123 Madison Street

Oak Park, Illinois 60302

www.oak-park.us

Village of Oak Park

Meeting Minutes

President and Board of Trustees

Tuesday, June 3, 2025

7:00 PM

Village Hall

I. Call to Order

Village President Vicki Scaman called the Regular Meeting to order at

7:00 P.M.

II. Roll Call

5 -

Present:

Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Leving Jacobson,

Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Taglia

1 - Village Trustee Wesley

Absent:

III. Agenda Approval

President Scaman moved non-agenda public comment after the Village

Manager's Report.

It was moved by Trustee Leving Jacobson, seconded by Trustee Straw, to

approve the agenda as amended. A voice vote was taken and the motion was

approved.

IV. Minutes

A Motion to Approve Minutes from the May 13, 2025 Regular Meeting of

the Village Board.

MOT 25-187

It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Taglia, to approve the

minutes. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved.

VI. Proclamation

MOT 25-188

A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Recognizing National Gun Violence

Awareness Day - June 6, 2025.

Trustee Leving Jacobson read the Proclamation into the record. Oak Park

residents and gun violence survivors Sharita Galloway, Alison Gerard, and

Mary Ann Buck made statements.

It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Leving Jacobson to

approve the Proclamation. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved.

A Motion to Approve a Proclamation Celebrating Lesbian Gay Bisexual

Transgender Queer Plus (LGBTQ+) Pride Month - June 2025.

MOT 25-189

Trustee Straw read the Proclamation into the record.

OPALGA+ representative Cass Scaman, OPRF Chamber of Commerce

Executive Director Darien Marion-Burton, Oak Park area PFLAG

President Sarah Corbin, and Bob Personett made statements.

It was moved by Trustee Enyia, seconded by Trustee Straw, to approve the

Proclamation. A voice vote was taken and the motion was approved.

VII. Village Manager Reports

Pete's Fresh Market Project Manager Eugene Grzynkowicz provided an

update on construction. The store is expected to open in

December-January.

V. Non-Agenda Public Comment

Aaron McManus: Oak Park is on a federal list of sanctuary targets. Asked

the Village Board to add trans sanctuary city status to municipal ordinances

and begin a public discussion on non-cooperation policies.

Colette Morrow: Resident echoed the plea to Oak Park to establish itself

as a trans and gender queer sanctuary. We can stand up to government

and do what is right. It may make a difference in a person's life literally.

President Scaman read a statement about uniting together as one

community in full support of our trans community.

Anya Ember: Third grader at Irving Elementary. She wants the bike path to

happen on Harvard to connect to parks. She would feel a lot safer. She was

in a biking accident this past weekend.

Zosia Holzberg-Punchur: She goes to Lincoln Elementary on Harvard and

wants to ride her bike there safely. She thinks the bike lanes will help that.

More people riding their bikes will help stop pollution.

Suzen Riley: Resident is a wheelchair user and was threatened by a

motorist.

Viola: She rides her bike and sees cars that go super fast on her street

near a school. She feels if we got biking paths onto busy streets it would

help a lot of people.

[Female]: There have been a lot of threats of guns being brought into OPRF

High School or that a student is going to shoot people. She hopes

education continues to improve and anti-LGBTQ+ remarks are hurtful.

VIII. Village Board Committees

There were no reports.

IX. Citizen Commission Vacancies

ID 25-393

Board and Commission Vacancy Report for June 3, 2025

There were no comments.

XI. Consent Agenda

Approval of the Consent Agenda

It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Leving Jacobson to

approve the items under the Consent Agenda. The motion was approved. The

roll call on the vote was as follows:

5 -

AYES:

Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Leving Jacobson,

Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Taglia

NAYS:

1 - Village Trustee Wesley

ABSENT:

An Ordinance Amending Chapter 15 (“Motor Vehicles and Traffic”),

Article 3 (“Parking Meters, Parking Permits, and Municipal Attendant

Parking Lots”), Section 18 (“Parking Rates; Parking Meters, Pay by

Space Machines, Village Operated Parking Structures, Permit, Extended

Pass, Valet and Daytime on Street Permit Parking”) of the Oak Park

Village Code to Revise the Village’s Employee Discount Parking Program

ORD 25-144

This Ordinance was adopted.

