[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6561502,"mediaKeyId","3289806-601555dcbd267fac48015c7d34852beb","parentId",3289806,"title","Board approves proclamations, appointments and consent agenda; moves into closed session on pending litigation","audioSeconds",3352,"startMs",1256000,"endMs",4608000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3289806-601555dcbd267fac48015c7d34852beb&start=1256&end=4608","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3289806-601555dcbd267fac48015c7d34852beb/thumbnail_1256000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6561502/Oak-Park/Cook-County/Illinois/Board-approves-proclamations-appointments-and-consent-agenda-moves-into-closed-session-on-pending-litigation","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6561502-acce5df4b4b8b207ff69a09f730c6cec/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150917&Signature=RnJY5cFHT4LFnam3uiyoNbr4aBpvNbKymp-5gZ8p6Odyu3JHc9Hn1IliKYIDj0zlZVPG8oaebhoyRHkp7kBxmq6Z1ahVtPAz2GNKLYYWL7ufgeg2RRXfEg-2-ucODa5uItuh9hailuNE0VpbdLKWa6k0z4tUMztV95Yf4na7gJvF0Y7ei9HqaZ8~MEQjevLkfQvV2rsrWTKXLu532y7zJnc~5tRCnYopp~D70euovxlU5c-80kzj3ycwdQ1bNWU3h91EQST8tIIiaC8292BHyw6eL~-XaQXLJIBqHIngPJMvW3hrqQKebAJbQ~YvXM0i-qAoHJbYaPIPFhiZ2HdSEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Oak Park","date","2025-05-13T00:00:00Z","article","The Village Board on May 13 approved multiple proclamations, confirmed several appointments, approved the consent agenda and briefly adjourned to closed session to discuss litigation.

Proclamations and approvals: Trustees approved proclamations recognizing the fiftieth season of the Oak Park Farmers Market, Jewish American Heritage Month, Asian American/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Desi Heritage Month, and Older Americans Month (including a local Celebrating Seniors Week May 8–15, 2025). Trustee Jim Taglia read the Farmers Market proclamation and the board recorded unanimous \"Aye\" votes on the proclamations. The Farmers Market proclamation recognized the market’s five decades of operation, SNAP acceptance and local vendor and volunteer contributions. The board thanked members of the Farmers Market Commission in attendance.

Appointments and consent agenda: The board consented to appointments including Linda Francis and Melissa Avia to the Aging and Communities Commission, Sheena Rayford as chair and Wayne Wong as a member of the Community Development Citizens Advisory Committee, Jessica Green as chair of the Farmers Market Commission, and Jeffrey Hines as a member of the Liquor Control Review Board. The consent agenda was approved by roll call; Clerk Waters recorded yes votes from Trustees Straw, Wesley, Enya, Taglia and President Skam(m)an.

Closed-session motion: Earlier in the meeting the board voted to adjourn to closed session \"pursuant to 5 ILCS 100 and twentytwo C 11 to discuss litigation against the village which has been filed and is pending before a court or administrator tribunal.\" That motion was moved and seconded; the roll call recorded yes votes from Trustee Taglia, Trustee Enya, Trustee Wesley and President Skam(m)an.

Other highlights and recognitions: The board introduced several Neighborhood Services staff, recognized volunteers and partner organizations (including Housing Forward and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church) for winter warming-center support, and acknowledged the recent passing of community leader Mary Ann Brown, founder and longtime director of Hephzibah Children’s Association; the president read a proclamation in her memory.

Votes at a glance:
- Motion to adjourn to closed session to discuss pending litigation pursuant to cited statutory authority: moved; roll call recorded yes votes by Taglia, Enya, Wesley and President Skam(m)an; outcome: approved and closed session held.
- Proclamation: Oak Park Farmers Market fiftieth season: motioned and seconded; outcome: approved (unanimous voice vote).
- Proclamation: Jewish American Heritage Month (May 2025): motioned and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Proclamation: Asian American/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Desi Heritage Month (May 2025): motioned and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Proclamation: Older Americans Month / Celebrating Seniors Week (May 8–15, 2025): motioned and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Appointments (consent agenda): multiple appointments listed on the record; consent agenda approved by roll call (Trustees Straw, Wesley, Enya, Taglia, President Skam(m)an recorded as \"Yes\"); outcome: approved.

