www.westchicago.org

Responsive to You

Keeping up with the ways our customers are doing business and providing a superior online experience is a priority at the City of West Chicago. Over the past year we've taken notice of the increase in the use of portable devices, and came to the conclusion that the City's website needed an overhaul to accommodate this trend.

We also used this opportunity to update graphics and streamline navigation so that the visual presentation of the website better reflects user preferences for crisp, concise displays of content and easy to follow links to interior pages. Additional features of the new website design include:

Follow us.

• A live Twitter feed on the homepage.
• Intuitive navigation that organizes content by type of customer (e.g. resident or business).
• Two new online services for the Police Department (Overnight Parking and LexisNexis for accident reporting).
• Additional homepage buttons for easy access to some of the most frequently clicked pages.
• An interactive map on the City Council page to help you locate your elected representative. 
• A dedicated, user-friendly Government Transparency Portal.

Please feel free to explore the new site and provide any feedback you have regarding the new design, navigation and content to Rosemary Mackey at rmackey@westchicago.org. We hope you will visit often and come to rely on it as a primary source of City information.

Staying relevant in a world of constant change is challenging at best, but when that change is needed to provide our customers with exceptional service, be certain we're on it.

I am happy to report great progress is being made on gathering community feedback for the Healthy West Chicago Strategic Plan.

A survey distributed online, person to person at Railroad Days and National Night Out, and in hard-copy form in various locations around town reflects a great deal of support in our effort to benchmark the community's attitudes and positions on the issue of wellness. I am greatly encouraged by the responses which validate the importance of this topic. Thank you to all who took the time to participate; the survey is still available for those who have not.

The survey asks respondents to rate their views on nutrition and physical activity, and also offers the opportunity to comment more fully on both subjects. I would like to share threads of some of the comments collected:

• Add a section about healthy living in West Chicago on your main site. Link it to new ARC Center. Schedule more "health runs." Provide better school lunches and early education on the value of better food choices.
• Engage more youth and adults, streamline the English and Spanish speaking population to share same space and build personal and communal health.
• There could be more summer and winter physical activities for senior citizens and adults in general. Most of the programs during the summer are geared to children. Older adults like activity programs.
• A restaurant or café that offers those foods & combinations of foods that up your metabolism & don't trigger your body to store fat.
• Offer challenges to encourage people to participate. Make it easier for people to participate by providing tips for walking on lunch hours, etc. Create partnerships with local agencies and government (County and Forest Preserve) for multi-use activities. Offer a sign-up "deal" of some sort for joining the fitness center and/or buying healthy food.
• (Add) clear markings of bike path bike lanes as downtown streets are crowded. 

This feedback is critical in guiding the Strategic Plan that will chart a course for West Chicago. Our thanks to Cadence Health, WeGo Together for Kids, Metropolitan Family Services, and United Way of Metropolitan Chicago for funding the development of the Strategic Plan which will serve as an important roadmap.

West Chicago residents and community stakeholders will soon be invited to come together at various locations and on multiple dates to provide direct input on Healthy West Chicago.  The Fall Community Forums are a cornerstone of Healthy West Chicago and provide community members with the opportunity to:

• analyze and discuss data from the Healthy West Chicago Survey;
• contribute new ideas for healthy goals, strategies, and tactics; and
• lay the groundwork for future planning and implementation events. 

Stay tuned for the dates and locations of these community forums to be held in September, October and November of this year.

Respectfully,

Ruben Pineda

Mayor

City Service Reminders

Public Safety Matters  

As a community, we have no greater responsibility than to work together to ensure the safety of our children. Since Back-to-School season is here, West Chicago Police Department employees have compiled some important traffic safety and bus safety information for you and your family which may be found at www.westchicago.org in the Police News section or by clicking the links below: 

• Driving Near Schools
• Sharing the Road Safely with Child Pedestrians
• Driving Near School Buses
• Getting on the School Bus
• Behavior on the Bus
• Getting Off the School Bus
• Safety Tips for Walking to School
• Safety Tips for Riding a Bike to School
• Safety Tips for Crossing the Street When Walking or Biking

Noon - 4:00 p.m. - Downtown West Chicago
       

 

