City Council Breathes Life into Oxygen Teen Nite Club

Despite concerns over patron age, alcohol and security, Oxygen Teen Nite Club passed through the city council, after heated discussion and design of requirements.

A proposed teen and young adult dance club is one step closer to opening in Oak Forest—but not before the owner meets several requirements set by the city.  After nearly an hour of discussion, Aldermen Laura Clemons and Dan Ensing were steadfast against the plan, which received nods from the five others present.  Patron age, alcohol and security topped the list of concerns, and aldermen established several conditions owner James Marcanio will have to meet before the club for 16- to 22-year-olds can open its doors.   Prior to building permit approval, Marcanio must submit a parking agreement between Oxygen Teen Nite Club and neighboring Original Pancake House. Marcanio must submit a standard operational procedure safety manual for police …

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All Dogs Go to Oak Forest: Park Set to Open Soon

The Bark For Your Park Committee held an open meeting Aug. 27, at Oak Forest's City Hall to discuss the soon-to-open dog park and take suggestions from residents on what exactly the park should offer.

It's nearly time to bust out the leashes and head to the new dog park in Oak Forest, near 160th and Oak Park Avenue. But, there's still a few weeks of planning and construction that must be completed before the park opens, in late September or October. While work—including pouring a concrete patio area and installing fencing—is still ongoing, Alderman Laura Clemons led a Bark for Your Park committee meeting on Aug. 27, to outline the progress on the park. “We've been surveying, the fence is just about up, they've split it, they've framed out the concrete patio and they've laid the cement for the posts for the gated in-and-out,” Clemons said. More than 30 people attended the meeting, which also featured a fluid flow of suggestions from …

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Confused

11:25 am on Thursday, September 27, 2012

The point is that he is a member of the community and is trying to express his concerns before the decision is made so he can try to be a part of that decision. I'm not saying I always agree with him but I appreciate that he is getting involved and raising questions. Allowing something to come to fruition without knowing the facts is completely irresponsible.   more ›

OF Pulls Ahead of Orland Park in PetSafe Dog Park Contest

Laura Clemons says she was contacted by an Orland Park trustee who reportedly wrote the contest organizers with concerns about the neighboring communities competing.

Oak Forest has topped neighbor Orland Park to take the third place spot in a national dog park competition where the winner gets $100,000. As of 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Oak Forest is about 300 votes up on Orland and more than 15,000 votes behind the second place community, Lynchburg, VA. Competition in the south suburbs for the Nos. 3 and 4 spots appears to be heating up. Ald. Laura Clemons of Oak Forest's 1st Ward said she was called this week by Orland Trustee Patricia Gira, Sun-Times Media reports. Gira reportedly wrote the company behind the "Bark for your Park" contest, PetSafe, with concerns that a close competition between neighbors might hurt voting. Voting continues through July 31. Here's how you can vote for Oak Forest: Like Oak …

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Tracey D

10:29 pm on Sunday, July 1, 2012

It's BEYOND rude!   more ›

Oak Forest in Finals for $100K Dog Park Contest

The voting isn't over yet. It's crunch time so keep coming back to the PetSafe website and Facebook page. You can vote twice a day.

Oak Forest Trots Into Finals for $100K Dog Park Contest

The voting isn't over yet. It's crunch time so keep coming back to the PetSafe website and Facebook page. You can vote twice a day.

Oak Forest has made it into the top 15 finalists for a $100,000 dog park. The results for the "Bark For Your Park" contest were posted Friday morning. Alderwoman Laura Clemons, who is spearheading the city's effort to build a dog park, said Oak Forest is in 8th place. As of about 9 a.m. Friday, Oak Forest had 3,668 votes. In the next two weeks, Oak Forest will need to submit a community video as part of the second round in the contest. Open casting calls for the video will soon be announced.  The city is now facing off against south suburban neighbor Orland Park and a baker's dozen of other communities across the country.  Petsafe, maker of pet products, is sponsoring the national contest. The grand prize winner receives $100,000 and two …

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Newsmakers

Alderwoman's Work is for the Dogs

Laura Clemons and the Bark for a Park committee are on a mission for Oak Forest.

