Mokena to hold Fourth of July fireworks display at Ozinga Bros. property
Also: Orland Township Highway Department restarting its electronics recycling program
By Jon DePaolis
The Village of Mokena is moving forward with its annual Fourth of July fireworks display. It will just have a new home for the 2020 edition.
The fireworks show will take place at property owned by Ozinga Bros., Inc. with the Village planning to allow limited in-person attendance. There also are plans for a video stream of the show to accommodate those who cannot see the fireworks from their homes or be at the property to witness them in-person.
“The Fourth of July has always been important here in Mokena,” Mayor Frank Fleischer said during a phone interview on Thursday, June 25. “We’ve got a very big parade that we couldn’t have this year. But, to me and to the Village Board, it’s still a celebration of our country. We still feel that it is very important.”
Fleischer said the fireworks display is a reminder “that this is a very important day for us, our Independence Day.”
“That’s not going to be stopped, and that’s not going to be ruined,” Fleischer said.
Earlier this month, the Village began looking for a new site after learning the Mokena Community Park District was not comfortable hosting the annual show on its land because of uncertainties regarding Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s executive orders and concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
Assistant Village Administrator Kirk Zoellner said staff identified four areas that could serve as launch sites for the fireworks display:
Private property owned by Trustee Joseph Siwinski.
Village property located near 187th Street and Wolf Road.
The Hickory Creek Metra station parking lot.
Private property owned by Ozinga Bros., Inc. north of the Hickory Creek Metra station.
Zoellner said staff initially recommended the 187th Street and Wolf Road spot to the Village Board during a work session held Monday, June 22, following the regularly scheduled board meeting. He said the location is home to a water storage tank and has just one lane in, so access could be easily controlled. Another benefit was how close the site was to some of the Village’s subdivisions.
“We thought that will be closer to the residences, and it will play into our philosophy of telling people to watch them from home as opposed to trying to drive there, park and watch,” he said.
However, during the discussion, the Village Board members opted for the property owned by Ozinga.
“I think part of that was the fact that the [fireworks] had been held there in the past and there was a precedent,” Zoellner said. “We knew that the site was workable. There’s plenty of clearance in all directions.”
Fleischer said the Ozinga property was the best option for the Village’s needs.
“It was the easiest location to be compliant with the governor’s orders,” Fleischer said. “It was outside. We can separate people by parking spaces. It’s easier for us over there … and we’ve got that big parking lot right there where we can put people. They can stay in their vehicles or stay [socially distanced].”
Zoellner said the Village can limit the attendees at the Ozinga property by only allowing half of the spaces at the Metra parking lot to be used, or approximately 550 parking spaces.
“What we are in the process of doing right now is setting up a system whereby we are being as consistent as we can be with the governor’s social distancing guidelines and the guidelines on gatherings,” Zoellner said.
Another aspect Zoellner said the Village is working on is to provide a livestream of the fireworks display, so residents can tune in to view the show instead of heading to the Ozinga property. To accomplish this, Zoellner said the Village is working with a Mokena-based company, Sound Works Productions.
“We’re encouraging residents to stay home and watch [the fireworks],” Zoellner said. “A way to do that is to give them a livestream. The idea is to do the best job we possibly can while keeping people safe, to keep them distanced and to limit the gathering.”
Fleischer complimented the Village staff for the job they did in finding a new venue for the fireworks show.
“The staff has done a very nice job in moving this forward,” Fleischer said. “It has been hard trying to put these different events on, because we’ve had to be compliant [with executive orders].
“Our staff has done a fantastic job of working with people and working with private businesses to try and get this done. And Ozinga has been fantastic — as they usually are — working with us.”
Zoellner said the Village is working with the fire district, police and public works staff to finalize the details for the event.
Orland Township Highway Department restarting its electronics recycling program
By Jon DePaolis
The Orland Township Highway Department’s electronics recycling program is once again available at the facility located at 16125 S. Wolf Road in Orland Park. Collection hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
“We want to get the word out that people can again safely dispose of their electronics through the highway department,” stated Orland Township Highway Commissioner Brian Younker in a press release. “With a lot of people being at home the past few months, many families have been cleaning house and probably have electronics that they want to dispose of.”
According to the press release, the program is operated through eWorksElectronics Services, an Elk Grove Village-based company that provides jobs to individuals with disabilities.
“This is a great joint venture,” Younker stated per the press release. “eWorksElectronics charges a nominal fee for the safe disposal of the electronics and the proceeds help the disabled.”
The press release states that a coupon – which can be purchased online at http://recycle.eworksesi.org/ – is required for any televisions or computer monitors being recycled. The cost to recycle a television less than 25 inches is $25, while a television 21 inches or larger is $35.
“Since we started this program in 2010, the Orland Township Highway Department has collected more than 2.9 million pounds of no longer needed electronics,” Younker stated in the press release.
Per the statement, “all items should be delivered unboxed and free of packing materials.” Items that will not be accepted include:
Batteries
Wooden speakers
Smoke detectors
Appliances
Microwave ovens
Vacuum cleaners
Light bulbs
Power tools
Plastic bags or containers
Paint
Furniture
Household cleaners
Oil
Tires
Humidifiers and de-humidifiers
Call the Orland Township Highway Department for more information at 708-403-5148.
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