The Village Board Rundown: Storm Stories, FEMA and Not-So-Fast-Casual Parking
Highlights of the June 14 Oak Lawn Village Board meeting.
The Oak Lawn Village Board plowed through a robust agenda during a three-hour meeting on June 14. Several reporters went out to the hallway vending machine during the middle of the meeting for a five-minute Cheetos break, except for the SouthtownStar reporter, who had Fritos.
Here are the highlights:
Storm Stories
Several residents shared their storm stories of the June 4 microburst and June 9 flooding during the public comments portion of the meeting. A woman thanked Trustee Bob Streit (Dist. 3) for tarping her roof the night of the microburst after a tree fell on it.
Another resident of the Oakdale Subdivision that bore the brunt of the flooding, said there was “people’s stuff” floating in her basement after it flooded with sewage backup.
Trustee Carol Quinlan (Dist. 5), whose district includes the Oakdale Subdivision, said she was on the phone all day with Oak Lawn Public Works personnel, giving them retention pond updates.
“It was really frustrating,” Quinlan said. “Streets I’ve never seen flood were flooded.”
Quinlan described the tsunami effect of cars driving down Oakdale’s flooded streets and sending waves crashing into the living rooms and kitchens of slab homes.
Oak Lawn Public Works Director Steve Barrett said that since the village built the Oakdale Subdivision Retention Pond at 52nd Avenue and 103rd Street in 2000, the neighborhood has overflowed only twice.
“The retention pond is doing what it’s supposed to do,” Barrett said. “It was just too much rain.”
Flood Data Collection
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management is collecting information from area residents regarding damages resulting from the June 9 flooding.
The village is working on collecting information for application for possible assistance funds for flooding from FEMA. Patch has uploaded the form, and it’s also available as a PDF on the village website.
Filling out the form does not guarantee FEMA assistance.
Completed forms should be mailed or dropped off at:
Village of Oak Lawn
c/o Storm Damage Data
9446 Raymond Ave.
Oak Lawn, IL 60453
Oak Lawn Town Center Parking
Trustee Quinlan informed the village board that she and village business director Chad Weiler met with Harris Bank and Inland Realty, which manage the Oak Lawn Town Center.
Residents and businesses are complaining about the scarcity of parking, especially with three “fast casual” restaurants now occupying the storefronts. Quinlan said they had a great meeting about resolving the parking issues at the mini-mall.
The upshot: The businesses’ approximately 110 employees who work shifts throughout the day will park on the roof of the Oak Lawn Metra parking garage.
Quinlan proposed that the village go ahead and start tagging employees’ cars. She also said she received an email from Potbelly Sandwich Shop about watching cars circling the lot looking for parking spots.
“That’s pretty significant,” she said.
Village Manager Larry Deetjen said that if the board decides to go with the plan, it should try it out as an experiment through the holiday season, “so there’s no indication of permanency not knowing what the future is of use of the parking garage.”
OakLawnGuy
6:59 am on Thursday, June 23, 2011
There was no mention of the Unity Party lawsuit vs. Heilmann/Quinlan for the return of a portion of the $21,000 UP war chest spent after the Fantastic Four split off, or were split off (whichever is the case), nor was there any apparent animosity showing during the meeting. If if was common knowledge among the 6 of them, then I at least applaud their civility during the proceedings.
Jimmy D
9:13 am on Thursday, June 23, 2011
I believe the suit was filed after the date of this meeting (June 14). I'm sure it will be mentioned at the next meeting...they won't let us down.
Pat F
1:58 pm on Thursday, June 23, 2011
It's nice to have new businesses on 95th, but they can't all be in one strip mall..These aren't made for restaurants and long term customers.. Strip malls were originally built for in and out businesses who only need mainly short term parking. These people should have thought about the parking problems when they chose this location because of cheaper rents..Let these businesses buy some additional land for THEIR parking problems and stop pushing extra costs on the tax payers!!
andy skoundrianos
11:08 pm on Thursday, June 23, 2011
What does Tom Phelan's wife have to do with this story??? Can you prove any of these allegations?? Another friend of King Dave??? Give it a rest and use your real name coward!!
QC
11:29 pm on Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Nice try li'l andy, DAVE, DAVE, DAVE, DAVE, DAVE BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, AGAIN!
OakLawnGuy
7:03 am on Friday, June 24, 2011
Compounding the parking problem is the traffic using the entrance/exit on 52nd Avenue. When that strip was first planned and built, as an alternative to the 8 (?) story residential development the Kolb administration tried to shove down our throats, the intent was to use 95th Street as the entrance/exit point. Someone didn't do their due diligence, found that IDOT didn't want the strain on 95th St. traffic, and the plan was changed. 95th and 52nd has to be one of the busier, more convoluted intersections in town now.
QuitAlready
11:38 am on Friday, June 24, 2011
ENOUGH ANDY ENOUGH WITH USING THE WORD COWARD!!!!!!!!!!! You have done nothing NOTHING in your life that gives you the right to call others cowards. Posting on a blog with your real name when you have ABSOLUTLY NOTHING to lose does not make you brave.
andy skoundrianos
1:08 pm on Friday, June 24, 2011
That means you must be an elected offical,or an employee of the village which makes your fake names even worse. I'm a taxpayer and resident. It has nothing to due with bravery,it means not owing anyone in politics for ANYTHING. My comments are real and can back them up because you know who says them. If your afraid of your job keep your mouth shut and stop using fake names because they don't mean anything without the person's identity behind them. It's really easy to attack a man's wife when no one knows who you are coward.
QC
11:10 pm on Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Guess what A- an "elected official or an employee of the village" are taxpayers and (mostly) residents too, that is of course those that aren't friends or family of your handlers. You 're right about one thing li'l andy, you are not brave and the "politicians owe you" - for the moment so enjoy it while it lasts. COWARD
Your comments are garbage and You CAN NEVER EVER back them up.
"It's really easy to attack a man's wife when no one knows who you are coward."
Kinda like you & your handlers did to the Craigs and Sodaro's?
Maybe we could arrange a Boycott of your place of employment, Walgreens. Which store do you work at again? lol
get rid of them
9:34 pm on Monday, June 27, 2011
tom is a freeloader
scouter
11:48 am on Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Andy - I don't know who you are, and really, could care less - but you appear to think that calling people names and accusing people of being someone or something else is the way to go... You are not winning anyone over to your 'side' of any issue with that kind of talk. In fact - you've made me sympathetic to the people you are constantly trash talking... and that, Andy, is entirely on you.
andy skoundrianos
9:55 pm on Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Hey scouter I know who you are, and i don't try to sway any opinions. We all know there are two kinds of people who blog on here. Dave's buddies and supporters and people like me who do not support him pure and simple. You are not swaying any side either.Nobody reads these blogs but the political supporters on both sides, Stop taking yourself so seriously!!!