E-Newsletter: October 22, 2021
RAILROAD CROSSING CLOSURE AT POPLAR AVE.

The Union Pacific Railroad will be conducting an emergency crossing closure for the crossing located on Poplar Ave to repair a rail defect. The closure is planned to take place from 10/22 through 10/24. The detour plan can be found below.
Trick-or-Treating in Elmhurst

Official hours for trick-or-treating in Elmhurst are 3:30-7:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 31st. Young children should always be accompanied by an adult and all children should be advised to approach only well-lit homes, never enter a home to receive a treat, avoid dark or deserted-looking areas and be aware of vehicular traffic. Parents should inspect children’s treats at home. Please consider placing the downloadable signs found below to indicate to trick-or-treaters if you are participating in this event.
(Signs can also be found in the Fall Front Porch Newsletter which was mailed to homes earlier this month.)

LONG-TERM RAMP CLOSURE AND DETOUR BEGINS
AT I-290 FOR CENTRAL TRI-STATE TOLLWAY (I-294) PROJECT

Month-long ramp closure at southbound I-294 to westbound I-290 set for ramp and pavement reconstruction

The Illinois Tollway began a long-term closure for the ramp connecting the southbound Tri-State Tollway (I-294) to westbound I-290 for ramp and pavement reconstruction as work continues on the Tollway’s Central Tri-State Tollway Project. The ramp closure and posted detour will be in place through November.

Electronic message and construction signage will alert drivers on I-294 to the construction work zones, ramp closure and detour. Up-to-date information regarding lane closures will be available in the Illinois Tollway’s Daily Construction Alert. All work is weather dependent.

On Thursday, October 21, the ramp connecting southbound I-294 to westbound I- 290 was closed to traffic with a posted detour for one month. The detour directs traffic to continue southbound on I-294 to the eastbound I-290 ramp before routing traffic to Mannheim Road and through the interchange ramps to access westbound I-290.
The City of Elmhurst is in the process of making changes to several parking areas in the Central Business District (CBD). The changes reflect the City’s focus on turnover and availability of on-street parking spaces, the encouragement of longer customer visits to the downtown area by the use of parking structures, and ways to simplify the paid parking system. A detailed report on the changes can be found on the City’s website, Elmhurst.org. 
 
CHANGES TO PARKING IN THE CBD INCLUDE:
  • All spaces along streets currently subject to 3-hour time usage restriction will be changed to a 2-hour time usage restriction.
  • All spaces in parking structures currently subject to a 3-hour time usage restriction will be changed to a 4-hour time usage restriction.
  • The “Zone A” restriction will be eliminated. 
  • All current permit parking spaces on the first floor of the Adelaide parking structure will be changed to 4-hour customer only parking.
  • 11 part-time employee parking spaces will be added on the 3rd level of the Adelaide parking structure.
  • The current Elmhurst History Museum Only spaces (12) on the Crescent Court ring road will be changed to customer only parking. When needed for museum events, temporary signs may be posted to designate the spaces as parking for the museum only.
  • All permit and daily fee spaces in the Downtown parking system will be converted to Pay Parking (permit or daily fee) to simplify the paid parking system and provide more convenient shopper parking when needed. 
  • 3-hour surface lot spaces will not change.

These changes will be made in phases over the next month. During the transition parking changes will be noted on signs throughout the area.
 
The full report to City Council on the CBD Parking changes can be viewed here: http://go.boarddocs.com/il/coe/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=C7ANCG5C358C .
 
For more information on parking in the CBD including parking permit applications, please visit https://www.elmhurst.org/561/Parking . 

Pumpkin Composting Event November 6th

Don't let your waste haunt you! When the Halloween season expires,
drop your pumpkins off for composting on Saturday, November 6th, 2021.

The event will take place at the City of Elmhurst Public Works Facility
at 985 S. Riverside Drive from 9-noon.

Free Fall Leaf Curb Pickup Dates!

Residents who wish to participate in the city's free leaf pick-up are asked to place leaves on the parkway in clearly marked garbage cans, cardboard boxes or Kraft paper bags on your regular collection day: November 3, 4, 5 and again on December 1, 2, 3.

Residents are reminded not to place leaves in plastic bags and not to mix leaves with other types of yard waste. Garbage cans and containers other than Kraft bags will be left on the parkway after the pick-up. Raking leaves, grass clippings or other debris into the street is prohibited by city ordinances. This practice may result in hazardous conditions for motorists and may clog inlets, preventing the flow of storm water into the city's storm sewer system.

Reminder! All yard waste pickup ends the week of December 3rd. 

Keep Your Leaves! Leaves make terrific mulch - instead of raking all of your leaves for the City's collection this year, pack them around your perennials and on your flowerbeds as insulation against the cold. If you have a vegetable garden, spread the leaves on top of it, then rototill them into the soil to enrich it for the next year’s crop. Leaves are also a valuable addition to a well-maintained compost pile.
Discussion on Increase of Teen Issues and Risky Behaviors
November 10th, 7:00 p.m. York High School Auditorium

The City of Elmhurst Commission on Youth, in partnership with York High School, invites all parents to an evening event that discusses supporting teens that are engaging in high-risk behaviors (self-injury, eating disorders, school refusal, substance use, etc). Members of York High School’s Student Services Department and local mental health professionals will be sharing information about these topics and how to best support a teen facing these issues.

This is a free event and open to the Elmhurst community and surrounding area. No registration required. A Q&A will follow at the end. Also, the event will be recorded and available on Elmhurst TV YouTube channel. For more information contact Jackie.Haddad-Tamer@elmhurst.org.
"Portal" Public Art Sculpture Ceremony

The City of Elmhurst’s Public Arts Commission recently held a "meet the artist" ceremony to introduce the newest addition of public art to the community. Chicago based artist Nicole Beck's dynamic art titled “Portal”, is an o-shaped armature with glass that changes colors under certain conditions. The joyful twelve-foot steel and glass sculpture is located in the new Larch Park near downtown Elmhurst. A video of the event can be seen here.

The City of Elmhurst Public Arts Commission, founded in 2018, was established to implement a citywide plan for the promotion and thoughtful placement of public art that enhances the business climate and promotes the overall aesthetic appeal of our community. Visit elmhurst.org/artscommission for more information.
City of Elmhurst
630-530-3000 
Weekdays: 8:30am - 5pm