Village of

FIRE DEPARTMENT

Can you believe we are beginning the 10th month of the year - October 2015! Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner and will be here before we know it.

September has been a busy month here at the Village Hall. Completing projects that always seem to extend past the target date is always an issue. The street reconstruction and resurfacing projects are underway and, although an inconvenience for those residing and driving on those streets, I m sure you will agree that the end result will be worth the wait. I caution all those driving, walking near or in the construction areas to be very careful. Surfaces will be uneven, covered in stone, and there may be construction materials placed on parkways and on property near the site. Although efforts are made to barricade or identify these areas, extreme caution needs to be take to avoid any falls, trips, and/or injuries.

Speaking of construction delays, the Carlisle Street storm sewer was placed on hold as a result of a scheduling delay in the relocation by Nicor of

a high pressure gas main at Carlisle and Sunnyside. Nicor is in the process of relocating a 12 inch and 6 inch gas main at the intersection. Hampering their efforts is the amount of bedrock they are encountering which is making the directional boring diffi cult. Nicor indicates they should be completed with their relocation work by October 6th depending on any other issues they may encounter. Berger Construction is scheduled back to work when Nicor has completed the relocation. Unfortunately, this will push back the completion date. The engineering standard is to start downstream and work upstream, in this case from Carlisle to Mayfair. As Village President I apologize for the added inconvenience. I am just as frustrated as you when delays, which in my opinion could be avoided, occur and delay completion of such projects.

SEPTEMBER 18th RAIN EVENTI am pleased to report that on late Friday, September

From the Desk of The President

POLICE DEPARTMENT

VILLAGE CONTACTS

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

CALENDAR

PARK DISTRICT

PUBLIC WORKS

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Captain Jeff Lebeda was honored at the September 22nd Board Meeting on his retirement from the Westchester Fire Depart-ment. Jeff served the Village for twenty-fi ve years from 1990 – 2015. We wish him all the best! Village President Sam Pulia, Chief Jim Adams and members of the Westchester Fire Department were on hand to wish him well. Pictured from left are: Scot Stauber, Eric Biskup, Chief Jim Adams, Matt LeMay, Village President Sam Pulia, Pat Sherlock, Joe Bejlovec, Joe Gerace, Cap-tain Jeff Lebeda, Captain Jim DeBoer, Lt. George Taylor, Rich Mahoney, Captain Sean Casey, Nick Snavely and Dave Stefanik.

WestchesterOctober 2015 Newsletter

Westchester in Pictures2 OCTOBER 2015

Fire DePartmentOCTOBER 2015 3

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This is a stop sign. We ask that you keep our community safe and obey all posted traffic signs within the Village of Westchester. During the summer months we monitored various intersections throughout Westchester and took appropriate enforcement action for motorists that failed to stop at posted stop

signs.We ask that you obey the posted

speed limits as well especially near the school zones in the morning and afternoon hours on school days. Finally we ask that you obey the school bus stop arm when displayed.

It’s Our Town Let’s Slow Down!

1) At 9:56pm on August 18, 2015 a Theft was reported at the Hampton Inn located at 2222 Enterprise Drive. A room guest reported that person(s) unknown entered and removed items from the room.

2) At 6:05pm on August 26, 2015 a Theft was reported on the 1900 block of Mannheim Road. The resident reported that unknown person(s) entered an unlocked garage and removed approximately $3,000 in items.

3) At 4:21pm on August 28, 2015 a Criminal Damage to Property was reported on the 1400 block of Evers. The vehicle owner reported that a foreign substance was thrown onto the car causing the paint to peel.

4) At 7:58am on September 1, 2015 a Burglary was reported on the 9800 block of Roosevelt Road. It was reported that sometime

during the previous night unknown person(s) removed various large power tools and equipment.

5) At 7:49pm on September 6, 2015 an Attempted Burglary was reported on the 10400 block of Canterbury. Unknown person(s) reportedly attempted to gain entry into the house by prying the screen door. No entry was gained.

6) At 4:24pm on September 8, 2015 a Burglary to Auto was reported on the 1600 block of Bristol. Vehicle owner reported that unknown person(s) entered their unlocked vehicle and removed money from the vehicle.

7)At 3:18pm on September 13, 2015 a Burglary to Auto was reported on the 11300 block of Monticello. Owners of the vehicle reported that unknown person(s) entered their unlocked vehicle and removed money from the vehicle.

Police blotter

Watch stop signs

Police DePartment

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18th and early Saturday September 19th, the sever thunderstorms and associated lightning had minimal effect on the Village. During the evening hours, I began to get concerned when I saw the numerous lightning bolts and downpours of rain and how long they would last. While checking all of our problem areas from midnight to 3am, I found all be operating as they should be. My first check was at the Mayfair Retention pond and the surrounding construction area. The rain was intense at times and the Mastodon Creek feeding the reservoir was flowing nicely. There was about 2 feet of concrete showing before the water started entering the spillway, which would have started filling the reservoir. The surrounding streets were draining properly although some street flooding was observed where street inlets were filled with the now falling leaves, and other debris. I cleaned several of them and the water went down without any issue.