Why it matters: Proclamations and appointments are routine municipal business that set local priorities and recognize community organizations; the closed-session vote invoked statutory authority to discuss pending litigation. The village also used the meeting to introduce staff and recognize volunteer partners for social-service efforts.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Oak Park - President and Board of Trustees on 2025-05-13 6:30 PM - May 13, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Village Board on May 13 approved a package of proclamations, confirmed multiple appointments and approved the consent agenda; earlier the board voted to enter closed session to discuss pending litigation.","taxTitle","Oak Park, Cook County, Illinois","taxId",5134,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6561507,"Climate group urges Oak Park to use reserves for $500,000 energy-efficiency grants",519,2639000,3158000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3289806-601555dcbd267fac48015c7d34852beb&start=2639&end=3158","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3289806-601555dcbd267fac48015c7d34852beb/thumbnail_2639000.jpg","/articles/6561507/Oak-Park/Cook-County/Illinois/Climate-group-urges-Oak-Park-to-use-reserves-for-500000-energy-efficiency-grants","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6561507-24b6f254b0314580f848e5ec14a165c1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150917&Signature=SeXqLsY-qkZwGn0IcwVPysksMG5J45Vl2UbFi7kGyeK4It4gNf6sA~0LZGYR71gQfXqXYoxaHu6WlX~TEhyzyLrtnPbSNOpfGovjgvY7H9HgY9nQ1R6Vq-72VTQyR75hbHGizGK-OziyY~DH5g98Omg4~x99LpID3ZmXivQ48-6~vKO9j6Dy2bDiDjyBakQLTNqQn95jjTMjAJl1U4opSUsuLK0DnywoSt4td2vqNPdhyEjreVZgCX2Y51ROe9MIQ2HZMhq2SabScpkQZdsaPzc7LE9NcGggQkG43pp6CEwTj--TCi2Wi5-jcT2DTawWsXsMNaVVBCWQWm-38L1gww__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Pam Tate, representing the Oak Park Climate Action Network (OPCAN), urged the Village Board on May 13 to make climate-related budget decisions a top priority and to use reserve funds to expand energy-efficiency grant funding.

\"We're asking you to act upon this additional $500,000 for increasing energy efficiency grant funding this year,\" Tate told trustees. She said the idea came from the village’s chief sustainability officer and that OPCAN supports launching an expanded program to assist businesses and multifamily dwellings.

Tate said the village’s greenhouse-gas inventory shows the community is far from the stated reduction target and emphasized that building energy use accounts for a large share of emissions. She told trustees she submitted written comments to Clerk Waters and asked the board to launch the expanded grant program for 2025 and to plan for a substantially larger general-fund line in 2026. Tate said she had been told the $500,000 would come from the village’s reserve fund and asserted that the reserve contains considerably more than the village needs.

What happened next: trustees did not vote on the request at the May 13 meeting. Tate said OPCAN will follow up and that staff may bring a proposal back to the new board.

Why it matters: Tate framed the proposal as an immediate opportunity to incentivize efficiency in residential and commercial buildings — described in her remarks as the majority of local emissions — and asked the board to treat the expenditure as low financial risk because it would draw on reserves rather than existing operating funds.

