Last week, the garbage service dumped one of our trash containers into the alley and drove away. It took four phone calls to the village before it was addressed three days later.
We did our part with the leaves last fall only to have street cleaners blow leaves in the street back onto our lawn. Leaves stayed on the street through the winter. Despite repeated requests to the village, in May we cleaned our littered street of decaying leaves mixed with trash, shoveling the noxious amalgam into our trash bin. Is it asking too much of village government to clean the streets of fallen leaves so that the streets won’t flood in the winter?
Monday morning a crew was in front of Pleasant Home painting more confusing lines onto the pavement. White and yellow plastic tubes continue to pop up at intersections. I am for safety, but I am starting to feel like we are living in a nanny state.
Soon we will be able to vote on a referendum regarding foreign policy. However, we are not allowed to have a referendum on a change in zoning that directly affects us – a change that is overwhelmingly opposed by Oak Parkers. We know the cost of these changes as our block lost many single-family homes more than 50 years ago, replaced by apartment buildings.
We don’t have block parties because there are few single-family residences and renters rarely show up at these events even though they are invited. This village culture, little villages defined by summer block parties, is at stake and may be lost by the zoning change.
Village government has lost the plot on their responsibilities – health, safety and welfare. The little but consequential things, garbage pickup, clean streets, Police and Fire protection, parking, they neglect. This should be forefront in our minds during the next village trustee election.
Stephen Kelley
Oak Park