These offices are the least efficient, non staffed, slowest process, longest wait time. It's 2pm on…read morea Monday and every single window is closed. Meanwhile in the waiting area it's full of elderly, blind, disabled people waiting for hours. Update an hour later and windows still closed. The window open and close often. When first open it takes them 10 min to even call some one up. I bet every window will open now that it's closer to 4pm. This is worse than the dmv. I didn't think it could get worse.

Today I had to go to the social security office in North Riverside concerning my benefits, (never…read moreanything I want to do). I had the pleasure of being helped by Maria Ledesma who understood my problem and took great efforts to fix my dilemma, she was quick, and easy to talk to, and was able to set me on the right track for resolution. The receptionist was also helpful as well. I was in and out in 30 minutes.

Due to the weather that's been impacting Illinois I am not able to continue family reunion for…read moreAugust 15. I'll call today August 14 at 10:30 and was told I was not able to be refund, but if I call I yesterday the 13th, maybe they would have considered it. It's sad because those who work at the preserve know that it has been storming and I have been without power for the last four days.

This is the headquarters of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. We are so lucky to have…read morethis institution here as well as sister agencies in the suburbs and other areas of Illinois. I'm from Oregon which has lots hiking, state parks, and so on, but the forest preserves are special. They provide a lot of great programming and the agency maintains over 70,000 acres of woodlands, wetlands, trails, and other outdoor spaces in Cook County. My experience with the FPDCC has been to attend various programs they're hosting. Usually those are some sort of hike or trail walk with a naturalist providing context and education along the way. Whilst there's several nature centers (kind of akin to the field houses at parks in the Chicago Park District) in the FPDCC system with different amenities, there are picnic groves, walking/hiking trails, camp sites, aquatic centers, and places for folks to have events, etc. I've been to the more "typical" events you'd expect of a forestry agency, such as a night hike at Sand Ridge Nature Center; hike learning about and looking for beaver activity at Trailside; owl education at River Trail Nature Center; and so on. An event about nature journaling held by a FPDCC volunteer piqued my interest in learning more about and doing some nature journaling, and led me to join the Chicago Nature Journaling Club. But they also have tried to expand to include some cultural programming and that's totally my bag. One of the signature programs supported by the department of Conservation & Experiential Programming is the American Indian Center's annual pow wow at Schiller Woods. I haven't been to that yet but it's on my list! Today I went to one of the Black History Month programs they're hosting, which was a lecture-style program with an indoor poetry trail and a discussion and introduction to Black naturalists and environmentalists from the Chicago area and beyond. It was a really interesting presentation and I'm only sad that I was the only person besides the employees who showed up! But we did have some good conversation about trying to reconnect Black folks to nature, environmental racism, how the issues early Black activists were concerned about are still germane today, and what folks are doing in the present to ensure these concerns remain part of the conversation. I really appreciate the discussion I had with Art, Bill, and Will. I'll be attending the BHM program at Sand Ridge that is a self-guided tour through trails that connected to the Underground Railroad. The forest preserves are fascinating, y'all!

I've had the opportunity to find myself up in Forest Park in the last year. Some people refer it as…read morethe Oak Park's stepchild, it really isn't it surely doesn't have as much however why should it? It's smaller. What it does have, is a nice small town main street feel on Madison Ave. starting at Harlem going west. Here you have a mix of diner's to casual eateries, an independent coffee house, and a couple of franchises, some bars, a hipster brew pub that serves up really good food, a liquor store, a place that teaches archery, and a bakery that specializes in brownies along with some healthy treats. Surrounding this you have a mix of single family and multi-unit homes that remind me of the Oak Park next door, you also will find a mix of condos, some were built in the early 70s those are value priced, however newer builds are coming up with indoor heated garages, etc. Overall prices and taxes are lower. The area is serviced by Pace for buses, however the real perk is the Blue Line ends here making commuting to the city a breeze. A surprising nice area close to Oak Park and the city. An afternoon is enjoyable, and I could almost live there, if only it were on the lake. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY IT WAS CHANGED TO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE? NOT THE WAY I PUT IN THE REVIEW, I HAD NO DEALINGS WITH THEIR COC.

Village government is a joke. Few services for the exorbitant property taxes. Have lived here for…read more28 years.

Red Light Ticket Trap at Harlem Ave. & Lake St. Got $100…read moreticket for turning right on red at 10:30pm with no pedestrians around. The camera flashed when I was 10 feet from the intersection. I had slowed way down but did not make the final tap on the brakes. Went to Village Hall to go before the Judge and he ruled I was liable. He said I still needed to go to a total stop before turning red and that No Turn on Red with Pedestrians was secondary to the complete stop. I am unsure about the brain power over at the Village hall. They need to take the hundreds of thousands they make on the Red light ticket trap to develop more parking for their Municipal Building. It has a ridiculous 4 spots for people coming to conduct official business! They are also spending their money installing concrete bump-outs on Chicago Ave to impede snow plows and yellow sticks on Washington Blvd to block left turns and back up traffic.