From there I drove to the North Side and checked Roosevelt Road under the viaduct where the pooling of water has risen in the past and made the roadway impassable. I‘m pleased to report that the roadway, although wet ,was completely drivable with no issues. From there I checked Addison Creek at

Gardner Road and observed the creek flowing into Broadview without issue. A check of the side streets did have some signs of street flooding but were easily remediated with a cleaning of debris formed on the sewer covers.

Driving back to the area of Wolf and Cermak, I checked the two detention ponds on the east side of the Towers. Both of the ponds were considerably higher, and I believe it is due to the MWRD mandated restrictors doing their job and allowing a managed flow of stormwater into the Wolf Road storm pipe.

Mr. Bill Ostendorf, a long time resident needs to be mentioned and thanked for bringing to our and MWRD’s attention that stormwater was not being retained on the Towers property as it should be.

I also believe that the efforts of the PW staff in vacuuming all of the storm sewers along the state routes of Roosevelt Road from Bristol to Wolf, and on Cermak from Wolf to Gardner, has made a difference. I could ultimately be wrong in a sustained rainfall such as we had in 2010 and 2014, but I truly believe our flood mitigation efforts have made a difference as the recent 2.5 inches had little effect.

THUNDERSTORM DAMAGES STREET LIGHTS

During a severe thunderstorm and rain event on Tuesday, August 18th, well over 50 of the Village owned streetlamps located on the aluminum poles east

of Mannheim Rd were damaged. The severest damage was located in the vicinity of Cromwell and Gladstone where a downed 13 kw power wire with a heat range of 3000 degrees turned asphalt that was touched by the high voltage cable into a green glass like substance similar to “fools gold” called fulgurite. The downed wire also fried the underground wiring and severely damaged many of the LED lights and their drivers perched on top. An analysis of the problem is presently underway with our insurance carrier IRMA and ComEd officials. Presently I cannot give an accurate time frame of the repair and replacement. Residents have been notified of the situation by letters dropped off by PW employees. It is suggested that residents who have pole and or coach lights keep them operating until the repairs can be made.

Similar issues, but with less underground damage, occurred with 29 LED light heads in an area from I290 to Cermak and Westchester Blvd to Gardner Road.

VILLAGE OWNED STREET LIGHT SYSTEM

A total of 507 street light heads were retro-fitted with LED Retrofit kits two years ago. After last summer’s outage, it was determined that there was NO suppression equipment installed in the 20 street light control boxes or on any of the 507 light poles. Although fuses

were installed inside the pole when they were originally installed in the late 1970’s there was no suppression equipment attached. As a result of last year’s outage, all of the control boxes were updated and 150 poles were updated as well. An additional 360 suppressors have been purchased and installation began in mid-September circuit by circuit. I have asked that the circuits having outage clusters along the same street be repaired first as there is considerable darkness over these stretches of street. Discussions with the manufacturer have been underway for possible warranty work should the LED head and drivers need replacing. Each pole is having a well being check done to determine whether they are grounded properly, the fuses are in working order, and any other visible problems that can remedied before the new replacement LED heads are replaced.

As of September 22nd, 250 of the remaining 307 poles have been given a clean bill of health.

By the time this article is delivered the additional 107 will be checked and the installation of replacement LED heads and drivers will be underway where necessary. As you can imagine, there is a considerable cost associated with this project. Depending on what is needed, replacement heads, drivers, and labor could be in excess of $350 per pole.

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Hopefully with the placement of all of the additional precautions our system will survive severe thunderstorms in the future. I am not confident that any warranty will be in effect as I’m sure the “Act of God” clause associated with lightning strikes will be invoked.

Until this situation is rectified I will suggest that coach lights and pole lights be lit for safety purposes. The police department is well aware of the non-functioning of the streetlights and Chief Carpino was stepped up the side street patrols.

In my research of the effects of lightning I found a considerable amount of information on Wikipedia on the topic. I have attached a portion of the information for your perusal. A lightning strike is an electric discharge between the atmosphere and an earth-bound object. They mostly originate in the thundercloud and terminate on the ground, called cloud to ground (CG) lightning. A less common type of strike, called ground to cloud (GC), is upward propagating lightning initiated from a tall grounded object and reaches into the clouds. About 25% of all lightning events worldwide are strikes between the atmosphere and earth-bound objects. The bulk of lightning events are intracloud (IC) or cloud to cloud (CC), where discharges only occur high in the atmosphere.

