Elmwood Park's Second 'Community Conversation': A Recap
By Kevin Gosztola, Editor-in-Chief
At the Elmwood Park Public Library, on July 19, around 22 Elmwood Park residents attended the second in a series of community conversations planned by the newsletter.
The gathering was held at 3 p.m., later in the day than the first conversation in June. Many of the people in the room were new faces, who were not at last month’s event.
I facilitated the conversation, but Dianne E. Reyes, a resident of Elmwood Park who has worked for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), introduced the topic: “Making Elmwood Park More Resilient.”
On June 2, Dianne delivered a public comment on local resilience and preparing for crises at a village board meeting on June 2. Elmwood Park Advocate republished her comment, and she graciously accepted the newsletter’s invitation to help us build on what she said to the board.
Dianne opened the conversation by acknowledging that many residents understand what it means to prepare individually. Numerous residents have home emergency kits. But what does it mean for us as a village to handle a crisis collectively?
She spoke a little bit about what we know in Elmwood Park, as it relates to the flood map of Illinois. Elmwood Park faces a lower risk of flooding. But Dianne mentioned the recent floods in Texas and how we have to anticipate extreme and unusual weather catastrophes will impact us in the years ahead.
That led Dianne to note recent news, where 20 states, including Illinois, sued the federal government for shutting down FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRICS). The shutdown terminated $4.5 billion in funding for 2,000 projects in the United States, including two disaster mitigation projects in Illinois. She asked those in the room to think about what these rollbacks and regulations will mean for Elmwood Park.
As we consider our future and what we can do, Dianne highlighted native gardens and the importance of knowing our neighbors. We do not necessarily have to be the closest of friends, but we should know what our neighbors’ needs will be in the midst of a crisis.
Before I opened the room to those in attendance, I asked Dianne what happens if FEMA does not help Elmwood Park or the state of Illinois in the midst of an emergency. She said we need to recognize that even before the layoffs and cutbacks at FEMA it was never the case that the agency immediately showed up to a disaster area. There are requests that have to come from the state government and certain declarations needed to open the door for federal aid.
The first question asked by a resident was if we knew anything about what Elmwood Park does to ensure clean water. Water in Elmwood Park comes from Chicago. A few people mentioned testing water for lead and the village’s lead service line replacement project.
I mentioned the Elmwood Park Stormwater Treatment Train project that was designed to help prevent flooding (at Bloomingdel and 75th Ave). I also noted the tree planting initiative and how this is managed by the village’s public works agency. Many of the public works staff likely have building trades skills, and they could aid in developing infrastructure that made the community more resilient during heat waves.
One resident asked if we could talk about the rats. Of course, we can always talk about the rats, and this person said there are not enough dumpsters and people do not do a good enough job cleaning up pet waste. That led to several attendees wondering what it takes to get an extra can so that garbage is not spilling all over.
The proposal was put out there that the Elmwood Park Code Department could write tickets for properties where the garbage is not taken care of properly. Another resident questioned the idea of just writing a bunch of tickets and suggested an awareness campaign instead.
Next, the conversation expanded to English language learners and what it means to lose Title III funding from the federal government for teaching English in schools. There are also funds for childcare services that are being cut. Certainly, we should be mindful that people who do not speak English may not understand emergency alerts and notices.
A resident proposed a commission that could assess many of these programs and services that are facing federal cuts, and a year from now, this commission would report on what the impact has been. Both the school board and the village board could have their own initiatives.
Adding to the idea for an awareness program instead of ticketing properties for garbage, I said that we should incentivize the conduct that we want from our neighbors. For example, those who did not violate the village code for garbage could possibly receive an annual tax rebate of a few hundred dollars.
Another resident put forward the idea that there could be community awareness booths at Elmwood Park village events. The Elmwood Park Youth Commission hosts summer bike rides throughout the summer, and that might be a good opportunity to engage with teenagers and younger children before the rides started.
Rosalyn Sanchez, who was a candidate for the Elmwood Park School Board, invited attendees to go to the school board meetings. She also spoke about the importance of gathering in person for these conversations and praised what we had started.
There was a question about where the village would find the money for making the village resilient. I responded directly to this question at the end of the event, noting that there is always money available. We just have to mobilize enough people to persuade those who run the village that these ideas should be prioritized like their purchases of parking lots for local businesses.
Donna Clesen, who runs the Elmwood Park Garden Club, introduced herself. The club meets on the second Thursday of the month, and she encouraged those in the room to attend.
After close to an hour of discussion, Dianne wrapped with some closing remarks. She shared her experience visiting Indigenous reservations and urged us to think about the resiliency of tribal communities. They have always instilled pride in honoring the land by acting as good stewards.
We can make Elmwood Park more resilient if we recognize that we have an obligation to care for where we live.
The next “Community Conversation” will be on August 16 at 1 p.m at the Elmwood Park Public Library. Residents are invited to attend and share their perspectives on traffic safety.
If you’re able to chip in a few dollars to support our monthly conversations, you can donate here:
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