OP_032620

12 | March 26, 2020 | the orland Park Prairie news
OPPrairiedaily.com
Orland Park to provide
daily communication
regarding COVID-19
Bill Jones, Editor
The mayor of Orland
Park is to provide daily
video communication on
the coronavirus pandemic
and answer residents questions
as they arise.
The Village announced
March 19 that it would
start providing daily communications
via orland
park.org, Orland Park’s
YouTube channel and its
social media accounts.
Residents and business
owners are asked to submit
questions to publicinfoof
fice@orlandpark.org.
dems
From Page 10
ties. Challenger Sarah Gad
earned a total of 12,805
(10.38) votes, while Robert
Emmons Jr. had a total
of 12,254 (9.93) and
Ameena Nuur Matthews
earned 9,761 (7.91), as of
Saturday, March 21.
In Chicago, Rush dominated
with 67,545 votes
(70.55). There, Emmons
CONTACT
Mayor Keith Pekau said
he will address as many
inquiries as possible each
day.
The Orland Park Police
Department and Orland
Fire Protection District are
operating normally, and
are prepared to respond to
any call for service or situation
that may develop, according
to the Village.
Many Village services
and information are available
online For water billing,
service requests, permit
instructions and other
frequently requested services,
visit orlandpark.org.
took second with 7,067
votes (8.32), Matthews
third with 5,705 (6.72) and
Gad last with 4,595 (5.41).
In suburban Cook County,
Rush tacked on another
16,861 votes (58.62).
Gad followed with 5,349
(18.60), and then Emmons
with 3,595 (12.50)
and Matthews with 2,958
(10.28).
Rush also won Will
County with 4,093 votes.
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DANA ANDERSON
708.326.9170 ext. 17 d.anderson@22ndcenturymedia.com
Orland Park Village Board
More closures and additional emergency powers
authorized amid concerns over the coronavirus
Jon DePaolis
Freelance Reporter
As the country continues
to react to the COVID-19
pandemic, the Orland Park
Village Board took action
March 16 to close its
buildings and facilities.
The board voted unanimously
to approve amendments
to its Village Code
allowing the mayor to declare
a State of Emergency,
such as adding pandemic
to the list of disasters.
The board also approved
the immediate and
indefinite closure to the
public of the following
Village buildings and facilities:
Village Hall, the
Sportsplex, Orland Park
Health & Fitness Center,
the Franklin Loebe Center,
the Cultural Center and the
History Museum.
The same motion also
approved the cancellation
of all Village programs and
events scheduled to take
place at Village buildings
and facilities in the immediate
future — except for
meetings that are covered
®
by the Open Meetings Act.
Mayor Keith Pekau expanded
on the Village’s response
to the coronavirus,
including reiterating some
of the safety messages being
provided to the public
by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention,
and the State and federal
government.
“The Village of Orland
Park’s staff, the Village
Board and I are making
decisions based on the latest
facts and health expert
recommendations,” Pekau
said. “We also will follow
all the directives from
the governor and from the
president.”
Pekau said all access to
Village buildings for the
public will be by appointment
only, and added that
the Sportsplex and Orland
Park Health & Fitness will
only be open to those who
have medical appointments
for physical therapy.
“All essential services
will continue, but we will
be restricting in-person
interactions to only those
that are essential,” Pekau
said.
The Village also asked
the Secretary of State to
stop operating in Village
Hall for now, he said.
“Our goal is to continue
to operate as normally
as possible in these very
abnormal times,” Pekau
said. “All of our essential
services will continue operating,
and as many as
our other nonpublic interfacing
operations [as possible]
will also continue.
Our police department will
also be operating normally,
and we will assist regionally
wherever needed.”
Pekau also reminded
residents to stay home if
they are sick and to contact
a medical provider.
“Call your doctor or the
Department of Health,”
Pekau said. “They will
screen you. There is no
medication to cure this, so
they want people staying
home.”
Pekau also advised older
residents to stay home, and
families to self-quarantine
if any member of the
household becomes ill. He
added that many people
may not know they are
carrying it.
“Healthy people under
60 may not even get
sick if they are infected
by this,” he said. “That is
what makes controlling the
spread of this so difficult
from what all the experts
say. Younger people and
children probably won’t
know at all that they were
infected.”
Pekau also advised
against visits to nursing
homes or long-term care
facilities unless one is providing
critical assistance.
“I know that is really
hard to do for people who
have people in those [facilities],
but don’t compromise
them,” he said.
The mayor also restated
the directives that have
been given from the CDC
regarding large gatherings.
“Groups of over 50
people should be avoided,
and avoid social gatherings
in groups of greater
than 10 people,” he said.
“Avoid eating and drinking
at establishments and
food courts. Use drivethru,
pickup and delivery
options. Try to keep those
8
businesses healthy by doing
that.”
Pekau asked that residents
consider shopping
local as travel becomes
limited.
“Our businesses, small
and large, will be affected
by this,” he said. “Please
continue to support them.
Many restaurants still offer
pickup and delivery if you
need to eat out or cannot
prepare a meal.”
In a follow-up March
17, Pekau said that Village
buildings are open to staff,
but staff members who are
able to work remotely are
being allowed to do so.
“Our goal is to ensure
that the people that the
taxpayers are paying to
work are doing productive
work of some kind,”
he said. “Even if it is not
their normal work, it may
be something else.
“We value the safety
of our employees, so our
meetings are being conducted
in the large rooms
so we can keep with social
distancing. We are only
conducting meetings that
we have to have, and we
are doing them by phone
when we [can].”
Hope Covenant revisited
During the Committee
of the Whole meeting
that preceded the Village
Board meeting, the board
voted unanimously to recommend
future approval
— with several conditions
noted — of a text amendment
and special use permit
for Hope Covenant
Church to operate a oncea-week,
overnight homeless
shelter from the hours
of 6 p.m.-7 a.m.