Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The Village Board approved a recapture agreement to pay back Silver Cross Hospital for funding the total cost of south approach intersection improvements at the Route 6 entrance.
Trustees David Smith, Annette Bowden and Ray Tuminello were sworn in for another four-year term at the regular meeting of the New Lenox Village Board Monday. The three incumbents faced no challengers in the April 2013 election. Mayor Tim Baldermann thanked them for their years of commitment to the village and their willingness to continue toward that end. "We have six dedicated individuals that serve up here. They do a tremendous job. There's a wealth of experience up here. They do a wonderful job." In other business, the board approved three recapture agreements to benefit Silver Cross Hospital, 1900 Silver Cross Boulevard. Because the hospital, after the economy tanked, was stuck paying the total cost of the south approach …
Monday, April 29, 2013
The Village invites residents to a Route 30 Corridor Plan meeting to review a draft plan and gather input.
The Village of New Lenox is hosting a Route 30 Corridor Plan open house and presentation from 5:30-7:30 p.m. April 29 at Village Hall. A PowerPoint presentation is planned to share input received thus far concerning Route 30 between Interstate 80 and the viaduct east of Prairie Avenue. A $60,000 grant from Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to the Village of New Lenox to plan the overall look of the Route 30 Corridor began with in September 2012 with a community workshop to air ideas and goals. Community Development Director Robin Ellis is looking to incorporate land use, commercial development, transportation and aesthetics. Already stakeholders and residents have shared their perspective. In total 25 residents have submitted a …
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The Village Board learns that electrical aggregation saved the average single-family home owner more than anticipated.
As the Village of New Lenox nears the end of its electrical aggregation contract, a Northern Illinois Municipal Electrical Collaborative spokesperson reports that residents village-wide saved close to $3 million in the past 18 months. For the average single-family home, the savings was about $500. At the regular Monday village board meeting, Dave Hooper, NIMEC spokesperson said in the first eight months of the program, between October 2011 and May 2012, the village saved $850,000 for residents village-wide. The average savings for a single-family home was $147 during that period. In the last year, village-wide savings total $2,048,000, meaning the average single-family home saved $344. The savings realized in New Lenox were more than …
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Floyds Ale House, a fine dining restaurant, gets a nod of approval from Village trustees.
It's been only seven weeks since the popular Charley Horse Restaurant and Pub closed its doors suddenly on Feb. 4, but already the Village of New Lenox at its regular meeting Monday approved Floyds Alehouse for the same location. With a history of operating restaurants in the Southland, brothers Alfonso and John Perez are planning to open the restaurant at 901 E. Lincoln Highway by the second or third week in April. This will be a fine dining restaurant featuring American cuisine, including oxtail, sea scallop salad, grilled chicken, steak and hamburgers to name a few of the items on their menu. They'll have between 60 and 70 different beers on tap. Trustees approved two ordinances creating Class D2 liquor for the restaurant and an …
Friday, March 22, 2013
The annual Spring Leaf Collection gets underway next month. Look for the schedule here.
The annual Spring Leaf Collection program is slated to get underway next month. The Village of New Lenox is also running a leaf vacuum collection program. "Leaves must be in yard waste paper bags or a yard waste cart in order to be collected by our garbage collection company NuWay. No stickers are required during this period," according to the Village website. The Village will also be running the leaf vacuum truck Monday through Friday of these two weeks. If you would like your leaves collected by the vacuum truck, remember you must rake only leaves onto the parkway parallel to the street. Also please remember that leaves should not be placed behind obstacles such as parked vehicles, trees, mailboxes, fire hydrants or streetlights. If you …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Expansion project on hold during the economic downturns is resurrected.
Trustees gave their nod of approval and reviewed water and sanitary sewer upgrades at the regular Monday meeting of the Village Board. A plan to expand the Village's wastewater treatment plant has been revived and set in motion with authorization of an updated engineering proposal. Trustees authorized an updated engineering services plan by Aecom Engineers, of Chicago, for the design and expansion of Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 2. The plan is to double the capacity of the plant from three-quarters of a million gallons a day (MGD) to 1.5 MGD. It was initiated in 2006, when design engineering services were started. A combination of permitting problems related to Wastewater Treatment Plant No. 1 together with the economic downturn worked …
Monday, January 28, 2013
Trustees approved up to $45,000 worth of upgrades to the public works building project.
A request to upgrade the salt storage capability for the $9 million public works facility was approved at the regular Village board meeting on Monday. The price tag is up to $45,000, but it's expected to save money in the long-term. The change reflects a staff request to construct a salt dome rather than the planned traditional storage building. Kurt Carroll, village administrator, said during last week's Committee of the Whole meeting that the dome is preferable because it increases the capacity and it's easier to use. At the same time, it's expected to diminish the need for a costly conveyor. The dome is similar to what the Illinois Department of Transportation uses to store its salt. On the New Lenox site, it increases storage capacity …
Friday, January 25, 2013
A 9-year-old New Lenox girl is celebrated as a hero for saving her mother and herself. Frankfort Fire Protection District Awards her the "Golden Duck."
New Lenox's 9-year-old Alex Sheridan today is being called a hero. After her mother went into a diabetic coma a week ago while driving home from a basketball game in Lockport, the third-grader from Haines Elementary School turned off the ignition and stopped the car. While Jennifer has been a diabetic since the age of 5, this is the first time that a drop in blood sugar put her and Alex in jeopardy. It was about 8 p.m. when the two were leaving in the family's Volkswagen Beetle. Then Jennifer lost all reference to her surroundings. "I was out of it." She was driving erratically and traveling at a rate of speed that got up to 70 mph at one point on secondary roads in the pitch black. Reader's might like: Friday ABC 7 News featured Alex and …
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The owners of JH Sweis Caterers were peppered with compliments by the American Legion at their grand opening.
A formal flag ceremony marked the opening comments for the JH Sweis Catering grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony by the New Lenox Chamber of Commerce at the American Legion Post #1977. Jan and Hayle Sweis are the new in-house catering service for both the American Legion Canteen Restaurant as well as for the banquet facility. Before serving hors doeuvres and pulled pork sandwiches, the Past Commander Craig Phillips of New Lenox praised the couple's commitment to helping the American Legion complete its dream to become a viable spot for social gatherings and casual conversations over a meal. Since 2009, the American Legion has been working on plans to update and revamp the building, he said. A $2 million investment brought the …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The Village board approved a water rate change and established a $32 monthly service charge.
The increase in the cost of water is bound to start a trend, both tightening faucets and running them less. The New Lenox Village Board Monday approved an ordinance to increase the price tag for water on a graduated scale and establishing a $32 monthly water line charge. Instead of the 6,000 gallon minimum, "we've restructured the water rates so that the line charge covers the cost of delivering the water to your household or business," said Kurt Carroll, village administrator. With the new fee structure, some people will actually realize a lower rate. People who use only 1,000 gallons a month will see a reduced rate. Infrastructure improvements in Chicago and Oak Lawn are moving forward. The upgrades carry a price tag of $100 million-…
alski
2:42 pm on Wednesday, May 1, 2013
And if a vote went to the citizens regarding a hotel. I would vote no and encourage others to do the same. Simply because I remember when the village of South Holland was against construction of the Union 76 Truck Stop off of Rt.6 and the interstate.They eventually agreed based on the promise of the revenue it would bring into the town. Along with it came an increase in crime. Prostitution. … more ›