From our good friend Wendy Tannenbaum, President of the North Avenue Business Association:

The North Avenue Business Association Announces 2012 Scholarship Award Recipients

This year’s scholarship award recipients are exceptional

Congratulations to Yazmin Alford & Brianna Harris!

Yazmin Alford, graduated from Oak Park & River Forest High School. She was a member of the student council, the Black Organization for Student Success Club and performed her poems in the Spoken Word Poetry Club. She can’t wait to start college. This summer she’ll be attending DePaul University majoring in accounting and minoring in marketing.

Brianna Harris, graduated from Steinmetz Academic Centre. She was ranked seventh in her class, participated in the International Baccalaureate Program (a rigorous academic program), was an exchange student, an accomplished track star and volunteered at a food depository. She is attending DePaul University majoring in business management; then further train in Paris in the art of pastries.

NABA’s Scholarship Program was established in 2006. Two scholarship awards are presented to neighborhood graduating high school seniors continuing their education as a business major or a business related field. Each scholarship award is $1000.

The NABA Scholarship Program is funded by membership dues, member donations and NABA event drawings. The following members generously donated to the 2012 Scholarship Program.

Thank you for your generous donations!

Austin Music Center
Crown Royal Jewelry & Loan
FirstMerit Bank
Joe Graber
The Larry Friedman Insurance Agency
Lee Owens of Obey Media, LLC
Minuteman Press of Oak Park
Prairie Title

Special thanks to the Scholarship Committee for their efforts: Debbie Fossey, Denise Kozel and Eric Thompson.

News on North Avenue

Congratulations to My Mother’s Kitchen, 6818 W. North Avenue, for being featured in Chicago Magazine’s April issue.

Congratulations to Gale-Oak Barber Shop, 6836 W. North Avenue, retiring after 60 years of business on North Avenue.

Wonder Works: A Children’s Museum in Oak Park, 6445 W. North Avenue had a complete makeover! Be sure to stop by and visit!

Welcome new businesses to North Avenue

Desensi & Associates, CPA
6842 W. North Avenue, Chicago

Get Fit Now
6810 W. North Ave, Chicago

Lucky Taco
6204 W. North Ave, Chicago

Liberty Tax
7057 W. North Avenue, Oak Park

Sankofa-It’s in the Bag Boutique
6110 W. North Avenue, Chicago

Subway, 6620 W. North Avenue, Chicago
(under new management)

Geraci Law LLC
7001 W. North Avenue, Oak Park

Brighter Days Learning Center
6441 W. North Avenue, Oak Park

 Support the North Avenue Business District!

From our good friend Wendy Tannenbaum, the President of the North Avenue Business Association:

On June 9th, NABA held its first Clean and Green on North Avenue.  On a hot and humid day, thirty North Avenue businesses and community members volunteered and participated in a clean up of North Avenue’s parkways and sidewalks, by picking up litter, weeding and sweeping.

NABA thanks everyone for their efforts!
Those that participated felt a sense of community

Village Trustee Ray Johnson joined us in this effort.  36th Ward Alderman Nicholas Sposato stopped by.  The Robert Gray Insurance Agency closed their office for the day, as their employees took part.   New neighbor to North Avenue, Redeemer Church, sent five volunteers.  Labor Ready sponsored two laborers.   Volunteers came as far as Calumet City, Plainfield, Berwyn, LaGrange and Park Ridge.

NABA acknowledges our sponsors for this event.
With certainty, their participation and assistance
made this event a success!

Rakes, shovels, brooms, gloves & safety vests
Alderman Deborah L. Graham, 29th Ward
Alderman Nicholas Sposato, 36th Ward
Village of Oak Park, Department of Public Works
Labor Ready

Eatables, beverages, carts, misc. necessities
ABC Bank
Charter One Bank
Walgreens
Lee Owens of Obey Media
Sears
Serrelli’s Finer Foods

Lunch
The Larry Friedman Insurance Agency

Bathroom, Dumpster or Water Sponsors
ABC Bank
Al Mart Furniture & Bedding
Austin Music Center
Charter One Bank
Performance Massage Therapy
US Bank
US Cellular
Yonan Carpet One

Special thanks to ABC Bank for hosting this event, Valerie Medina, Joe Graber, Larry Friedman, Lee Owens, Retired OP Police Officer Brian Slowiak and Oak Park Recycling Coordinator, Karen Rozmus.

From our good friend, Wendy Tannenbaum, President North Avenue Business Association.

IDOT Harlem Avenue resurfacing project:

The contractor will be grinding the asphalt and placing binder south of I 290 the week of May 21st – 25th. They anticipate grinding and placing binder between I 290 and North Avenue the week of June 4th. There will likely be minor curb and sidewalk replacement for the entire Oak Park stretch starting next week and lasting until the end of the month.

