Photo courtesy of Kelly Ryan Photography

2021 Fleadh Around Town

Huge thanks to everyone who came to support the 12th Annual Fleadh sponsored by the Oak Forest-Crestwood Chamber of Commerce this past Saturday, March 6.

Families of all ages participated in the virtual 5K, enjoyed pre-parade activities at the Oak Forest Park District, spotted leaping leprechauns at Acorn Library, watched the parade down Central Avenue and dined at local establishments. We can't wait until next year!

Daylight Saving Time is Sunday, March 14

Remember to change your clocks and change the batteries in your smoke alarms.

Illinois Smoke Alarm Law

What is the Updated Illinois Smoke Alarm Law?

Since 1988, all Illinois dwellings have been required to have smoke alarms.
On January 1, 2023, single and multi-family homes that are still using smoke alarms with removable batteries are required to install new alarms that feature 10-year sealed battery alarms.

Exemptions*

Homes built after 1988 that already have hardwired smoke alarms.
Homes with wireless integrated alarms that use low-power radio frequency communications, WiFi, or other wireless Local Area Networking (LAN) capability.
Homes within Chicago city limits (transition through 2033).

Are You Protected?

3 of every 5 home fire deaths result from
fires in homes with no working smoke alarms!

Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, outside each sleeping area, and in every bedroom.
Test smoke alarms monthly.
Alarms don't last forever - remember to replace your smoke alarms every 10 years.
Plan and practice your escape route with your family at least twice a year.
If your smoke alarm does sound, leave the home immediately and call 9-1-1.

Property Tax Exemptions Automatically Renewed

Due to COVID-19, the Illinois legislature took action to allow the Cook County Assessor to automatically renew the following exemptions for taxable year 2020, for homeowners who received them last year (taxable year 2019):

Senior Freeze Exemption
Homestead Exemption for Persons with Disabilities
Homestead Exemption for Veterans with Disabilities

The above one-year renewals are in addition to the automatic annual renewal of the Homeowner Exemption and the Senior Exemption.

The Cook County Assessor’s Office will send a letter to homeowners with the list of exemptions that will be automatically renewed. Tens of thousands of renewal confirmation letters will be mailed in early February 2021.

Read more about the legislative change here: https://www.cookcountyassessor.com/news/automatic-renewal-3-property-tax-exemptions-2021-due-covid-19.

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to Guy Gattone, Oak Forest Taxpayer Advocate at ggattone@oak-forest.org.

Apply Now for Emergency Rental Assistance

Applications are now open for the Cook County Emergency Rental Assistance program. It pays up to 12 months of missed rent and utilities payments and up to 3 months of future rent payments. Payments will be made directly to your landlord and utility company.

Apply online.

Applications open March 11, 2021 and will be accepted until April 2, 2021

Who is eligible?

To be eligible, applicants must:

Live in suburban Cook County and rent their home (Landlords may apply on behalf of eligible tenants).
Lack access to other support (e.g., don’t live in public housing or receive rental assistance from other programs during the same time period).
Have proof of financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meet the household annual income requirements.

What counts as a COVID-19 related financial hardship?
Financial hardships related to COVID-19 include:

Losing your income.
Working fewer hours.
Being furloughed.
Quitting your job because you are at high risk for COVID-19 and need to self-isolate.
Losing work to stay home to care for a child.

ComEd Assistance Options

It's been one-year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic nears, ComEd recognizes that families and businesses are still dealing with continued financial challenges.

Last year, ComEd increased its annual bill-assistance options, connecting customers to a record of more than $70 million in financial assistance and supporting more than a quarter of a million customers with stabilizing grants. This year, ComEd encourages customers to contact the energy company immediately to see if they are eligible for millions of dollars more in bill assistance now available. There are also extended payment options to help customers with their past-due balances.

Any customer experiencing a hardship or difficulty with their electric bill should call ComEd immediately at 1-800-334-7661 (1-800-EDISON-1), Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. to learn more on how to apply. Information on each of these options is available at ComEd.com/PaymentAssistance.

Early Voting Begins March 22nd

Early voting for municipal, school district and other local elections will be held at City Hall from Monday, March 22 to Monday, April 5.