Laura Clemons, alderwoman for Oak Forest's First Ward, is heading a group of volunteers who want to make a place where dogs can roam. Since 2011, the Bark for a Park committee has worked to bring a dog park to the city. Raising money for the effort, so far, has come from several fundraisers put together by the citizen group. Now, Bark for a Park is sniffing for the grand prize in a national contest. PetSafe's contest offers a first prize of $100,000 and two runners-up prizes of $25,000. For a committee that is just shy of its $10,000, finishing in the top three will more than push them over the top. "When we started this project in September of last year, our goal was to raise funds however we could," Clemons said. Read more about Clemons …

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Dog Park Crew Reaches ‘Tentative Agreement’ with Forest Preserve

Bark For A Park committee head says a national contest could help fill the coffers and is encouraging residents to lend their support.

A proposed dog park might be closer to a reality than ever before. The Bark For A Park committee and Forest Preserve District of Cook County have a “tentative agreement" for use of seven acres at 159th Street and Oak Park Avenue, said First Ward Alderwoman Laura Clemons. She declined to elaborate on that agreement on a portion of land at Bremen Grove Forest Preserve. The site was one of two locations whittled down from a list that include the possibility of a portion of the Oak Forest Health Center campus. Sign up for Oak Forest Patch daily newsletter and keep tabs on what's going on! Bark For a Park is close to meeting its goal of raising $10,000, Clemons said. After holding three fundraisers, the committee has collected about $8,000 and …

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Oak Forest Puts Another Paw Forward for the Canine Kind

The Bark for a Park committee held its second fundraiser for an Oak Forest Dog Park at Oak Forest Community Center, Wednesday, Nov. 2.

The Oak Forest community proved it's not too ruff to show its support for a dog park. The Bark for a Park committee and its leader Ald. Laura Clemons (1st Ward) hosted a Nov. 2 all-you-can-eat spaghetti dinner to raise funds for Oak Forest's own dog park.  Volunteers served dinner and raffled off prizes throughout the night at the Oak Forest Community Center. For a $10 ticket, guests received: salad, all-you-can-eat pasta, garlic bread, dessert and soft drinks or water.  The event brought in $1,170 from the raffle baskets and dog crate prize. Roughly 110 people bought tickets at the door ($1,100), and pre-event sales at about $1,190. Clemons estimates they served about 300 people total.  "We were thrilled to see so many families and their …

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Lauren Traut

10:50 am on Friday, November 4, 2011

Hi, Veruka, I'm sorry you didn't know about the event, and I understand you're disappointed you missed it. Can I make a suggestion? Bookmark Oak Forest Patch, and check back frequently. We've been following the dog park process from the very first meeting, and we plan to continue. Also, you can find Bark for a Park on Facebook (if you're a user), where the committee publishes notice of each …   more ›

Oak Forest Dogs Wash Up for Proposed Dog Park

Leashes in hand, residents brought their dogs out for the city's first dog park fundraiser.

More than 300 dogs and their owners came out Saturday for a dog park fundraiser in Oak Forest, where breeds big and small enjoyed an afternoon of baths, biscuits and pooch pedicures. Residents—including Mayor Hank Kuspa and Ald. Laura Clemons (1st Ward), who proposed the dog park in late June—lined the Oak Forest Fire Department garage on 15440 S Central Ave. Baths were $10 per dog, and nail clippings were $5. “They're thrilled and very supportive,” Clemons said of the residents who came out. “They're doing whatever they can to support the cause.” The turnout was better than expected. Clemons and volunteers collected more than $2,000 in donations from the fundraiser, making Saturday's the first big deposit for the proposed $10,000 dog park…

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Amanda A

6:31 am on Monday, September 12, 2011

The dog wash was a great idea! My little pup Melvin (the terrier pictured above) wasn't pleased, but he's clean now and smells great! I'm so glad a lot of money was raised!   more ›

Will Oak Forest Residents 'Give a Dog' a Park?

Across the country, dog parks are growing in popularity. In Oak Forest, though, the idea is still on a leash.

Dog owners from the City of Oak Forest left their furry friends at home last night. Instead, they brought their concerns to a public forum for a proposed one- to two-acre dog park at the corner of 165th Street and Knottingwood Avenue, near the Oak Forest Hospital. Spearheaded by Ald. Laura Clemons (1st Ward), who owns three dogs, the volunteer-run dog park would stand as a social meeting ground, not unlike a community pool, basketball court or skate park. The major difference from public areas, Clemons explained, is that funding for the park will not come from Oak Forest property taxes. “This meeting is a fact-finding mission,” Clemons stressed to residents on both sides of the aisle. “I want to assure the people who aren't so keen [on the…

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