A single lightning event is a “flash”, which is a complex, multi-stage process, some parts of which are not fully understood. Most ground to cloud flashes only “strike” one physical location, referred to as a “termination”. The primary conducting channel, the bright coursing light that may be seen and is called a “strike”, is only about one inch in diameter, but because of its extreme brilliance, it often looks much larger to the human eye and in photographs. Lightning discharges are typically miles long, but certain types of horizontal discharges can be upwards of tens of miles in length. The entire flash lasts only a fraction of a second. Most of the early formative and propagation stages are much dimmer and not visible to the human eye.

Electrical and structural damageTelephones, modems, computers

and other electronic devices can be damaged by lightning, as harmful overcurrent can reach them through the phone jack, Ethernet cable, or electricity outlet. Close strikes can also generate electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) – especially during “positive” lightning discharges.

Lightning currents have a very fast rise time, on the order of 40 kA per

microsecond. Hence, conductors of such currents exhibit marked skin effect, causing most of the currents to flow through the outer surface of the conductor.

In addition to electrical wiring damage, the other types of possible damage to consider include structural, fire, and property damage.

Hundreds of devices, including lightning rods and charge transfer systems, are used to mitigate lightning damage and influence the path of a lightning flash.

A lightning rod (or lightning protector) is a metal strip or rod connected to earth through conductors and a grounding system, used to provide a preferred pathway to ground if lightning terminates on a structure. The class of these products are often called a “finial” or “air terminal”. A lightning rod or “Franklin rod” in honor of its famous inventor, Benjamin Franklin, is simply a metal rod, and without being connected to the lightning protection system, as was sometimes the case in the old days, will provide no added protection to a structure. Other names include “lightning conductor”, “arrester”, “surgitator agitator”, and “discharger”; however, over the years these names have been incorporated into other products or industries with a stake in lightning protection. Lightning arrester, for example, often refers to fused links that explode when a strike occurs to a high voltage overhead power line to protect the more expensive transformers down the line by opening the circuit. In reality, it was an early form of a heavy duty surge protection device (SPD). Modern arresters, constructed with metal oxides, are capable of safely shunting abnormally high voltage surges to ground while preventing normal system voltages from being shorted to ground.

COMED STREET LIGHT UPGRADESThe ComEd owned street lights (with

wooden poles) are scheduled to be upgraded this fall benefitting those residents residing west of Mannheim Rd. The bulb style mercury vapor and high pressure sodium lights will be replaced with energy efficient LED lights. ComEd representatives have been made fully aware of the problems the Village has encountered with the LED lights on the Village owned poles east of Mannheim Rd. ComEd has maintained these poles and lights since they were installed. The Village has not been responsible for these lights other than making a service request if the light was out. Several ComEd municipalities have had their lights changed out with very few issues. The Village of Lombard was mentioned as one of the pilot sites. ComEd crews will be in Westchester surveying their poles the week of Oct 5th. They are planning to begin fixture

installation in mid to late November and we anticipate that it will take 2 to 4 weeks to install the fixtures.

NICOR SYSTEM UPGRADESBy now I’m sure you have seen

construction workers replacing gas lines in the Nixon area of the Village (South of Roosevelt, east of Westchester Blvd.) Last year Nicor upgraded services north of Roosevelt Rd. Work will be continuing for the next few months as they continue their project. Landscape restoration will follow when the project nears completion.

2015 STREET PROGRAM IS UNDERWAY

I’m sure all of you have seen the contract work that is being done in several sections of the Village. Sunnyside from Cermak to Windsor Drive, Norfolk from Drury Ln. to Canterbury and Gladstone from the park to Mannheim are being reconstructed. With the nice weather being a positive, crews are on schedule to complete the job in the not too distant future. Dust and inconvenience are associated with any project. We are asking for your patience during construction and looking ahead to a smoother ride and a more pleasing product when completed.

ELECTRONICS RECYCLING – LAST EVENT OF THE YEAR

The Westchester Environmental Sustainability Commission will be hosting the final recycling event of the year on Saturday, October 10th from 9AM to 11:30 AM at the water tower. We will be shutting down our operation promptly at 11:30AM. As an added bonus, we will also be offering our semi-annual shredding event, where we shred your personal papers on site. The village is encouraging residents to bring documents that may contain private information that is no longer needed. Remember, we are holding the event at the water tower grounds near Cermak Road and Enterprise Drive. Carl Celestino, Commission Chairman and Commission liaison Trustee Angelo Calcagno, Management Assistant Jessica Spencer and all the volunteers are to be commended for their work over the past year. Westchester’s commitment to become “Green” starts with you.

MONTHLY WATER BILLSOver the past few years we have been

exploring the possibility of changing the quarterly water billing to a monthly system. Presently PW staff must walk up and down the street and actually place a “reader” on the small black touchpad attached to your home. As you can imagine this is very time consuming as two employees take several days or even weeks to complete the reading in the various sections of the Village, some are less populated than others.

