Public Works

The Engineering Division plans, designs and implements the Village's Capital Improvement Program (CIP) - View a map of planned Capital Improvement projects.

The division also maintains the Village's infrastructure databases such as pavement management and Geographic Information System (GIS).

In addition, the division conducts traffic studies, reviews and issues right-of-way permits including obstructions, street openings, parkway openings and utility maintenance permits, and provides staff assistance to the Village's Transportation Commission, which hears requests for changes to traffic rules and regulations.

The Fleet Services Division is responsible for maintaining and repairing the entire Village fleet of more than 250 municipal vehicles, including several electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles and vehicles that are fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG). In addition to maintaining a large municipal fleet that includes Police and Fire emergency response vehicles, the Division also maintains a number of vehicles for the Park District of Oak Park.

The Division is Blue Seal Certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence, with seven experienced technicians who hold 70 ASE certifications. Six staff members also have attained ASE Master Technician status and five have Emergency Vehicle Technician certifications, which are specific to maintaining emergency vehicles.

Oak Park's Fleet Division is a member of the B20 Club, a program of the Illinois Soybean Association and American Lung Association created to help promote the use of biodiesel fuel manufactured domestically from waste products. B20 has been the diesel product of choice for the Village since 2008. All 71 of the municipal diesel vehicles run on B20 biodiesel fuel, including fire engines and snow plows. By using biodiesel fuel, the Village is helping to reduce greenhouse gas and promote greater diversity in fuel supplies.

The Forestry Division manages the Village's urban forest of more than 18,000 parkway trees as well as more than 100 various public 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 made the Village a perennial Tree City U.S.A. winner, a designation conferred by the National Arbor Day Foundation in recognition of a community's on-going dedication to preserving its urban forest.

In addition, decades of commitment to nurturing, diversifying and protecting its urban forest earned Oak Park recognition as Illinois' first - and the nation's fourth - municipal arboretum.

View more information on parkway tree care and maintenance.

The Public Works Department manages an extensive range of recycling, trash, yard waste and composting collection programs, including the annual fall-leaf program. More details on refuse and recycling collection programs are posted on the Village Services portion of this web site.

The Street Lighting Division maintains, repairs and replaces all Village-owned streetlights, alley lights and traffic signals. Personnel monitor and replace bulbs in more than 7,000 lighting fixtures and 36 traffic signals throughout the Village.

The Street Services Division of the Public Works Department maintains more than 103 miles of Village-owned streets and the attached curbs, gutters and sidewalks.

Personnel 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, as well as pavement markings along Village streets and parking lots.

The Water & Sewer Division is responsible for the delivery of safe, potable water to residents and businesses in the Village and for fire suppression.

Lake Michigan water purchased from the City of Chicago is stored in underground reservoirs and pumped through 105 miles of water mains.

Personnel replace broken mains, as well as repair and exercise system valves, and repair and replace water meters and pumping equipment. In addition, the division repairs and maintains sanitary and storm sewers that transport Village sewerage into the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District interceptors.

• Water Quality Reports
• Water conservation tips
• Water Conservation & Efficiency Plan(PDF, 4MB)