Evergreen Park Mayor Kelly Burke shared some good news to start the new year.
“The state of the village is healthy and financially sound,” Burke said during her State of the Village address at the Senior Council Luncheon Jan. 16 at the Evergreen Park Community Center.
Burke told the crowd that 32 businesses opened last year in Evergreen Park. One of those businesses was a record shop that is owned by a husband and wife team that has drawn plenty of attention.
“Records are coming back but many of them on sale now are originals that are being sold,” Burke said.
The Record Shop on 95th is now open at 3576 W. 95th St. The owners are Jessika and Jeff Law. Since the record shop opened in November, they have been drawing a steady crowd of younger customers.
Burke said that The Dollar Tree store has reopened at 3401 W. 95th St. and has been rejuvenated. The store has been renovated and is much cleaner than in the past, the mayor added.
A variety of other businesses opened during the past year and some of them are unique, Burke said.
She pointed to the opening of Cheese Mate, 2941 W. 95th St., which offers the Korean hot dog.
“We have gone there and have tried the Korean hot dogs,” Burke said. “It’s kind of like a corn dog and they are pretty good.”
Cheese Mate also offers other types of food along with bubble tea.
Little Caesars Pizza opened at 3208 W. 95th St. during the past year and also offers delivery.
Club Pilates at 9650 S. Western Ave. has opened up in the Evergreen Plaza. A grand opening of the exercise facility that offers a unique workout will take place sometime next month, Burke said.
On a similar note, the mayor said that a couple of other businesses are being considered at the Evergreen Plaza but more information will be available at a later date.
Burke mentioned that probably the one business opening that had the greatest impact on last year was the unveiling of Subaru Evergreen Park at 3101 W. 95th St.
The Subaru dealership grand opening actually took place on Dec. 7, 2023, with much fanfare. Owners of the local Subaru dealership said that they were attempting to gain entry to Evergreen Park for a long time.
“When Subaru came along it was a real boost,” Burke said.
Changes took place last year in Evergreen, including the elimination of vehicle stickers.
“We have wanted to do this for a long time and now we don’t have to do it anymore,” Burke said. “It saves our residents a lot of money.”
Most residents have two cars per household and it is a savings of at least $70 a year, the mayor added.
A new garbage service is being offered for Evergreen Park. The village no longer uses Waste Management and it has been replaced with Flood Brothers.
“Waste Management had asked for a large increase and when they went up for bid they did not lower their price,” Burke said. “Flood Brothers is much lower and they are on par with Waste Management.”
The mayor and local officials are pleased with Flood Brothers but pointed out if residents had any issues with the service they are encouraged to contact the village.
A major change took place last year when longtime Village Clerk Cathy Aparo retired after 23 years in that role. She was replaced by Kelly Duffy, another veteran village employee who first worked for the Office of Citizen Services.
“Every time I see Cathy she has a smile on her face,” Burke said. “She is a dear friend of mine and I enjoyed working with her. She was also so funny. But she is enjoying a well-deserved retirement. We are happy to have Kelly on board.”
Major renovations have taken place at Veterans Park at 97th Place and California Avenue. Burke, local trustees, and public works officials were on hand for the ribbon-cutting in September. The remodeling included new playground equipment with updated slides and new repaved tennis and pickleball courts.
The mayor said that tree trimming will be provided throughout the year. The service is franchised out because the village does not have the manpower to do it.
“We have been doing it section by section,” Burke said. “This summer we are going to do more in the southeast part of the village. We are doing it on a grid system.”
However, the mayor adds if a tree is creating an issue for homeowners and needs attention they should contact the village.
Burke again said that annual events held throughout the year were a plus for the community. The Independence Day Parade along 95th Street was a huge success despite a forecast that featured rain. But the skies cleared up before the parade and was met with enthusiasm by neighbors, she added.
The mayor also hailed the annual concerts in the park and picnic in the park that drew large crowds. She also pointed to the emergence of a newer holiday event held last month, Santa’s Wonderland and the first Reindog Parade.
The event was held inside and outside the Community Center. The Reindog Parade, which featured many dogs dressed in bright holiday attire, took place at nearby Klein Park.
“We still had a lot of things that people loved but we kind of modernized it a bit for the kids and families,” Burke said.