The Fleet Services
The Fleet Services Division of Public Works is responsible for the maintenance and repair of the entire Village fleet of more than 300 vehicles, including Police and Fire vehicles. The division also operates an in-house body shop.
The Street Services
The Street Services Division of the Public Works Department is responsible for the maintenance of more than 103 miles of Village-owned streets and the attached curbs, gutters and sidewalks. Personnel in the division remove snow, seal roadway cracks, repair pavement, clean streets, pick up leaves and remove refuse. The Division also maintains, repairs and replaces traffic and parking signs within the Village, and maintains maintaining pavement markings along Village streets and parking lots.
The Forestry
The Forestry Division of Public Works is responsible for the Village's urban forest of more than 20,000 trees as well as more than 100 various landscaped areas. Division personnel also provide tree removal and replacement of aged and diseased trees, maintain a comprehensive inventory of all public trees and manage tree trimming and stump removal services. Efforts of the Forestry Division have earned the Village a Tree City U.S.A. designation for 18 consecutive years and Growth Awards for seven years, including 2001, from the National Arbor Day Foundation in recognition of the community's on-going dedication to preserving its urban forest. The Village also has been recognized for the Forestry Division's planning and management tools developed for the proper maintenance and care of the community's thousands of parkway trees, and for increased community awareness through aggressive public education efforts.
The Parking Services
The Parking Services Division of the Public Works Department manages publicly provided parking, including enclaves, structure and more than 100 off-street lots. Activities include enforcing street and lot regulation and issuing parking permits and passes.
Parking space is a scarce resource in the Village of Oak Park, with its space fully developed by the 1930's before the advent of a society highly dependent on automobiles. Available space must be managed through regulations in order to balance need with supply.
In densely populated Oak Park--with a human population of 52,000 and an automobile population of 29,000 -- the limited supply of parking must be managed, and that means regulation about where and how parking is allowed, for how long and, in some cases, by whom. By managing the parking supply--most of which is on public property, the Village's Parking Services department helps Oak Park residents and business owners meet their parking needs while maintaining the character of our beautiful and historic community.
Parking is generally prohibited on all streets from 2:30 - 6 a.m., seven days per week, year around, except when allowed by permit or pass. The overnight parking restriction dates back to the late 1920s. Overnight on-street parking of cars bearing permits is only allowed in multifamily housing areas, except in front of churches, schools and parks and on blocks where housing is more than 50 percent single family. In areas of Oak Park not zoned for multi-unit buildings or designated as permit areas, the overnight parking ban remains fully in effect. Other parking restrictions are determined by location within the Village, length of parking time and even weather.
It is important to be watchful for posted restrictions whenever parking on public street or areas, or be subject to enforcement. An important part of the work of the Village's Parking Services division is answering questions about parking and working out problems and resolving disputes for the mutual benefit of all parties. Through research, surveys and careful study, and taking into account the needs of residents and businesses and the limited amount of space available for the parking of motor vehicles, the Village's parking policies and regulations, set by the Village Board, have been put in place for the benefit of the people who live, work, shop and visit here.
