Oak Park Newspaper

Just a week after the Village of Oak Park earned its 26th consecutive Tree City USA community recognition award, the Oak Park Park's Department completed the almost total destruction of all older trees in Field Park. The Village does a wonderful job of maintaining the thousands of trees in its care, the Oak Park Park's Department is another governing body and a different story entirely.

When given the option of installing new ball fields without destroying trees well over one hundred years old the Oak Park Park District decided to destroy the trees. The trees removed the other day were destroyed by most accounts due to improper protection, provided to them during the construction at the park.

During Construction in the Park, Heavy trucks drove over the root areas of the trees, and that damage shortened the life of the trees.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc. photo

The trees, lost as a result of the work in the park were not newly planted small trees, but trees that had a history in the park, decades in the park, though shortened by abuse.

The Oak Park Park's Department has been reported lately to be seeking to prohibit individuals from coming back into our parks for a period of a year or less, if they breach some of the actions that are noted below, or other items of their choosing.

It makes for an interesting situation, since the Parks do not have a police force of their own and must rely on the Oak Park Police department to enforce their regulations. The Oak Park Police are suppose to follow an existing law already on the Village of Oak Park's books that forbids the use of vulgar language.

For the past few years or more the Oak Park police have been instructed not to enforce the language statute. A good number of kids coming to and from some of our schools use colorful or vulgar language as part of their normal street discourse, and this is not acted upon. Cars drive by T-Ball games with their radios playing loud crude and vulgar lyrics for everyone to hear. None of these infractions are even noticed, and some might very well be unconstitutional in a court of law (if challenged).

Last time we were at Bar Louie's on Lake Street we were asked for money in front of the restaurant four times in half an hour of talking with friends. Oak Park is also not enforcing begging. I guess begging and swearing are all free speech issues and how will the Oak Park Police deal with these issues for the Parks Department when it is not something that they are dealing with on the Village streets?

Perhaps the Parks are special?

Below are some of the Parks Rules of Conduct in the Parks
Which are not enforced on the Village Streets.

7.4 Improper Speech and Conduct Prohibited. No person shall use abusive, threatening, insulting, indecent, profane, or obscene language, or any language intended to incite a breach of the peace, at any time in any Park Facility.

7.15 Purchase, Sales, Peddling, Solicitation Prohibited. No person shall offer or exchange for sale any article or thing, or do any hawking, peddling, or soliciting
or buy or offer to buy any article or thing, or take up any collection, or solicit or receive contributions of money or anything of value at or in any Park Facility, except when authorized to do so by a Use Permit.

7.26 Begging Prohibited. No person shall beg or solicit alms at or in the Park Facility unless authorized in advance by a Use Permit.

Here is the list of Rules for the Parks

Here are the Dead trees from a week ago, all gone and forgotten.
No awards here for trees.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc. photos

Past Story of Residents Wanting Trees Protected in Park Instead of Destruction

Past Story of Citizens at Hearing on the Trees.

Oak Park Park Board

Mark Gartland, President
Phone (708) 725-2712
Email: MarkG@oakparkparks.com

Marty Bracco, Vice-President
Phone (708) 725-2711
Email: MartyB@oakparkparks.com

Lise Valentine, Treasurer
Phone (708) 725-2715
Email: LiseV@oakparkparks.com

Christine Graves, Secretary
Phone (708) 725-2714
Email: ChristineG@oakparkparks.com

Jessica Bullock, Commissioner
Phone: (708) 725-2713
Email: JessicaB@oakparkparks.com