Speakers quoted in this article: Pam Tate, Oak Park Climate Action Network.","The Oak Park Climate Action Network asked the village to prioritize climate spending in the upcoming budget and to use $500,000 in reserve funds to expand energy-efficiency grants immediately and to increase funding in 2026.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6561512,"Oak Park introduces ECHO care coordination team and recognizes winter warming volunteers",1068,2284000,3352000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3289806-601555dcbd267fac48015c7d34852beb&start=2284&end=3352","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3289806-601555dcbd267fac48015c7d34852beb/thumbnail_2284000.jpg","/articles/6561512/Oak-Park/Cook-County/Illinois/Oak-Park-introduces-ECHO-care-coordination-team-and-recognizes-winter-warming-volunteers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6561512-b7a1ecbd76a670949bb6f14c583039c9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150917&Signature=I5v0PnhTmSPROUovh7yzwitFWmGXaTie5ystHgh-fD-1b8KmRdNVrinjTo3DNCTuIVso-WmCRx-WbzGK-fFUWmwXrZr6S7dAqzeu2x~KltojvwY91OK5ScRYgnoE6viwjWhrTX5gZbud9OmcZYMVoQ2h0eH2Ltx~8Ujm590LqxRn0hi2w-QCzG3mUa4LKpP-Wq7SgUkzG~88SYjYkvOfSxLpb5-txKeN442mgiblN3MnX8bvDPxW5Gt0-vjfWF1vOoXremWP5SJcfhwTmfVNg12D3Krvet-lEXOm~qqBKaKA2ffKL8vyp6lSI42ZUpf95CGOlW7pB2KeDgPdC2-aEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Village Manager Jackson and Neighborhood Services Director Jonathan Birch used the May 13 meeting to introduce the Neighborhood Services staff and to recognize volunteers and partners who helped run warming centers this winter.

Jonathan Birch introduced Neighborhood Partnerships Administrator Paola Garibay and said the Neighborhood Services Department was created in recent budget cycles to strengthen community engagement. Birch and Village Manager Jackson also thanked partner organizations and volunteers who supported the village’s warming-center operations, noting the village coordinated shelter on 17 critically cold days this past winter. The village acknowledged Housing Forward and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and singled out Emergency Preparedness Manager Lee Christiansen for his coordination role.

Vanessa Matheny, community services administrator, described the ECHO program (Engaging Communities for Healthy Outcomes) and introduced the team’s care coordinators, Kimberly Smith and Maxie Moses. Matheny said ECHO was developed in response to mental-health task-force recommendations and to provide an alternative, unarmed response option for specific low-risk calls for service. She described early implementation activities: outreach to taxing bodies and nonprofit partners, coordination with police and fire roll calls, creation of a referral form for first responders, weekly data reports, distribution of warming kits and direct outreach to people panhandling or staying at warming centers.

Kimberly Smith and Maxie Moses described casework examples. Smith said the team handled referrals for households with complex needs and coordinated with Oak Park Township, health-care providers and food programs to arrange home health services and meal delivery for an individual with cancer. Moses described assisting a young mother escaping domestic violence: ECHO helped arrange private interviews, transportation to a Maywood office to obtain a protective order, contact with the client’s housing case manager to prevent housing loss, and immediate material assistance (coats donated by partner organizations).

Matheny said the team receives referrals from police and fire as well as direct walk-ins; she said the program has broadened beyond strictly mental-health referrals to include housing supports, senior services, substance-use and medical needs. Matheny told the board the program will return to the board later this year with more detailed data on outcomes and referrals.

