel 99.

Oak Forest-Crestwood Chamber of Commerce Contest

Please join the Chamber at their #Raiseaglass Contest Kick-off on Wednesday, September 16, 2020, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Oak Forest Bowl Patio at 15240 Cicero, Oak Forest.

Post a picture of your mug at different businesses and locations while keeping it local for a chance to win a prize! Tag the Chamber on Facebook and Instagram pages using #Raiseaglass and #Keepitlocal. Use the mug while golfing, bowling, shopping, at a restaurant, getting your oil changed, at the park, at the library, at work, anywhere!

Census 2020 Workers

Census takers are currently in our area and are visiting homes in Oak Forest that haven't yet responded to the 2020 Census. Census takers will wear masks and follow local public health guidelines when they visit your home. All census takers complete a virtual COVID-19 training on social distancing and other health and safety protocols before beginning their work in neighborhoods.

Census takers are hired from our area, and their goal is to help you and everyone in your home be counted in the 2020 Census.

If no one is home when the census taker visits, the census taker will leave a notice of their visit with information about how to respond online, by phone or by mail.

How Can You Verify That Someone Is a Census Taker?

Valid ID badge with their photograph, a U.S. Department of Commerce watermark, and an expiration date.
Carry Census Bureau bags and other equipment with the Census Bureau logo.
Confidentiality notices and an "Official Business" notice for their vehicle.
Census takers may also deliver a paper questionnaire by hanging it on the front door in a water-resistant plastic bag.

If you still have questions about their identity, you can contact your regional census center at 312-579-1500 to speak with a Census Bureau representative.

2020 Road Program Update!

Concrete has been completed on the first group of streets and our contractor has already started on the second group of streets.

Remember, the contractor will notify all the residents a day before any work will be done to your apron or curb with a notice on your door.

This year’s program will include the following eleven street segments to be resurfaced:

1. Willow Lane – Forestview to 151st
2. Condado – 151st to Hillside
3. El Morro Court – El Morro to end
4. Menard – Vine to 147th
5. 149th Street – Laramie to Cicero
6. Essex – Tudor to Reynolds
7. Dolores – Rob Roy to Orogrande
8. Peggy Lane – 159th to Independence
9. Mann – Craig to Blair
10. Newport – Laramie to Bellaire
11. Oakwood Court – Newport to Cul-de-Sac

Maple Tree Removal Update!

The maple tree removals and stumps have been completed. However, due to the recent storm clean-up efforts, restorations have been delayed.

If you have any questions, please call Public Works at 708-535-4090.

Next Oak Forest City Council Meeting

The next Oak Forest City Council Meeting will be held on August 25, 2020, at 7:30 PM. To watch the previous meeting held on August 11, 2020, please click on the image below.

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