An Ordinance Updating and Replacing the Map Codified as Part of

Section 15-1-26 of the Village Code to Reflect the Village’s Current Time

Restrictions, Time Limits, and Prohibited Parking Areas

ORD 25-146

ORD 25-147

This Ordinance was adopted.

An Ordinance Amending Chapter 2, Article 5 (“Law Division”) Of

The Oak Park Village Code Regarding The Village’s Law

Department

This Ordinance was adopted.

A Resolution Approving the Release of the Draft Program Year (PY) 2025

Funding Recommendations, PY 2025 - 2029 Consolidated Plan, and PY

2025 Action Plan for Public Comment

RES 25-192

RES 25-198

This Resolution was adopted.

A Resolution Approving an Amendment to the Professional Services

Agreement between the Village of Oak Park and Fresh Coast Capital

LLC., d/b/a as Greenprint Partners, LLC. for the Climate Ready

Rainscapes Program Management to Change the 2025 not to exceed

Amount from $52,000 to $82,000 and Authorizing its Execution

This Resolution was adopted.

A Resolution Approving an Assignment and Consent Agreement with

TYLin International Great Lakes, Inc. for the Bike Plan Update and

Authorizing its Execution

RES 25-211

RES 25-217

This Resolution was adopted.

A Resolution Approving an Amendment to a Professional Services

Agreement with Securitas Security Services USA, Inc., to Increase the

Not-To-Exceed Amount for Security and Support Staff Services at Village

Parking Structures from $717,031.00 to $800,000.00 for the Term of

January 1, 2025, Through December 31. 2025

This Resolution was adopted.

RES 25-218

A Resolution Authorizing the Submission of an Illinois Finance

Authority Illinois Solar for All Expansion: Residential Solar

Outreach Grant for Outreach and Assistance to Income-qualified

Households with a Requested Funding Amount of $295,000.

This Resolution was adopted.

XII. Regular Agenda

A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Loan Commitment and

Agreement for The Day Nursery

RES 25-221

President Scaman moved Item O before Item M.

Assistant Village Manager/Neighborhood Services Director Jonathan

Burch presented the Item.

Mary Reynolds: Collaboration for Early Childhood Executive Director

spoke in support of the proposal. Affordable early childhood programs are

essential community infrastructure.

Angela Dolezal: Parent of children who attended The Day Nursery. Spoke

in support of the resolution. The Day Nursery is one of two childcare

centers in Oak Park that accepts the state's childcare assistance program.

Aimee Bushby: The Day Nursery Pre-school teacher. The Day Nursery is

so much more than a childcare center. It is a place for kids to be exactly

who they are and loved for it.

Nick Rudolph: The Day Nursery parent. He doesn't have family nearby and

doesn't know what he would do without them. It is such an important

resource to his family and others.

Charlene Schwar: Parent of son who attended The Day Nursery. It is an

113-year institution and that means it is something really special and needs

to stay open.

Scott Dolezal: The Day Nursery President thanked the Village for

considering this opportunity which means a lot to his family. Everyone in the

organization is committed to making the most of this opportunity.

Trustee Straw said he will be voting yes. 56 of the 66 students receive

subsidies. This loan is a low price to pay to preserve such an important

institution.

Trustee Enyia said he will vote yes. He was part of sliding scale programs

growing up. It means a lot to have a quality standard of education to get

kids on the right path.

The Day Nursery Executive Director Dr. Catherine Eason thanked the

Village and everyone for showing up.

Trustee Leving Jacobson said she will vote in favor of supporting this loan.

Early childhood childcare is gun violence prevention. She inquired how the

Village can support the long-term plan for sustainability. Director Burch

said the Village will meet regularly with The Day Nursery staff and board to

understand their plan for moving forward and whether an additional ask will

be needed.