Westchester is one of the few non Radio Read Villages in the area. Many are upgrading another generation to allow a daily read if required or requested. Unfortunately the Village does not have the money to install “Radio Repeater Towers” to gather the daily information. We are advancing to Radio Readers that will be able to gather information from a moving vehicle driving past the location. A contract was signed early June with Sensus, our current meter manufacturer to supply a small snap on appliance to the outside touchpad. The signal from the appliance (box) will transmit the reading to the passing vehicle equipped with the reading software.

Our plan is to start the program beginning January 1st 2016. We will keep you informed of the progress and where and when the actual start date will be. Presently all of our businesses have radio read control boxes installed on their outside touch pads. We had initially started with our business community before expanding to our residential units.

Hopefully, the monthly billing will prevent residents from receiving a large bill all at once, improve monthly budgeting of our households, and identify unusual high readings monthly instead of waiting for the quarterly bill.

WATER LOSSUnaccounted for water loss has been a

headache for all communities receiving water from Chicago via Lake Michigan. Standards have been changed on the way reporting of unaccounted for water, meaning water that has not been accounted for through a meter device, such as a water main break. As an example if we receive 10 million gallons of water from Chicago each day we need to account for the 10 million gallons through the amount used by residents and businesses and other metered devices. There are certain percentages that Villages will be allowed to be unaccounted for however if we exceed the percentage we will be mandated to identify and make repairs to our system. Our Village crews repaired 53 identified leaks this past year that based on our calculations cost close to $200,000. For the past 2 years we have had spent $40,000 on a private leak detection company to locate our leaks. In some cases, water leaks were entering the storm sewers without having any water visible through the street or parkways. Sixty percent of the water mains in the Village were installed before World War II.

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The Unaccounted-For-Flow Standard required by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will be replaced with a Non-Revenue Water Standard (12% in 2015, decreasing to 10% by 2019). The allowance for maximum unavoidable leakage will no longer be used. Water systems not in compliance with the non-revenue standard will be required to prepare and submit a water system improvement plan. Plumbing code/ordinances must be amended to require that new and replacement plumbing fixtures be a labeled WaterSense product. Our Community Development Director Melissa Headley and our Plumbing Inspector Andy Esposito have presented the amendment to the VIllage Plumbing Code/Ordinance for board approval to comply with the mandated changes.

FIRE CAPTAIN JEFF LEBEDA RETIRES

Captain Jeff Lebeda retired from the Westchester Fire Department on September 30, 2015 after twenty-five years serving the Village. Jeff served proudly from 1990 – 2-15. He was honored at the September 22nd Board Meeting and recognized in appreciation and recognition of his twenty-five years of professional service and dedication to the Village of Westchester and the protection and safety of our citizens. Best wishes, Jeff!

FIRE DEPARTMENT TO HOST OPEN HOUSE

The Westchester Fire Department is holding its annual open house on Wednesday, October 7th from 6 – 9pm. The Firefighters will be passing along public safety information and answering questions about the services provided by the Fire Department. See the list of activities on the Fire Department page in this newsletter. Hope to see you there!

MARIANO’S “STUFF THE SQUAD” FOOD DRIVE

From September 5 through the 19th shoppers visiting our Mariano’s were asked to voluntarily contribute either $5 or $10 dollars to assist our Food Pantry in stocking the shelves through the fall months and well into winter.. 1250 Bags of food were donated at a retail cost of $6,500. The event was the work of many volunteers who collected, sorted, labeled, and boxed the overwhelming number of collected items. It is estimated that the

volunteers donated over 180 hours of their time for this fabulous cause. The Westchester Food Pantry is serving those in need residing in the following communities that touch our borders. Westchester, Hillside, Broadview, Western Springs, LaGrange Park and Bellwood. The Program is being run by Amanda Grant with the assistance of Kathleen Franzwa. Thank you all!

HOLIDAY TREE DONATIONThe Village of Westchester is again

looking for donation of a Holiday Evergreen Tree to be erected in front of the Westchester Fire Station Number One on Roosevelt Road. The evergreen tree has to be able to be accessed easily by our crew. Generally, backyard removals without easy access have been rejected due to safety and potential damage issues. If you are interested in donating your evergreen tree, please contact Gayle Golz, PW Secretary at 708-345-0041. Staff will evaluate the entry along with our vendor Sinnott Tree Service. Entries are due by the end of business on Friday October 31st.

BRIGHTEN A SOLDIER’S HOLIDAYIn a recent conversation I had with

Mr. Andy Maier, I learned that his son Brian is serving in the Air Force and is stationed in Somalia, Africa. He has been proudly serving in the Air Force since 2001. Brian told him that the conditions in Somalia are very rough. Andy and his wife Kathy have been told by Brian that there is a need for basic personal hygiene items (i.e ,soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant and hygiene products). Kathy is working with her coworkers to gather items to send care packages...letters, magazines etc. With the Christmas Season fast approaching, I would like to send some of the requested supplies to those service men and women in his unit. A collection box has been placed in the Village Hall Administrative Office. If you are able to stop by the Village Hall and donate a few items, I’m sure Brian and his company would love to receive a package from the USA. We will be collecting items the months of October and November and will be sending them off in time for Christmas.

