Homer Glen officials reassured anxious residents living near a planned road widening project by Will County that they are doing everything possible to try and stop it.
Concerned residents said Wednesday they feared the village had become complacent in its efforts to stop 143rd Street from being widened to five lanes after the Will County Board Republicans filed a lawsuit in April to halt the work.
Residents said they hadn’t heard much feedback from the village and were concerned their property was going to be seized to accommodate the wider road.
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“I feel like I can’t move forward,” said Christy Nahser, who owns a 31-acre horse farm that contains rescue animals and animals with special needs. “I feel like I’m trapped. I’m stuck.”
The road project affects about 1,300 feet of frontage along Nahser’s property and would encroach on the space of the animals she helps save. She said if the road expansion goes through, she would be forced to move.
Homer Glen Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said despite what residents perceive as a lack of movement, the village is working behind the scenes to try to stop the widening.
“We are not leaving you stranded,” Neitzke-Troike said. “We are 100% with you.”
The Will County Division of Transportation began engineering to widen 143rd Street from State Street/Lemont Road to Bell Road in 2009, but plans were in the works for years prior.
Many Homer Glen residents and elected officials have actively protested the widening for nearly a year, and in February, the Will County Board voted to stop the project as planned and explore an alternative that only adds a center lane to accommodate turning.
Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant mistakenly signed that resolution and then vetoed it, which prompted the lawsuit by 10 County Board Republicans. The next hearing is in Will County Circuit Court on Sept. 12.
The county is negotiating with land owners to obtain 116 parcels needed to complete the widening.
Neitzke-Troike said the board has had nearly two dozen executive session meetings since she took office in April 2023 and nearly all have mentioned the 143rd Street project. The County Board has the proper standing to sue the executive for an improper veto because of their belief parliamentary procedures were not followed correctly, she said.
It doesn’t make sense for the village to use taxpayer funds on another lawsuit while it waits for this lawsuit to be resolved, Neitzke-Troike said.
If the County Board Republican’s lawsuit is successful, the veto would not stand and the village of Homer Glen could then work with the county to explore adding one center lane, she said.
If the lawsuit fails, the village would explore other alternatives, Neitzke-Troike said.
But it’s important the village doesn’t reveal its hand, she said.
For more than two hours Wednesday, village officials listened to residents’ concerns, addressed misconceptions and answered questions.
“I don’t like that we can’t give you all the information,” Neitzke-Troike said. “I’ll sit up here and listen to you guys yell at me. That’s OK. But I’m not going to risk this suit.”
She said the village’s attorneys are in frequent communication with the attorneys who represent the County Board Republicans in the lawsuit.
Homer Glen officials acknowledged more work could be done on their end to inform residents through its communication channels. They urged residents to provide their email addresses to the village to receive updates or sign up for alerts on the village’s Civic Ready platform.
“The sense of community we cherish here in Homer Glen can be strained when the residents feel left in the dark, uncertain about the future of their homes and neighborhoods,” said resident Kimberly Pady. “We must ensure that this project does not become a source of division but instead an opportunity for collaboration and communication.”
Resident Kathy Hines said it is important the residents and the village continue to work to stop the project.
“If we just sit back and don’t fight this, then we are going to have five lanes and we are going to destroy this community,” she said. “Nobody wants to live in a concrete jungle.”
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Before the lawsuit was filed, Homer Glen officials had some informal conversations about taking jurisdiction of 143rd Street from the county, Neitzke-Troike said. A decision to take jurisdiction would have to be voted on by the entire Village Board, she said.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.