Trustee Taglia said he supports this resolution for this valued institution. He

noted the fundraising required is significant. Director Burch said the Village

is providing the operating subsidy so The Day Nursery doesn't need to dip

into their existing pool to make themselves whole to operate from month to

month. They also have an existing balance in their reserve fund.

President Scaman noted there are people standing by ready to help and

organizations and agencies that have grant funding.

It was moved by Trustee Enyia, seconded by Trustee Straw, that this Resolution

be adopted. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows:

5 -

AYES:

Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Leving Jacobson,

Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Taglia

NAYS:

1 - Village Trustee Wesley

ABSENT:

Concur with the Plan Commission’s Recommendation and Adopt the

Ordinance Approving a Text Amendment Adding a Place of Worship -

Dual Use to the Oak Park Zoning Ordinance as a Special Use

ORD 25-143

Development Services Director Craig Failor and Village Planner Mike

Bruce presented the Item.

It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Enyia, that this Ordinance

be adopted. The motion was approved. The roll call on the vote was as follows:

5 -

AYES:

NAYS:

Village President Scaman, Village Trustee Enyia, Village Trustee Leving Jacobson,

Village Trustee Straw, and Village Trustee Taglia

1 - Village Trustee Wesley

ABSENT:

A Presentation and Discussion on the Bike Plan Update as

Recommended by the Transportation Commission

ID 25-356

Barbara Gordon: Lives on 1100 block of Winona. Supports safer cycling

but eliminating all parking on Harvard is the wrong way to get there.

Resident input has not been seriously considered.

John Niemiec: Lives at Harvard and Winona. Harvard is used for

emergency vehicles. If you put in a bike lane, you're causing bikers to be at

risk. Both motorists and cyclists ignore the stop signs.

Nicole Brown: She loves biking but is in opposition to removing all parking

on Harvard. The demand does not exist for one street to be parking-free.

There is great demand for parking on Harvard.

Lisa Teclaw Gill: Lives at Wisconsin and Harvard. They enjoy riding their

bikes but do not support the installation of bike lanes on Harvard. There is

no need to have something so permanent and expensive.

Ted Gerringer: Lives at Harvard and Maple. In the NACTO study, the vast

majority of Harvard traffic did not meet the numbers recommended for a

dedicated bike lane.

Carla Burdock: Lives at Oak Park and Harvard. Concerned about the

process that has happened. Residents weren't notified about their loss of

parking until Dec. 27 and were not allowed to ask questions.

Kurtis Todd: Lives at Harvard and Elmwood. Opposition is not obstruction.

It is simply an alternative perspective. We can and must be pro-bike and

pro-residential parking.

Linda Shadrake: She is pro-bike and hopes we can find compromise to

the part of the plan that changed abruptly with little transparency. Accidents

occur mostly at intersections and bike lanes won't change that.

Ingo Schaefer: Lives on 1100 block of South Euclid. Let's not create an

adversarial relationship between the bike community and the people on

Harvard. Implored the Village Board to find a good compromise.

Stephen Stassen: Deeply for this wonderfully designed and thoughtful bike

plan. Those interventions are to create a whole network of biking for the

entire community.

Brenda: Lives on Highland and cycles down Harvard. She has never had

an issue where she felt the street wasn't wide enough to cycle safely.

Children can ride on sidewalks. Harvard is not a priority for expense.

Derek Eder: Lives at Harvard and Grove. Deeply supports the proposed

bike lane which would give his family needed safety. The bike plan

represents a needed step to reduce our overdependence on cars.

Peter Hanneman: Two weeks ago he and his son were almost struck while

biking on Harvard crossing Ridgeland. Removing parking increases

visibility for cyclists.

Evan McKenzie: Lives at corner of Home and Harvard. They ride bikes all

the time and have never felt there is a safety problem on Harvard. The

benefits of this proposal are limited but the costs are significant.

