To a certain extent, the demographics of a community help determine whether the environment will be a subject to rally around. With greater levels of wealth and education, presumably, come greater amounts of leisure time. A heightened social awareness will drive that person to worthwhile causes, so the thinking goes.
For several years now the village has experienced a surge in property values and economic development. This success continues to be leveraged to attract young, educated families on the verge of their most economically and socially productive years. With these factors in play, it’s not surprising that the long absence of any fervent discussion on the environment in Forest Park appears to be slowly changing.
And to that, we say thank goodness.
The village has quietly made improvements to its mandated recycling program since it was installed less than 12 months ago and a group of residents is beginning to get organized on the issue. Citizens United in Forest Park has scheduled a Sept. 27 meeting to discuss green initiatives and an invitation has been extended to the folks in village hall. It is encouraging and vital that residents and the municipality do not operate in isolation from one another.
The missing ingredient that has prevented a greater emphasis on green living in this community, according to one local expert, is that Mother Earth has not had a cheerleader in Forest Park. Forest Parker Karen Rozmus has been receiving ovations in Oak Park for her environmental efforts in its public works department and is the driving force behind the CUinFP meeting later this year. If in fact all the other pieces are falling into place to move the environment to the fore, perhaps our cheerleader will soon be revealed as well.
Centennial deserves ceasefire
It’s a little early to say how much merit there is to the discord that has flared up over the Historical Society and its leadership, but one fact that we can’t help but notice is the glaring absence of the Historical Society in the village’s centennial celebration. Unfortunately, this too, has an element of the he said, she said.
Society President Rich Vitton resigned recently from the Centennial Committee, and pointed to an inflexible Sally Cody, who heads the group, as the reason for doing so. Cody, meanwhile, has lent her support to the effort to loosen Vitton’s alleged stranglehold on the village’s history.
It is clear these two are not getting along and there appears to be little chance for reconciliation. Ideally, both of these individuals could put aside their personal differences so that the village’s anniversary bash isn’t compromised.
This is a pie-in-the-sky notion, of course, but we’re not suggesting a complete burial of the hatchet. Feel free to leave the handle sticking out so that once we’ve all learned of this community’s storied past–which presumably is the aim of both parties–you can pick up where you left off.
