Zoning Code Update

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Travelon

The Village is proud to be the new home of Travelon. Travelon is an industry leader in providing forward-thinking travel products and accessories with an emphasis on anti-theft features and modern design. Their new facility at 11333 Addison Ave, Unit 200 has 20,000 square feet of office space and nearly 95,000 square feet of warehouse space. Serving as their new headquarters, this facility will accommodate about 100 employees dealing with distribution, design, and product development. Find additional coverage on this ribbon cutting ceremony here!

Jersey Mike's

Mayor Barrett Pedersen and representatives of the Village of Franklin Park celebrated the addition of Jersey Mike’s Subs to the growing retail development at Grand Avenue and Mannheim Road. The sandwich shop prides itself on their use of fresh ingredients and culture of giving—each Jersey Mike's partners with a local charity. Jersey Mike’s has joined AT&T and the future home of Sprint to fill the newest Franklin Park Marketplace development by Glazier at 2830 Mannheim Road!

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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.

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.

Early Voting at Village Hall Starts March 2

Early Voting will take place for the March 17, 2020 Presidential Primary Election from March 2-16. Franklin Park’s Village Hall is an early voting site and offers easy access to the voting area from the entrance in the parking lot.

You can also register to vote at ALL Early Vote Sites in Cook County including at the Franklin Park Clerk’s Office. Please note that any voter who needs to register for the first time or file an address change must present two forms of ID, one of which shows the voter's current address.

Below are the Early Voting dates and times.

First Week March 2 - 8

Monday through Saturday - 9AM to 5PM
Sunday – 10AM to 4 PM

Second Week and Final Monday - March 9 – March 16

Monday through Friday - 9AM to 7PM
Saturday - 9AM to 5 PM
Sunday - 10 AM to 4PM

Blood Drive – Donate on March 6

The first Blood Drive of the year will be held on Friday, March 6 from 3-7:30 PM at the Franklin Park Police Station in the Community Room. Thank you for providing the gift of life to someone in need!.

Triton College RSVP Offers Free Tax Assistance

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of West Suburban Cook and Southern DuPage Counties, sponsored by Triton College in River Grove, is offering the Internal Revenue Service’s Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE). This free program is for community members age 60 and older from low- to moderate-income households.

Volunteer tax assistors are specially trained to help individuals with their tax returns including federal tax forms, 1040EZ, 1040A and 1040, and state income tax forms. All tax returns are submitted electronically once completed.

Anyone interested must make an appointment by calling Triton’s RSVP Office at 708-456-0300, Ext. 3895, 9 AM -3 PM, Mondays through Fridays. Please bring W-2 forms from all employers, Form 1099s (interest statements from banks), a copy of last year’s tax return and any other relevant tax information to your appointment.

The tax assistance program will be offered through Tuesday, April 14, at various locations throughout the community. The location schedule is currently as follows:

Mondays: Melrose Park Public Library.
Tuesdays: The Elmwood Park Senior Center and the Eisenhower Library in Harwood Heights.
Wednesdays: The Proviso Township Office in Hillside.
Thursdays: Leyden Township’s Westdale Park in Melrose Park.
Fridays: The Senior Assistance Center in Norridge.
Saturdays: Triton College.

Triton College’s RSVP has provided this program for more than 25 years in partnership with the IRS. Volunteer tax assistors are specially trained individuals and are college-aged students as well as older adults.

Senior Tax Deferral Program Offered by the Cook County Treasurer’s Office

Senior citizens who are hard-pressed to pay their property taxes should contact the Cook County Treasurer’s Office to learn more about the Senior Citizen Real Estate Tax Deferral Program. The program offers loans to cover property tax payments to Senior citizens whose annual household income is $55,000 or less. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2020. For more information, go to cookcountytreasurer.com or call 312-443-5100.

Senior Property Tax Exemption News

A new law passed by state legislators allows for the automatic renewal of the Senior Exemption. This means that a senior homeowner only has to apply once, instead of applying each year to prove they are 65 or older.

Prior recipients of the Senior Exemption should have received a postcard in the mail informing them that they no longer need to reapply. New applicants for the Senior Exemption must apply this year and thereafter it will automatically renew. Please note, the Homeowner and Senior Exemptions are the only two exemptions that renew automatically each year.

Prior recipients of the Senior Freeze Exemption received renewal forms in the mail in January with a application due date of February 13. The Senior Freeze Exemption still needs to be applied for each year.

Renewal applications for the Disabled Persons, Disabled Veterans and Long Time Occupant Exemptions will be mailed in early February and can be downloaded from www.cookcountyassessor.com at that time. Taxpayers may also call the County Assessor’s office at 312-443-7550 and request applications or visit cookcountyassessor.com/Exemptions/ to learn more about these exemptions.

