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Starbucks

Mayor Barrett Pedersen, Trustees and Village staff held a ribbon cutting in June, 2017, to welcome Starbucks to Franklin Park. The popular international coffee retailer moved into a recently-constructed 2,500 SF building at 2800 Mannheim Road, on the northwest corner of Grand and Mannheim. The new retail facility features a drive-thru, an outdoor patio, a bright and spacious interior and nitro cold brew coffee on tap. The new Starbucks is located on a former BP gas station site, which was remediated by the property owner in 2009.

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T-Mobile

The Village is pleased to welcome T-Mobile to Franklin Park. Mayor Barrett Pedersen, Trustees and Village staff held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the business's new facility at 2926 N. Mannheim Road, Unit 3. At their grand opening event, T-Mobile invited employees to shave their heads to raise money for Franklin Park children fighting cancer through the St. Baldrick's Foundation. T-Mobile's brand new space is part of a three-unit, 6,000 SF commercial development recently constructed by Glazier Corporation.

Panattoni Development Company

The Village of Franklin Park held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the completion of the largest construction project of 2016: a new 491,089 SF industrial speculative development by Panattoni Development Group at 3400 Wolf Road, the former site of Castle Metals. Over 300,000 square feet of the building has already been leased to distribution firm CST. Panattoni Development Company is one of the largest privately held real estate development companies in the world and has 24 offices in the United States, Canada and Europe.

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Molto Properties

The Village of Franklin Park celebrated the construction of a new 367,000 SF industrial speculative development by Molto Properties with a ribbon-cutting in early November of 2016. The new building at 10501 Seymour Avenue will be followed by construction of a second 106,000 SF industrial speculative building on the same site. Colliers International is currently seeking industrial users for the new space, which is located across the street from O’Hare Airport and less than a mile to I-294 and the I-90 interchange.

Chipotle

Chipotle is open for business in Franklin Park!

Mayor Barrett Pedersen,Trustees Karen Special , John Johnson and Andy Ybarra, Clerk Irene Avitia and Village staff cut the ribbon to officially welcome the new restaurant to the area. Chipotle Mexican Grill is located at 2926 Mannheim Road. Chipotle offers a menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients that are sustainably grown.

Grupo Omnilife SA de CV

Grupo Omnilife SA de CV develops, manufactures, and markets nutritional foods, drinks, and dietary supplements and offers weight-loss products, vitamins and supplements and beauty care products. They are located at 10007 Grand Ave.

Smart 911 App Can Better Protect Residents in Emergencies

Over 80% of calls made to 9-1-1 come from mobile phones. When you dial 9-1-1 from a mobile phone, the 9-1-1 call takers have very little information to help you – only your phone number and a very general sense of your location. This could be a serious problem in an emergency when seconds count, particularly if you or your loved ones have medical conditions, or are unable to safely speak.

The new Smart 911 App provides call takers and first responders with the critical information needed in any kind of emergency. Call takers can view your address, medical information, home information, description of pets and vehicles, and emergency contacts. You can provide as much or as little information as you like. Smart 911 is a national service meaning it travels with you and is visible to any participating 9-1-1 center nationwide.

You can also sign up for notifications from the National Weather Service based on your current location, including tornado warnings, flash flood warnings, and severe thunderstorm warnings based on your real time location. You can also include alerts regarding traffic, road closures, Amber alerts, police pursuits and other emergencies. Residents who have registered to receive these alerts can view them even when they don’t have cell service.

Search “Smart 911” in your mobile app store or text “Smart 911” to 67283 to receive the download link via text message. .

Apply Now for Senior Grass-Cutting Program

The Village is currently accepting applications for the Senior Grass Cutting Program, which will run from April until the end of October. Qualified seniors will pay $11 per cut. Applications have been mailed to past participants. New applicants should go to Village Hall or call 847-671-8240 to apply. If you have previously been on the grass or snow program and your health condition has not changed, you will NOT need to send in a new doctor’s note, but WILL need to submit an application again this year. You must be living on the premises to qualify. Space is limited so please apply early!

