THE WEEK >
Meetings
District 161 Board of Education will meet at 6 p.m. Monday, July 17, at Normandy Villa, 41 E. Elmwood Drive, Chicago Heights.
Highlight: The board will discuss the process for filling the seat of Misha Blackman, who recently resigned from the board.
Flossmoor Board of Trustees will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July 17, at village hall, 2800 Flossmoor Road.
- Find the agenda here.
- Attend the meeting virtually here. Sign in with ID 860 3721 0454 and passcode 60422 or call 312-626-6799.
- Highlights: The board will consider authorizing a stop sign at Lawrence Crescent and Scott Crescent near Heather Hill School. The board will consider approving a nearly $1.7 million contract for water meter purchase and installation. Also on the agenda are two measures, a state funding agreement and a contract for the Brookwood Bridge and Butterfield Road Culvert Reconstruction project.
Homewood-Flossmoor Park District Board of Commissioners will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, at Goldberg Administration Center, 3301 Flossmoor Road.
- Find the agenda here.
Flossmoor Green Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, at village hall, 2800 Flossmoor Road.
- Find the agenda here.
Homewood Public Library Board of Trustees will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, at the library, 17917 Dixie Highway.
- Find the agenda here.
Stuff to do
Chamber Night in Flossmoor
Enjoy the music of the Bel Canto Community Choir and members of the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, in downtown Flossmoor.
Gotts Chalk the Walk
Chalk art returns to Homewood on Sunday, July 23, as the village hosts an opportunity for residents to share their artistic visions in the 18000 block of Martin Avenue. Artists will begin work at 10 a.m. and will finish by 6 p.m. Residents are invited to join the open chalking session from noon to 4 p.m. Free cotton candy will be available from noon to 3 p.m. Free face painting will be from noon to 4 p.m. Homewood’s Transit Oriented Development Master Plan consultants will be on hand to discuss the future of the downtown area and to host special chalking squares.
Homewood Wednesday Farmers’ Market
The evening market from 5 to 9 p.m. will include a number of vendors. Guitarist Thomas Furlan will perform from 7 to 9 p.m.
Yoga For Kids at the Homewood Farmers’ Market
Serendipity Yoga owner Liz Smith will lead a free yoga class for kids from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Saturday, July 22, at the market on Martin Square between Ridge Road and Chestnut Road in Homewood.
Music in the Park
Hazel Crest Park District will host DJ Cisco and will feature Joyce “Peaches” Faison from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, at Oak Hill Park, 2600 171st St. Bring your lawn chairs, picnic baskets, family and friends.
Cars and Coffee in Homewood
Car enthusiasts show off their vehicles from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, July 23, in the Home Depot parking lot just west of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, 17815 Halsted St.
< THE WEEK
Veterans’ Memorial groundbreaking set for Aug. 9
Flossmoor Veterans’ Memorial Inc. announced a groundbreaking ceremony will be held from 2:30 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 9, on the site of the proposed Wall of Honor north of Flossmoor Road between the Flossmoor train station and Park Place.
Casino buildings rise as three-way redevelopment agreement approved
After months of preparatory work, the Wind Creek Casino buildings recently seemed to sprout from the ground and are taking shape, while the hospitality company completed a redevelopment agreement with the villages of Homewood and East Hazel Crest that spells out the terms of tax increment financing arrangements. Jalyn Edwards and I collaborated on this report.
Flossmoor focuses on communication, mental health response
A year after Flossmoor police shot and killed Madeline Miller while investigating a domestic disturbance, Flossmoor leaders have focused on improving communication between the police department and residents and are making strides to implement new mental health response services.
183rd Street lane restructuring project makes progress
Homewood officials report that the money is available to restructure the traffic lanes on 183rd Street from Dixie Highway east to Morgan Street. They caution that more steps need to be completed before the project can begin.
H-F grads drafted by MLB teams
Chronicle sports reporter David P. Funk reported on two H-F High graduates, Dillon Head and Isaiah Coupet, who were drafted by Major League Baseball teams.
Nobel Peace Prize nominee speaks in Homewood
Commissioner Donna Miller’s Hats Off to South Suburban Women political fundraiser on July 9 featured Nobel Peace Prize nominee Juliana Taimoorazy as the speaker.
OTHER NEWS
Viaduct project status: uncertain
Last week I noted that the state had announced nearly $41 billion in new infrastructure spending over the next six years. The Homewood viaduct drainage project has been on the Illinois Department of Transportation’s radar for about 20 years, and when village officials have asked about it in the past, they’ve been told the money wasn’t available.
Now there’s a big push to improve infrastructure through the Rebuild Illinois program and a pledge to spend big money on it, so I thought maybe this time the viaduct storm drains would get fixed.
I’ve exchanged email with an IDOT representative, but I need clarification on a couple of points before I can finish the story on the status of the project. I hope to have that story this week.
DEMOCRACY WATCH
Homewood Trustee Anne Colton made a suggestion, and trustees Jay Heiferman and Lauren Roman expressed support for it, that the board conduct more public conversations about issues faced by the village. Mayor Rich Hofeld said the board could use the committee of the whole format, which has been done in the past, as a forum for more open-ended conversation.
Colton lobbied for including a portion of the regular agenda for conversation with a time limit. Both formats could help make meetings more interesting and useful for residents, perhaps encourage more regular attendance.
Homewood board meetings in recent years have tended to be efficient and brief. Long meetings are not necessarily better meetings, I can say from experience, and Colton noted that nobody is interested in being at meetings for hours. It looks like Homewood trustees hope to explore changes that will include a bit more discussion in a way that protects efficiency and increases usefulness and public engagement.