The Rundown | 3/24
A new Mexican grocer to open in Broadview Saturday, business grants available, Berkeley's old Sunnyside Intermediate School is coming down, more ...
Top of mind
Mexican grocery store poised to open in Broadview
Kevin and Yesenia Salto Mendez inside their grocery store, Hasta Luego Mexican Mini Market in Broadview on Thursday. The store will officially open on Saturday.
In the last three years, there’s been a small swell of ethnic grocery markets in Proviso Township and a new Mexican grocer is looking to join the wave.
Broadview residents Kevin Mendez, 32, and his wife, Yesenia Salto Mendez, 28, are planning to open Hasta Luego Mexican Mini Market at 1421 Roosevelt Rd. in Broadview on Saturday.
Kevin and Yesenia both have roots in small, family-owned businesses and said now was the time to strike out on their own.
“We wanted to be our own bosses and didn’t want to work for anyone else,” Kevin said Thursday.
He said his small store includes a range of authentic Mexican products like Goya and San Marcos brand food products.
Hasta Luego is at least the third small ethnic grocer to open in the Proviso Township area since 2019, when I reported on the opening of Kingston Market Caribbean and African Groceries in Maywood. The store moved to an expanded location at 1401 S. 5th Ave. in Maywood in 2022.
And Hasta Luego is right across the street from 3N’s Oriental Groceries and Foods, which opened about two years ago at 1422 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Broadview.
Hasta Luego Mexican Mini Market will be open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Maywood trustee, D209 school board candidates make promises
During a March 23 community forum sponsored by the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership (CSPL), a faith-based social justice nonprofit based in Maywood, all eight candidates for three open Maywood trustee seats and all nine candidates for three open District 209 board seats said ‘yes’ to a range of pledges put forth by CSPL members.
The event was held at the Eisenhower Tower in Maywood and included promises in the area of public safety and parks, among others. Watch the full community meeting here.
Business/Economic development
Northlake to purchase Wolf Road industrial warehouse
On March 6, the Northlake City Council unanimously voted to authorize the purchase of an industrial warehouse at 220 S. Wolf Rd. in Northlake for $800,000, less than the roughly $1 million asking price listed by the Commercial Real Estate Listing Service.
According to county records, the property is owned by the TJNDA Corporation in Villa Park. On Thursday, Northlake Mayor Jeff Sherwin said the sale hasn’t close yet. He said the city is purchasing the property because zoning in the area has changed over time from industrial to commercial and the city doesn’t want any industrial development coming into that area. The mayor said the city hasn’t decided what will happen to the property once they close the sale, adding “we’ll hold it to see what our options are.”
Training for green economy jobs happening in Broadview next month
Broadview will host a series of training sessions designed to launch people into well-paying jobs in the green economy.
“We’re excited to share this great opportunity with you all! EMERGE: the Clean Energy Workforce Development Cohort offered in partnership with Urban Efficiency Group, The Chicago Urban League, and The Cross Community Climate Collaborative is launching recruitment for our Ironworkers trainings that start [April 10 in Broadview],” a statement emailed by the village reads.
“Please share these opportunities with your community members as we’re operating on a first come, first served basis and the cohort models are capped 10 students,” the statement adds.
Participants will be trained to become energy efficiency technicians and will be able to earn a national certification leading to a career in the industry. The training will be at 2525 Lexington St. in Broadview. For more info, contact Wynton Jones at (844) 857-0267 or email him at wyntonjones@urbanefficiencygroup.com. To apply for the training, click here.
Application portal for Cook County manufacturing grants now open
Earlier this month, Cook County Board President Tony Preckwinkle and the Illinois Manufacturing Excellence Center (IMEC) “announced the first round of 2023 applications for Manufacturing Reinvented, a $5 million grant program that supports manufacturers to improve their competitiveness as they continue to rebound and rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic,” a statement the county released March 7 explains.
The county will give out more than 300 grants for a range of projects to help manufacturers in suburban Cook County rebound from the pandemic. The county will reimburse businesses who get the grants between $5,000 and $25,000 of eligible expenses once their projects are completed.
For more info or to apply for the grants, click here.
State announces another $175 million in Back to Business Grants
A screenshot of a chart detailing businesses eligible for the state’s Back to Business (B2B) grant program.
On March 21, Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced that eligible restaurants, hotels and creative arts businesses will be able to apply for $175 million in Back to Business (B2B) grants starting April 5. The deadline to apply is May 10, with awarded businesses likely announced several weeks afterward.
The state has so far given out more than $535 million in B2B and Business Interruption Grant (BIG) funding to more than 15,000 businesses in the state, officials said. For more info on the B2B program, click here.
