Commissioners Peter N. Silvestri and Richard Boykin join Forest Preserves District of Cook County Superintendent Arnold Randall, arts groups and Oak Park and River Forest High School artists at the dedication of the public art project at forest preserve sites at lake and Harlem and Chicago and Thatcher in River Forest.

Buffalo Grove

Village to host open house on Lake Cook Corridor

The village will host a public open house concerning the draft vision of the Lake Cook Corridor Market Study and Plan from 6-8 p.m. Nov. 16 at Buffalo Grove Village Hall, 50 Raupp Blvd. All residents, business owners, community leaders and other stakeholders are invited to view and comment on the presented draft vision. Project team members will be on hand to address comments and questions, and collect additional feedback from the community. The Lake Cook Corridor is considered a key asset for the Buffalo Grove community, incorporating more than 470 acres of land and including roughly 1 million square feet of commercial office space, residential dwelling, the Village Campus and municipal golf course. The Lake Cook Corridor also connects Buffalo Grove to a regional network of expressways, highways and other major roads. The project team anticipates the plan to be completed by early 2018. For more information, call (847) 459-2500 or visit www.vbg.org/LCC.   

Oak Brook

Village to install upgraded water meters

The village recently approved the replacement of its water meters, beginning in late 2017. The new meters and transceivers will allow the village to implement an automated meter reading process that will provide better customer service, greater data accuracy and reduced operational costs. The village has selected the Sensus product line due to its high level of accuracy, good performance record, advanced software system and overall service, as well as the manufacturer’s experience in the industry and the warranties it offers. United Meters, Inc., based in Morris, has been contracted to install the water meters in the interior of homes and businesses. The transceivers will remain on the exterior. Installation of the devices will be done at no cost to the customer. A mailed notification from United Meters, Inc. will be mailed prior to installation, providing instructions on how to set up an appointment for water meters to be replaced. For more information, call United Meters, Inc. at 815-941-1061 or the Oak Brook Public Works Department at (630) 368-5270 — or visit www.oak-brook.org.

Schaumburg

Donations sought for Thanksgiving Food Drive

The village announced that the Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center, 101 Schaumburg Court, is serving as a collection drop-off site for the Woodfield Area Children’s (WACO) 22nd Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive. A collection box is located in the west lobby of the Municipal Center, and will remain available until Nov. 17. Non-perishable food items such as canned vegetables, boxed potatoes, rice, pasta and soup are being accepted to help families in need this Thanksgiving season. In addition, WACO is seeking volunteers to help sort and distribute the donated food items at the Schaumburg Township Center, 1 Illinois Blvd., Hoffman Estates, from 7-11 a.m. Nov. 18. For more information, contact Clayton Black at (618) 339-3115 or via email at clayton.black2014@gmail.com.

Oak Park

New program aims to eliminate single-use bags   

The village announced that Oak Park shoppers in many of the larger retail stores will be charged 10 cents for every single-use bag the store provides to carry home their purchases, beginning Jan. 1, 2018. The new law, which applies to retail stores of 5,000 or more square feet, is intended to reduce the negative impact single-bag users have on the environment. The fee will apply to paper bags as well as plastic. Once collection of the fee begins, the retailer will return half of the fee to help allay costs of implementing the program, with the other half remitted to the village to fund local environmental initiatives. Officials stated that the goal of the program is not to generate revenue, but to change behavior. As many as 50 percent of Oak Park residents already rely on reusable bags, a practice the citizen volunteers on the Environmental & Energy Commission — who recommended the new law — hope will grow once the fee goes into effect. During the next few months, the village will be working with retailers to provide reusable bags to individuals unable to afford them. For more information, call (708) 383-6400 or visit www.oak-park.us.

Skokie

Bike lane project on Howard Street complete.

The village reported that a project to expand the existing bike lane facilities on Howard Street from Crawford Avenue to McCormick Boulevard is now complete. The project utilizes on-street bike lanes between Crawford and Hamlin avenues. As part of the project, Howard Street was slightly widened to accommodate the new five-foot bike lanes. The on-street bike lanes then shift to an eight-foot path in the north parkway, east to McCormick Boulevard. The village received a grant from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program for 80 percent of the total construction cost. For more information, call (847) 673-0500 or visit www.skokie.org.

Tinley Park

Library to host Local Authors Expo & Book Fair

The Tinley Park Public Library, 7851 Timber Drive, will host the Local Authors Expo and Book Fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 18. The open house event offers book lovers an opportunity to meet and connect with more than 25 local children’s, teen and adult authors. Books covering a variety of genres and subjects will be available for purchase and signing, and attendees will be eligible for a special book basket drawing. For more information, including a list of all authors scheduled to appear, visit www.tplibrary.org — or call (708) 532-0160. 

Evanston

Village to host public meeting on 2018 Action Plan

The city announced that Evanston’s Housing & Community Development Act Committee will hold a public meeting to hear comment on the 2018 Action Plan at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Morton Civic Center (Room 2402), 2100 Ridge Ave. The 2018 Action Plan outlines how the city’s estimated 2018 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Home Investment Partnership (HOME) and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds will be used to improve the quality of life, primarily for low and moderate income Evanston residents. For more information, call (847) 448-4311 or visit www.cityofevanston.org.

–Cook County News Briefs–