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December, 2013 1
Holy smokes!
How is it we’re at the end of 2013 already? It seems like it just started and here I am putting together the last Oak Leaf of the year.
A lot of exciting changes have taken place in 2013, in Oakwood and in Westmont. Board Members Laura Connolly, Monika Rodriguez, and Lyn‐ette Tuggle were all elected in for another term on the OHA Board of Directors, and I want to thank them and my other fellow Board members Mark Nelson, Brad Alexander, and Lou Ricciardi for all the effort they put in to keep things running and make Oakwood great.
We had a string of successful social events, with re‐cord turnout overall. Vicki O’Malley ran our Easter Egg Hunt, for which we had beautiful weather. Brad Alex‐ander ran our Fishing Derby/Beach Party, which saw rain, but also a LOT of dedicated neighbors who were‐n’t going to let that stand in the way of some fun.
Yvette Johnson ran our Hallow‐een Party, at which we
had record turnout, and we want to
extend a
President’s Message
Oakwood Homeowners Association 4 East Ogden Avenue # 313
Westmont, IL 60559
OHA Board: Matt Johnson — President 630.455.6022 Mark Nelson — Vice President 630.742.3457 Lynette Tuggle — Treasurer 630.986.8155 Laura Connolly — Secretary 630.789.2078 Bradley Alexander — Director 630.590.5450 Lou Ricciardi — Director 630.325.5989 Monika Rodriguez — Director 847.913.6279 Board e-mail: [email protected]
Volume 29 Number 4 — December, 2013
very special thank you to Oakwood Resident Cerlin the Wizard who put on a delightful magic show for the kids.
Mark Nelson, the head of our Landscape Committee, along with the people who help him deserve kudos for all their efforts keeping Oakwood beautiful. There was little fanfare for one of Mark’s latest efforts, which involved new drain work around Westman Beach to help prevent the constant sand erosion, but this effort will result in a nicer beach and a savings for the OHA each year, so Thank You, Mark, for spearheading that!!
Ken Brennan runs the Lake Management Committee, and I want to thank them for keeping Lake Charles beautiful again this year. There was a lot of work in and on the lake and the Eastern Shoreline, and their efforts are very much appreciated.
Of course, none of this would happen without Lynette Tuggle’s efforts as Treasurer to collect our dues and keep us on budget, and Laura Connolly keeps us hon‐est with her work taking minutes at our meetings as Secretary.
It’s people like this, and like yourself, who’s taking the time to read this and see what’s going on in our neighborhood, who make Oakwood such a special place to live. Thank you all, and have a wonderful holi‐day season and a happy new year!
‐Matt “for Oakwood!” Johnson OHA Board President
December, 2013 2
Oakwood News
Discounted Plowing Services Again Offered to Oak‐wood Residents
Given our long term relationship with TJ’s landscap‐ing (the landscape contractor that services the Oak‐wood common areas), I reached out to the owner to see if he could provide a discounted rate on plowing services following our great success with this pro‐gram last year. I was able to negotiate the following pricing grid which offers OHA residents very eco‐nomical prices for plowing services.
The more residents that sign up, the better the pric‐ing we get. If you’d like to sign up, please e‐mail TJ’s landscaping at [email protected] and be sure to copy me on the message at [email protected] so I can keep tabs on how many people are signing up to ensure we get the best pricing. Make sure to note you are an OHA resi‐dent in the e‐mail so you’ll count towards the vol‐ume discount and everyone will benefit.
Regards, Mark Nelson OHA Landscape Chair
Service < 6 In. 6‐11 In. ≥ 12 In. Salt
Plow <15 houses $ 19.00 $ 26.00 $ 37.00 $ 16.00
Plow 15‐24 houses $ 15.00 $ 21.00 $ 29.00 $ 13.00
Plow 25‐49 houses $ 13.00 $ 19.00 $ 25.00 $ 11.00
Plow 50 + houses $ 11.00 $ 16.00 $ 21.00 $ 11.00
Shovel front walk/stoop $ 11.00 $ 21.00 $ 31.00 $ 11.00
Shovel First!
When the snow starts to fall and the salt bags come out, please remember to apply salt responsibly. The salt that is used to de‐ice our roadways, drive‐ways and sidewalks can have some very negative effects on the environment. One of the most obvi‐ous results from salt damage is the pitting, crum‐bling, cracking and peeling of concrete. Your car is susceptible to salt damage and your pets’ paws may be harmed by over‐salted sidewalks. Next spring, the damage from excessive salt run‐off may appear as a browning lawn, and evergreens, which are par‐ticularly sensitive to chlorides, may die. Eventually, much of the salt that has been used for de‐icing per‐colates into the ground and ends up in our drinking water.
In Oakwood, the salt we spread will end up running‐off into Lake Charles, so we have yet another very good reason to apply our salt responsibly. Salt that enters the lake stays there and concentrates until it is flushed out by dilution and outflow. Elevated salt concentrations in the lake can kill our fish and affect the balance of plants and algae. Higher chloride levels create a favorable environment for the growth of cyanobacteria which can appear in the lake next summer. This is definitely not good! It is unsafe for humans and animals to have contact with water when cyanobacteria are present.
