Recreation & Parks Update 

NEW Conquer the Court   

3 vs 3 Instructional Youth Basketball League 
Wait, did you say 3 on 3? Yes, we did!! Since the 2020 Olympics 3v3 Youth Basketball is sweeping the nation! 3 on 3 Basketball focuses on learning the fundamentals of basketball. Taken from the likes of Gus Macker, The Big 3, and many more (Google it!), 3v3 offers MORE playing time for each participant, MORE touches, MORE shots, 
MORE space to create, and MORE fun to be had! Skills training will be held during the week (per age group) and your child will have a chance to showcase their 
skills during Saturday games. Sign up now, invite your friends and prepare to 
Conquer the Court! Early registration ends October 31. Late registration begins November 1.

**Volunteer coaches needed, contact searl@invillapark.com for more information**

NEW Discovery Science  

Science is all about discovering, exploring, and getting messy, and that is what this class is all about! This program is a great introduction to science! It will help children explore several interesting science concepts and experiments! SO, get those safety goggles ready and get excited about science! Next session starts November 3. Ages 3-5. 

Fire Department Update

Villa Park Fire Chief Retiring After Four Decades of Fire Service

Fire Chief Ron Rakosnik is set to retire effective October 27, 2022, after over 47 years of fire service, the last ten of which as Fire Chief for the Village of Villa Park.
In 1975, Rakosnik began his service as a volunteer firefighter with the York Center Fire Protection District.

Prior to his role as Fire Chief for the Village of Villa Park, Rakosnik worked for the Village of Lombard for 28 years. Starting as a Firefighter/Paramedic and working his way up through the ranks to Battalion Chief in 2007. 

In 1997, he gained international and national publicity for educating the public about torchier-style halogen lamps and the dangers that exist with them. He concluded that the problem stemmed from the heat that was in the tubular halogen bulb. This discovery led to revisions of the standards for halogen bulbs.

Public Works Department Update

Free Leaf Pick Up 

Free Fall Leaf Pick Up dates for this year are Monday, October 24, 2022, through December 9, 2022. During the free leaf collection dates, leaves in garbage bins MUST have a prepaid yellow yard waste tag. The free leaf collection is only for leaves in paper yard waste bags.

DuPage County residents are reminded to dispose of leaves properly this fall to reduce localized flooding and water quality impairments. In autumn, leaves are often blown or swept into storm drains and waterways and can become a source of water pollution. Once they reach waterways, leaves decompose and release nutrients into the water, which can result in algae blooms and decreased oxygen for fish. However, pollutants are not the only problem. Leaves can also build up along curbs, gutters and storm drains, which blocks stormwater runoff from entering this drainage infrastructure. Should a large rain event occur, this can lead to localized flooding. 

Villa Park Environmental Concerns Commission

Pumpkin Smash 

The Pumpkin Smash is an annual effort by communities to divert pumpkins from landfills by providing locations for residents to drop-off jack-o-lanterns to be composted. It is held each year the Saturday after Halloween.  Don’t Trash it, Smash it!

This year's Smash is Saturday, November 5th from 9:00 am to Noon behind Village Hall at 20 S. Ardmore (Along Home Avenue). 

For more information visit: Pumpkin Smash - SCARCE

Village Manager's Message

Budget meetings continued this week including meetings with elected officials. We reviewed requests for vehicles, equipment, and other capital improvement projects. It is clear that the village has lagged behind in replacements of its rolling stock. With ARPA funds and the modest increase in the unrestricted general fund balance over the past two years, some catchup can be done. However, inflation and supply chain issues have increased the difficulty in updating these critical items. In fact, a resolution will appear on the agenda for Monday (10/24) to address the worst of the problem. We have a lot of work to do before we can present the budget in a draft form (in spreadsheet format), but we will be working through that next week. Please see the current and tentative budget schedule attached to this email.

One of the tasks that falls to me is to appoint administrative hearing officers. This is a task that doesn’t come up that often. Our current lead hearing officer Shawnte Raines is running unopposed for the Cook County Circuit Court (4th Subdistrict) and will have to step down in December. I have received three names from staff and other attorneys that serve the Village and will have a choice soon. I will be taking into consideration several factors including the department heads and the staff who will be working with the next judge.

This week we looked at possible customer service management software as well as a possible improvement to the agenda software that could interact better with the website. These are potential budget items for the CY2023 agenda. We are also going to look into new software for our enterprise resource program (accounting/billing/general ledger/budget/payroll). The current system is a hodgepodge that is very wasteful of staff time.

This week I met Sebastian Lopez, the postmaster for Villa Park, and he said that he hopes to improve the cleanliness of the building as they are hiring a new custodian. They are also hoping to get funding for paint and improvement of the grounds. I had breakfast with the fire-fighters in Station 82 and lunch with the Parks and Recreation Staff on Thursday. Thank you to Assistant Village Manager I had an opportunity to squeeze into the Wear Pink Day photo to show support for those who have had their lives affected by breast cancer. Last, but not least, I encourage the community to support the Kiwanis Spaghetti Dinner on Friday November 4th at Willowbrook High School from 5 – 6:45 pm, immediately preceding the production of Anything Goes at 7pm.  Also, remember the meeting Monday starts at 6:45 p.m. for the BINA (Bond Indebtedness Notification Act) Public Hearing.

Thank you,

Matt Harline,
Village Manager

To access the full managers' report, visit here. 

JOB OPPORTUNITIES  

We're hiring part time and full positions. For a full list of positions visit here