A while back, I took the Metra train to the opera. While I enjoyed the train ride, I was appalled by the conditions in the Oak Park Metra Station. It is a civic disgrace. Not only is it used by residents, but I’m sure it must be many tourists’ first impression of our village. It has been abandoned by Metra since they closed the ticket office there. It hasn’t been painted or kept up in any way. The upstairs waiting room was locked, so I could not get out of the cold. That was probably to keep the homeless from sleeping there, but they simply camped out in the downstairs lobby instead. It made me feel uncomfortable, as a woman alone at night, passing through there in a fairly small space.
The lobby, ramps and everywhere I could see, were filled with garbage strewn around and urine and even some feces on the ground and walls.
The problem was not really the fault of the people camped out there. There were no garbage cans visible, and no bathrooms available, so what else could they do?
The village of Oak Park really needs to have public bathrooms. This wouldn’t just help homeless people, it would help anyone who wants to spend any time in Downtown Oak Park, shopping or whatever, as well as those using public transportation.
Once upon a time people could use the bathrooms in the Shaker building, but that is now closed to the public. Years ago, there were bathrooms in Marshall Field’s. Now nearly all the restaurants and stores have signs on the door proclaiming “No public restrooms.” I can understand why they do that. It isn’t really their responsibility.
There are new technologies available for self-cleaning bathrooms that some cities use. I hope that the new board will take on the project of public bathrooms, send social workers to help those in the station, and push Metra to improve the Oak Park station.
Joyce Porter
Oak Park