The best practice is to shovel first and salt later if you feel you must. Follow the package instructions and do not apply more salt than is recommended. Over‐salting may actually slow the melting process! If there is any undiluted salt remaining on your side‐walks and driveways, it should be swept up and kept for reuse. Remember, the purpose of salting is not to melt all the ice and snow. The purpose is to loosen the ice and snow so that it can be removed by hand, later.
Have a Great Winter! ‐Darlene Garay Oakwood Lake Management Committee
December, 2013 3
Oakwood News
Meet the Board
Name: Monika Chrzaszcz Rodriguez Board Member Since: 2012 Favorite Quote: “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
About Monika: Monika had a big 2010 in that she purchased her first house right here in Oakwood and got married to her wonderful husband, Jon Rod‐riguez. Monika is a graduate of Marquette Univer‐sity with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Industrial Engineering. Since graduation she has also received her MBA and Certificate in Project Management. She currently works as an Environmental Engineer, working to make companies safer. She loves travel‐ing, exploring new restaurants, and spending time with her family. She also spends time volunteering with such organizations as SPRED, which helps per‐sons with developmental disabilities and or learning problems become integrated into parish assemblies of worship, and FIRST Lego League, an international competition for middle and elementary school stu‐dents who build robots out of Lego’s and research solutions to real world problems .
Why is Monika on the OHA Board of Directors?: “One of the first events I ever attended here in Oak‐wood was the Easter Egg Hunt. Although I didn’t have kids, I wanted to help out and see what kind of community we had moved into. Shortly after the event, I realized that in order to make a difference in my community, I had to get involved. The best way to get involved was to join the Board. I want to raise my future family in a great place, in a commu‐nity that only continues to grow. ”
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Dues Collection Update The Association makes every effort to collect the dues from every residence in Oakwood. When we determine that our reminder notices are no longer working, we place a lien on the property. This pro‐tects the Association and the other homeowners by making sure the money will eventually be collected. We recently placed liens on four properties. The owners will not be able to sell or refinance their mortgages until the delinquent dues are paid. We wish to thank the 98% of the homeowners who do pay promptly.
December, 2013 4
December, 2013 5
Westmont News: From the Village Board
ADVERTISE HERE
For information on how to advertise in the Oak Leaf please email [email protected] or contact Matt Johnson at 630-455-6022.
Annual cost (4 issues) to advertise is the following: Business card: $60 Double size: $120 Half Page: $180 Full Page:$250
The newsletter is distributed quarterly to over 450 homes, and
Sad times have fallen on our village with the recent passing of former Mayor Bill Rahn. His 30 years of dedicated service to this community (Committee member, Commission member, 2‐ time Trustee & the longest serving Mayor) showed the
love he had for Westmont. He will be missed by all.
There is a new citizens committee in the village called the Westmont First Committee. The idea for this group was brought about by Trustee Bruce Barker. What is Westmont First? Westmont First is a philosophy that asks every Westmont resident and business owner to THINK WESTMONT! Its members are made up of residents & business owners that encourage all of our citizens to unite and support the community through volunteerism, business pa‐tronage, and general goodwill towards our village. Please check out the village website for additional information and meeting dates.
Another recently formed resident committee is the Storm Water Management Committee. This group is comprised of residents that live in all parts of the village who have taken interest in helping study the storm water and flooding issue we have here in the community. They made a presentation to the Village Board on Oct. 24th which can be seen on Village of Westmont YouTube channel.
Nicor has several programs that offer financial assis‐tance or payment options during winter months. More information can be found on the village web‐site at ‐ http://www.westmont.illinois.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=174
ComEd also has a program for Veterans & Military Personnel which can also help with payment op‐tions. This info is also on the village website at ‐ h t t p : / / w w w . w e s t m o n t . i l l i n o i s . g o v /DocumentCenter/View/617
In December we will be holding another Electronic Recycling Event. It will be on Friday Dec. 13th from 7am – 1pm at the Ty Warner annex (Blackhawk & Plaza Drive).
With the Holiday Season upon us, please consider and do what you can to “SHOP WESTMONT FIRST”. Remember shopping in another community only helps “that” community and not Westmont. A lot of our businesses are owned & operated by residents and long standing friends. This is a time when friendship & community support should come be‐fore the lowest price and ordering online. In the long run the better our businesses do, the better our community does. Community spirit is once again high here in Westmont thanks to your sup‐port. Have a Merry Christmas and a safe New Year.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns you may have. The fastest way to get a response is to go to my facebook page – Trustee Bob Scott.
