2019 FallO BAK ROOKnewsQuarterly Newsletter I Volume 90 - Fall 2019
2 WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG | Fall 2019
OAK BROOK news
3 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Message from Dr. Gopal Lalmalani
4 FROM THE MANAGER’S DESK
Message from Rick Ginex
5 POLICE
In The News
6 FIRE
National Fire Prevention Week
7 DEVELOPMENT SERVICES
National Flood Insurance Program
8 PUBLIC WORKS
Leaf Pickup Schedule
9 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES
Document Imaging Integrated into
the new Village Website
Mass Notification Alert System
10 -11 LIBRARY
Fall Calendar
12 FINANCE
2020 Budget Process
13 GOLF
VILLAGE CLERK
14-15 BATH & TENNIS CLUB
INSIDE THIS NEWSLETTER
VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK
ELECTED OFFICIALS/BOARD OF TRUSTEES
President • Gopal Lalmalani, M.D., M.B.A | Clerk • Charlotte K. Pruss
Trustee • John Baar | Trustee • Philip Cuevas | Trustee • Michael Manzo
Trustee • Moin Saiyed | Trustee • Edward Tiesenga | Trustee • Asif Yusuf
VILLAGE OF OAK BROOK
DEPARTMENTS
Police, Fire, EMS Emergency: 9-1-1
Butler Government Center General Information: (630) 368-5000
Village President: (630) 368-5012
Village Clerk: (630) 368-5052
Village Manager: (630) 368-5026
Development Services: (630) 368-5101
Fire Non-Emergency: (630) 368-5200
Library: (630) 368-7700
Police Non-Emergency: (630) 368-8700
Public Works: (630) 368-5270
Water Billing: (630) 368-5090
Sports Core Administration (630) 368-6400
Bath & Tennis (630) 368-6400
Oak Brook Golf Club (630) 368-6400
CONNECT WITH THE VILLAGE
Website | www.oak-brook.org • Facebook | “Village of Oak Brook”
Twitter | @OakBrookVillage
Regular meetings of the Village Board are held on the second and fourth Tuesday of the
month at 7pm, except no fourth Tuesday meetings in the months of June, August and
December.
Live streaming of Village Board meetings now available. Videotaped broadcasts of Village
Board meetings air on Comcast Cable Television, Government Access Channel 6 or 110
Mondays at 7pm and online at www.youtube.com/oakbrooktv
Questions or comments? Contact us.
Connie Reid • creid@oak-brook.org
Fall 2019 | WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG 3
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Village President
(630) 368-5012
glalmalani@oak-brook.org
Gopal G. Lalmalani, M.D., M.B.A.
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Summer slipped by so quickly. Looking back we remember
the highlights of another successful Polo season, with teams
from all over the world competing on our very own Prince of
Wales Field. I hope you were able to delight in the beautiful
improvements made to the Bath & Tennis Club and had an
opportunity to enjoy the live music al fresco on the new
Patio area at the Golf Club. This summer was not without
its disappointments, it was decided at the last minute to
cancel the Taste of Oak Brook and fireworks display. It was a
very tough decision, but the safety of our residents and the
preservation of the fields were our priority.
The Village Board has been following the serious
contamination situation regarding the Sterigenics facility in
Willowbrook. Several residents have voiced their concern
that the Sterigenics plant remain closed. We have taken
an active role in looking at this issue and I have personally
met with County Board Chairman Dan Cronin and Illinois
House Representative Deanne M. Mazzochi. The Illinois
Attorney General and the DuPage County State’s Attorney
issued a Consent Order that laid out the circumstances which
would re-open the plant. Illinois Representative Deanne M.
Mazzochi, Illinois Representative James B. Durkin, and Illinois
Senator John F. Curran filed an Amicus Brief with the Court on
July 23, 2019 to challenge the Consent Order on numerous
grounds. After a brief presentation by Illinois Representative
Deanne M. Mazzochi, at our August 13th Village Board
Meeting, the Village Board approved a resolution joining
with three Members of the Illinois General Assembly who
filed an Amicus Brief against the Consent Order to re-open
the plant. The Village of Oak Brook supports the full and
fair application of the government mandates which do not
sacrifice the health, safety, and lives of our residents and
neighbors.
The development of our business community remains robust.
As you may be aware, the McDonald’s Campus property
was purchased by John Paul DeJoria on June 6, 2019. The
purchase includes the former campus office building,
the Hamburger University training facility and the Hyatt
Lodge hotel. Mr. DeJoria is co-founder of Paul Mitchell hair
products, Patron Tequila and the House of Blues nightclub.
Our staff has had several meetings with the new property
owner’s development team to discuss conceptual plans and
development approval process. It is hoped that several large
corporations will fill the existing vacant buildings. As of this
time, no specific companies have been selected.