Congressman Mike Quigley’s staff at Village Hall – February 26

Are you frustrated with the federal government and need help cutting through red tape? Do you need help with federal issue including veteran’s affairs, Medicare, immigration, social security, and more? Plan to visit Village Hall to meet with staff from Congressman Mike Quigley’s office on Wednesday, February 26 from 4 to 6 PM for assistance.

Municipal Aggregation Program to Restart in January

The Board recently voted to restart the Municipal Aggregation program because the Village’s program now will feature 100% renewable energy, unlike what ComEd supplies. The program’s rate will be identical to ComEd’s rate; it will not be not be higher or lower. Additionally, the supplier (Eligo Energy) will provide the Village with monetary funds to be used for renewable energy projects, such as electric car charging stations.

The program will begin in January and have a two-year term. Residents will receive a letter from the Village explaining the program which will be mailed in mid-November. Residents can opt out of the program at no charge, if they do not wish to participate. Please note that no one from ComEd, Eligo, or the Village will call or visit your home to ask you to enroll. If you are contacted and told that you must enroll, you may file a complaint with the Illinois Commerce Commission.

FAQ Green Electric Aggregation Franklin Park.

Get Help Applying for Government Assistance Programs

No appointment is necessary to meet with Leyden Family Services at Village Hall on the following Wednesdays from 9 to 11:30 AM:

Jan 29th
Feb 5th and 19th
March 4 and 18th
April 8th and 22nd
May 6th and 20th.

Staff can assist you to apply for Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, the Medicare Savings Program and LIHEAP. They can help you make sense of your medical bills, obtain prescription assistance and to get license plate discounts and free train and bus passes! Bring your Social Security award letter and paycheck stubs that show the amount of income you receive. Check the Document Checklist before you visit here ....

Quiet Zone Update

The Village has received a $1,416,343 Pedestrian Rail Safety Grant to 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. We are 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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COUNT FRANKLIN PARK IN!

The 2020 Census is Easy, Safe and Important

It is vitally important that everyone in our Village respond to the Census accurately and within the established time frame.

The results of the Census determine the number of representatives Franklin Park will have in the US Congress and in the Illinois General Assembly. It also determines the allocation of federal funds which help to support important programs and projects in our community including healthcare, housing, education and transportation. The bottom line is that the more people who are accurately counted in the Census, the more money Franklin Park will get from State and Federal funds.

Who Gets Counted?

The Census count should include everyone in your household, no matter their age, gender or ethnicity. People who may be living at your address temporarily should be counted too.

This information is NOT and CANNOT by federal law be shared with any other agency, including law enforcement, the FBI or ICE. It is solely for the purpose of knowing how many residents are actually in our Village. Extraordinary steps have been taken to protect your privacy and to secure your data from being hacked.

For the first time, you may respond to the Census on-line by using a computer, tablet or a mobile device. You can also respond by phone or by mail. In-person visits will only be conducted when residents have not responded.

Beginning in mid-March, residents will receive a post card inviting you to participate in the Census on-line and it will include a personal code. This code is required in order to complete the Census on-line.

If you would like to respond to the Census on-line but do not have access to a computer, you can use the computer at the Franklin Park Library for free. Library staff may be available to assist you if you need help.

The Census Questions Are Simple

How many people are living in your household?
Do you own or rent?
Are there any additional people who may be staying with you?
What is the name, sex, age and date of birth of everyone in your household?
Are you of Hispanic, Latin or Spanish origin?
What is your phone number?

Please note that the Census Bureau will never ask for your Social Security number, bank or credit card numbers or anything related to political parties or donations.

We will continue to keep you informed about completing the Census Count. Information will be available on our website, the Village’s Facebook Page and through our newsletters. Also, good paying jobs are available to help with the Census count. The jobs provide great pay, flexible hours and paid training. To apply, please contact our office at 847-671-8236.

An accurate 2020 Census count will help everyone in our community. Franklin Park is COUNTING on you to participate!

Year of Living Green and Sustainably

This month we feature easy ways to reduce your heating, cooling and electricity costs. Assessing energy usage will save money and reduce reliance on fossil fuel. A simple, room-by-room examination of your home can pinpoint energy inefficiencies and provide an illustration of your home’s energy use. Check windows and doors for leaks and drafts.

Installing better weather stripping will keep the heat in and the cold out, allowing you to lower the thermostat and your bill. Much of a home’s energy is lost through the roof. Check the insulation and if your upstairs rooms are colder in the winter and hotter in the summer, it may be time for new insulation. Installing energy efficient light bulbs, unplugging electronics when not in use, washing clothes in cold water and line drying when possible are easy ways to save energy.

Please check our Sustainability Page to learn more about Nicor’s Energy Efficiency Rebate Program and ComEd’s Smart Energy Programs including information on solar energy. We all share our planet- let’s all share in its care!

Mayor Barrett Pedersen