Bob Scott Village Trustee & Oakwood Resident 708‐227‐7268 [email protected] Facebook: Trustee Bob Scott
LAW OFFICES OF HUBENY & ZABA, L.L.C. Jack Hubeny, your Oakwood neighbor since 1974 Concentrating in:
Located at: 200 E Chicago Ave. Ste. 200, Westmont Phone # (630) 455-0500 Fax # (630) 455-0505 Email: [email protected] www.westmontattorneys.com
Estate Planning Real Estate Law
Probate Corporate and Business Law
December, 2013 6
Westmont News: From the Westmont Planning & Zoning Commission
Taking advantage of the newly cre‐ated south side TIF District, the Mariano’s supermarket folks made a presentation in September to de‐sign, build and open a 70,000 plus square foot upscale grocery store on 63rd Street just west of Cass Ave‐
nue. On Village owned property, the facility would encompass approximately 9 acres and be a major sales tax producer for our south side of town and beginning the process of transforming that area into an economically viable sales tax area much like our Ogden Avenue corridor. Several Mariano’s have opened throughout the Chicagoland area with the closest to us currently in Elmhurst on York Road, north of I‐290.
This upscale store features many smaller stores within the store such as a custom and creative bak‐ery, an expanded deli, a pizza area along with sev‐eral other standard options such as deli, meat, fish and produce. The tentative opening is scheduled for 2016 as they have an aggressive commitment for opening stores all over Chicagoland.
In October, Oakwood Lighting and Electric Service finalized the remaining details on the re‐location to 237 N. Cass Ave in the downtown district. The sign
is up and they’re open for business. They specialize in Generac generator sales and have become one of Generac’s top sales locations in the Midwest. Plans call for display units of all sizes along with one work‐ing model to demonstrate the workings, switchover process and conversion.
Theresa Johnson, a local attorney with offices on Chicago Avenue just west of DJ’s Sports Bar in the very beautiful Hubeny Building, has leased space just north of Uncle Bub’s for a small satellite law of‐fice combined with a small dance studio and a class‐room for small legal type classes.
Finally, with our state legislature making medical cannabis legal in Illinois beginning January 1st, we met in November to discuss zoning requirements for both distribution centers and cultivation centers should any petition Westmont for inclusion. As this is such a specialized business and the state has at‐tached pages upon pages of regulations on the new ordinance, we choose to have all medical cannabis facilities operate in the M (manufacturing) Districts observing the 1000 foot and 25000 foot setback rules from churches, schools and day care centers. With regard to cultivating centers, only 22 or 23 are allowed in the state and the zones are predeter‐mined. Westmont falls into an area containing 5 counties so the odds are very small anyone would come our way. Much cheaper for land use in the western counties.
Please accept my wishes for a wonderful holiday season and for good health and prosperity in the upcoming New Year!
The Village of Westmont Planning and Zoning Com‐mission meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm in the Village Hall. All meetings are televised live on local cable access channel 6 and then replayed at 10:00am Monday through Friday. Agenda items are then sent to the Village Board with the comments of the Commission for final dis‐position. You can also view the agenda on the Vil‐lage website – www.westmont.il.gov. The next meeting will take place December 11th – tune in!
Gregg Pill – Oakwood Resident
December, 2013 7
Westmont News: School District 201
Greetings Oakwood residents.
With the holidays around the corner and year’s end rapidly approaching, this is the perfect time to reflect on the great things that happened in District 201 in 2013. Below are just
a few examples of the District’s accomplishments during the year.
The School Board voted unanimously to renew Su‐perintendent Kevin Carey's contract through 2017. Renewing Mr. Carey’s contract was in recognition of the exemplary job he has done leading our District, always keeping student achievement the main focus in all decisions.
The District launched its new and improved website. After several months of discussion and final ap‐proval from the Board to forge ahead, the new web‐site became a reality in November. A big thank you goes out to all those who helped in making the web‐site a reality, including school administration, fac‐ulty, staff, and the end users—you the families of CUSD201. The updated site has a fresh, modern look, and is much more intuitive and user friendly. If you have not done so already, please visit us at: www.cusd201.org.
The Board and District always focuses on the safety and security of our students and schools. We are moving to the next phase of construction which in‐cludes security modifications and enhancements to the Senior High, Junior High,, Miller, and Manning. In addition, all schools have participated in Alert‐Lockdown‐Inform‐Counter‐Evacuate, or A.L.I.C.E., training and drills which focused on intruder re‐
sponse strategies. Also,, the Superintendent’s Cli‐mate Committee proposed, and the Board approved initiating Rachel’s Challenge. Rachel's Challenge is a series of student empowering programs and strate‐gies that equip students and adults in combating bullying and addressing feelings of isolation by cre‐ating a culture of kindness and compassion, all in the hopes of changing attitudes of children and the community. For more information on Rachel’s Chal‐lenge, please visit the website at: www.rachelschallenge.org. Everything I mentioned above are ways to help keep our children safe and our buildings secure.
Last but certainly not least, the Board and District are also making sure that our youngest learners have the best start to their education. South School Early Childhood Center opened its doors this school year. Wow, very impressive, and the air was abuzz with excitement and gratitude at the Open House. Our new Early Childhood Center has state of the art educational facilities, an updated playground, beau‐tiful, bright, and cheery classrooms, and a large mo‐tor skills gymnasium, to name a few improvements. Also, the District Offices are housed at the South School building, which freed up necessary space at Manning.
Wishing you all the best during this holiday season and a happy 2014! Please feel free to contact me with questions, concerns, or just to say hello.
Mara Notbusch
CUSD 201 Board Member small schools LARGE OPPORTUNITIES [email protected]
December, 2013 8
