Westchester

Weekly E-News

Westchester's 100th Birthday Party in the Park - July 11 & 12

🎉 THE PARTY STARTS TOMORROW! 🎉

Join us at Community Park as we kick off Westchester’s 100th Birthday: Party in the Park!

🎶 DJ starts spinning and food vendors open at 5:00 PM

🎸 Live music by Triple Replay at 6:00 PM and Kenny Live at 8:30 PM

🎈 Bounce houses for the kids

🍺 Beer tent for the grown-ups

🍔 A huge lineup of food vendors including Westchester favorites:

- Alpine Food Shop

- Rocky’s Pizza

- Sha-Poppin’ Gourmet Popcorn

…plus Buona Beef, El Buen Valle Tacos, Q’s Pizza, Polish Shack, Zo’dlicious BBQ, The Press Box Smashburgers, and the iconic Rainbow Cone!

Stop by the Westchester Food Pantry's tent for hydration - they'll be selling water and pop with all proceeds benefitting the Pantry!

🎉 THEN COME BACK SATURDAY FOR ANOTHER ULTIMATE PARTY!

We’re keeping the celebration going with Westchester’s official 100th Birthday Party starting at 12:00 PM at Community Park!

🎈 Fun for the whole family – Bring the kiddos and sign up on the spot for:

🥔 Potato Sack Races

🥄 Egg and Spoon Relay

💦 Water Balloon Toss

🥧 Pie Eating Contest

🎨 Plus:

✅ Face painting

🎈 Balloon animals

🛍️ Goodie bags

🧁 Cupcakes

🎤 At 4:00 PM, we’ll gather to sing Happy Birthday to the Village -and present the Key to the Village to Paul Gattuso of Paul’s Pizza & Hot Dogs, honoring over 40 years as a Westchester staple. From being the go-to spot for memories across generations to his unwavering service and generosity, Paul has been a cornerstone of our community.

One of our Centennial Committee members will also be walking around conducting short interviews for a special commemorative project called Voices of Westchester. We’d love for you to share your story!

🎶 Then get ready for another epic night of music:

🎸 7th Heaven – 4:30 PM

🎶 True Company – 6:30 PM

⚡ Infinity – 9:00 PM

There's something for every taste bud (and taste in music), so bring your lawn chairs, your friends, and maybe your poncho - because this party is rain or shine!

💯 Come celebrate 100 years of community, fun, and Westchester pride - we are WESTCHESTER!

📍 Community Park – 10201 Bond St, Westchester

WaterSmart Portal Goes Live July July 15, Town Hall July 29

We’re excited to announce the launch of Westchester’s new Water Usage Portal on July 15! This new tool will allow residents to view real-time water usage, receive automated alerts for leaks or unusual activity, access billing information, and more — all in one convenient place.

To help you get started, we’re hosting a Town Hall Meeting on Monday, July 29 at 6:00 PM at Village Hall. We’ll walk through how to sign up, how to navigate the portal, and how to make the most of the new features.

Don’t miss this opportunity to take control of your water usage, avoid surprises on your bill, and help us build a more efficient, responsive utility system.

Click here to stay informed and learn how to sign up.

Centennial Spiritwear Store Now Open!

Show your Westchester pride and support your community by ordering your limited-edition Centennial Spiritwear—now available!

Not only will you be celebrating 100 years of Westchester, but $5 from each item purchased will go directly to the Westchester Community Events Foundation, helping to support local events and initiatives.

Orders will be available for pickup at Village Hall on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Please use the Public Works / Court Room entrance on the east side of the building.



Don’t miss out—these exclusive items are available for a limited time only!

Collection Event? Repair Fair? GROW Wants to Hear from You!

Are you interested in a future Collection Event or Repair Fair in Westchester? The Village’s GROW Ecological Commission is exploring ideas—and we want your input!

Take our quick survey (less than a minute) to let us know what types of items you’d be interested in donating or repairing. Examples include:

• Repair: clothing, jewelry, electronics, bikes, small appliances, knife/scissor sharpening, and more
• Collection: wearable/unwearable clothing, shoes, blankets, books, furniture, food scraps, cooking oil, bread tags, and more

Your feedback will help us determine if there’s enough interest to organize a community event.

👉 Click here to take the survey

Let’s work together to reduce waste, promote reuse, and support sustainability in Westchester!

4th of July

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate Independence Day and Westchester’s 100th birthday with us!

The parade was led by our Grand Marshal, Mary Gisch, who has proudly called Westchester home for 80 years.

From local businesses and community organizations to sports teams and festive floats, the parade showcased the vibrant spirit of our community.

The grand finale, our “Rolling Through the Years” Centennial Car Parade, featured everything from vintage classics to electric vehicles, honoring Westchester’s past, present, and future.

Following the parade, the celebration continued in Community Park with hot dogs, live music by Vintage, and free resident swim at the pool.



Thank you for making this Fourth of July celebration such a memorable part of our centennial year!

New Water & Sewer Rates Effective July 1, 2025

These changes took effect July 1, 2025, following a professional rate study, and represent the next phase of the Village’s multi-year plan to address aging infrastructure, comply with the State’s Lead Service Line Replacement Mandate, and maintain long-term financial sustainability of our water and sewer systems.

New Rates Effective July 1, 2025:

• Water usage: $19.21 per 1,000 gallons
• Sewer usage: $4.03 per 1,000 gallons
• Water infrastructure fee: $22 per month
• Sewer infrastructure fee: $15 per month

These rates will appear on the September 2025 utility bills.

The approved ordinance also includes a 10% increase in July 2026, a 5% increase in July 2027, and then annual increases of 3–5% to keep pace with infrastructure maintenance and water delivery costs.

Please note: Garbage rates as of July 1, 2025, will be $21.65 per month (or $18.56 per month for senior households), based on the standard annual increase in the Village’s solid waste contract.

Presentation:

• Presentation of WaterSmart Portal by Veregy

Items Approved:

• Record of Bills
• The implementation of a Municipal Grocery Retailers' Occupation Tax and a Municipal Grocery Service Occupation Tax
• A budget amendment related to emergency sump pump repairs at the Mayfair Avenue retention pond

Items Discussed:

• Manager's Report
• Consideration of Water Tower Lease Agreement for Verizon Communications Antenna

Final agendas with details and attachments will be posted on the Village website no later than 48 hours prior to the meeting. Village Board meetings are on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month in the Board Room of Village Hall at 6:00 pm, unless otherwise noted, and are immediately followed by the Committee of the Whole meeting. Can't make it in person? The meetings are livestreamed on our website: https://www.westchester-il.org/government/westchester-village-board/village-board 

REUSE-A-PALOOZA

Mark your calendars! The Village-Wide Garage Sale returns on Saturday, September 20 & Sunday, September 21. Start clearing out those closets and get ready to join neighbors across Westchester for a weekend of bargains and community fun! More details on how to participate will be shared soon.

VILLAGE HALL OFFICES CLOSED ONCE A MONTH FOR IN-SERVICE WORK

The Village Hall Administrative and Public Works Offices will be closed to the public (employees will be at work) on the following Wednesdays due to staff training, record retention work, in-service work, and overall cleaning of all office spaces: August 6, September 3, October 1, November 5, December 3

VILLAGE HALL SUMMER HOURS

Through August 29, Village Hall offices are observing summer hours: Monday-Thursday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Friday 8:00 AM to noon.

COMED TREE TRIMMING

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