On Wednesday, July 19th the Hub Group had the
groundbreaking for their second building. Several Village
Board members and I, along with Clerk Pruss and Manager
Ginex attended the ceremony and participated in the ground
breaking. The new building will be identical to their present
one. It will be a 130,000 Sq. Ft., state-of-the-art LEED certified
office building. This second building will bring the total Hub
headquarters campus capacity to 1,400 employees, which
will make the Hub Group, the largest employer in the Village.
Finally, the Table at Crate, a new restaurant in the Crate and
Barrel Store opened on July 9th. Several of the members of
the business community and Village were invited to attend a
“mock lunch and dinner service” on July 5th and July 6th. This
is the first ever full-service restaurant from Crate and Barrel
and the Cornerstone Group. This is the same restaurant
group which opened Michael Jordan’s.
As always, I along with the staff and Trustees are her to serve
you. Please feel free to contact any of us with your thoughts,
ideas and concerns.
Kind regards,
Dear friends and residents:
Another summer has passed us by and we move into
a wonderful fall. Unfortunately, due to three inches of
drenching rains the evening before our Taste of Oak Brook
it was necessary to cancel the event. I toured the fields
with members of our staff and Ravenswood Events early
in the morning. There was standing water in our vendor
tents, on the soccer fields and driving range. None of these
fields could take the 1,000 vehicles that would come to
park as they would be damaged extensively and the cost
to repair would be too great to incur. Plus, the thousands
of visitors coming to the Taste would not be able to walk
or sit anywhere on our fields. As you can see from the
pictures below, even attempting to get equipment out
caused some damage. We look forward to our Taste next
year and hope for much better weather!
We enjoyed another great season at our pool under the
management of the Oak Brook Park District for a second
season. We will be performing a much needed upgrade
to our pools during the fall repairing major leaks and
recoating the surface of the pools. This renovation will
extend the life of our pools for many years.
Over the summer, Oak Brook was notified that two major
grant funding requests were approved by the Chicago
Metropolitan Agency of Planning (CMAP). They analyzed
our applications to the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality
Improvement Program (CMAQ) and recommended that
both the Salt Creek Trail Underpass and the Harger Road
Multi-Use Path projects be fully funded at their requested
federal funding amounts of $2,331,900 for Salt Creek and
$1,556,986 for Harger Road. We had hoped to get some
portion of funding but to get our full federal request is
fantastic and will help minimize our capital outlay for the
projects. I want to thank our Public Works Director Doug
Patchin, the staff at Christopher Burke Engineering and
Civil Tech Engineering for helping us obtain these grants.
It was through their hard work and grant writing expertise
that we had such a great success!
Finally, the Village staff has begun to work on the 2020
Annual Budget. The public is invited to attend budget
discussions which will be held in November. Since the
Village is on a calendar year budget, the 2020 budget will
be adopted at the December Village Board meeting.
4 WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG | Fall 2019
From the Manager’s Desk
BY RICCARDO F. GINEX
Riccardo F. Ginex
Village Manager
(630) 368-5026
villagemanager@oak-brook.org
IN THE NEWS
We began to ask whether there was a better, timelier
testing process that can field candidates that were just
as qualified but cast with a wider net. Rather than a test
given on one specific day once every two years, we are
going to explore utilizing a new nationwide computer
based testing process. This proctored testing process
allows applicants to go to any affiliated testing site and sit
for a battery of tests to judge someone’s suitability to be a
police officer. We will then be able to pull from that list to
further evaluate a candidate. One of the added benefits of
this type of system will be the ability for local candidates
to take the written exam even if they happened to be away
at school. This process also had the added benefit of being
much more cost effective for the Village.
Illinois state law requires there to be an active list at all
times even when there are no current vacancies. It has
long been understood that since this is such a lengthy
process, there needs to be an eligibility roster ready when
a vacancy comes. We encourage you to let friends and
family know who are interested in serving as an Oak Brook
Police Officer that we will be starting this process this Fall.
Please watch for announcements on our web site as well
as the major law enforcement employment sites.
I hope this article gave you a little insight into the
tremendous effort that goes into hiring a professional
police officer in 2019 and the rigors it takes to ensure we
provide the very best police officers for our community.
The next time you see one of our officers on the street,
you’ll know that they too have demonstrated a tremendous
amount of dedication to our profession and the Village of
Oak Brook to be here.
Fall 2019 | WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG 5
Police
BY JAMES KRUGER
News
Over the past several months, you may have seen many
new faces in Oak Brook Police Department uniforms. If
you follow my little column, you know that we have
had several retirements during the past year. It takes a
significant amount of time to fill vacancies for police
officers and then once filled, the training time for an officer
to be fully prepared to take on the duties of a certified
police officer is nearly a year.
Recruitment and retention of police officers, not only in
Illinois but, across the country has become a concern for
police administrators. The average vacancy rate is nearly
15% nationwide. Oak Brook was also hovering around
that number for a major portion of the past year. There
are a myriad of reasons given such as an extremely low
unemployment rate, the media stories of law enforcement
coming under fire, and a lack of desire by the new
generation to work in a profession that requires such a
high level of scrutiny, and giving up nights, weekends,
holiday, etc. The images played out on the nightly news
of what is going on in New York with the water throwing
incidents do not help as well.