Village Introduces New WaterSmart Program

Franklin Park residents can sign-up to have access to a program designed to help you reduce your water usage and save money on your monthly water bills. WaterSmart is an online program that allows users to review and understand their water use. Setting up an account is fast, easy and free from a computer, tablet or smartphone.

Users can analyze current water use and also review usage history from monthly figures even down to an hourly use. The program also allows you to set up alerts via text or email to help you detect leaks or other unintended water use. In addition,you to compare your water use with other similar users in your area. WaterSmart is available now but you must enroll to participate by calling 847-671-8252.

Students Can Apply Now for Summer Job with the Village

The Village is currently hiring students for part-time summer jobs at Village Hall and in the Public Works Department. Applicants must be at least 16 years old, currently enrolled in high school or college and have a “C” average. Salary begins at $9 per hour. Click here to download an application and guidelines for the program.....

Village Offering Trees for Parkways

This spring, the Village will begin planting, at no cost to residents, trees on parkways throughout our community. If you would like a tree planted in your front parkway, contact the Utilities Department at (847) 671-8252. You can read more about our “urban forest” and the need to plant trees in our community at http://chicagorti.org/sites/chicagorti/files/FranklinParkExtended.pdf

Community Garden Space Available

The Village has established a Community Garden located between the Veteran’s Memorial and Village Hall on Belmont Avenue. The Community Garden is open to residents interested in growing flowers, vegetables and herbs this year. Please call Andy Smolen at 847-708-2963 if you are interested in learning more or to reserve a growing space. Please note that if you reserve a space, you must commit to regularly maintaining and weeding the area.

Natural Lawn Care – A Safer Alternative

The Village utilizes natural lawn care on all its properties. Unlike conventional lawn care which relies on chemical fertilizers and pesticides to artificially green your lawn, natural lawn care focuses on restoring balance to the soil system, including nutrients that make a lawn healthy. Over time, your lawn will become naturally healthy, green and beautiful. Please note that the time to apply fertilizer with gluten is the last week in March and the first week in April. Make sure to choose a product with a high protein content.

To learn more about natural lawn care here http://www.villageoffranklinpark.com/living/sustainability_initiatives/

Household Hazardous Waste Collection Available

Cook County residents can dispose of household hazardous waste in an environmentally-friendly manner on Saturday, April 13, from 8 AM to 3 PM at the Brookfield Zoo in the North Parking Lot at 8400 W. 31st Street. Items that will be accepted include medicines, chemical cleaners, aerosol and oil-based paints, paint thinners, antifreeze, weed killers, insecticides, pesticides, and similar hazardous household products.

Batteries and electronic waste will also be collected. Smoke detectors, agricultural chemicals, controlled substances and sharps will not be accepted. Latex paint is not considered hazardous; it can be dried and put out you’re your regular trash. Contractor, agricultural, business, governmental, commercial, industrial, school or public works wastes cannot be accepted. Please contact the MWRD, the event organizer, with questions at 312-751-6633.

Download event flyer here ............

Branch Pick-up Schedule for 2019

The Village will begin regular branch pick-up service on April 1. Please place all reasonably sized branches where you put your trash for collection by 7 AM on Monday of the pick-up week indicated below. The branches will be picked-up sometime by the end of the day Friday.

If your branches are put out late (after 7 AM on Monday of the pick-up week), it is possible that you could miss the pick-up. Village trucks begin promptly and if they have already driven through your section of town, your branches will not be collected until the next scheduled pick-up week. Also, please be aware that due to unforeseen circumstances such as storm clean-up, the Village may need to delay a scheduled pick-up. In this situation, we will resume branch collection where we left off the following week.

If you have any questions regarding the pick-up schedule or size and weight requirements, please call 847-671-8252. Pick up weeks are:

April 1, 15, 29
May 13, 28
June 10, 24
July 8, 22
August 5, 19
September 3, 16, 30
October 15, 28

November - weather permitting due to leaf pick-up

Do You Need Help With Government Programs?

