Beautification committee highlights Bird City designation, gardening awards and maintenance questions

Colleen Tancredi, vice chair of the Beautification Committee, told the Committee that the panel was formed by an ordinance in November 2021 and works with local groups to “develop plans and programs to enhance the scenic environment” and to advise the board on beautification strategies.

Tancredi said the committee focused its awards program on gardening and gave “about 47 awards,” ran three roadside cleanups, staffed outreach tables at community events with bilingual handouts, and helped the village secure a Bird City designation. She said the committee organized an Audubon-led bird walk and promoted the Great Backyard Bird Count as part of required citizen-science participation. “We are now a bird city, Mundelein,” Tancredi said.

Looking to 2026, Tancredi outlined an Audubon-promoted bird walk planned for May 16 at Ray Lake, a repeat of the Spring Into Summer half-day event (noon–4 p.m.), expansion of the Excellence in Gardening awards to include businesses, additional roadside cleanups including along Route 176 before the bike race, and installation of a Monarch and Marigold Star in cooperation with the Mogollini Art Commission.

Board members raised questions about maintenance of newly installed gardens (Cortland Commons and plantings near the railroad). Public-works staff explained that plantings installed by public works or contractors carry warranty periods, that some locations (such as the pollinator garden) are affected by bridge-construction work and will be revisited after construction, and that safety rules have limited volunteer planting on some overpasses. Tancredi said the committee is coordinating with planning and public works on responsibility and timing for maintenance.