I was asked to chair a statewide committee to discuss the
recruitment issue. The committee focused on two areas.
The first was the actual mechanics of the hiring process
and the second, the desirability of the job and whether
or not we were attracting the correct candidate or target
market. Currently, police departments in Illinois offer a
testing processed through their local Board of Fire and
Police Commissioners to take a written exam every two
years. We then take candidates from that list and put
them through further testing to determine whether or
not they would be a good police officer. After that, they
then go through a very rigorous background investigation
and physical fitness exam. One of the problems is that
interested candidates go through this process for many
communities and wait for the first one to call them with an
opening. Essentially we are all fishing in the same pond.
Follow me on Twitter: @chiefkruger
Follow us on Twitter: @oakbrookpolice
Follow us on FaceBook:
@oakbrookpolicedepartment
James Kruger
Police Chief
(630) 368-8710
jkruger@oak-brook.org
6 WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG | Fall 2019
Fire
BY BARRY LISS
Safety & Information
Barry Liss
Fire Chief
(630) 368-5200
bliss@oak-brook.org
NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION WEEK
If you are ever on “Jeopardy” and the answer is “longest running public health and safety observance in U.S.”, you will know the
question is “What is National Fire Prevention Week?” As a nation, we remember the Great Chicago Fire of October 9, 1871 that
contributed to the death of 250 persons, destroyed more than 17,400 structures and left 100,000 persons homeless, and we
work to improve fire and building codes to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.
Each year the National Fire Protection Association designates a theme for Fire Prevention Week encouraging Americans to look
at the fire safety issues in their own home and workplace.
This year, October 6-12 marks National Fire Prevention Week
with the theme “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. PLAN and
PRACTICE your ESCAPE!”
This year’s campaign recognizes the everyday people who
motivate their households to develop and put into motion a
home fire escape plan; these seemingly basic behaviors can
have life-saving impact.
PLAN and PRACTICE your ESCAPE focuses on what a home
escape plan entails and the high value placed on practicing
it. Today’s homes burn faster than ever, synthetic fibers,
lightweight construction materials, modern home furnishings,
and larger open floor plans contribute to increased burn rates.
The general public tends to underestimate their risk of fire,
particularly at home. That leads to a complacency toward
home escape planning and practice. Advanced planning can
make a potentially life-saving difference.
A home escape plan includes working
smoke alarms situated within 15’ of every
space used for sleeping, and on every level
of the home. Detectors should be checked
monthly and batteries replaced twice a
year. It also includes two ways out of every
room, usually a door or window, with a
clear path to an outside meeting place, like a tree, light pole
or mailbox that is at a safe distance from the home. Home
escape plans should be practiced twice a year by all members
of the household.
For more information on home fire safety tips, please visit:
https://www.nfpa.org/fpw
“Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives:
Test Yours Every Month!”
Development Services
BY TONY BUDZIKOWSKI
Information
NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM
COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM OUTREACH PROJECT
The best time to prepare for a flood is before it happens. Village
of Oak Brook residents have experienced flooding from creeks
and sewer backups in the past. As homeowners, there are a few
things that you should know about flood safety, preventing flood
damage, flood plain regulation, and insurance.
Flood Safety
A number of precautions should be taken in the event of a
flood. Electricity and gas should be turned off if your home is
being flooded. Walking through flood water should be avoided
especially if the flood water is moving rapidly as drowning is the
number one cause of flood deaths, mostly during flash floods.
Currents can be deceptive; six inches of moving water can knock
you off of your feet. If you walk in standing water, use a pole or
stick to ensure that the ground is still there. Do not drive through
a flooded area as more people drown in their cars than anywhere
else. Don’t drive around road barriers; the road or bridge may be
washed out. After exposure to flood water, residents are advised
to contact their health practitioner regarding a tetanus shot if
they have not received one in a while.
Preventing Flood Damage
The Village provides advice on how to retrofit buildings to
prevent flood damage. There are generally five approaches to
retrofitting: elevation, barriers, dry flood proofing, wet flood
proofing and basement protection. Other property protection
measures include grading, ditch cleaning, moving furniture
and sandbagging. The Village has adopted the DuPage County
Stormwater Ordinance. As such, all changes in impermeable
surfaces within the village, i.e. driveways, patios, sports courts,
slabs, sidewalks, etc. require the approval of a building permit to
ensure compliance with applicable ordinance requirements. For
information on these and other flood protection issues, please
contact the Village Engineer at 630-368-5144.
Flood Plain Development
Development in or near a flood plain is allowed only upon
application and issuance of the appropriate Village permits. Flood
plain map information is available through the Development
Services Department. If you are planning to add, remodel, build,
fill, or otherwise develop in a flood plain or if you witness what
you believe to be illegal flood plain construction, please contact
the Village Engineer at 630-368-5144.
