Welcome to the first edition of What's Happening! |
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This message is designed to provide City employees with the information you need to stay connected with what's happening across the organization.
Scroll through for department news and updates. There's a lot of information here, so ideally you will save this email to reference throughout the month. If you have questions about something included here, feel free to reach out to the person listed.
The intention is for the email format (and the amount of detail) to change over time so that it works well for you. If you have suggestions for things to improve, please let us know.
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Clerk
- The City Council is planning to resume in-person meetings beginning on Monday, March 7, 6:30 pm at City Hall.
- The Operating Budget Workshop scheduled for March 14 at 5 pm has been moved from Municipal Services to Dickinson Hall.
- The City Council meeting scheduled for Monday, March 21 has been cancelled due to lack of quorum.
- Laserfische will be put to the test in the coming weeks as volunteers help scan in many old documents.
Communications
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Do you work with a City Star? We all do! If you know a colleague who has gone above and beyond in their job, go ahead and shout it out. Nominate a City Star! Nominations will be used to create profiles to highlight City staff and services to the community. Nominees will be consulted before any information is shared.
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The Spring Dialogue Newsletter is here! Planning is underway for the Summer Dialogue Newsletter which covers May, June, and July. Have a message, reminder, or topic for the City's Summer newsletter? Send it to Dana by Thursday, March 24.
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Is your department planning a community event? Please be sure to contact Josh Hucker at x3514 to find out how to document your event on the Special Events Calendar and if appropriate, in BS&A. The goal is to keep the Special Events Calendar up to date with ALL types of events happening in the community so we can identify any conflicts with other scheduled events and to trigger notification to various departments. All employees should have access to the Special Events Calendar, check it out to see what is happening.
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Who is handling landscape licenses and mobile food and beverage vendor permits (aka Food Trucks)... we are! Send inquiries to Jessica Linders in ComDev. And yes, if you are planning an event with mobile food or beverage vendors, they need to be licensed. Jessica can help x 3503.
- Are you a Peanut Gallery lover? They are working on a new location, on Western Avenue, between Deerpath and Illinois Road. Keep your fingers crossed, hopefully coming soon.
- For those interested in a much pricier meal, it looks like Sophia Steak, a steakhouse in Wilmette, will soon be opening in the former Grille space on the corner of Laurel and Western Avenues.
- Residential construction is underway:
- Amberley Woods – 19 single family homes and a new 45-unit multi-family building. (South of Route 60 between Conway Farms Drive and Saunders Road.)
- Oak Knoll Woodlands – 16 single family homes. (North end of Oak Knoll Drive, north of Conway Road.)
- The Preserve at Westleigh – 9 single family homes. (North side of Westleigh Road, west of Ridge Road.)
- What?!? Yep, Paul Petersen is retiring in early March. Stop by and wish him well.
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Submitted By: Assistant Finance Director, Diane Hall
- Jamese Scott will be moving to the Staff Accountant I position beginning February 21. Please join us in congratulating Jamese on her new position!
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Vehicle Sticker, Pet License, and Parking Pass sales begin in late March. Stickers must be purchased by April 30. Full-time employees with a Lake Forest residence are entitled to one Complimentary Vehicle Sticker. All non-resident full-time employees are entitled to one complimentary Beach Sticker. Contact Jamese Scott for details. Learn more.
- The FY2023 budget process is in full swing. Capital Projects were presented in November. Operating budgets have been reviewed and will be presented to the Finance Committee on Monday, March 14 at Dickinson Hall at 5 pm.
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Do you receive calls from concerned residents about open burning? If so, refer them to our authorized permits page to stay in the know. Learn more.
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Are you CPR certified? If your certification has lapsed, take a class with the LFFD. Spring class dates coming soon! Learn more.
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Winter isn’t over yet! Help us remind our residents to Adopt A Hydrant and make sure to help your hometown firefighters by adopting one too! #AdoptAHydrant
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Congratulations to our #Zolldiers on their Clinical Save Awards. Learn more.
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Submitted By: Human Resource Specialist, Brina Diaz
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COVID Updates: Read about the City’s updated face covering guidance effective Monday, February 28. As we prepare for mask requirements to be lifted, please show compassion to each other regarding preferences for face masks and social distancing.
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With the welcomed news of Jamese’s promotion, we are looking to fill the Account Clerk III position. This job is open to City employees only until February 23, 2022. Please apply online at Government Jobs.
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Upgrading to Office 365. The IT Department is continuing to transition all users from Office 2016 to Office 365! Office 365 leverages much of what you have come to know when using Outlook, Excel, and Word and expands what’s possible by providing autosave as a feature, the ability to better collaborate with your team, and overall provides a fresh look for all Office applications.
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Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). In tandem with rolling out Office 365, we are also implementing MFA to all City users. MFA is the process of securing user accounts by requiring more than one authentication method (ex: Username and Password) for access. IT recommends using the Microsoft Authenticator app as the primary method and a phone call as their backup method. It’s all about keeping you and the City as secure as possible! Learn more.
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Cemetery
- Continued pruning and clearing of undesirable plants (buckthorn, sumac, etc.)
- Performing equipment maintenance to mowers, trimmers, and blowers.
- Processing numerous recent sales.
CROYA
- CROYA Middle School youth meetings are every Tuesday from 4–5 pm. The Middle School Ski / Snowboard Trip to Alpine Valley Ski Resort is on Friday, February 18.
- CROYA High School youth meetings are every Wednesday from 7–8 pm. The High School Spring Retreat is March 11-13. We take 80-90 youth to Camp Henry Horner in Ingleside, IL for a weekend of group activities and discussions around teenage issues. The fall and spring retreats are some of the most impactful programs CROYA has to offer.
