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Residents urge traffic calming, ask about tax‑payment hours, and press council to pause Oak Park pool demolition
Summary
During public comment, residents asked the council to install speed humps on Stratford, questioned in‑person tax‑payment scheduling and late fees, requested sidewalk repair timing, and urged the council to delay demolition of the outdoor Oak Park pool while seeking renovation quotes; an online petition cited more than 600 signatures.
Several Oak Park residents used the Sept. 2 public‑comment period to press the council on neighborhood safety, city customer service and the future of the city’s outdoor pool.
Jesse Shepard Bates, a Stratford resident, asked the council to install speed humps on Stratford to address persistent speeding near a school. "Our community strongly supports this change and we believe it will make a measurable difference in neighborhood safety," Bates said, noting existing speed‑feedback signs and occasional police patrols and citing U.S. Department of Transportation studies on speed humps’ effectiveness.
Sam (recorded in the transcript as Sam/Vog/Valk) raised a question about in‑person tax‑payment availability after the Labor Day holiday and said he is concerned about late‑payment fees for residents who prefer to pay in person. Staff directed him to speak with Finance Director Sandra Crawford after the meeting for details.
Solomon Zyler asked when sidewalk repairs on Ratcliff Place would be finished and raised concerns about water accumulation on newly poured squares that could ice in winter; staff referred him to Deputy City Manager Dave Doster for follow‑up.
Most prominently, Carrie Gustoson, who identified herself as a resident and the organizer of a petition on Change.org, asked the council to pause demolition of the outdoor Oak Park community pool, which the city has proposed to remove this fall as part of a larger bond project. "The city of Oak Park has exciting plans under the $44 million bond we voted for, yet decided that 2025 season is promoted to be the last summer the pool will be opened as it's slated to be demolished this fall," Gustoson said. She said more than 600 people have signed her petition and urged the council to obtain commercial aquatic‑company quotes for pool renovation and to reconsider the indoor‑pool location in the proposed bond project.
Council thanked speakers, invited continued engagement with staff and civic boards (for example, the newly created traffic safety board) and directed residents to appropriate staff contacts for detailed follow‑up. Several council members also promoted upcoming community events tied to the pool’s final season, including the "last dip" and a dog‑day event.