Karl Lauger: Lives on 100 block of North Taylor. Supports this plan

because of its focus on all ages and abilities. Bikers and walkers should

feel as safe as drivers do.

Matthew Farley: Supports this bike plan. It is a good measure for kids to

get to school safely and it is a network that connects parks and schools.

Rich Pokorny: Lives on 1100 block of Maple. He's had no problems on

Harvard which is low speed and low traffic. The accidents heard were

cross streets. Compromise is part of democracy.

Mary LaRocca: Lives at Wisconsin and Harvard. Eliminating parking along

the Harvard corridor would severely and negatively impact the daily lives of

residents and the community and our property values.

Gary Arnold: Resident with a disability who supports the bike plan. These

updates help move the Village to a more equitable, sustainable, and

inclusive environment.

Stephanie Sideman: Lives on Kenilworth by Brooks Middle School. For her

family, Harvard is a street that goes places. A bike network helps and bike

lane visibility matters.

Mark Klancic: Lives at Harvard and Wisconsin. Opposes the bike lanes but

is in favor for other options for safe family biking. Please consider less

expensive and less obtrusive options.

Brett Gurwell: Supports the bike plan and the new lanes on Harvard and

Augusta. Would be thrilled to se any improvement in the infrastructure in

biking across the community.

Justin Vlasits: Supports the bike plan as an important investment in safety

and the environment. Family of four is a carless household. More cycling

infrastructure leads to more cycling.

David Work: Lives at Cuyler and Harvard. Asking the community to

recalibrate what they perceive as normal in street design. Oak Park is not

safe for cyclists and children. This plan does not go far enough.

Joe Gordon: Lives at Winona and Harvard. 2 out of 986 bike accidents

from 2006-2012 in Oak Park were on Harvard. LeMoyne is a greenway.

Let's spend our dollars where it will make the biggest impact.

Sara Cano-Gerringer: Change is good when it is thoughtful, data-driven,

and fair. The bike proposal was a rush, flawed, and rightfully met with

strong resident opposition. It will cause more harm than good.

It was moved by Trustee Straw, seconded by Trustee Leving Jacobson, to extend

the meeting past 10:00 P.M. A voice vote was taken and the motion was

approved.

Jen Zarosl: Lives at Home and Harvard and opposes the proposed bike

plan. She feels safe biking in Oak Park. The Transportation Commission

pushed this through to fulfill their own agenda.

Tim Powers: Avid cyclist, bike commuter, and advocate for bicycle safety

for children. Eliminating parking on Harvard won't make it safer. There were

no serious accidents on Harvard from 2018-2022.

Michael Ericksen: Lives on 900 block of South Blvd. The demand for good

bike infrastructure by residents of all ages is real and the joy is infectious.

Asked the Board to vote yes for Harvard and Augusta bike lanes.

President Scaman called for a five-minute recess.

Assistant Public Works Director/Village Engineer Bill McKenna and TYLin

Consultant Catherine Nicolai presented the Item.

Trustee Taglia said he thinks Divvy bikes should be vetted and looked at

again in Oak Park.

Trustee Straw inquired about the low utilization rates of bike shares in

2017-2018. Consultant Nicolai said part of it was the lack of a grid system.

They are looking at station spacing concepts. He said he is fully in support

of bringing Divvy bikes back to the Village.

Trustee Leving Jacobson asked if anything new from the public comments

could be addressed. Consultant Nicolai noted if Harvard continued as a

neighborhood greenway as it is, it would not be an all ages and abilities

network.

Trustee Taglia asked if the consultant could talk about NACTO's

recommendations. Consultant Nicolai said it looks at traffic volumes and

the trigger is anything over 2,000 ADT. Trustee Taglia asked why that

covered all of Harvard for just two locations. Engineer McKenna said the

network was designed for all ages and abilities and using a standard

design methodology for making those decisions.