Oak Forest City Hall
15440 S. Central Ave
Oak Forest, IL 60452

ELECTION DAY is Tuesday, April 6. Please go to your assigned polling place at Find my Polling Place.

Note: City Hall is NOT an Election Day voting place.

Veterans Assistance

The Oak Forest Veterans Commission would like to make residents aware of assistance to Veterans in Cook County. Qualified veterans can visit vacofcookcounty.org for more information.

Program Description
The Veterans Assistance Commission (VAC) is a separate distinct unit of local government created by State Law and funded by Cook County. The VAC provides emergency financial assistance to Honorably Discharged Military Veterans and their families, who reside in Cook County.

Types of Assistance

Assistance with Rental and Mortgage payments.
Utility payment assistance with Electric, Gas and Water.
Public Transportation (CTA/PACE} to Outpatient/Medical appointments, CWT/School, Job Interview, Employment, Housing Search.
ALDI Food gift card.
Burial assistance for veterans.
Job service assistance referrals.
Records requests: Birth Certificate 0D214 Application

For more information, please email ofveteranscomm@oak-forest.org.

DCEO Veterans Series Presents Illinois Joining Forces (registration required)

CLICK TO REGISTER
Thursday, March 18, 2021
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Join DCEO’s Office of Regional Economic Development and the Office of Minority Economic Empowerment who will host a webinar with Illinois Joining Forces Executive Director Brig. General (Ret.) Steve Curda, Ph.D. and Jim Dolan, Sr. Director of Development with Illinois Joining Forces. Illinois Joining Forces serves as a statewide public-private partnership that promotes the efficient delivery of Growth and Wellness initiatives for Service Members, Veterans, and their Families at the community level throughout the State of Illinois

Coyote Mating Season

Department of Wildlife says that the aggression of coyotes will be on high for the next several weeks.

The next 4-6 weeks is mating season for coyotes. Please pay attention to your dogs and cats when outside. The outcome can be tragic because coyotes will attack your pets. Coyote breeding typically peaks in late February and early March. Male coyotes can become more aggressive during this time of year.

For more information, go to the wildlifeillinois.org website.

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, March 12, 2021:

2,670 positive cases
23,503 people tested
3.2% Positivity Rate (Suburban Cook County, Region 10)

COVID-19 Testing Site Open in Tinley Park

A drive-thru coronavirus testing center is located at 7460 Duvan Drive in Tinley Park. It is open daily and offers PCR testing, with results in 1-3 days, rapid testing at $125 and antibody testing.

An appointment is required. Visit the NAS Testing Center website or call 708-649-0333.

COVID-19 Vaccination Update

The State of Illinois, the Cook County Department of Public Health and the National Guard have two COVID-19 vaccination sites in our area. However, appointments are required. They are not walk-up sites.

Tinley Park Convention Center at 18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park, IL 60477

South Suburban College at 15800 South State Street, South Holland, IL 60473

The State and Cook County have a website available to accept appointments at https://vaccine.cookcountyil.gov/ or by calling 833-308-1988 (from 7 a.m. to 7:0 p.m. Monday-Friday).

In addition to Cook County Health sites, the Cook County Department of Public Health
has distributed vaccines to more than 90 partner locations including Jewel-Osco, Mariano's, Walgreens, Federally Qualified Health Centers and hospitals who are also offering vaccines by appointment. Additional sites can be found at https://coronavirus.illinois.gov/s/vaccination-location.

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

When You've Been Fully Vaccinated

COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.

If you’ve been fully vaccinated, you can:

Gather indoors with fully vaccinated people without wearing a mask.
Gather indoors with unvaccinated people from one other household without masks, unless any of those people or anyone they live with is at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

In public you should still wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet apart from others, and avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces.

Next Oak Forest City Council Meeting

The next Oak Forest City Council Meeting will be held on March 23, 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 live on www.oak-forest.org/live.

Here is the link to the most recent meeting:
March 9, 2021 - City Council Meeting

City of Oak Forest Emergency Notifications With Everbridge

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.

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! If you ever move and do not want any notifications, 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 click this link: Everbridge Registration.

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.

Sign up today to help us better communicate with you.