LIVIBILITY SURVEY TO BE CONDUCTED

The Village will be conducting a livability survey of residents from October 1st through December 31st with the intention of learning more about what residents want and need to continue to live in their homes as they age. Hosted by AARP, this survey will allow the Village to create an advisory committee of residents, business owners, non-profit and public organizations to help guide the Village in future planning needs. We ask that

all residents over the age of 18 take this survey. To be part of the advisory committee, please complete the last page of the survey with your contact information so we can speak with you. You can access the survey online at www.westchester-il.org or www.surveymonkey.com/r/VOWlivability. You can also pick up a paper version of the survey at Jewel, 2128 S Mannheim Rd; Mariano’s, 3020 Wolf Rd; Westchester Park District, 10201 Bond St and 10835 Wakefield St; Westchester Public Library, 10700 Canterbury St; Joe’s Place, 1551 Westchester Blvd; Paul’s Pizza, 3044 Wolf Rd; or Village Hall. Once complete, you can drop off the survey at any of these locations as well. If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Spencer at 708-345-0020.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

October is Beast Cancer Awareness Month. I know we all know of someone has or has had breast cancer; some of whom have passed away. I have provided some information from the American Cancer Society Web Site for your review.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, other than skin cancer. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, after lung cancer. The chance of a woman having invasive breast cancer some time during her life is about 1 in 8. The chance of dying from breast cancer is about 1 in 36. Breast cancer death rates have been going down. This is probably the result of finding the cancer earlier and better treatment. Right now there are more than 2.9 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. For more information about breast cancer, how to find it early, and how to help finish the fight against the disease, visit contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 anytime, day or night. The following steps provided by the American Cancer Society can help you stay well and improve your odds against breast cancer:

The earlier breast cancer is found, the better. Sign up for our breast cancer screening reminder and we’ll remind you based on our early detection guidelines. If you are 40 or older, get a mammogram and breast exam every year and report any breast changes to your doctor right away.

You can help reduce your breast cancer risk by maintaining a healthy weight throughout life, being physically active on a regular basis (at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week) and limiting alcohol intake to less than 1 drink each day for women (2 drinks for men).

Learn more ways you can fight breast

cancer at www.cancer.org.

FIRE DEPARTMENT SUPPORTS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

The Westchester Fire Department is selling Breast Cancer Awareness T-shirts at Fire Station One. The shirts are available for a purchase price of $20. All proceeds go to Breast Cancer Awareness. Please stop in and support this beneficial cause!

WINTER ROAD SAFETYI know many of us do not want to

think about winter and salting streets however the Village through its co-operative purchasing with the State of Illinois Central Management Services has secured a price of $60.54 per ton this year. The salt will be provided from the Cargill Company instead of Morton Salt where we received it in prior years. Our normal order is 2500 tons with a 20% over or under depending on the Village needs. Presently our salt bin still has an adequate supply to get us going prior to the added supply should the need arise. In contrast, we have paid $122 and up to $195 per ton when the salt barges could not traverse the Mississippi River two years ago.

WALK TO SCHOOL DAYThe Illinois Department of

Transportation and Illinois State Board of Education are partnering to encourage schools throughout the state to participate in the annual International Walk to School Day event on Wednesday, October 7th. The worldwide event is an opportunity to ensure that children can safely walk to school, while encouraging them to improve their health and consider the environment in their daily routine.

“This event benefits everyone and it is great to see students learning about healthy lifestyles and alternative travel options,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn. “We encourage students statewide to participate in this event by walking to school.”

This event originated in Chicago in 1997 as National Walk our Children to School Day, in an effort to create community awareness about making it safe for children to walk to school.

“It is our pleasure to get behind this important day that teaches healthy choices and stresses student safety,” said State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith, Ph.D. “We can’t take these elements for granted and expect our children to be ready and eager to learn once they arrive in the classroom.”

Schools planning to participate in the event are encouraged to spend time instructing students on pedestrian safety beforehand. Visit www.

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walkbiketoschool.org for registration information. Click here for a list of participating Illinois schools. Schools throughout the country held more than 4,700 International Walk to School Day events in 2014.

COLUMBUS DAY PARADEMonday, October 12th, is Columbus

Day. The City of Chicago will be hosting the 63rd Annual Columbus Day Parade. The Parade is sponsored by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans. The 2015 Columbus Day Chairman Sal Perricone will lead the line of marchers, with JCCIA President Frank Cerrone, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and many other dignitaries from city, state and the Italian community. The Columbus Day parade has over 150 units, bands, floats and marchers. All ethnicities are invited to join the parade. The Parade will be on State Street from Wacker to Van Buren. Festivities begin at 9am with a Mass at the Shrine of our Lady of Pompeii, 1224 W. Lexington St., Chicago. Immediately after mass, there will be a wreath laying ceremony at the Columbus statue in Arrigo Park followed by the parade beginning at 12:30 pm. All are invited to attend.

