The Forest Park Village Council voted to discontinue an unused tax increment financing (TIF) district and approve participation in a program for ComEd to install LED lights in the village’s alleyways at the Oct. 26 regular meeting, among other agenda items.
The board voted unanimously to begin the process of terminating the TIF district at Harlem Avenue and Harrison Street. The TIF was created in 2000 to bring development to the corner, according to Mayor Anthony Calderone.
Calderone said the village hoped the district would entice Autobahn Volvo of Oak Park, 1140 Garfield St., to the village to redevelop two lots owned by U-Haul at 801 Harlem Ave. and at 7209 Harrison St.
Autobahn Volvo eventually decided to locate across the street in Oak Park and the TIF district was never used, Calderone said.
The village board also unanimously approved a resolution authorizing an agreement between the village and ComEd for the utility to replace alleyway lights with LED bulbs as part of the Smart-Ready LED Street Lighting program.
Street lights maintained by the village are currently 100 percent LED. The LED bulbs use about 50 percent less energy than other bulbs, are brighter and last longer, Calderone said. Alleyway lights in Forest Park are owned and maintained by ComEd, so there will be no cost to the village for their replacement.
The Forest Park Police Department submitted its July through August 2015 report to the board at the meeting. The board did not discuss the report, with the exception of Commissioner Daniel Novak thanking the department for providing it. The report did not show a significant change in complaints or offenses in the village from the start of the year.
Living Word 5K event
The board discussed a request for approval of a route for a 5K run/walk event to be held in May 2016 by the Living Word Christian Center. The board signaled their approval and Calderone said he would have staff work with the village attorney to finalize the route and see if a permit was needed for the event. According to Calderone, police agreed to have auxiliary officers available to monitor the run/walk. Runners would keep to sidewalks, Calderone said, and would not be running in the street.
Sharon Stewart, director of Kingdom Running Club, wrote the board and described the event as a 5K run with a one-mile family walk. The event would start and end at Living Word and take participants throughout the southwest side of the village.