IDOT North Avenue resurfacing project (Elmwood to Ridgeland & Austin to Central):

The contractor just recently received permits and has just started to work on this project again. They are currently removing manhole frames in the pavement so they can grind the street. Next week the contractor will be removing and replacing sections of concrete curb and sidewalks. The contractor anticipates grinding the pavement and replacing binder following the concrete work, approximately the week of May 28th. The majority of the work will be done east of Austin Avenue to Central and there will be a two block section of construction between Elmwood and Ridgeland.

Thanks to Wendy for all her hard work and for keeping us up to date on the goings on up around North Avenue.  As Wendy says, “Take your business in a new direction. Go NORTH! Join the North Avenue Business Association. Stay Informed. Get Connected. And support the North Avenue Business District.“

From the wonderful and hard-working President of the North Avenue Business Association, Ms. Wendy Tannenbaum:

North Avenue Business Association’s 2012 Business to Business Expo was a Success!

Over 50 business owners/municipal representatives joined us at NABA’s B2B on March 22nd.    Many that attended stated the atmosphere was light and easy and that they had connected with other businesses.

Thank you to Kally Walsh and the staff at Shriners Hosptial for Children for their assistance and for hosting our event;  NABA is proud to partner with Shriners Hospital.

Special thanks to financial advisors Dwight Atchley and James Kingsley from Edward Jones, for sponsoring our breakfast and to Woody Mosgers, from What Goes With What, who made breakfast popovers.

NABA would like to acknowledge the following businesses and municipal representatives who participated as exhibitors:

• CAA, The Hearing Place
• City of Chicago, Alderman Nicholas Sposato, 36th Ward
• City of Chicago 29th Ward Office (Alderman Deborah Graham)
• City of Chicago, Office of Emergency Management & Communications
• City of Chicago Police, 25th District
• Cook County State’s Attorneys, Community Justice Center
• Edward Jones
• FirstMerit Bank
• Farmers Insurance Group, Robert Gray Insurance Agency
• Hair it is…by Darla
• Kumon Math & Reading Center of River Forest
• Labor Ready
• Larry Friedman Insurance Agency
• Minuteman Press of Oak Park
• Obey Media, LLC
• Oak Park Development Corporation
• Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce
• Sassetti LLC
• SCORE Chicago
• Shriners Hospitals for Children-Chicago
• State of Illinois, State Representative, 78th District Camille Lilly
• State of Illinois, State Senator, 39th Distinct, Don Harmon
• US Bank
• US Cellular
• Village of Oak Park, Village Clerk Teresa Powell
• Village of Oak Park Departments of Emergency Management & Response, Health, Police, Public Works, Recycling, and Business Services

Finally, I want to express my appreciation to the following businesses and individuals who donated items for the drawing and for other assistance during this event:

FirstMerit Bank, Joe Graber, Hair it is…by Darla, Labor Ready, Larry Friedman Insurance Agency, Maria Hayley, Minuteman Press of Oak Park, Panera Bread, Robert Gray Insurance Agency, Starbucks Coffee Company, US Cellular, 3Planets.com, and Sylvia Zamora

Thank you to everyone for participating in this event and for your part in making this event a success!

From our good friend, Wendy Tannenbaum, President North Avenue Business Association:

The City of Chicago unveiled a snow response website at www.chicagoshovels.org to assist residents and businesses during severe winter weather.  The site has a GPS system which will feature real time locations of Chicago snowplows.

The site includes online winter apps that will help people better navigate during the winter months.  Twoinch.es informs and alerts drivers of winter snow routes and parking bans.  Wasmycartowed.com uses data to assist with towed or relocated cars. There’s also a shovel-share program.

Call Oak Park’s snow info line at 708/358-SNOW (7669) to find out if the emergency snow parking ban is in effect.

For more info, go to Oak Park’s website at www.oak-park.us/publicworks.   Then click on the Winter Snow link.   Find out info about winter snow parking routes, snow parking FAQ’s and restrictions and sidewalk shoveling requirements. For more info, contact the Department of Public Works at 708/358-5700.

Shoveling requirements

Below, please find the requirements for snow removal from the City of Chicago and the Village of Oak Park.   To view, please click below:

• Chicago Snow Removal Ordinance
• Oak Park Snow Removal Ordinance

Emergency Preparedness Resources

NABA has put together an Emergency Preparedness Resource list. This valuable list includes phone numbers and websites.  To view,  click on NABA Emergency Preparedness Resource List.

Chicago’s Emergency Preparedenss info and resources:  www.AlertChicago.org

Oak Park’s link to Emergency Preparedness Planning and Response, go to: www.oak-park.us/prepared/index.htm.

Sign up for Emergency Alert Notifications:

Sign up to receive emergency alert notifications at www.AlertChicago.org.

Sign up for alerts from Oak Park’s Community Notification System by using this link: www.oak-park.us/notifyme/. You can be notified by phone, email or text when the no parking ban goes into effect.

Seconds Count in the Event of an Emergency

Please attach address numbers on the back of your building or garage abutting the alley, so that emergency vehicles can find your residence or place of business in the event of an emergency.