WESTCHESTER TO HOST ANNUAL FLU SHOT CLINIC

Help keep your family and the community healthy! The Village of Westchester will be hosting a Flu Shot Clinic in the Community Room from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM on Monday, October 5th and Tuesday, October 6th. Immunizations will be administered by pharmacists from the Osco Pharmacy.

We will be offering the flu shot, as well as an Adacel shot that provides immunization for tetanus and whooping cough. The clinic is open to all Westchester residents over the age of 14. Flu shots are available for $25 and Adacel shots will be available for $54.99. Cash or checks are accepted. Flu shots are covered under Medicare Part B, as well as many insurance plans.

FLU SEASON…CDC RECOMMENDATIONS

The last thing I believe anyone wants to think about is the FLU season. I’m sure we have seen the TV commercials and commentary regarding getting a Flu shot. In doing some research, I looked at the CDC web site and found the following information. The CDC recommendation is stated below.

What sort of flu season is expected this year?

It’s not possible to predict what this flu season will be like. Flu seasons are unpredictable in a number of ways. While flu spreads every year, the timing, severity, and length of the season varies from one year to another.

Will new flu viruses circulate this season?

Flu viruses are constantly changing so it’s not unusual for new flu viruses to appear each year. For more information about how flu viruses change, visit

How the Flu Virus Can Change(http://www.cdc.gov/f lu/about/viruses/change.htm).

Will the United States have a flu epidemic?

The United States experiences epidemics of seasonal flu each year. This time of year is called “flu season.” In the United States, flu season occurs in the winter; flu outbreaks can happen as early as October and can last as late as May. CDC says the flu season begins when certain key flu indicators (for example, levels of influenza-like illness (ILI), hospitalization and deaths) rise and remain elevated for a number of consecutive weeks. Usually ILI increases first, followed by an increase in hospitalizations, which is then followed by increases in flu-associated deaths.

When will flu activity begin and when will it peak?

The timing of flu is very unpredictable and can vary in different parts of the country and from season to season. Most seasonal flu activity typically occurs between October and May. Flu activity most commonly peaks in the United States between December and February.

What should I do to protect myself from flu this season?

CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine(http://www.cdc.gov/f lu/protect/vaccine/index.htm) for everyone 6 months of age and older as the first and most important step in protecting against this serious disease. People should begin getting vaccinated soon after flu vaccine becomes available, if possible by October, to ensure that as many people as possible are protected before flu season begins. However, as long as flu viruses are circulating in the community, it’s not too late to get vaccinated.

In addition to getting a seasonal flu vaccine if you have not already gotten vaccinated, you can take everyday preventive actions(http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits/index.htm) like staying away from sick people and washing your hands to reduce the spread of germs. If you are sick with flu, stay home from work or school to prevent spreading flu to others.

What should I do if I get sick with the flu?

Antiviral drugs are prescription drugs that can be used to treat flu illness. People at high risk of serious

flu complications (such as children younger than 2 years, adults 65 and older, pregnant women, and people with certain medical conditions) and people who are very sick with flu (such as those hospitalized because of flu) should get antiviral drugs. Some other people can be treated with antivirals at their health care professional’s discretion. Treating high risk people or people who are very sick with flu with antiviral drugs is very important. Studies show that prompt treatment with antiviral drugs can prevent serious flu complications. Prompt treatment can mean the difference between having a milder illness versus very serious illness that could result in a hospital stay.

Treatment with antivirals works best when begun within 48 hours of getting sick, but can still be beneficial when given later in the course of illness. Antiviral drugs are effective across all age-and risk groups. Studies show that antiviral drugs are under-prescribed for people who are at high risk of complications who get flu. This season, three FDA-approved influenza antiviral drugs are recommended for use in the United States: oseltamivir, zanamivir and peramivir.

When should I get vaccinated?CDC recommends that people get

vaccinated against flu soon after vaccine becomes available, if possible by October. It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against the flu. Doctors and nurses are encouraged to begin vaccinating their patients soon after vaccine becomes available, preferably by October so as not to miss opportunities to vaccinate. Those children aged 6 months through 8 years who need two doses of vaccine should receive the first dose as soon as possible to allow time to get the second dose before the start of flu season. The two doses should be given at least four weeks apart.

What flu viruses does this season’s vaccine protect against?

Flu vaccines are designed to protect against the main flu viruses that research suggests will be the most common during the upcoming season. Three kinds of flu viruses commonly circulate among people today: influenza A (H1N1) viruses, influenza A (H3N2) viruses, and influenza B viruses.