Village code states that existing structures shall not be enlarged,
replaced or structurally altered unless the changes meet the
applicable code requirements. If the changes constitute
substantial improvement to a building in a flood plain, then the
entire building will need to meet these requirements. Substantial
improvement is when the cost of reconstruction, rehabilitation,
addition, or other improvements to a building equals or exceeds
50% of the market value. Substantially damaged buildings must
also be brought up to the same standards. Enforcement of this
requirement is achieved through the permitting process.
Flood Insurance
The Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 helps to ensure that
you will be protected from financial loss caused by flooding.
Backed by the Federal Government, flood insurance is available
to residents across the country that participate in the National
Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). It provides coverage that most
homeowners insurance does not (e.g. coverage for damage to
structures and contents from flooding, flood-related erosion, etc.).
In all of these communities, you can purchase flood insurance
from any licensed property or casualty insurance agent, broker
or company.
You must have flood insurance to get secured financing to buy,
build or improve structures in Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA’s).
Lending institutions that are federally regulated and insured must
determine if the building is in a SFHA and require flood insurance
on conventional home mortgage loans, FHA loans, VA loans,
second mortgages, home equity loans, home improvement loans,
construction loans and commercial loans.
Flood insurance coverage is an asset to you as a borrower. It
reimburses you for financial losses from flood damage. The law
protects you from being uninsured and having to rely on a costly
federal disaster loan after a flood. This loan is the same as another
mortgage that must be paid back with interest.
Flood insurance protects your most important investment. It
is considerably less expensive than federal disaster loans and is
100% backed by the federal government. Call the National Flood
Insurance Program at 1-800-427-4661 for specific questions
related to flood insurance.
For More Information
If you have question about the information in this article, please
contact the Village’s CRS Coordinator at 630-368-5101. In addition,
the Village maintains a selection of publications pertaining to
the National Flood Insurance Program at the Oak Brook Library.
Please take advantage of these resources by visiting the Oak
Brook Library at 600 Oak Brook Road. Finally, you may also visit
the Federal Emergency Management Agencies website at www.
FEMA.gov for additional flood related information.
Fall 2019 | WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG 7
Tony Budzikowski
Director of Development Services
(630) 368-5104
Tbudzikowski@oak-brook.org
Below is the 2019 Autumn Leaf Schedule. Inquiries
regarding the leaf pick up program and schedule may be
directed to the Public Works Department at (630) 368-
5270. A map depicting the pickup areas and schedule
dates is also available on the Village website (www.oak-
brook.org).
Fall is also a good time to schedule preventive
maintenance around your house. Cleaning your gutters,
downspouts, and yard drains of leaves and debris will
help to avoid water damage during the winter freeze/
thaw cycles. Your home heating system and filters should
also be cleaned and checked; irrigation systems should
be serviced and winterized.
FALL LEAF PICKUP SCHEDULE
8 WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG | Fall 2019
NewsPublic Works
BY DOUG PATCHIN
Doug Patchin
Director of Public Works
(630) 368-5272
dpatchin@oak-brook.org
As the seasons change and the weather starts to cool,
Public Works is preparing for Fall and Winter activities.
Leaf pickup season will soon be upon us, followed by
snow. Staff has begun to service our leaf equipment and
prepare plow trucks for snow. I know that with warm
weather it sounds and feels too early to mention snow,
but with quick changing seasons we need to have our
plow equipment ready to go at the drop of a snow flake.
Before we get into winter let’s slow down and discuss
autumn leaf pickup.
We recommend you mulch your leaves and return this
beneficial material back to your lawn or landscape. If
you are going to utilize the Village’s leaf pickup, please
follow the Autumn Leaf Schedule on this page. If you
employ a landscape contractor please schedule their
leaf clean up with our scheduled pickup dates. The leaf
pickup equipment we utilize has a large vacuum unit
which picks up leaves on the right side (the passenger
side of the unit). The vacuum equipment works best with
the pickup straight out to the side, any leaf piles placed
in the street limits our ability to efficiently pick up leaves
because our trucks must drive on the opposite side of the
road into oncoming traffic lanes. This is only one reason
it’s important for leaves to be placed behind the curb
and not in the street. Secondly, when leaves are placed
in the street, and if it rains, leaves can block street drains
and cause streets/yards to flood. Most importantly, when
leaves are placed on the street pavement, leaf piles can
cause a dangerous situation for pedestrians and vehicles.
Where leaves are piled on both sides of the street, the
street may become impassable for one vehicle. In order to
have an efficient, effective, and safe leaf pickup program,
we need your cooperation in adhering to the following
procedures.
• DO NOT pile leaves on the street, leaves are to
be placed behind the curb or at the edge of the
pavement.
• DO NOT bag your leaves if you want the Village to pick
them up. The equipment we use can only pick up piles
of loose leaves.
• Rake ONLY LEAVES into the pile. NO shrub clippings,
sticks or other debris are permitted as these other
materials will clog our equipment.
• Please place your leaves a day or two prior to the
scheduled pick up dates. Any leaves placed afterwards
will not be collected until the next scheduled pickup
date.