Housing
Advocates push for tax credit aimed at increasing affordable housing
Capitol News Illinois’s Nika Schoonover has a report on Springfield’s consideration of “bills that would create a new tax credit for affordable housing, referred to as the ‘Build Illinois Homes Tax Credit.’”
“The legislation, contained in the identical House Bill 2044 and Senate Bill 1737, would mirror a federal program administered by the Illinois Housing Development Authority and Chicago Department of Housing which helps finance affordable housing across Illinois.
“The Illinois Housing Council, a non-profit membership association consisting of over 260 businesses and non-profits, has been advocating for the measure’s passage.”
Read more here.
Education
Berkeley’s old Sunnyside Intermediate School coming down
A construction crew demolishes the old Sunnyside Intermediate School in Berkeley on Friday. | Michael Romain
Demolition is well underway on the old Sunnyside Intermediate School at 5412 St Charles Rd. in Berkeley. Late last year, Berkeley District 87 held an open house for the new Sunnyside Intermediate and MacArthur Middle School building that was built north of the old Sunnyside school building. Once demolition of the old school is completed, workers will construct a parking lot, play ground space and athletic fields on the space. According to district planning documents, work should be done by the summer.
The Sunnyside demolition is part of a capital campaign within D87 made possible after voters in the district cast ballots on March 17, 2020, in support of a $105 million bond referendum. Sixty-eight percent of voters in the district were supportive of the measure.
The full scope of the capital campaign includes the new Sunnyside and MacArthur campus, and major additions and renovations to Northlake Middle School, 202 S. Lakewood Ave. in Northlake, and Riley Elementary School, 123 S. Wolf Rd. in Northlake.
Two community scholarships available for area college-bound students
Two local organizations are awarding scholarships to college-bound students who live in the Chicago area.
The Bellwood Neighborhood Watch Scholarship Fund is accepting applications for its scholarship program designed to provide funds to qualified, college-bound Bellwood residents. For information on applying (the deadline is April 15), email BNWSFC@gmail.com. Donations are accepted year round. Checks should be made payable to: Bellwood Neighborhood Watch Scholarship Fund, 3200 Washington Blvd., Bellwood, IL 60104.
The Tea Rose Educational Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications from 2023 graduating high school seniors and current college undergraduates. There are five types of scholarships that range from $750 to $1,000 each. All of them require applicants to write short essays between 250 and 500 words, and provide letters of recommendation, among other qualifications. The deadline is May 8. For more info on the scholarships, email scholarship@tearosefoundation.org or click here.
Calendar
Some upcoming community, education, government and business events
On Saturday, March 25, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., and Sunday, March 26, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., at Westchester Village Hall, 10300 Roosevelt Rd., Westchester’s GROW [Green Residents of Westchester] Commission will host two presentations this week on the Illinois Solar for All Program, which makes solar energy affordable to Illinois residents.
On Saturday, March 25, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., at the Maywood Public Library, 121 S. 5th Ave. in Maywood, Mothers of Murdered Sons (MOMS), a local support group for parents who have lost children to gun violence, will hold its first Meet and Greet Grief Support Group Meeting of the year.
On Monday, March 27, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Westchester Public Library, 10700 Canterbury St. in Westchester, Best of Proviso Township and Proviso Votes 2023 will host a District 209 School Board Candidate Forum moderated by Michael Romain. Audience questions will be accepted.
On Monday, March 27, 7:30 p.m., at Village Hall, 425 Hillside Ave. in Hillside, Hillside’s village board will hold a regular board meeting. Some notable agenda items include: a motion to approve a proposal to purchase 241 Oakridge Ave. for $290,000, a motion to authorize the village manager to hire one police officer and replace an office who recently resigned, and several zoning-related votes for proposed developments that include a phlebotomy school and a wellness salon. See the full agenda here.
On Tuesday, March 28, 6 p.m., at Village hall, 10300 Roosevelt Rd. in Westchester, Westchester’s village board will hold Committee of the Whole and regular board meetings. Some notable agenda items include: A proposal from the Citizens Advisory Board for the village to host “A Guided Walking Tour of Mid-Century Modern Architecture in Westchester” in June. See the full agendas here.
On Thursday, March 30, noon to 1 p.m., at the Lightford Recreation Center, 809 Madison St. in Maywood, Proviso Community Bank (a Wintrust Bank) and the village of Maywood will host a West-Cook Lunch N’ Learn. Christopher Parker, the bank’s vice president and community banking director, will talk about the West Cook Regional Enterprise Zone, the Maywood Business Improvement Grant program and Wintrust Bank’s Business Investment Micro-Loan program. Registration is required. Click here to register.