Oak Park's parking enforcement department has a serious selective enforcement problem, and I have…read morethe documentation to prove it. Time and time again, I have witnessed two vehicles parked in close proximity where one has more severe or repeat violations and receives absolutely nothing: no ticket, no citation, no warning. Meanwhile, a vehicle with a valid license and a paid permit parking pass gets cited for something trivial. This is not an isolated incident. This is a pattern. At this point I have to ask, what is driving these decisions? Because from the outside, it doesn't look like enforcement. It looks like targeting. There is no logical explanation for why the most egregious violators walk away clean while compliant, paying residents get penalized. The people who are actually invested in this community: paying for permits, following the rules, deserve fair and consistent treatment. That is the bare minimum expectation of any municipal department. Right now, that expectation is not being met. This is not something I'm going to let go. I will continue to document every instance, continue sharing what I find with community members, and continue escalating this through every appropriate channel available until there is real accountability. The hypocrisy here is not just frustrating, it's a legitimate problem that deserves serious attention.

Police and Fire are good and the rest of the departments are nothing to brag about. Overpriced in…read moreall aspects of living. There are nice people but way too many that think they are big shots living in Oak Park. Oak Park is not the village it once was. It's much like living in a Socialist Republic. You can do much better in another city, town or village and another township. Just cross Austin Blvd into Chicago and you can find better prices and services. Oak Park if you are a renter is the pits as they offer basically no protection for bad landlords and also if you know someone that is what you need to get anything done or for them to look the other way.

Everyone in this place is so friendly! It's a cute neighborhood post office. Never had any issue…read morehere.

I purchased an item that had to make its way through this Post Office. Unfortunately, the item…read morenever made it out. Getting anyone on the phone here is a joke. USPS still hasn't located the package, but thankfully, I got a refund from the company. If USPS hasn't investigated this location, they should. When you Google this location, you'll find dozens of customers who have written reviews about how their items have gotten "lost" here. Pray that you never have a package that has to come through this location because this is where packages come to get stolen, er, lost.

Nazia helping out ICE is all you need to know. anyone who fights for trump's SS army is a traitor…read moreto this country. lol esp at the poc members of the force who sold out their great grandparents' memory

Why is it that Law and Justice are two different things and its as if they aren't associated…read more There are services that landowners need the help of Cook County Sheriff's to help enforce which come with a cost.. a fee which has to be paid. But when the County can't commit or delay for months at a time, your monies are lost! Why T.F. do we pay taxes? I needed work done by the Sheriff's office which they were to act on a court ruling. Since all the legwork is done through lawyers, at first, they said the Sheriff's could only go out when the weather got better! Why?? They aren't doing any manual labor.. And at the time they were quoting an estimated time of 6-8 weeks! 6-8 Weeks later, nothing has been done. So I had the work done on my own. Now I'm told the fee is non-refundable! I wish they would remember these "lost fee's" when they call your house looking for a donation! Or when they ask the public to pay more money for taxes to help support them. How about supporting us?? the good guys, the ones you don't have to go and arrest. The ones that smile at you on the street or waive hello. The ones that defend you and think that you stand for........... something?

Working with the Bellville office has been the worst experience. The Supervisor Emily Posth does…read morenot return calls, lies and uses deceptive practices. She does not uphold her duties to work in the best interests of reuniting family. She fosters an environment where the social workers under her are the most incompetent and negligent individuals you will ever deal with. They continually contradict what they advise and speak to you in a very condescending manner. They know that families are at the mercy of DCFS and take no urgency to resolve any issues. Emily Posth does not and will not uphold you nor your child best interests. She will personally use deceptive practices and make up lies. Move with extreme caution if you ever have to work with her incompetent staff. you need to be careful in dealing with them. I have so much empathy for anyone that's has had to encounter her! She is a horrible example of Supervisor. It no wonder this office has a running list of issues and a terrible turnaround. She has absolutely no accountability!

They are the most unprofessional government agency! They don't help families. They destroy families…read moreand go on false accusations! They need to learn how to do their jobs properly. They drag every thing out. My husband wrote a letter to the governor! I hope they get in trouble for how they treat people.

Amazing! Offers something for everyone! Very helpful when ordering books and movies! My grandson…read moreloves it when he comes into town as there is a playroom in the downstairs children's library! The staff is exemplary! In a small town we are very fortunate to have such a great library!

I came here on Saturday to update my library card. I moved to the Forest Park Area a few months…read moreago. I looked online and was happy that they were offering a complimentary parking pass to The Chicago Botanic Garden. The guy behind the counter was nice and helpful. It took him some time to get my information to get my library card. I walked around a bit and this library is quite nice. Very nice and clean on the inside and outside. There are many programs and workshops this place offers. You can check online for events young, teens and adults. I love the banner outside that says "Everyone is Welcome" Its also cool that FPL is Fine Free which permanently eliminates fines.