ZONE AREAS DATES
1 Yorkshire Woods,
Steeplechase,
Woodside Estates
Monday October 14
Tuesday October 22
Monday November 11
Friday December 6
2 Forest Glen,
York Woods
Tuesday October 15
Wednesday October 23
Tuesday November 12
Monday December 9
3 Timber Trails,
Merry Lane
Wednesday October 16
Friday October 25
Friday November 15
Tuesday December 10
4
South of 31st Street and
east of Route 83,
including Lincoln, Grant,
and Coolidge
Thursday October 17
Tuesday October 29
Tuesday November 19
Wednesday December 11
5 Brook Forest,
Briarwood, and
Trinity Lakes
Friday October 18
Thursday October 31
Friday November 22
Thursday December 12
6
Ginger Creek,
Saddle Brook,
Heritage Oaks, White Oak,
and Avenue Loire
Monday October 21
Tuesday November 5
Monday December 2
Friday December 13
Information Technology Services
BY JIM FOX
Jim Fox
Director of Information
Technology Services
(630) 368-5174
jfox@oak-brook.org
When the Village launched the new Village website
design on Thursday, May, 23, 2019, a new interface with
the Village’s document imaging system was integrated
into the site.
The Village began electronic document imaging in
the year 2000 under the vision and leadership of Linda
Gonnella, former Village Clerk. In the early years, the
program involved the electric scanning of primarily
Village Clerk documents, including meeting agendas and
minutes. Over time Village Ordinances and Resolutions
were added to the system. Today there are over 3.5
million images in the system comprised of information
collected and stored by every Village Department.
Through a robust software system, the documents are
easily accessible by Village staff and by the public through
the Village website.
With the launch of the new website we now have direct
links to all the Village Clerk’s documents mentioned
Mass Notification Alert System
With this service, the Village has an easy-to-use, reliable
tool that allows the Village to make certain that Village
residents and businesses are accurately and quickly
informed during emergency situations.
The Village also uses the notification service to contact
residents and businesses about important information in
our community, such as community events, road closures,
utility problems, and weather events. The system has the
ability to reach thousands of people – by voice, email,
and text messaging -- in a matter of minutes.
The Blackboard Connect system provides a comprehen-
sive list of phone numbers collected from over 200
providers. However, there is the possibility that your
home telephone number is not included, particularly if
your telephone numbers are unlisted. More information
about this system is available on the Village website
at: http://www.oak-brook.org/303/Mass-Emergency-
Notification From the Village website you can also add
additional contact methods such as cellular telephone
numbers and email addresses.
above. There are also links to the Village’s financial
documents, purchasing contracts, Village Newsletters,
Police Department daily & weekly summaries and more.
The key benefits of document imaging are the reduced
space used for record storage, faster and easier access
to information, improved security of information and a
major reduction in use of paper. Files in a digital format
are easily duplicated and transferred to electronic backup
media and stored off site.
These on-line documents also add to the Villages
Transparency with Open Government strategies
and initiatives which are key to renewing our Village
residents’ relationship with public officials and trust in
government. There is also increasing recognition that
Open Government can play a pivotal role in supporting
good governance, democracy and inclusive growth.
Please visit the new website at www.oak-brook.org
There is no cost to use the service and your participation
is completely voluntary. Rest assured that your personal
information will not be shared with anyone.
Can I “opt out” from the Blackboard Connect calls? Yes,
residents can opt-out; however, we strongly suggest that
you do not do so. The Connect-CTY service is used to
send information that is time-sensitive and relevant to
our residents. Any resident that is eliminated will not be
able to be contacted by the system in an emergency.
If you have further questions or concerns about this
service please call the Village at 630.368.5174 or you can
email us at alerts@oak-brook.org
Document Imaging Integrated into the new Village Website
Fall 2019 | WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG 9
FALL CALENDAR
OCTOBERIllinois Watercolor Society Meeting & Demonstration
Saturday, October 5 @ 10 am
Join local artist Steve Puttrich
as he demonstrates oil painting
techniques that quickly establish a
strong and compelling design.
The Beatles’ Abbey Road: 50th Anniversary
Sunday, October 6 @ 2 pm
Join Gary Wenstrup as he uses
audio visual content to review the
stories behind the album’s best-
known songs and celebrate The
Beatles’ final gift to music lovers
all over the world. Sponsored by
Friends of the Library
Medicare 101
Wednesday, October 9 @ 7 pm
David Wylly of the Medicare
Solutions Network will detail what Medicare covers, what
it doesn’t and your options for additional coverage. He
will also discuss Medicare Supplements, Part D Drug
Prescription coverage and Advantage Plans.
Eight Books: To Inspire, Intrigue, Entertain, Maybe Even Change You!
