From the Office of the Mayor

Early voting at Oak Forest City Hall continues every day through November 2. If you have a mail-in ballot, you do not have to wait in line, you can enter the building through the police department and go to Council Chambers where a Cook County election employee will assist you.

When voting and while you are out shopping local, please remember to wear a mask or face covering and to practice social distancing. We are seeing our COVID-19 numbers increasing on a daily basis in our area. In our region, the positivity rate has increased from 5% to 7.3% in only two weeks. Surrounding regions have mitigations in place and Chicago is even considering going back down to Phase 3. Let us all continue to be vigilant and do our part in the fight against coronavirus. Wash your hands, wear a mask and practice social distancing. We need to do all we can to protect others and ourselves.

Please contact my office at 708-687-4050, x1005, should you have any questions or concerns relating to our community.

COVID-19 Updates

South Suburban Extends COVID-19 Testing

South Suburban College will continue to offer free COVID-19 testing on its Main Campus located at 15800 S. State Street, in South Holland, Illinois, through December 31, 2020.

Open seven days a week, cars may enter from either 159^th Street or State Street and follow the signage. Daily testing is available from 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, and a security detail will continue to be in place while testing is open.

More details about the testing process include:

Testing is available for anyone, not only Illinois residents
Testing is available for all ages (with parental consent)
State-issued identification is required
Testing will now be conducted via nasal swab which is painless, and a significant improvement over the more invasive nasopharyngeal test
Results are delivered by phone within 4-7 business days

COVID-19 symptoms may include fever, sore throat, loss of taste, cough or shortness of breath. Visit CDC.gov for more information regarding symptoms.

Restore Illinois Mitigation Plan Updates

New mitigations are applied if a region's positivity rate averages greater than or equal to 8% for three consecutive days.

Mitigations are applied on a regional basis based on the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Regions that have traditionally guided the IDPH in its statewide public health work.

Here are the current regions affected:

Region 1 - Boone, Carroll, Dekalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties.

Region 5 - Alexander, Edwards, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson Jefferson, Johnson, Marion, Massac, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union, Wabash, Wayne, White, and Williamson counties.

Region 7 - Will and Kankakee counties.

Region 8 - DuPage and Kane counties.

The City of Oak Forest is in Suburban Cook - Region 10.

Read more about the mitigation plan at: http://www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19.

Oak Forest COVID-19 Statistics

Here are the current numbers for the city of Oak Forest from the Illinois Department of Public Health website (www.dph.illinois.gov/covid19/covid19-statistics) as of Friday, October 23, 2020:

726 positive cases
8,928 people tested
7.1% Positivity Rate (Southern Cook Area, Region 10)
10 Covid-19 related deaths in Oak Forest since March 27, 2020 with the most recent one on September 11, 2020.

Virtual Community Meeting on 10/28

Residents are invited to share their thoughts on the redevelopment plan for the Oak Forest Hospital. The topic of discussion is to provide background on site planning and solicit community feedback for the redevelopment of the Cook County Oak Forest Campus.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 PM. Please register for the zoom meeting using this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwsd-CuqzooHdSSBU6JLPSmX0HaHz112A_J

The Oak Forest Campus Site is 151 Acres and is adjacent to the City of Oak Forest Metra Station and Cook County Preserves: Oak Forest Heritage Preserve and Midlothian Meadows. It is bordered by 159th and Cicero Avenue. It is the historic home of the Cook County Poor Farm and tuberculosis Hospital and most recently Cook County's Oak Forest Health Center. There are approximately 50 buildings and structures on site.

Questions can be directed to Community Development Team at 708-687-4050.

Military and Discount Card

The Cook County Recorder of Deeds Office is now offering all those who served and continue to serve the ability to register online for the Cook County Military and Discount Card at the Recorder of Deeds website at www.cookrecorder.com/veteran-services/. The online registration allows active-duty personnel, veterans, guard members and reservists to register from the comfort of their home.

For more information, contact the Cook County Recorder of Deeds, Veterans Service Office at 312-603-5788.

Oak Forest Road Closure Alert

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is closing 147th Street between Central Avenue and Ridgeland Avenue on Monday, October 19th until Monday, November 2nd, weather permitting, due to the work on the 'culvert' that is beneath that street. Motorists will need to use Midlothian Turnpike (143rd Street) as a detour.

Early Voting at Oak Forest City Hall

The City of Oak Forest is once again offering residents the opportunity to cast their votes early for the upcoming November 3, 2020, election. Please remember to wear a mask or facial covering and practice social distancing. Oak Forest City Hall is located at 15440 S. Central Ave.

New This Year!

There will be a secure mail ballot drop box at City Hall during Early Voting Hours. You do not need to stand in the early voter line. Enter via the Police Department entrance to the City Council Chambers. There is a Cook County election employee who will direct you to where to deposit your ballot. The drop box will be emptied every day.

Early Voting Hours

Friday, October 23
8:30 am - 7:00 pm

Saturday and Sunday
October 24 - October 25
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Monday-Friday
October 26 - October 30
8:30 am - 7:00 pm

Saturday and Sunday
October 31 - November 1
9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Monday, November 2
8:30 am - 7:00 pm

Halloween Trick or Treat Hours

Halloween is Saturday, October 31, 2020. Trick or Treat hours in the City of Oak Forest are 3 pm - 7 pm.

Please keep groups to a minimum and practice social distancing.
Wearing a mask or face covering is required per rules set forth by the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Look for an insert in the Oak Forest Leaflet, recently mailed to you, that allows you to choose whether or not your house is participating in handing out treats.

2020 Road Program Update!

Concrete has been completed on the first group of streets and our contractor has already started on the second group of streets.

Remember, the contractor will notify all the residents a day before any work will be done to your apron or curb by placing a notice on your door.

This year’s program will include the following eleven street segments to be resurfaced:

1. Willow Lane – Forestview to 151st
2. Condado – 151st to Hillside
3. El Morro Court – El Morro to end
4. Menard – Vine to 147th
5. 149th Street – Laramie to Cicero
6. Essex – Tudor to Reynolds
7. Dolores – Rob Roy to Orogrande
8. Peggy Lane – 159th to Independence
9. Mann – Craig to Blair
10. Newport – Laramie to Bellaire
11. Oakwood Court – Newport to Cul-de-Sac

Next Oak Forest City Council Meeting

The Oak Forest City Council Meeting will be held on October 27, 2020, at 8:00 PM.
To watch the previous meeting from October 13, 2020, please click on the image below.

e-Briefs is a free, voluntary e-mail service, which provides information about government services, activities and events.
On a weekly basis, you can expect to find City Council news and agendas, construction updates, public safety reminders, senior and youth news, and much more! Please forward this e-mail to friends and family and encourage them to sign up
for the weekly e-Briefs by visiting the Notify Me section of our website or contact the City of Oak Forest at 708-687-4050 or cityofoakforest@oak-forest.org.