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

November, 19, 2020

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

November 19, 2020

Dear River Forest Residents,

COVID-19 Update - New Resurgence Mitigations Take Effect Friday

On Tuesday, November 17, 2020, Governor Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced that Tier 3 resurgence mitigations will take effect Friday, November 20, 2020 for the entire state, in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. Click here for the complete list of Tier 3 Resurgence Mitigation requirements.

These measures limit gatherings and encourage people to stay home to the greatest extent possible, while permitting some industries to remain open at reduced capacities with proper safety measures in place. The new restrictions will limit indoor capacity at retail spaces and personal care services to 25%, down from the 50% currently allowed. Grocery stores and pharmacies will maintain their current 50% capacity limit. The new order also puts in place limits on health and fitness centers and restricts indoor recreational activities. Child care facilities may continue to operate subject to guidelines from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Additionally, school districts and officials will continue to follow the extensive guidance released by the Illinois State Board of Education and make decisions related to in-person and remote learning. Tier 3 encourages those who can to work remotely.

Illinois residents are urged to stay home as much as possible and celebrate the upcoming holidays only with members of their households. Illinoisans over the age of two are required to wear a face covering when out in public and when social distancing is not easily achievable, unless wearing a face covering poses a greater risk to their health.

Governor J.B. Pritzker stated, "The simple fact is that COVID-19 is spreading so quickly and so widely, and our hospitals are beginning to experience real strain and at the current infection rate, they will be overwhelmed. So whenever possible, we need you to stay home," Adding, "Tier 3 boils down to this: if you don't need to do it, don't."

The Tier 3 resurgence mitigations will take effect statewide at 12:01 am on Friday, November 20. State officials also said that while this latest round of mitigations does not include a stay-at-home order, if the mitigations are not adhered to and cases continue to rise in the weeks ahead, another order may be required.

The Village will continue to provide updates on COVID-19 case data. Residents can also view this publicly available data from the following sources:

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

As reported in the COVID-19 Update on Monday, November 16: From Sunday, November 8, through Saturday, November 14, 43 new positive cases of COVID-19 were reported in River Forest and 402 tests were completed, resulting in a positivity rate for that timeframe of 10.7%. Conversely, 359 tests completed were reported negative. Comparatively, from Sunday November 1, through Saturday, November 7, 25 new positive cases of COVID-19 were reported in River Forest and 361 tests were completed, resulting in a positivity rate for that timeframe of 6.9%. For more on COVID-19 data, please read Monday’s COVID-19 Update by clicking here.

The Brown University Alpert Medical School has created the MyCOVIDRisk app to help users understand their COVID-19 risk based on location and activities. Click here to get more information about the possible risk your planned activities pose. Please note that this intended to be a tool to understand the estimated COVID-19 risk of events. All IDPH mitigation measures must be followed.

Please enjoy a safe and healthy Thanksgiving holiday. My next E-News will be the week of November 30, 2020.

Thankful for Our Volunteers

During Thanksgiving, I hope we all pause to take a moment and say thank you for things we are grateful for. It really takes a village to run our government. No one elected official, staff member or volunteer can go it alone. We all work together and I am personally thankful and grateful for everyone’s effort to live our motto “Proud Heritage, Bright Future”.

All our community members who find ways to volunteer and give back are what make River Forest special. On behalf of the Village Board, Village Clerk, and Village Staff, I want to thank all of our volunteers, especially our Commission, Board, and Committee members who give a great deal of time and expertise to make River Forest a great place to live and work:

Economic Development Commission: Lee Neubecker (Chair), Carr Preston, Nena Mass, Tim Brangle, Donna Fantetti Slepicka, Robert Graham, Cuyler Brown.

Plan Commission: David Crosby (Chair), Carolyn Kilbride, Maryanne Fishman, Jane McCole, Ori Gottlieb, Keary Cragan, Roberto Armalas.

Zoning Board of Appeals: Frank Martin (Chair), Gerry Dombrowski, Tagger O'Brien, David Berni, Michael Smetana, Joanna Schubkegel, Ronald Lucchesi.

Traffic and Safety Commission: Douglas Rees (Chair), Kimberly Hoyt, John Osga, Rick Gillis, Arun Jayaraman, Johann Buis, Steven Wade.

Sustainability Commission: Lisa Gillis (Chair), Susan Charrette, Eric Simon, Shannon Roberts, Beth Cheng, Lauren Behan, Cary McLean.

Historic Preservation Commission: David Franek (Chair), Michael Pritz, Carla Graham-White, David Raino-Ogden, Brian Prestes, John Forehand, Jan Saeger.

Fire Pension Board: Sean Condon.

Police Pension Board: Heath Bray.

Board of Fire and Police Commissioners: Michael Trucco (Chair), Julie Jacobs, John Phelan.

Ethics Commission: Gary Collins (Chair), Greg Ignoffo, Maria Cullerton.

Age Friendly Committee: Chris Hauri, Ron Sherman, Daniel Lauber, Deborah Frederick, James Flanagan, Lydia Manning.

Deer Management Committee: Dan Hollenbach, Cathleen Hughes, Dawn Mizgala, Ronald Lemar, John Roeger, Annette Madden, Ingrid Liu, Katharine Christmas, Joel Lueking, Laurie Gillard, John Flynn, Julie Armstrong, Marta Kozbur.

COVID-19 Senior Task Force Program: Helen Kwan, Anne Spence.

Healthy Holidays to You

As part of the State of Illinois’ efforts to mitigate the further spread of COVID-19, the State is launching a “Healthy Holidays to You” campaign to demonstrate safer ways to celebrate during the upcoming holiday season. To find more safety information and tips for the season, click here.

IDPH Publishes Vaccination Distribution Plan

IDPH has published their Draft COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Planning Guide. While this is a lengthy and technical document, the guide is designed to provide a clear and comprehensive plan for the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available.

Plant Sale

Resident Katherine Gearhart is organizing a plant sale for her Civics class at OPRF. She has partnered with Empowering Gardens in Forest Park to sell Philodendron Brazil, Ficus robusta, Neantha Bella, Philodendron cordatum, and Sansevieria cylindrica. The goals of the project are to improve the environment, support a local business and its mission, and cultivate community. Click here to place an order. Questions can be emailed to katherine@gearhart.com.

Hephzibah Fundraiser

After a challenging year, it’s time to do something fun and treat your loved ones to a family portrait photo shoot this holiday season! Hephzibah Children’s Association and their partners are proud to invite you to participate in a photo shoot for a cause taking place the weekend of November 27-29 at Matt Kosterman’s studio in Forest Park. 20% of all proceeds will be donated to Hephzibah and the first 20 families to participate will receive $10 gift cards from Elle Belle Box - a perfect holiday gift! The cost is $295 + $50 per person. Call 312-543-3302 to schedule your family photo shoot.

Holiday Tree Trimming

Join the Village of River Forest in celebrating the holiday season by participating in the annual Holiday Tree Trimming - 2020 style!

The River Forest Park District is sponsoring their annual holiday tree trimming event at Memorial Parkway on Lake Street (across from Jewel). This year the Village is sponsoring a tree and is encouraging community members to help decorate our tree. Please contact Sara Phyfer at sphyfer@vrf.us if you are interested in being on the Village’s team! The decorating will take place on the evening of December 3, 2020. The group will be limited to ten (10) people. A tree with lights will be provided and the Village will bring the decorations. If a resident or family would like to hang their own decoration or ornament after the group is finished, you are welcome to stop by to do so!

Sincerely,