Saturday, October 12 @ 2 pm
Jenny Riddle returns for a fast-
paced, motivational, giant book
review as she dramatizes and distills fascinating stories
and advice from Lesley Stahl’s Becoming Grandma, Sheryl
Sandberg’s Option B, Alan Alda’s If I Understood You, Would I
Have This Look on My Face? and more! Sponsored by Friends
of the Library
French Art Nouveau Jewelry: Nature Re-Imagined
Tuesday, October 22 @ 7 pm
Dorothy Mikuska, President of
West Suburban Art Society, will
tell the story of the Art Nouveau
movement, which led to a new
kind of art including jewelry based
on nature.
Library
BY JACOB POST
Calendar and Events
LIBRARY NOTES
Fall is a busy time of year for families. Children are back in
school and parents return to the tasks of homework help
and planning fun and educational activities to enjoy the
season. The Oak Brook Public Library is the perfect place to
help you accomplish these goals. Our skilled librarians can
direct students to the best resources that will help keep
them at the tops of their classes. Whether it is research
help or standardized test preparation, the Library can be
of service. So talk with one of our librarians when the next
term paper is coming due, and keep watch for free ACT
practice tests and other test prep programs later this year.
Once all the homework is turned in, it is time for a little fall
fun. In addition to the programs listed here, the last couple
of weeks of October are sure to be especially eventful
in Youth Services. Youth Services is planning Halloween
luminary jars and a scary selection for the Books & Bites
Book Discussion group. Check with the Youth Services desk
for more details and other spooky activities. Also be sure to
register for the Library’s annual children’s Halloween party
on Saturday, October 26 at 1 pm. Come in a costume and
enjoy the festivities.
The Library offers exciting programs for adults as well this
fall. A highlight of every year at the Library is the Friends of
the Library’s Fall Evergreen Concert, which will take place
on October 20 at 3 pm. This year will feature the Black Oak
Ensemble performing a work titled “Silenced Voices” a
deeply personal program dedicated to mid-20th Century
Jewish composers, most of whom lost their lives during
the Holocaust. This program is mainly being performed in
Europe, and the Library is pleased to have one of the only
U.S. performances this year. The Black Oak ensemble is
establishing itself as one of the premier chamber ensembles
in the United States. Seating begins and 2:30 pm and fills up
fast. We hope to see you at the Evergreen Concert!
Lastly, I am pleased to announce that the Library now has
an app available for your electronic devices. From the app
you can search the catalog, check your account, renew
items, place holds and much more. The app was developed
by SWAN (the Library’s consortium) and can be found in the
Apple App Store and Google Play Store by searching “SWAN
libraries.” Remember to have your library card number and
PIN handy.
Jacob Post
Head Librarian
630-368-7706
jpost@oak-brook.org
10 WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG | Fall 2019
Strategies for Business Owners to Reduce College Costs
Wednesday, October 23 @ 7 pm
Business owners with college-
bound children are encouraged to attend this workshop
presented by My College Planning Team to learn the
many strategies available to reduce your Expected Family
Contribution (EFC) that are only available to families who
own a business.
Youth Halloween Party
Saturday, October 26 @ 1-2:30 pm
Join us just before Halloween for a
scary good time! Come dressed up in
your best costume and get ready for
spooky crafts, treats and fun! Watch
out for ghouls and ghosts as you enjoy some Trick-or-
Treating around the Library! Registration is required.
NOVEMBER
Illinois Watercolor Society Meeting & Demonstration
Saturday, November 2 @ 10 am
Featured artist: TBD
Five Sullivan Brothers: The Family Inspiration Behind “Saving Private Ryan”
Sunday, November 3, @ 2 pm
Hal Burke, veteran and President of
Victor & Valor Memories, presents
the early WWII Pacific War naval history, as well as the legacy
of the five Sullivan brothers who died, along with 687 of
their shipmates when their ship was sunk on November 13,
1942. Sponsored by Friends of the Library
Recognizing the Signs of
Dementia
Monday, November 4 @ 10 am
Join Natalie McFarland BSN,
RN, as she helps you recognize
the symptoms of dementia and
Alzheimer’s disease, which can
include memory loss, mood swings, wandering, behavioral
issues and language disorientation.
Classical Concert with Anatoliy Torchinsky
Sunday, November 10 @ 2 pm
Mr. Torchinsky returns to the
Library with another wonderful
classical program.
Old-Time Radio and the Great American Songbook
Sunday, November 17 @ 2 pm
Steve Darnall returns to present
radio’s Great American Songbook.
This presentation features some of the greatest songwriters
of the 20th century as they were heard on radio, including
Johnny Mercer, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and a rare 1934
performance from George Gershwin!
Sponsored by Friends of the Library
Emily Dickinson: I’m Nobody, Who Are You?
Wednesday, November 20 @ 7 pm
The Poetry Foundation calls Dickinson
“one of the greatest and most original
poets of all time.” Join College of
DuPage instructor Frank Serafino as we
peek into the reclusive life and literary
achievements of The Belle of Amherst.
