Regulations related to keeping animals in
Oak Park are detailed in the Village Code, which are local laws
enacted by the elected members of the Village Board, but
here's a quick overview:
• All
dogs over four months old must be licensed.
• All
cats over four months old that run at large must be licensed,
and spayed or neutered. Indoor cats are not required to have a
license.
• Licenses
must be purchased within 10 days of moving to Oak Park or
acquiring a new animal.
• Animal
licenses must be renewed each May. The $10 fee is reduced to $7
if the pet is spayed or neutered, proof of which is required at
the time of licensing.
• All
dogs and cats must be inoculated against rabies, proof of which
is required at the time of licensing.
• All
licensed animals must wear license tags when off their
owner's premises.
• The
number of animals on private premises is restricted. Limits are
based on type of housing, whether single- or multi-family.
• Animals
are prohibited from public buildings, unless exempt under specific
law, such as dogs accompanying sight-impaired persons. Animals
also are prohibited on school property.
• Cats
and dogs must be leashed when on any public area. Leashes
cannot be longer than eight feet.
• Dogs
and cats, either unlicensed or licensed, caught running at
large, found illegally in public places, abandoned or
improperly maintained may be impounded. Fees and other charges may
be levied against the owner.
• Any
case of animal bite must be reported immediately to the police.
Call 386.3800.
• Owners
who do not pick up after their pets on public property may be
ticketed and fined.
The Village of Oak Park's Animal
Ordinance can be reviewed at the Department of Public Health in
Village Hall, 123 Madison St., and online at www.oak-park.us. Click on
Departments, then Law and look for the link along the right
side of the page. For more information, call 358.5680 or email health@oak-park.us.
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The clean up of the remains of a
19th-century manufactured gas plant that once operated in what
became a public park on the Village's southeast side is
nearing completion. In a report to the Barrie Park
Citizen's Advisory Committee last month, representatives
of Commonwealth Edison and Nicor Gas, the utility companies
responsible for the clean-up, reported that only 38,000 tons of
soil remained to be excavated from the site where coal was once
processed into gas for heating, cooking and lighting. When the
digging and filling work ends next month, some 280,000 tons of
materials will have been removed and replaced with clean soil
in the three-and-one-half-acre park. Air quality will continue
to be monitored as the project winds down, a step intended to
protect the environment and health of residents. The Village
Board will discuss remaining matters, including residential
property issues, at 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 8, in Village Hall,
123 Madison St. Here's the latest update on the
project's progress:
• August: Project 80 percent complete, as 232,000
total tons of materials excavated, 195,000 tons of soil
backfilled or imported into the site and 38,000 tons left to be
removed. Most of the street and parkway remediation complete,
including installing new water and sewer lines under Harvard
Street and Lombard and Taylor avenues.
• September:
The large gantry crane that
lifted soil to and from train cars on a railroad spur along the
expressway just north of Garfield Avenue disassembled. Nearby
residential properties connected to new water and sewer mains.
• October: Excavation completed. Streets are
resurfaced and new curbs, gutters, sidewalks and street lights
are installed.
• November: Backfilling completed, and fabric covered
fence around the area is replaced with a smaller fence just
around the park perimeter for park redevelopment. Streets are
re-opened, with the possible exception of portions of Garfield
Avenue.
• Spring
2004: Park redevelopment
underway. Village begins planting new trees along parkways.
For more information on the project, call
358.5770 or email village@oak-park.us. Information also is
available at www.oak-park.us click on News, then the Barrie
Park icon along the right column.