FRANKFORT
Village officials plan 2008 road projects
Even before 2007’s road construction has ended, village officials are jump-starting the 2008 building season.
Frankfort trustees this week signed off on a letter of intent to the Illinois Department of Transportation to finance engineering and construction for upgrades at intersections along U.S. Highway 30 — at Locust Street, at Elm Street and at 80th Avenue.
Trustee Kevin Egan said the village hired Robinson Engineering in June to design the intersection improvements, and the letter of intent qualifies the project for reimbursement from IDOT.
By fronting the $112,000 to prepare the design ahead of time, Frankfort will have a project ready to start when IDOT sets up its 2008 roadwork program in July, said Village Administrator Jerry Ducay.
Pat Harper
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LOCKPORT
Developer to help replace trees it cut
The City Council recently approved an agreement requiring a developer to plant several dozen trees near Division Street to help replace those it mistakenly chopped down last summer.
The Hartz Construction Company of Woodridge agreed to plant 46 trees near the Lago Vista senior citizen development on Division and acknowledged it made a mistake by felling the trees in the first place.
Resident Carol Conroy, who lives by the site, said 85 to 100 were cut down. The developer initially offered to replant nine trees.
City Atty. Ron Caneva said an independent arborist examined the site and selected the number to be replanted and the layout of the trees.
“The arborist determined the size, number and age of the trees,” Caneva said. “There are some issues as to how many trees to plant there. If you have too many, then it would be difficult for some of them to grow.”
The developer is also footing the bill for the tree study.
Jeff Borgardt
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ORLAND PARK
Board OKs adding to TIF district
The Village Board this week approved expanding the scope of the Main Street Triangle, a new residential and commercial development under construction near 143rd Street and La Grange Road.
Board members voted unanimously to incorporate the adjacent Orland Plaza property into the tax increment financing district that will finance much of the project’s construction.
Almost a dozen businesses still operate in the plaza, but the vote means the strip center will likely be demolished to make way for new construction within the now 47-acre Triangle.
No business owners from the plaza publicly objected to the plan at this week’s board meeting.
Officials from Related Midwest, the developer of the Triangle, said the additional land will allow them to tie the Triangle into Old Orland Park, a historic section of the village near 143rd Street and Southwest Highway.
“The businesses in Old Orland are anxious and positive about this,” said board member Patricia Gira.
The Triangle, which is centered around the village’s new Metra station, will include 155,000 square feet of new retail space and 240 new condominiums and town homes.
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Officials say construction of the new retail and residential buildings will begin next summer. The project also will include parks, greenways and a pedestrian bridge over 143rd Street to link the project to residents on the village’s east side.
Carmen Greco Jr.
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PLAINFIELD
Officials planning for possible rail line
Even though a commuter rail line here may be seven to 10 years away, officials are already exploring ways to help fund local improvement around the proposed stations.
For example, the Regional Transportation Authority recently informed the village it could apply for a grant to hire a consultant to look at needed parking and road improvements around planned village stations along the proposed STAR Line that would run from Schaumburg to Plainfield.
Village officials said they plan to apply for a $200,000 grant to help cover the costs. Under the terms of the grant, the municipality would be responsible for covering only 20 percent, or $40,000, said village planner Jonathan Proulx.
The proposed STAR line would follow along the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway right of way. Last year, the village bought 58 acres north of Lockport Street and south of 143rd Street and between Woodfarm and Van Dyke Roads. The village is also looking at possibly having a second station south of Renwick Road.
Patricia Trebe
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PLAINFIELD
Village reviewing residents’ sewer fee
A 20-year practice of calculating residential sanitary sewer charges based on water consumption is under review.
About 20 percent of local customers water their lawns regularly in the summer. Because that water is not discharged into the sewer, but absorbed into the ground, many residents critical of the current practice say they should not be charged the sewer rate, said Allen Persons, director of public works.
However, if the charge is eliminated, the $8.9 million water and sewer fund would lose about $600,000 in revenue, he said.
Village board members recently said the money would have to be made up but could not agree on how or whether the charge should be eliminated.
Patricia Trebe