All of the 2015-2016 influenza vaccine is made to protect against the following three viruses:

an A/California/7/2009 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus

an A/Switzerland/9715293/2013 (H3N2)-like virus

a B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus. (This is a B/Yamagata lineage virus)

More information about influenza vaccines is available at Preventing Seasonal Flu With Vaccination(http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/index.htm).

SAVE THE PRAIRIE CELEBRATIONOn Saturday, September 19th, I

along with Village Manager Janet Matthys, attended the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Save the Prairie Society in Westchester. Upon our arrival we were met by Society President Larry Godson and Society Directors Drew and Patricia Reaves who were dressed in 1850’s outfits. We were given a tour of the Franzosenbusch Prairie House located at 11225 Constitution Drive. Drew, fluent in the German language, welcomed the guests in the native tongue spoken by the early German Settlers to the area. Mrs. Reaves gave us a history lesson utilizing photographs and century old maps identifying the location of the land parcels owned by the Mandel, Boeger and Evers Families to name a few early settlers who have dedicated streets in Westchester named for them.

Following the welcome, employees of the Big Run Wolf Ranch brought a groundhog, skunk, porcupine and a mature and young wolf for all to see. The presentation was very informative to all in attendance. The Ranch is located at 14857 Farrell Rd in Lockport, Illinois 60441. For more information regarding events held at the Ranch call 815-588-0044 or www.bigrunwolfranch.org.

Society President Larry Godson and his staff cut the ceremonial cake and spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon conducting Prairie and Schoolhouse Tours and hosting activities for the children in attendance including a butterfly launch. For more information on how you can support the Society call 708-531-1851 or visit SaveThePrairieSociety.org.

LEAF BAG PROGRAMFor the past several years, the Village

has received monies from our refuse collector, Waste Management, for leaf bags. During the month of October and into November, volunteers will be dropping off a 5 pack of bags to each single family residence. Homeowner Associations with contract services for yard waste and leaf maintenance unfortunately are not part of the program.

WESTCHESTER CIVIC THEATER – SAVE THE DATE

The Westchester Civic Theater (WCT) will be presenting the comedy “Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect up?” at the St. Joseph High School Sirus Theater located at 10900 W Cermak Road. Relive memories of Catholic school education: the rulers, the clickers, confessions with the all-knowing priest, childhood crushes, sex education and just growing up. Join WCT for this musical story based on the John R. Power’s book about growing up

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Catholic in Chicago. Catholic or not, it’s a terrifically fun reminder of childhood. The play will be presented at 7:30pm on Saturday, October 31st, November 7th and November 14th and matinee performances will be presented at 2:00pm on Sunday, November 1st, November 8th and November 15th. Come out for an evening or afternoon of great entertainment!

SANITARY SEWER/ WATER LINE WARRANTY

The Village has authorized Service Line Warranties of America (SLWA) to offer the National League of Cities

(NLC) Service Line Warranty Program to homeowners. The NLC Service Line Warranty Program offers voluntary warranty protection at an affordable price for water lines in the event of a failure. Many Westchester residents are already taking advantage of this program. Due to the success of the program, SLWA will not be sending a fall campaign mailing. The choice to participate is yours. The program is strictly optional. The Village does not receive any compensation from the warranty company, instead directing the provider to reduce the warranty rates to residents by any allowable rebate to the Village. I have heard of several success stories involving residents who have purchased this warranty. For more information call 1-855-535-7141 or visit the website at www.SLWofA.com.

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPSHalloween is Saturday, October 31st.

It has been quite sometime since Halloween fell on a Saturday. In fact , 1998 was the last time it occurred. Westchester does NOT have any ordinance outlining a specific Trick or Treat Time, however we are suggesting to parents that Trick or Treating begin at NOON and END at 6pm as sunset will be 5:45 pm.

Walk SafelyCross the street at corners, using

traffic signals and crosswalks.Look left, right and left again when

crossing and keep looking as you cross.

Put electronic devices down and keep heads up and walk, don’t run, across the street.

Teach children to make eye contact

with drivers before crossing in front of them.

Always walk on sidewalks or paths. If there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to

the left as possible. Children should walk on direct routes with the fewest street crossings.

Watch for cars that are turning or backing up. Teach children to never dart out into the street or cross between parked cars.

Trick or Treat With an AdultChildren under the age of 12 should

not be alone at night without adult supervision. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, they should stick to familiar areas that are well lit and trick-or-treat in groups.

community DeveloPment

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Keep Costumes Both Creative and Safe

Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if possible, choose light colors.

Choose face paint and makeup whenever possible instead of masks, which can obstruct a child’s vision.

Have kids carry glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen by drivers.

When selecting a costume, make sure it is the right size to prevent trips and falls.

Drive Extra Safely on HalloweenSlow down and be especially alert in

residential neighborhoods. Children are excited on Halloween and may move in unpredictable ways.

Take extra time to look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs.

Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully.

Eliminate any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and your surroundings.