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CROYA’s after school hours are Monday–Friday, from 3:30–5:30 pm. Youth can play tons of different games, have a snack, do homework, hang out with friends, and more. To be added to CROYA’s monthly e-newsletter, email Todd.
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Activator Music Academy is located in the basement of the CROYA Student Union. Students of all ages can learn piano, guitar, bass, drums, vocals, strings and more. For more info, visit activatoracademy.com.
Dickinson Hall
- Due to the slowdown in members coming to Dickinson Hall in January and February (think Covid and Snowbirds), most of our programming was changed to a hybrid format, so lectures and fitness classes were both in-person and on Zoom (from Florida and Arizona). We are looking forward to March & April.
Parks
- Continued ice pond maintenance. This may be the last week for the ice pond with the high temperatures expected Wednesday!
- Pruning at various locations.
- Refinishing of beach benches.
- Performing equipment maintenance to mowers, trimmers, and blowers.
Forestry
- Our new full-time employee Kelly Bougher started on Feb 14. Kelly came to us from the Chicago Park District.
- Crews are concentrating on finishing up our oak and elm tree pruning while mixing in various tree removals throughout town.
- Tagging/Sourcing of plant material at multiple tree nurseries for our upcoming spring parkway tree planting program and for the Deerpath Golf Course corridor landscaping project.
Recreation
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We are set to launch our Summer Camp Marketing Campaign - “We Will REC You”! This first-ever, all-summer theme will start in February on social media and finish with a bang at the Lake Forest Day Parade. Summer & Camp registration opens March 1, 2022.
- Did you know City employees get resident rates for Rec Programs? It's true!
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There are several part-time and summer job openings: Front Desk Admin, After School and Kinderhaven Aide, Camp Counselor, Beach Guard, and Lifeguard. If you know anyone who may be interested, please direct them to apply at https://bit.ly/LFParksandRecJobs
- Upcoming March events/programs include: March 5: Flannels & Flapjacks Mom & Son Pancake Breakfast, March 12: Passion to Dance Benefit Concert, and two Spring Break Camps for the kids from March 21-25: Hurray for Spring and Spring Break Sports Camp.
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Engineering
Submitted By: Superintendent of Engineering, Byron Kutz
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Staff is preparing construction contracts for the upcoming construction season such as the Illinois and Woodland Bridge Replacements, sidewalks, Deerpath Watermain Replacement, resurfacing, and others. Check out the new Construction Project Map at cityoflakeforest.com/ConstructionProjects to see locations and additional details for the projects listed here.
- Coordination is underway for the Burr Oak Area Storm Sewer Improvement Project which aims to reduce flooding on Western Ave and Burr Oak between Thomas Pl and Franklin Pl, as well as a small section of Alden Ln. Award of the contract is contingent on a grant between the City, SMC, and DCEO.
- Staff is performing permit plan-review and site inspections which continues even through the winter months.
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Coordination continues with ComEd for the replacement of their bridge this Spring on Deerpath. This bridge which carries the Skokie Valley Bike Path also serves as an access route for ComEd trucks to maintain their transmission lines. Removing the bridge will require a complete closure of Deerpath Road, tentatively scheduled during the week of spring break, March 19-26 (subject to change). Please avoid Deerpath during the closure and plan accordingly for any meetings or programs/events during that time.
Sanitation
- February refuse and recycling tonnages collected are slightly below past monthly averages.
- One more month of winter hours at the Compost & Recycling Center! Currently the Compost & Recycling Center is open on Saturdays from 8 am-3:30 pm. Beginning March 15, the Compost & Recycling Center summer hour will be Saturdays from 8 am-5 pm and Sundays from 9 am-5 pm. City employees can access the Compost & Recycling Center utilizing their employee ID!
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There are two open seasonal positions! Please feel free to share this employment opportunity with friends or family. Please apply online at Government Jobs.
Water & Sewer
Submitted By: Water & Sewer Supervisor, Rich Volpe
- Completing inspections and other preparation work for various upcoming Capital Improvement Program Projects.
- Performing equipment maintenance to pumps, generators, and televising equipment.
- Completed maintenance and repairs to all Train Station Depot benches.
Streets
- Completing a City wide litter container refurbishing program.
- Continued regular snow operations including the resident mailbox replacement program.
- Performing small equipment maintenance to saws, skid steer attachments, roller, and directional boring equipment.
Building Maintenance
- Recently took over full maintenance of the Elawa Farms Buildings. Crews have been concentrating on updates to all the life safety building components in the first few weeks.
- Crews have been working closely with the Police Department to help give their bike storage room a facelift, allowing for better storage and organization.
- Crews just finished a LED lighting upgrade to the Kinderhaven Art Room located in the Recreation Center.
Fleet
Submitted By: Fleet Maintenance Supervisor, Ron Gramer
- Ongoing snow operations equipment maintenance and repairs.
- Continued preventative maintenance program for entire City fleet.
Water Plant
- Recently received three proposals for our VFD (Variable Frequency Drive) replacement project. Currently vetting the proposals received.
- Keeping up with the low flow operations at the Plant and working on extended recovery cleans on each train.
- Recently finished improvements to the exterior doors and improving site security.
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There's a new Traffic Safety Committee webpage! The page contain FAQs about stop signs, speed limits, speed bumps, crosswalks and other signage frequently requested by residents. It also includes a new online request form. The committee was established to discuss concerns from residents regarding traffic safety issues and is comprised of members from Police, Fire, Public Works, Engineering, and Community Development. If residents have questions about traffic safety, the page is a great place to direct them for answers.
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Thanks for reading the first edition of What's Happening! What do you think? We want this email to work for you, so please take the quick poll below and share feedback with Dana.
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