DECEMBER
This is Really War: The
Incredible True Story of a Navy
Nurse POW in the Occupied
Philippines
Saturday, December 7 @ 10 am
Local author and journalist Emilie
Le Beau Lucchesi, PhD, describes
the experiences of Dorothy Still
and twelve navy nurse POW’s
in WWII. They built up a prison
infirmary and provided care even
while under threat of starvation.
All twelve nursed until the end;
all twelve came home. The book
was recently featured on WGN-TV,
The New York Times and Good Day Chicago. Sponsored by
Friends of the Library
Solving Common Behavior Problems in Dogs
Sunday, December 8 @ 2 pm
Join Andrea Salis from DuPage
County Animal Services as she
helps pet owners understand why
their dog (mis)behaves, and how
to identify and solve unwanted
behaviors.
Fall 2019 | WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG 11
Finance
BY JASON PAPROCKI
Information
2020 BUDGET PROCESS
The Village’s budget is a management plan that details
how valuable resources will be allocated to address
community priorities and organizational objectives
for the Village of Oak Brook. The Village of Oak Brook’s
budget process is underway for the next fiscal year
(January 1 – December 31, 2020). Key steps along the
way are outlined below:
1. The 2020 budget process begins with the Village
department directors submitting their funding
requests to the Village Manager and Finance Director
in late August.
2. The Village Manager and Finance Director consider
funding requests as the starting point to developing
a draft budget. During September, there will be
numerous meetings with key staff to discuss and
evaluate funding requests. Adjustments to budget
requests are made as deemed appropriate by the level
of projected revenues for the upcoming year.
3. During October, a proposed 2020 budget is prepared
by the Finance Department. Copies of the finalized
draft budget will be posted online and available for
viewing at the Village Hall and Library in late October.
4. The Village Board will hold two budget workshop
meetings in early November to discuss the 2020
proposed budget. Residents are invited to attend
these meetings. The meetings will also be broadcast
and available for viewing online. Please check the
Village’s website for scheduled dates.
5. At the December 10, 2019 regularly scheduled Village
Board meeting, a public hearing will take place
regarding the 2020 Budget. Residents may participate
in the public hearing. Given the outcome of the public
hearing, the adoption of the final 2020 budget may
occur during the same Board meeting.
6. In early 2020, the adopted budget will be sent to the
Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA)
for consideration for its Distinguished Budget
Presentation Award. Oak Brook has previously won
this award eight times.
The budget is an ongoing process combining citizen
input, Village Board vision and direction, and staff
recommendations to meet community needs. The Village
of Oak Brook strives to adopt a balanced budget that is
open to citizen input and participation. Each resident
can have a voice in deciding what the budget will be
spent on and how it will be paid for before it is adopted.
Budget comments and suggestions may be submitted in
a number of ways:
■ Email Village Manager Rick Ginex (rginex@oak-brook.
org) or Finance Director Jason Paprocki (jpaprocki@
oak-brook.org).
■ Reach out to the Village President and Board of
Trustees.
■ Attend a Village Board meeting (second and fourth
Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m., 1200 Oak Brook Rd.)
and speak during the Public Comment portion.
■ Attend a Budget Workshop at Village Hall.
GFOA Budget Award
The Village of Oak Brook has been awarded the
Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its
2019 Annual Budget from the Government Finance
Officers Association (GFOA). This award was created
to encourage and assist state and local governments
prepare high quality budget documents. In order to
receive the award, a budget document must be rated
as proficient or outstanding by at least two of the three
independent reviewers in a number of categories. This
marks the eighth time the Village has been awarded the
Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.
The 2019 Annual Budget, as well as a condensed
executive summary of the budget, can be found on the
Village’s website at: https://www.oak-brook.org/304/
Financial-Documents.
Jason Paprocki
Finance Director
(630) 368-5070
jpaprocki@oak-brook.org
12 WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG | Fall 2019
Village Clerk
BY CHARLOTTE PRUSS
Charlotte Pruss
Village Clerk
(630) 368-5052
The Village Clerk is an elected official, serving a four year
term. It is the responsibility of the Clerk’s Office to
■ maintain all Village records
■ take Board Meeting minutes
■ process licensing
■ coordinate local election information
This office is also accountable for updating the Municipal
Code Book which contains all the ordinances pertaining
to and governing the Village of Oak Brook. The book,
formatted for easy printing, is available on the village
website, www.oak-brook.org.
Golf Club
BY SEAN CREED
Once again summer has flown by and hopefully you had
a chance to enjoy it before the kids went back to school.
Due to the weather golf had a slow start to the season,
but things have turned around and patrons have been
enjoying golf rounds, youth programs, golf leagues and
much more. The golf club staff has done a superb job this
summer serving our members, residents and guests.
The patio has been great addition to the clubhouse and
the events held there have been extremely well received.
Please mark your calendar for Thursday, September 26th
and come enjoy our next scheduled event featuring live
music from Gina Gonzalez. She is amazing!
Voter Registration
These services are available
at the municipal complex
during regular business
hours (8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.)
for both Cook and DuPage
County residents. In order to
register, residents must bring
two pieces of identification.
