Raccoons frustrate Evergreen Park homeowners

By Joe Boyle

Some Evergreen Park residents are complaining about an increase in intruders to the village.

The culprits in this case are raccoons. Several residents complained that they are seeing more of the pests and have found their remains on their property.

One resident from the 9300 block of South Troy voiced her frustration during the Evergreen Park Village Board meeting Tuesday night.

“We had a dead raccoon on my property and we called the police but they said they could nothing about it,” she said. “They told us we had to call animal control.”

Mayor Kelly Burke told the resident that the village has a part-time animal control employee who handles calls. The mayor told her that the employee would be contacted.

In most instances, villages will not remove dead rodents on the property of homeowners, which in most instances would be the responsibility of the residents.

Burke told the residents who attended the meeting that raccoons are a fact of life in Evergreen Park, especially at night. However, one resident insisted it has become more of a problem this year. The resident stated that four raccoons were recently on her property and resisted leaving.

“They were kind of aggressive,” the resident said.

The same resident said that more bats are also present in Evergreen Park this summer.

“They found a rabid bat in Alsip and that is close to here,” another resident exclaimed.

Another resident from the 9500 block of South Troy also said there is an increase in raccoons. She also discovered a dead raccoon on her property and had called the village and animal control to have it removed.

She said she is still waiting.

Burke listened to the complaints and asked residents to leave their phone numbers. The mayor said she would look into the matter.

Police commendations

Police Chief Michael Saunders requested commendations for several officers after a series of arrests.

In an incident that took place on Aug. 2 near 87th and Richmond, police responded to a call that occupants of an SUV were looking into other vehicles. Police located the suspect vehicle and when given consent to search, the driver was found to have multiple high-capacity loaded firearms and nine magazines containing live rounds of ammunition, police said.

“Officers commended likely prevented a potentially traffic event from occurring with substantial personal risk to their own safety in this intervention,” Burke said.

Sergeant Salazar and officers Foran, Kurschner, Wantroba, Stumpe, Hansen and Duffin were commended.

A traffic stop on Aug. 8 led to an arrest and a search of a vehicle in the 8800 block of South Troy. In the search, police said they found 517.9 grams of cannabis and a garage containing a large amount of marijuana for a total of 1,517 grams, according to reports. Rounds of ammunition were also recovered.

“Due to the alert observation and investigation follow up, an illegal act of drug possession with intent to sell and deliver drugs within a residential neighborhood was discovered,” Burke said.

Receiving commendations were tactical officers Phillips and Vos.

The third incident was a traffic stop for obstruction of traffic at 87th and Pulaski on Aug. 22. During a routine traffic stop, a weapon was removed from the street as well as a threat to public safety, police said.

“Routine stops are no longer routine,” Burke said. “These officers face great risk as they engage with potentially violent and dangerous offenders as in this incident.”

The board approved a series of ordinances to further the 95th Street Tax Incremental Redevelopment Project and Plan.

Burke also thanked everyone who volunteered and participated in making the Labor Day concert at Sexton Park on Monday and the fireworks display that followed.

“I want to thank public works and the police and fire departments,” Burke said. “I want to thank the guy at the driving range for all the cooking he did. It was wonderful.”

A business certificate was granted to 88 Motors, 9121 S. Kedzie Ave., a used car dealership that is undergoing a name change with another owner being added.

Lavese’s Elegant Styles, 2645 W. 87th St., is a new hair salon that will share space with Better Images Salon. They have been granted a certificate, along with Goodlife Physical Therapy, 8730 S. Western Ave.

Vehicle stickers can be purchased up until Sept. 15. Residents can purchase stickers through the online portal available on the village website, www.evergreenpark-il.com. This can be done at no additional cost.

Stickers are also being sold at the 95th and Kedzie Currency Exchange, 3200 W. 95th St., for a nominal fee.

The Evergreen Park Farmers Market will continue from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays through October at Yukich Field, 8900 S. Kedzie. Yoga in the Park will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. at the pergola at Sexton Park, 9100 S. Rockwell.

The annual “Memories to Go” village-wide garage sale will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, at Yukich Field. Over 80 vendors will be present at the event that is sponsored by the Evergreen Park Senior Council.

The ninth annual Christmas Without Cancer 5K Run and Walk will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 16, at Klein Park, 9700 S. Homan Ave