Let's Fleadh Around Town in 2021

The 12th Annual Oak Forest Fleadh will be held on March 6, 2021, with a few changes. Although we can't gather on Cicero, we can Fleadh Around Town for fitness, family and fun! Many people ask what is a Fleadh? Fleadh is gaelic for festival!

Walk/run Virtual #CNBFleadh5k - Register now

Get your family, friends together, and walk/run our Virtual 5k. What's great about a virtual race, you can complete the race, decked out in your green attire anytime or anywhere from March 6th to March 17th. Several groups will be meeting on March 6th in the morning, to do their own version of "Fleadh 5k"! Watch the Oak Forest Fleadh FB page for details.

Oak Forest Park District - Leprechaun Activities 8:30a-10:30a

The Oak Forest Park District will be hosting some Leprechaun activities for the kids and adults. Great way to start your Fleadh day with crafts, and other surprises!

Family Parade - 11 am on CENTRAL AVENUE

This year the Oak Forest Parade will be on Central Avenue. Starting at the Oak Forest High School heading south to the Oak Forest Park District. Bring the family, wear your green, and let's have some fun! Don't forget your bags to grab all those goodies! Looking to enter the parade? Click this link for details!

Visit all our restaurants & establishments after the parade

Our local restaurants need our support more than ever. Plan on stopping for lunch to enjoy some great food and beverages.

Follow us on Facebook for updates Oak Forest Fleadh, 708-687-4600.

COVID-19 Updates

As of Tuesday, February 2, 2021, all regions, including Oak Forest are at Phase 4 Restore Illinois.

Illinois Regional COVID-19 Resurgence Criteria can be found at: Illinois Regional COVID-19 Resurgence Criteria | IDPH.

COVID-19 symptoms may include fever, sore throat, loss of taste, cough or shortness of breath. Visit CDC.gov for more information regarding symptoms.

Oak Forest COVID-19 Statistics

Current numbers for Oak Forest from the Illinois Department of Public Health website (www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics) as of Friday, February 5, 2021:

2,544 positive cases
20,831 people tested
5.3% Positivity Rate (Suburban Cook County, Region 10)

COVID-19 Testing Site Open in Oak Forest

Bremen Township will be performing free saliva testing (mouth swab) at the Bremen Township Senior/Youth Complex.

Located at 15350 Oak Park Avenue in Oak Forest,
testing will be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. All are welcome and you must remain in your car for zero contact.

For more information, visit www.brementownship.net.

COVID-19 Testing Site Open in Tinley Park

A drive-thru coronavirus testing center has opened in Tinley Park, and offers same day rapid testing results and PCR testing.

Located at 7460 Duvan Drive in Tinley Park, it is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.- 8 p.m., Saturdays from 8 a.m.- 6 p.m. and Sundays from 9:30 a.m.- 6 p.m. The center offers PCR testing, with results in 1-3 days, rapid testing at $125 and antibody testing.

To book an appointment, which is required, visit the NAS Testing Center website. On the day of the appointment, patients will drive up, get tested, then drive out without having to leave their car. For more information, call 708-649-0333.

COVID-19 Vaccination Update

The State of Illinois, the Cook County Department of Public Health and the National Guard have opened a COVID-19 vaccination site at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive. Appointments are required; it is not a walk-up site.

The State and Cook County have a website available to accept appointments at https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov/ or by calling 833-308-1988.

See more information about the state's vaccination plan on the IDPH website.

Clearing Snow Away From Vents

Check on your furnace and dryer vent during and after heavy snowfalls, and clear snow away from the vent’s opening if it builds up. If you do notice a mound of snow blocking your furnace or dryer vent, clear it away by hand – don’t use a shovel or a snow blower, as either could cause damage to the vent pipe.

Please help us help you! Clear any snow around your fire hydrant to make finding it easier.

Snow Removal Reminders

Winter is here! Please remember that the city prohibits residents from parking vehicles on city streets after 2 inches of snow has fallen to allow Public Works Department crew members to clear and salt the streets efficiently and effectively and

Vehicles must remain off streets for 12 hours after the end of snowfall or risk being fined and/or towed.

IMPORTANT! Do not shovel or blow snow from driveways into the streets as this can cause a hazard and is also against city ordinance. When snow is shoveled into the street, the plow is likely to push it right back in front of the driveway. Although the city's plows may leave some snow across driveway entrances, they try to keep it to a minimum. The Public Works Department will not remove snow from driveway entrances.

For more information, please read the Snow and Ice Control article on the city website.

ComEd Issues Warning

During the pandemic, ComEd has received reports of scammers posing as utility representatives who contact customers experiencing difficulty paying their bills. These imposters prey on these customers' financial situation by falsely threatening to shut off service to obtain money or a customer's personal, business or financial information.