Trustee Straw asked how the bike plan intersects with the Vision Zero

Plan. Consultant Nicolai said several strategies and actions in Vision Zero

relate to safe bicycling and walking, including updating the Village's bicycle

plan, dedicating funding for implementation, and creating safe,

comfortable, and complete networks for walking and biking. He inquired

about intersection treatments. Engineer McKenna said a bike lane will look

traditional at a signalized intersection.

Trustee Straw asked how the implementation of leading pedestrian

intervals impact a crossing like Harvard and Oak Park. Engineer McKenna

said we probably wouldn't do it on Harvard because the intersections are

relatively narrow. Trustee Straw asked if dooring is still a risk on a

neighborhood greenway. Engineer McKenna said it is a risk anywhere you

have parked cars and bike riders. Bike lanes do solve that.

Trustee Straw inquired about the statement that bike lanes increase traffic

speeds. Engineer McKenna said taking out parking and putting in a bike

lane doesn't necessarily trigger that increased speed. Consultant Nicolai

said Forest Park has a planned bike lane for Harvard so their midterm

recommendation is to have a pedestrian hybrid beacon at Harlem.

Trustee Straw said he is satisfied with the base recommendation and is

willing to consider Option 3. Engineer McKenna said one-way

conversations are large changes to the transportation network and it would

be a 3-5 year minimum investment of time and design.

Trustee Enyia requested the cost to add the signals to Ridgeland and Oak

Park Avenue. Engineer McKenna said it is at least $500K per signal.

Transportation Commission Chair Ron Burke said having a good bike

network includes bike lanes. He would like to see continuity with that bike

facility on Harvard and he is excited to try a striped bike lane.

Trustee Leving Jacobson said she really likes this plan and it is helpful to

hear how this coordinates with Vision Zero. She suggested bike safety

curriculum be embedded in coordination with our school districts for bike

safety and driver's education.

Trustee Taglia said it would be beneficial to have public discussion. The

cost of relocating dozens of drains and catch basins is about $1.6M and

there has to be a better way that doesn't cause us to disrupt hundreds of

people and spend millions of dollars.

Trustee Straw said anything beyond the short-term plan would go through a

further community engagement process and is five or more years out. This

bike plan is not committing us to spending millions of dollars for raised bike

plans. It is only committing us to striped bike lanes on Harvard. Trustee

Taglia noted this triggers parking loss next year and for the foreseeable

future.

Trustee Enyia acknowledged that people feel left out and not heard. He

implored staff and the Board to do better in the future and give opportunity

to those voices now.

President Scaman said she will listen in the coming month for potential

compromise. She invited residents to email their questions to the Village

Board.

Deputy Village Manager Lisa Shelley summarized that the idea is for a final

plan to come forward for Board adoption based on feedback heard tonight.

Tonight's discussion will also inform conversations that we will have with the

public between now and then.

Chair Burke said Option 3 is clearly an upgrade but he thinks what is

recommended now would be better to build up the network and give us a

chance to see a significant bike lane in action.

XIII. Call to Board and Clerk

Trustee Enyia thanked the Village for doing today's proclamations. Being a

sanctuary village is a huge step for Oak Park and he wants everyone to feel

safe.

Trustee Straw said he was moved by the non-agenda public comment and

there is merit to considering an ordinance related to being a sanctuary

village for trans, non-binary, and gender queer individuals.

Trustee Leving Jacobson said Wear Orange is an annual national event

and is meant to center survivors of gun violence. Please come to the

garden at 4910 W. Quincy on Saturday from 12-2 pm. A goal of the I-PLAN

that was adopted in 2022 was to support survivors of trauma and others at

risk of violence and those strategies have not yet been implemented. She

echoed the urgency of articulating and formalizing our support as a

sanctuary community for trans and gender non-conforming folks. We need

to back up our words with action.

Trustee Taglia thanked Trustee Leving Jacobson for her good work with

Moms Demand Action and trying to work toward the root causes of

violence which he strongly supports.

President Scaman thanked the public commenters for coming out tonight.

What's Blooming and Day in Our Village were wonderful and she thanked

the volunteers, small businesses, and staff.