Why it matters: The ECHO team provides a nonpolice care-coordination option that connects residents — including older adults and people experiencing housing instability — to services and community partners.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the Village Manager and Neighborhood Services agenda items.","The village presented its ECHO (Engaging Communities for Healthy Outcomes) care-coordination team, described early referrals and case work, and recognized volunteers and partners who supported warming-center operations during 17 critically cold days this winter.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6561517,"Residents raise due-process, safety and environmental concerns over Field Park capital project",530,417000,947000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3289806-601555dcbd267fac48015c7d34852beb&start=417&end=947","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3289806-601555dcbd267fac48015c7d34852beb/thumbnail_417000.jpg","/articles/6561517/Oak-Park/Cook-County/Illinois/Residents-raise-due-process-safety-and-environmental-concerns-over-Field-Park-capital-project","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6561517-ed1978265be7df535209e38de0e98801/orig.mp4?Expires=1771150917&Signature=dsTinW~lAqKOOsokkrOi6JNUG-MXUreMEVDE~R1BndAo8QUW-uQhbVMUYrKRvfwPn1W1culKsF5wlwDU~NvoMCs08i0ZbV9RoMV1O5cyhZHefVmEU2ert3GmOj22mfYTC6n8hZ4EG99W6hJAHg3xwdfwE-XKgJSlHtfYWEpHDJ8hkqqigTbPZG3W0L0feE06ucS6zBnFDfNgz4THspmeb3WP1~kVuhwEAfuihuy0QZunjjpm2LtdfYae5i4i0inJSb5m4vXdpPILee1AWRTxQoDFoqIpWRfmPZb~kRxLDiJVz0jpnl7vMN-JtAIL8X4MrXSJECzeUAhu9SG2lB8LQw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","John Mitchell, a longtime Oak Park resident, told the Village Board on May 13 that neighbors object to the Park District’s planned capital project at Field Park and wanted their concerns about location recorded. \"They blew us off basically,\" Mitchell said, adding the project was scheduled to start in mid-June and that he and other neighbors gathered about 300 signatures opposing the chosen site.

Mitchell said the project budget is $2,800,000 and that the Park District had promised three community meetings but held none in the neighborhood until Oct. 23. \"They said they were gonna do a traffic study and they never did,\" he told trustees, and said his own counts found a car every 29 seconds near the Woodbine and Berkshire intersection during active park use.

Separately, Les Golden, a public commenter who said he had submitted a longer written document to the village, framed the project as raising racial equity and environmental concerns. Golden argued the Park District’s chosen location could displace or negatively affect private dance studios that serve predominantly Black students and said removal of mature trees and grading of a park hill would harm bird and insect habitat. He also warned that artificial turf could increase local heat, saying the installation \"will cause direct heating of the atmosphere as documented in a peer reviewed, technical publication.\" Golden asked trustees to read the document he submitted to village staff.

The speakers spoke from the public-comment period; neither Mitchell nor Golden asked the board to take a specific legal action and board members did not announce a formal response during the meeting. Mitchell acknowledged the village and park district are separate entities and said he did not expect the village to control the Park District’s decision, but wanted the objections and alleged procedural shortcomings entered into the record.

What happened next: trustees did not take formal action on the Field Park project at this meeting. Mitchell identified Park District staff member Chris Lindgren as the project supervisor; Golden said he had shared a detailed written submission with the village manager and the village attorney.

Why it matters: neighbors raised safety and access concerns near a heavily used park and school area and alleged the Park District did not meet its stated community engagement steps. If tree removal and artificial turf proceed, commenters warned of environmental effects and local business impacts.

Community details and clarifications: Mitchell said the project is $2,800,000 and that he collected roughly 300 signatures opposing the location (not the project itself). He said a promised traffic study due in April was not completed. Golden said his submission addresses fiduciary obligations, DEI implications, and environmental impacts including tree loss and effects on insect and bird habitat; he told the board the document had been emailed to village staff that afternoon.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the non-agenda public-comment period and identified themselves on the record.","Public commenters told the village board they oppose the park district's chosen location for a $2.8 million Field Park capital project, saying the Park District did not hold required community meetings, promised traffic studies were not completed, and that tree removal and AstroTurf installation would harm the environment and local businesses.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board approves proclamations, appointments and consent agenda; moves into closed session on pending litigation

Climate group urges Oak Park to use reserves for $500,000 energy-efficiency grants

Oak Park introduces ECHO care coordination team and recognizes winter warming volunteers

Residents raise due-process, safety and environmental concerns over Field Park capital project