Another common scheme involves scammers using technology to make their phone calls appear to come from a ComEd phone number and threatening to turn off a customer's service unless they make a direct payment with a prepaid cash card. Sometimes they ask victims to call back at a different phone number and provide personal information. In other attempts, scammers send emails to businesses and request that they send ComEd payments to bogus payment web sites.

Here are some tips to help identify scams

ComEd will never come to a customer's home or business to demand a payment, ask for immediate payment with a prepaid cash card or ask for their ComEd account number or other personal information, such as a driver's license number.

ComEd will never call a customer to ask for their account number, ask for personal information such as their Social Security number or bank information, or ask them to make a direct payment with a prepaid cash card.

To identify an actual ComEd employee, remember that all ComEd field employees wear a uniform, including shirt and safety vest, with the ComEd logo; and, ComEd employees visibly display a company ID badge with the ComEd logo and employee's name.

A ComEd worker who is unable to access equipment, such as the meter or pedestal transformer, may knock on a customer's door. Any customer who is unsure whether a visitor or caller is a ComEd employee or believes he or she has been a target or victim of a scam should call 1-800-EDISON-1 (1-800-334-7661) immediately. To learn more, visit ComEd.com/ScamAlert.

Cook County Property Taxes Update

Due to the pandemic, the penalties on late payments for property tax installments on both property tax installments in 2021 have been waived for two months. This is per the Cook County Treasurer website.

The First Installment of 2020 taxes is due March 2, 2021, with application of late charges moved back to May 3, 2021.

The Second Installment of 2020 taxes is due August 2, 2021, with application of late charges moved back to October 1, 2021.

Senior Citizen Tax Deferral Program

Senior citizens having a hard time paying their property taxes can take advantage of a loan program administered by the Cook County Treasurer’s Office.

Seniors whose annual household income is $55,000 or less can apply now for the Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Deferral Program, which issues loans to cover property tax payments.

The loans, which are issued by the State of Illinois, do not have to be repaid until the property is sold or the homeowner dies. A simple interest rate of 6 percent per year is charged by the state. The maximum loan is $5,000 per year. To qualify, homeowners must be at least 65 years old by June 1st of the year in which the application is made.

To apply:
• Download the application from cookcountytreasurer.com
• Submit the completed application and copies of the required documents to the Treasurer’s Office
• The deadline is March 1, 2021. Applications after that date cannot be accepted
• Homeowners must reapply every year
• The First Installment for Tax Year 2020 is due March 2, 2021, but late charges are waived through May 3, 2021.

The U.S. CENSUS BUREAU Has the following Position Available:

FIELD REPRESENTATIVE
COOK COUNTY, IL

SALARY RANGE
• $15.10 - $21.86 per hour starting salary
• 10% night differential for hours worked after 6 PM
• $.56 cents per reimbursable mile driven

HOURS
• Flexible hours, varies based on Survey

REQUIREMENTS
• Must complete an assessment and a mock and structured job interview
• Must have six months of general experience and/or education
• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must be at least 18 years old
• Must have a valid driver’s license
• Must have an insured and working automobile
• Must pass a security background check

DUTY LOCATION
• Applicants selected for this position will have their home as their Duty Station and will be required to travel throughout their local area on a routine basis

How to Apply:
Interested applicants should contact the Chicago Regional Office to request an application packet by providing your mailing address.

To request an application, call 800-865-6384, Ext 15, or send an email to: Chicago.Recruiting@Census.gov.

Next Oak Forest City Council Meeting

The next Oak Forest City Council Meeting will be held on February 9, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Residents are invited to attend the meeting (must wear a mask and practice social distancing) or you can watch the meeting live on www.oak-forest.org/live. To view the most recent meeting from January 26, 2021, please click on the image below.

Always Receive City of Oak Forest Emergency Notifications

The new Everbridge system replaces Reverse 911 as a means to notify citizens. Critical situations like severe weather and criminal activity require information to be shared quickly and effectively with residents.

It is important that we alert everyone in an emergency whether they choose to receive information via SMS Text, Facebook, smartphone or landline.

Everbridge helps the City of Oak Forest send messages out to the entire town or certain areas of the town where a particular emergency is taking place such as a water main break. Creating an account is easy! Plus, you will have access to make modifications to your account when needed, such as change of phone number, email, and physical address. If you ever move and do not want any notifications from the City of Oak Forest, you have the ability to delete your account.

Go to the City of Oak Forest website at www.oak-forest.org and look for the Everbridge logo to create an account or use this link: https://member.everbridge.net/397890065268844/login.

You can even download the Everbridge app via Google Play on android devices or Apple app store on iPhones or iPads.

Enter a cell phone number for voice and text, landline phone number for voice, email address for notifications, as well as home address. Entering your home address helps the City of Oak Forest send messages to only certain areas of the town that a particular emergency is taking place.

The Everbridge system will keep residents informed with the right message, in the right language at the right time during critical events.

Please sign up today to help us better communicate with you.

If you need assistance or do not have computer, please call City Hall at 708-687-4050.