Leyden Family Services will be at Village Hall to help residents apply for government assistance programs from 9 to 11:30 AM on the following Wednesdays:

April 10 and 24

May 8 and 22

They can also help you make sense of your medical bills, provide prescription assistance and assist you in applying for license plate discounts and free train and bus passes

Document Checklist BEFORE you visit here...

Senior Citizen, Disabled and Veteran Property Tax Exemptions Available

Make sure to check your property tax bill to verify that you are receiving all the exemptions for which you are eligible. Homeowners, 65 and older are eligible to receive a Senior Homeowner Exemption. You must apply annually to receive this exemption. Renewal notices were mailed. Make sure to return the application immediately.

The Senior Freeze Exemption is available if you have an annual household income of $65,000 or less. There are also exemptions available for Disabled Persons, Disabled Veterans and Returning Veterans. To get more information regarding these exemptions, go to www.cookcountyassessor.com and click on exemptions. Homeowners who are at least 65 years of age by June 1 and whose household income is $55,000 or less can apply for the Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Deferral program.

This tax-relief program works like a loan and allows qualified seniors to defer a maximum of $5,000 per tax year which will not have to be paid until the home is sold. To check eligibility and get an application, go to www.cookcountytreasurer.com.

Quiet Zone Update

The Village has received verbal notification that we have been approved for a $975,000 Pedestrian Rail Safety Grant! The grant will fund a significant portion of the safety improvements needed at the pedestrian crossing at the Calwagner and 25th Street grade crossings and the Metra Station. Next, we will be working with Metra to design and construct the safety improvements. The Village will make street improvements including installing a median barrier at 25th and Ruby. Watch our Village newsletter for updates as we move closer to obtaining a Quite Zone Designation in Franklin Park! .

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Earth Month

Every April, people across the globe celebrate Earth Day. But in Franklin Park we take sustainability very seriously. So, we are designating April as EARTH MONTH! Earth Day was established in 1970 to focus on how we can best maintain and sustain our planet’s precious resources. Protecting those resources is a solemn commitment we must undertake every day. The earth is our home, and charity begins at home.

The Village will participate with the Park District of Franklin Park at their free annual Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 20 from Noon to 2 PM at North Park. There will be a variety of sustainability vendors participating including a demonstration on how to recycle correctly. If you have recycling questions, check our Recycling Guide on the Village website.

The Village will have electronic recycling available and will also collect old cell phones. Our Police Department will take your expired or unused medications so that they can be disposed of safely. Never flush medications; they will taint our water supply.

Protecting Our Species

The conservationist and author Rachel Carson warned in 1962 that “In nature, nothing exists alone.” Man’s activities on the planet affect every living thing. We are all interconnected. We need to be conscious of our environmental footprint. Every species that is lost is an irreversible ecological crisis for our planet. Climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, unsustainable agriculture, pollution and pesticides are causing us to lose species every day. The impacts are far reaching.

It’s imperative that we educate ourselves about how to control our footprint, limit carbon emissions and reuse and recycle consumer products. Along with the Village’s Sustainability Page on our website, our Library is an excellent source for information on how we can include sustainable activities into our everyday life. Simple things such as using a push lawn mower, utilizing our bike and walking paths and mulching grass clippings and leaving them on your lawn are important steps in preserving our species and our planet.

Tree Planting Events

Franklin Park is not only committed to preserving our trees, but also to expanding our tree canopy. Trees provide shade and help to decrease temperatures by 2 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Trees purify our air by removing air pollution and capturing storm water runoff which lightens the load on the Village’s sewers. Urban planners suggest that more green urban space invites pedestrian traffic and fosters community pride, which in turn helps to deter crime.

There will be two tree planting events this year. Everyone is welcome to attend. Prior to the Park District's Earth Day event, join us on Saturday April 20, at 10 AM at 3102 Mannheim. Parking will be available on Houston St. located directly west and behind 3102 Mannheim.

We will also plant trees in honor of Arbor Day on Saturday April 27, at 10 AM. The tree plantings will take place at 10035 Grand Avenue on the parkway in front of U. S. Bank.

Mayor Barrett Pedersen