BLUE ISLAND
City to get word out on new bridge rules
City officials are still trying to get the word out about new regulations governing two aging bridges over the Cal-Sag Channel.
The new 3-ton load limit for the crumbling bridges on Chatham and Division Streets has been posted, but officials conceded this week that trucks heavier than that have still been driving across.
“Before we start to ticket, we want to make sure that everyone is aware of it,” Mayor Donald Peloquin said at this week’s City Council meeting.
Peloquin said concrete is crumbling off the steel-reinforced rebar of the bridges, which are now more than 80 years old. City officials are hoping to get federal grants to repair both bridges, which could cost as much as $10 million.
He said school officials from local districts have been informed of the new weight limits and have rerouted school buses around the bridges.
Meanwhile, the city is still waiting for a load study to be completed by the Illinois Department of Transportation, which could restrict even more traffic from driving on the bridges until they are repaired.
Pedestrians are being cautioned not to walk on the bridges’ sidewalks.
— Carmen Greco Jr.
HOMEWOOD
Officials approve emergency plan
Village officials have passed a set of guidelines to follow during an emergency.
The Homewood Village Board this week unanimously approved an emergency operations plan, which has already been certified by the Cook County Emergency Management Committee.
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“Very few emergency plans have been certified by the county. This is a great step forward,” Trustee Ray Robertson said. The plan provides a blueprint for carrying out emergency functions during a crisis.
As part of the plan, the board approved $50,000 in upgrades for the village’s Fire Department operational training facility, on the east end of 191st Street, so it can be used as an emergency operations center.
When the renovations are completed, the facility will replace Village Hall as the town’s designated site for managing an emergency, Village Manager Mark Franz said.
“With the current EOC being here [Village Hall], this is a vulnerable area because of the rail yards,” Police Chief Larry Burnson said.
— Margie Ritchie
PLAINFIELD
Developer renews push for gas station
After being denied a request to place a Gas City station at Renwick Road and U.S. Highway 30 earlier this month, the developers have come back to make their case again to city officials.
Gas City officials and the developer, Paul Hemmer Cos., sought approval for a gas station on the southeast corner during the Village Board’s committee of the whole meeting this week. The village has already approved placing a gas station there, but only if it takes second billing to offices and retail stores.
The developer wants to revise the layout, making Gas City a key feature, which officials have rejected.
It’s too difficult to find a stronger anchor for that site, according to the developer, who is also asking for a $275,000 incentive package to help cover the costs of demolition and cleanup of the site.
Trustee Jeffrey Dement objected to the proposal, arguing that a big gas station limits village efforts to extend the look and architecture of the downtown to the intersection.
“I certainly do not feel a gas station does that,” Dement said.
The matter will be presented to the Village Board at its next committee of the whole meeting in September.
— Patricia Trebe
TINLEY PARK
Village wants to bill crooks for crimes
Tinley Park could soon have new ordinances that make illegal activity in the village more costly for offenders.
The Public Safety Committee has discussed a proposed ordinance that would require offenders to cover the village’s cost of dispatching police or other services to respond to their crimes. The proposed ordinance would apply to those convicted of arson, unlawful use of weapons, reckless driving and felonies involving force, among others.
The committee also reviewed an ordinance that would add a $500 penalty to drunken-driving offenses.
The village is also drafting an ordinance that would give it more power to prosecute gun offenses. If approved, gun owners will have to register their weapons with the village. The proposed ordinance would give the village the power to fine individuals as well as punish offenders up to six months.
“This is not a gun-control ordinance,” Mayor Edward Zabrocki said. “This is a prosecution ordinance.”
— Patricia Trebe
LOCKPORT
Retail plan OKd near I-355 project
The City Council this week gave the go-ahead for the largest commercial development in the city’s history.
The $95 million Lockport Square development at 159th Street, near the new Interstate Highway 355 extension, set to open in November, would include a Home Depot, a SuperTarget and 20 other retail spots.
“It’s going to be a boon for us,” said Mike Greenan, director of city services, at a council meeting this week. “It’s a giant step forward.”
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Officials have been working on the plan for more than 18 months.
— Jeff Borgardt