SEOPCO will be hosting three candidate forums prior to the 2019 Village election. We will host forums for District 200 OPRF High School, District 97 Elementary School and the Village Board of Trustees.

District 200: Wednesday February 27

Village Trustees: Tuesday March 19

District 97: Wednesday March 20

All forums will be held at Irving Elementary School, 1125 South Cuyler. Forums will also be streamed and archived on our Facebook page, @SEOPCO. The event will start at 7:00pm. All are invited to attend.

Neighbors,

Here’s a look at some of SEOPCO’s 2018 accomplishments.

• Organized our annual BarrieFest, which took place on September 8.  The Fest was held on Lombard due to wet conditions in the park. Bands played throughout the afternoon as approximately 400 neighbors visited our business fair and enjoyed the bounce houses and climbing wall. The Oak Park Fire Department stopped by, as well as the Oak Park Library’s Book Bike and Legacy Sports. Carnivore was busy throughout the day selling delicious sandwiches, and Happy Apple took care of delicious desserts. It was a wonderful afternoon to visit with friends and meet neighbors!
• Collaborated with the Plan Commission’s effort to propose plan design guidelines for existing homes and new development in Oak Park. In order to help the Commission understand local issues, a tour of the South East Oak Park neighborhood was arranged, with both positive and problematic examples of rehabs and new construction.
• Held a successful organization retreat on Saturday, April 14, with facilitator Gloria Cox at Community Bank’s south branch. During the session we identified gaps and opportunities to improve the impact of our activities and discussed organizational focus for the future.
• Informed our neighborhood about local events, communicating via Facebook, our email list and Twitter.
• Worked with our Neighborhood Resource Officer, Derrick Verge as he hosted monthly meetings at Barrie Center. Each month Officers Verge and Rumoro gather to discuss how to increase safety in South East Oak Park.
• Partnered with Culvers for an Election Day fundraiser to help raise money for the Irving PTO.
• Joined the Rotary to make donuts for the Oak Park Farmer’s Market. It’s a fun morning and a great way to raise funds for Pilgrim Lutheran and both of our organizations.
• Monitored developments on the Eisenhower Transportation Corridor. There was no significant movement this year, but SEOPCO continues to stay in touch with this important issue, with the help of Citizens for Appropriate Transportation.
• Held a successful fall membership campaign with contributions from about 30 neighbors.