A Special E-News Message from the Village President, Catherine M. Adduci

February, 25, 2021

A Special E-News Message from the Village President, Catherine M. Adduci

February 25, 2021

Dear River Forest Residents,

DEI Advisory Group Application

I am so proud to announce that earlier this week, the Village Board of Trustees and I approved a Resolution to establish a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Ad Hoc Advisory Group. This step is the product of discussions at the Board table to engage residents to challenge racial injustice and promote healing in our community.

The Advisory Group’s mission will be: to remove barriers that prevent the participation, engagement and an equitable and welcoming environment for all our residents, business members, visitors, employees in municipal services community and civic engagement; and, in doing so, build trust amongst all parties. I fully support Trustee Erika Bachner to act as co-lead of this group along with the Acting Village Administrator, Lisa Scheiner.

The Village encourages civic engagement and resident participation. In effort to continue to keep all of our processes open and transparent, the Village is seeking residents interested in participating in the Advisory Group. Please click here to complete the application form. Applications are due March 24, 2021.

Click here to read a previous newsletter for more information about the developments of the Village’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

Thank you to my fellow Board members and our partners at Dominican University, other community members, and Village Staff for their compassion and diligence working to make this happen.

Board & Commission Appointments

In the coming months, the Village will hold community discussion sessions to collect input from residents about possible improvements to the process for Board, Committee, and Commission appointments.

As your Village President, I fully support the continuous improvement of our processes. By consensus of the Village Board, we have directed our staff to hold these community discussions, seek different points of view, research the matter using best practices and out of the box thinking, and provide the Village Board with this analysis for ourreview. The Village will notify residents via e-news, social media, and on the Village website when these sessions are scheduled. We encourage residents to share this upcoming opportunity with neighbors and other residents.

Any resident who wishes to volunteer on a Board and Commission can complete the volunteer form on the Village website by clicking here. We encourage all of our residents to participate in our decision making.

COVID-19 Vaccine

The Village is pleased to partner with Jewel Osco on a COVID-19 vaccine clinic in River Forest tomorrow. Please note that registration for the COVID-19 senior vaccine clinic in River Forest has reached capacity and only participants with appointments may attend. Appointments were available on a first-come, first-served basis and were limited to the number of available doses.

Anyone who is registered is reminded to report to First Presbyterian Church 15 minutes prior to the scheduled appointment time to check in before driving to Roosevelt Middle School to receive the vaccine.

Individuals who wish to join the waitlist for tomorrow’s clinic may do so by completing the form on the Village website. Please note: the waitlist is only for this River Forest clinic and is not a waitlist for doses elsewhere. If a dose becomes available because of a missed appointment, the Village will contact individuals on the waitlist by phone. If a call goes unanswered, the next individual on the list will be contacted. Please provide a phone number where you can be reached on February 26 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

Please only complete this form if you are available with short notice tomorrow, February 26 to receive a dose. You will also need to be available on March 19 to receive the second dose. This waitlist form will close tonight.

A huge thank you to all of the community volunteers, the River Forest Citizens Corp, the River Forest Senior Response team, Jewel Osco, School District 90, and First Presbyterian Church for making this event possible. This clinic was designed to assist our 65+ residents...keeping those residents local and keeping them safe.

Please visit the Village’s COVID-19 page for more information on the COVID-19 vaccine, including vaccine resources by clicking here.

COVID-19 Cases

Between Sunday, February 14, and Saturday, February 20, River Forest had 20 new positive cases; 290 tests were completed, resulting in a positivity rate of 6.9%. The week before, from Sunday, February 7, to Saturday, February 13, there were 16 new positive cases of COVID-19; 344 tests were completed, resulting in a positivity rate of 4.7%. For more on COVID-19 data, please read a previous COVID-19 Update by clicking here.

The Village will continue to update you on COVID-19 case data. Residents can also view this by visiting the following sources:

Illinois Department of Public Health
Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH, click “Data by Town”)
Enigma Forensics (utilizing data from the IDPH and tracking it day-by-day)

COVID-19 Restrictions

Currently, all regions in Illinois are in Phase 4. However, CCDPH has issued additional mitigation orders - most recently on Tuesday, February 16 with Mitigation Order 2021-04. River Forest is under the jurisdiction of CCDPH and is subject to these mitigation measures. To review the mitigation measures in their entirety, please click here. Under Cook County Mitigation Order 2021-04, indoor restaurant, bar service and event spaces are limited to the lesser of 40% room capacity or 50 persons.

For information on COVID-19, testing locations, and more, visit vrf.us/Virus.

IDPH Ambassador Program

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is looking for volunteers to serve as Illinois COVID-19 Ambassadors. These individuals would be assisting state efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 by promoting and sharing information on prevention measures, testing resources, vaccines and other relevant information. Click here to volunteer and learn more about the responsibilities.

Deadline Approaching for Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Deferral Program

Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas is reminding homeowners that the deadline to apply for the Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Deferral Program is March 1, 2021. Due to State law, no extension of this deadline will be allowed. To learn more about the program, click here.

Shop River Forest

If you are able, please support local businesses. Shop local and help support our restaurants and businesses during these difficult times, especially through Takeout 25 Oak Park, a local campaign geared toward getting commitment from residents to spend $25 each week on takeout from local restaurants.

Business Spotlight:

Koalaty - Koalty is a new gaming store located at 7359 North that offers buying, selling and trading-in. Stop by to play something new or shop their collection of trading cards, collectible toys, and games!
New Rose Catering - New Rose Catering has been in business for 10 years, spending the last 3 years cooking out of the River Forest Kitchen. They offer soup and entree deliveries in River Forest, Oak Park, and Forest Park Monday through Wednesday. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they have supported Housing Forward by providing meals for their clients.
Sugar Beet Schoolhouse - Sugar Beet Schoolhouse offers children’s cooking classes out of River Forest Kitchen and aims to help kids build confidence and skills as they navigate interesting and challenging projects. They hope to use their unique programming to improve food literacy, community health and access to and appreciation for local and sustainable food.

For more River Forest businesses, visit the Shop River Forest page of our website at vrf.us/ShopRF. Don't see a River Forest business listed on the Shop River Forest page? Want your business to be featured? Email info@vrf.us.

Sincerely,