The Village Board has been instrumental in wrecklessly dismantling our historic downtown. This Board and previous Boards appear to have failed in their appointed role to be good stewards of our community's resources. Handing over these precious spaces of the community in our Downtown to profit-taking of out of town developers isn't their only sin. Voting to spend 6M needlessly to restreet the Marion Street Mall is the most recent abuse of power by the Board.

Consider these facts: historic height, density and destruction in our Downtown where structures are falling like dominos, while other suburbs try to recreate in their downtowns that which we already have, charming architecture, ambiance, interesting streetscape and a public space. Consider congestion, the need for parking, and the need for open space attendant with the following additional development in downtown Oak Park.

The following new projects have been added within a one to two block radius of the Marion Street Pedestrian Mall, lot line to lot line developments which have eliminated existing parkways, open space, and which tower above existing architecture:

That's 365 units thus far which could include as many as two cars per family.  Soon to be additional developments are...the Schiess/Taxman projects at Home and South Boulevard where the developer has asked for seven zoning variances; the project at Maple and South Boulevard proposed to be 6 or 7 stories with anywhere from 72-96 condos; and the project at Forest and Lake replacing the Pancake House, the public parking structure and Grace Episcopal Church parking lot. This could easily introduce another couple hundred units.

Why would anyone in their right mind recommend decreasing public space in this area instead of increasing public space for this new infusion of people?

The Marion Street Pedestrian Mall was nominated by Downtown Oak Park, as one of the top twenty public squares in the country in 2004 and the nomination was accepted. What changed? If the Mall has failed, the considered opinion of Fred Kent, head of the Project for Public Spaces and an expert on successful public spaces around the world, publicly stated that it is from neglect and mismanagement. President Pope and Village Manager Tom Barwin were in the audience at the Chicago ArchiCenter when Kent  specifically spoke of Oak Park's Marion Street Mall last week. I was present, too. We all heard the same opinion, Marion Street Mall is failing because of neglect and mismanagement.

Neglect? It couldn't be the more than 90 M in TIF funds over twenty years, basically none of which was spent to improve the Marion Street Mall? Who will step up and take responsibility for that neglect and mismanagement?

Only one trustee has listened to the more than 1500 people who have signed petitions to Save the Marion Street Mall Trustee Robert Milstein and he has been the object of two personal, factless attacks in the local papers because of this. Shame on the local papers for printing such character assassination. Thank  youTrustee Milstein that you are not too proud or too stubborn to admit that maybe the decision to restreet Marion was in error.

This Board by their unwillingness to hear citizens' concerns  about destoying the one refuge left in our busy downtown - a refuge enjoyed by all and a refuge many can envision as an even more delightful, improved public space, has been instrumental in turning this coming election into a referendum on Saving the Marion Street Mall.

I pray for, I long for and I work for.... a time when our public meetings stop being run as if we are filming a commercial for the Royal Bank of Scotland with endless talk while important considerations are sinking in quicksand. I long for.... a time when our leadership demonstrates the good common sense that so often appears sorely lacking in discussion and decisions by this current Village Board.


                                        Christine Vernon
                                         Oak Park, IL 60302
                                         March 19th, 2007

Dear fellow Oak Park residents!

Having moved from Europe, Northern Germany, here, into Oak Park two years ago, visiting it before for  5 more years, the Pedestrian Mall
has been my favourite shopping venue. Every city and town in Germany has such a mall, either in its historic centre or newly built, which always attracts lots of people, especially tourists. And they are much bigger than ours! Here, we have a mall, that is a lot more loved than the village board wants to make the public believe, as the outcry of people, their signatures and protests show.

That there are shops that do not thrive or had to close down only
shows that either they failed to offer something special the locals
would go after or it lacked financial cushioning. Rents are just too
high!

We need to invest our tax money to promote our businesses - WHILE
keeping the mall!

Green it further, e.g. put more potted and hanging flowers there,
built more benches, create a little playground between the Flower
Carriage Shop and Coldstone Creamery, even replace the concrete ground with nice cobble stones and put beautiful lanterns there : REVIVE the Past to Build the Future!

To promote the businesses, lead the car drivers on LAke Street to the
Mall by placing permanent signs with the shops' names there. Give
everyone, especially tourists, all year long a special-offer-booklet
for these and all downtown shops, handed out in the tourist office.
The latter should find a new venue at Lake Street in one of the empty
places, to attract the attention much quicker. Organise regular
village activities, sponsored street-culture-events (music, artists,
stands etc.), involve schools, colleges, businesses in such a program,
which should also highlight the rich culture (Wright, Hemingway etc.)
Create more discount parking lots around the centre for those who shop
there.

Encourage a walk-and-shop culture, because this is the future as
people will gradually learn here in the U.S.A.  Be progressive in such
a way!

WE CANNOT ALLOW THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR MALL THAT WASTES OUR MONEY AND MAKES OAK PARK LESS SAFE AND ATTRACTIVE !

Let us ALL work together towards an Oak Park we still want to live and SHOP in!

Mrs. Almut Roberts
Oak Park