At least one of the items
must have the resident’s
current Oak Brook address.
If the resident is a naturalized citizen, naturalization
information must be provided.
Freedom of Information (FOIA) Requests
Access to Village records can be obtained through a
FOIA request. These requests can be made through an
Online Submission or Downloading a form on the Village
website (www.oak-brook.org) or by picking up a form at
Village Hall. Requests for medical records will require a
separate Medical Records Release Form, which is also
available on our website.
Further information is available on our website or by
calling the Charlotte Pruss, Village Clerk at 368-5052 or
Kathy Vonachen, Deputy Clerk at 368-5024.
As fall approaches with milder temperatures and
beautiful color, Oak Brook Golf Club will be full of activity.
We will be hosting the Freeman Cup and everyone’s
favorite, The Kanuri Open (formally the Turkey Shoot).
Lastly, I’ve been working with Village staff and Williams
Architects, on the final phase of our golf clubhouse
enhancements, we’re all looking forward to the finished
product.
Sean Creed
Golf Club Manager
(630) 368-6460
screed@oak-brook.org
LIVE STREAMING — VILLAGE BOARD MEETINGS
Live streaming of Village Board meetings is now available. The Village Board typically meets the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. Live streaming can be viewed via the Village’s website at www.oak-brook.org under the Government heading, then go to Village Board, and then to Live Stream. If you have questions regarding this, please contact Charlotte Pruss, Village Clerk, at 630/368-5052.
LIVE STREAMING — VILLAGE BOARD MEETINGS
Live streaming of Village Board meetings is now available. The Village Board typically meets the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. Live streaming can be viewed via the Village’s website at www.oak-brook.org under the Government heading, then go to Village Board, and then to Live Stream. If you have questions regarding this, please contact Charlotte Pruss, Village Clerk, at 630/368-5052.
Live streaming of Village Board meetings is now available. The
Village Board typically meets the second and fourth Tuesday of
the month at 7 p.m., with exception of the fourth Tuesday of the
months of June, August, and December. Live streaming can be
viewed via the Village’s website at www.oak-brook.org under
the Government heading, then go to Village Board, and then
to Live Stream. If you have questions regarding this, please
contact Charlotte Pruss, Village Clerk, at 630-368-5052.
Fall 2019 | WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG 13
BATH & TENNIS CLUB
BY BRIAN OTTOSEN
Kerry & Bobby’s Rustic Wedding at Oak Brook Bath & Tennis Club
Redwall Photo – Tasha Schalk
Last fall, Kerry and Bobby joined 171 close friends and
family at the Oak Brook Bath & Tennis Club for their wedding
reception.
Pat, Kerry’s mother, had shared with us that her daughter was
envisioning a barn wedding. After she toured our facility, she
soon realized that Oak Brook Bath & Tennis Club would be a
perfect fit. Our beautiful venue is located in a private, woodsy
location in the Chicago suburbs, which is why it made for
quite the romantic getaway for the couple to celebrate their
marriage with all their loved ones.
Redwall Photo – Tasha Schalk
Redwall Photo – Tasha Schalk
Tasty Catering was the first vendor to arrive on site. The
customized menu they prepared for everyone included a
carving station and a buffet. Their event team made sure
everything was arranged for a smooth wedding flow. Menu
items were chosen to ensure variety for all types of eaters.
And the couple wanted an interactive element, so a carving
station was perfect.
Redwall Photo – Tasha Schalk
After a hearty dinner, everyone quieted in their seats and
listened to the moving speeches made by bridal party
members.
A SWEET ENDING
As the bar service wound down, guests were treated to cake
served in the Pond Room, an excellent way to end the day.
Everyone enjoyed the beautiful fall night of fun, delicious
food and memories. Congratulations to Kerry and Bobby!
Kind words from the happy couple: The Oak Brook Bath
& Tennis Club helped make our wedding everything we
wanted it to be and more! Marianne and her team were
extremely helpful and supportive throughout the whole
process. They were happy to answer any questions and were
very professional, organized, kind and easy to work with. The
venue itself was exactly what I was looking for. The wood
ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and amazing light fixtures
created a gorgeous setting for our reception. The patio was a
perfect spot for cocktail hour. The grounds provided amazing
backgrounds for pictures. I would highly recommend this
venue to any bride! --Kerry, via WeddingWire
If you’re looking for an intimate location for your upcoming
wedding, we’d love to discuss your vision and how you can
make Oak Brook Bath & Tennis yours for the day. Reach out
today!
14 oakbrookbathandtennis.com | Fall
2018
Fall 2019 | WWW.OAK-BROOK.ORG 15
PRESORTED
FIRST CLASS MAIL
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
OAK BROOK, IL
PERMIT NO. 19
The Oak Brook Golf
Club
Invites You to Join
Us On The Patio
Thursday,
September 26, 2019
At 6:00pm
For Live
Entertainment By
Singer Song Writer
Gina Gonzalez
Village of Oak Brook
1200 Oak Brook Road
Oak Brook, IL 60523-2255