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August 27, 2024

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Greetings Skokie73.5! 

🌡️ An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect through this evening. Skokie cooling centers are available.

👨‍🎓 Congratulations to Niles North and Niles West, which were named among the top high schools in Cook County by Chicago Magazine.

📋 The deadline to take the Skokie Community Survey has been extended through September 6.

In partnership with IDOT, the Village has completed major roadway improvements to Gross Point Road, from north of Golf Road to Old Orchard Road.

What’s new? The project included significant pedestrian and bicycle improvements, including a new sidewalk on the northwest side of the street and new on-street bike lanes, as well as infrastructure improvements.

What’s the cost? The $8 million project was primarily supported by federal environmental and transportation program grants, with local matches provided by IDOT. The total cost to the Village was less than $200,000.

Environmental Health Officer Lillian LaSanta inspects a property for rat activity. (Photo by Rich Cahan.)

The Village is taking an aggressive and coordinated approach to rat control, and has added new resources in 2024 to help reduce the rat population. Rats are a public health issue, and the Village takes it seriously.

What we’re seeing: Skokie and surrounding suburbs have seen a regional increase in rat activity since 2019 and have experienced several consecutive mild winters. Rat activity typically peaks in the Chicago area from late spring through early fall. 

What we’re doing: The Village added two new part-time environmental health officer positions this year to respond to rat control service requests and increased funding for contractual rat abatement services by 267 percent. 

What you can do: Report any rat activity to the Village promptly and eliminate sources of food, water and shelter for rats on your property.

Protect yourself this flu season! The Skokie Health and Human Services Department will host free flu shot clinics on October 1 and 8 at Oakton Park for Skokie residents ages 4 years and older.

Schedule your appointment: Sign up for a flu shot appointment beginning Wednesday, September 4 at 9 a.m. on the Village website or by calling 847-933-8252.

The World’s Biggest Bounce House is coming to Skokie for two weekends only!

The deets: The Big Bounce America will be open at Skokie Sports Park, 3459 Oakton St., August 31 through September 1 and September 7-8. Get tickets.

Know before you go: The Village’s Explore Skokie account shows you what to expect.

As part of Arts & Humanities Month, the Village’s Fine Arts Commission is hosting a pop-up gallery in Downtown Skokie this October. 

Showcase your talent in town: The pop-up exhibition, juried by artist Jay Ryan of The Bird Machine, is open to Skokie artists in all media.

Interested? Submit your work for consideration by September 20. Selected artists will be notified by September 27.

Skokie schools and not-for-profit organizations sponsoring arts programming are encouraged to apply for a 2024-2025 Cultural Arts Grant. The deadline to apply is Thursday, October 31.

On August 19, the Village Board adopted an updated Housing Chapter (PDF) of Skokie's Comprehensive Plan, which guides the Village in making decisions about future development in the community.

Why it’s important: The updated chapter will help the Village provide a diverse range of housing that addresses current demand and plan for future housing demand in Skokie. 

The process: The updated Housing Chapter was developed by the Housing Sub-Committee of the Village’s Plan Commission over the course of six months in collaboration with the community.

Village Hall will be closed on Labor Day, Monday, September 2. Many Village services are available 24/7 online.

Refuse, recycling, and yard waste collections will occur as follows next week:

Want to responsibly dispose of hard-to-recycle items, such as batteries, electronics, trophies, paint and more? The Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) offers an A-Z Recycling Directory.

Upcoming events: SWANCC also offers a list of weekly and seasonal electronics recycling events.

Photo by Rich Cahan.

Thanks to everyone who came out to Skokie’s Backlot Bash last weekend! Check out photos of the festivities on the Village’s Facebook and Instagram. (And follow us while you’re there!)

Unless otherwise indicated, all meetings are held at Skokie Village Hall, 5127 Oakton Street.