Drive slowly, anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic and turn your headlights on earlier in the day to spot children from greater distances.

See more at: http://www.safekids.org/tip/halloween-safety-tips#sthash.dlWT7WSG.dpuf

POPE FRANCIS VISITS NYCOn September 23rd, His Holiness

Pope Francis arrived for the first time in the United States. As I watched the news coverage of his arrival in Washington D.C., I could not help but see the outpouring of affection not only from the people of the USA but from the pontiff himself. It may sound corny, but wouldn’t it be nice if the whole world were able to celebrate and enjoy each other every day in the manner exhibited by this man’s presence in America??

As a family member to my cousin who was killed in the Twin Towers on 9/11, I was fortunate enough to be selected to attend the Pope’s visit to Ground Zero on Friday, September 25, 2015. I will report my experience in the November issue of our newsletter. I am attending the event representing not only my cousin Tom and my family, but for all of the citizens of the State of Illinois, Cook County, and the Village of Westchester.

FROM THE BOARDAt the August 25th Village

Committee of the Whole Meeting,

the following items discussed under New Business:

Requested Change in Liquor Classification – BP Amoco

Water Main Service Policy

At the September 8th Village Board Meeting, the following items were approved under the Consent Agenda:

Approval of the Record of Bills ending 09-03-15 in the amount not to exceed $884,565.73

Approval of Departmental Monthly Reports from: Community Development Department; Fire Department; Police Department; and the Public Works Department

An Ordinance Amending Chapter 5.36, Entitled “Liquor Sale,” of Title 5, Entitled “Business Licenses and Regulations”, of the Village of Westchester Municipal Code

At the September 8th Village Committee of the Whole Meeting, the following items discussed under New Business:

ComEd Smart-Ready LED Street Lighting Agreement

Tree/Stump Removal Modifications to Insurance

Requirements for Registered Contractors

Economic Development Committee recommendations to approve façade grant applications for 10555 Cermak Rd. and 10439 & 10447 Cermak Rd.

Consideration of On-Street Disabled Parking Spaces at 1527 Westchester Blvd. and 1200 High Ridge

Consideration of a Parking License Agreement for Parkway Parking at 1200 High Ridge Second Ambulance Logistics

At the September 8th Village Committee of the Whole Meeting, the following items discussed under Old Business:

LED Lighting Outages

At the September 22nd Village Board Meeting, the following items were approved under the Consent Agenda:

Approval of the Record of Bills ending 09-16-15 in the amount not to exceed $483,540.15 (p. 3)Approval of Minutes of the August 25, 2015 Executive Session, of the August 25, 2015 Village Board Meeting, of the August 25, 2015 Committee of the Whole Meeting, of the September 8, 2015 Executive Session, of the September 8, 2015 Village Board Meeting, and of the September 8, 2015 Committee of the Whole Meeting

An Ordinance Amending Section 14.01.080, entitled “Permits – Variation - Special Permit – Bond - Insurance”, of Article II, entitled “Permits”, of Chapter 14.01, entitled “Administration”, of Title 14, Entitled

“Buildings and Construction” of the Westchester Municipal Code

An Ordinance Waiving Competitive Bidding and Ratifying the Execution of a Contract Between the Village of Westchester and GNP Energy for Certain Inspections, the Installation of Surge Protectors in LED Street Lights and the Repair of LED Streetlight Retrofit Kits Located Within the Village of Westchester

A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Façade Improvement Grant Program Agreement Between the Village of Westchester and Ten555, Inc. for Facade Improvements at 10555 W. Cermak Rd.

A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Façade Improvement Grant Program Agreement Between the Village of Westchester and Spero Kinnas for Facade Improvements at 10439 W. Cermak Rd.

A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Façade Improvement Grant Program Agreement Between the Village of Westchester and Spero Kinnas for Facade Improvements at 10447 W. Cermak Rd.

A Resolution Authorizing the Execution of a Smart-Ready LED Street Lighting Program Participation Agreement Between the Village of Westchester and Commonwealth Edison

At the September 22nd Village Board Meeting, the following items were approved under the Active Agenda:

An Ordinance for Amending Chapter 14.09, entitled “Illinois Plumbing Code 2014”, of Title 14, entitled “Building and Construction” of the Westchester Municipal Code (p. 91)

At the September 22nd Village Committee of the Whole Meeting, the following items discussed under New Business:

Bid Results – Municipal Parking Project

Purchase of Police Interceptor from JAG Grant Proceeds

2016 Capital Projects

At the September 22nd Village Committee of the Whole Meeting, the following items were approved under the Old Business:

50/50 Sidewalk Program Parking License Agreement – Save

the Prairie Society LED Lighting Repair Status

At the September 22nd Village Committee of the Whole Meeting, the following items were approved under the Information Only:

Resident Livability Survey Quarterly Financial Report for Fiscal

Quarter Ended July 31, 2015

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