Mark your calendar for a City sponsored afternoon of history, culture and pageantry on Saturday, September 13, 2014 from noon to 4:00 p.m. This rain or shine event brings the nationally recognized Mexican folklore dance troupe Ballet Folklórico Quetzalcoatl to downtown West Chicago for a free performance during the Mexican Independence Day Parade and Celebration. The group was founded in 1983 and is currently directed by Juan Manuel "Nery" Cruz. It is made up of about 110+ dancers ranging from ages 4-50. They have competed and placed in various competitions on a national level. This year, Ballet Folklórico will be celebrating its 31st anniversary. The exciting music and colorful dance troupe will dazzle audiences of all ages with a traditional Mexican folkloric performance. The choreography and costuming are all drawn from the richest and most vibrant heritage and customs of Mexico, and the dancers are renowned for their talent, grace, and artistry. You'll tap your feet, you'll clap your hands, you'll feel your spirits rise and your eyes light up when you witness a performance of Ballet Folklórico Quetzalcoatl!

A parade which steps off at noon, precedes the entertainment. It will travel down Main Street into the historic downtown. There is still time to get your business or organization involved. A parade application may be found at www.westchicago.org under Forms. There is no cost to participate and this is a great opportunity to show your community spirit and connect your business or organization with residents and visitors.

At 1:30 p.m. on the Main Stage located on Galena Street, Mayor Pineda will be joined by a representative of the Mexican Consulate to commemorate Mexico's independence from Spain in 1810 by a reenactment of El Grito, the Cry (of Independence). Other family-friendly attractions include face-painting and kids' arts and crafts, a Mexican history exhibit, and a display of the equestrian pageantry of magnificent horses ridden by a caballero troupe.

Volunteers are needed for the day of the event. Please contact Valeria Lopez at (630) 293-2200 ext. 170 if you can help. 

City Museum

Late Night at the Museum

The Museum wraps up the final weeks of the exhibit The (Bi)Cycle of Life, focusing on the history of cycling in and around West Chicago and the connection it had and continues to have with surrounding nature.   

Late Night at the Museum

Enjoy the work of Out of the Woods, a wood reutilization project connecting students in the Architecture and Furniture classes at Illinois Institute of Technology with wood salvaged from West Chicago parks.   

2010 Ice Cream Social

Enjoy a delightful afternoon of food and fun at the Kruse House Ice Cream Social. Activities include an old-fashioned ice cream social with homemade cakes and pies, a silent auction and a raffle to benefit the West Chicago Historical Society on Saturday, September 6, 2014.The cost is $4.00 and a rain date is scheduled for Sunday, September 7, 2014. The Kruse House is open for tours from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. and features the summer exhibit  It's a Doll's World, featuring dolls and doll-related items such as furniture and doll clothes, as well as a special raffle on "Cathy", a handcrafted and hand painted porcelain doll from the William Tung Collection.For additional information, contact Joan Conkright at (630) 231-2329 or visit www.krusehousemuseum.org.  

Girls' Night Out Jewelry Classes 

September 12 & 26, and October 10, 2014

6:30 - 9:00 p.m.

Artist Britta Renwick continues with her popular Girls' Night Out series of jewelry making classes, offering instruction on how to design and construct an article of jewelry, followed by a social gathering with participants at a downtown West Chicago restaurant to sport their new creations. Classes are held on Friday evenings September 12 and 26, and October 10, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. The cost varies based on the designs created and all supplies are included. Designs will incorporate the latest styles as seen in Switzerland during the summer of 2014. To register, contact Gallery 200 at (630) 293-9550 or visit www.facebook.com/gallery200 for further information.

OPENING A NEW BUSINESS

Opening your doors to doing business in West Chicago requires following some simple, but necessary, procedures.  To help make sure that establishing your business runs as smoothly as possible, we would like to take this opportunity to advise you of several requirements that must be met prior to occupancy.  All new businesses in the City must follow the requirements listed below:

                1.            Receive Zoning Approval

                2.            Complete a Water Usage Survey

                3.            Obtain a Change of Occupancy Inspection

                4.            Submit a Business Registration Application

Business registrations must be renewed annually and are due before December 31st for the subsequent year. For more information, visit www.westchicago.org > Business > Economic Development > Opening a Business.

The deadline for nominations for the 2014 Brilliance in Business Awards is fast approaching. Take a moment to nominate a favorite business by Friday, September 5, 2014.  The process is easy, with the application and instructions linked below, or available at www.westchicago.org under Business>Brilliance in Business Awards. Businesses may nominate themselves.

Brilliance in Business Guidelines  

Community Service Award

Green Initiatives

Small Business of the Year

Community Image Award

Economic Development

 Please remember to support our local business community.