Joliet Herald-News
July 18, 2005
Info for IDOT: Public hearings to inform municipalities on road proposal
By Kris Stadalsky
SPECIAL TO THE HERALD NEWS
MINOOKA &emdash; State Rep. Careen Gordon, D-Coal City, urged the Minooka Village Board recently to decide which of two routes it plans to support for the proposed Prairie Parkway.
Gordon's comments to the board were the last in a series of addresses around the 75th District she made to get information for the Illinois Department of Transportation so it can make a decision on the Prairie Parkway route.
IDOT has selected two routes, B-2/C-2, which connects Interstate 88 to Interstate 80 west of Morris; and B-5, which connects 88 to 80 in Minooka near Brisbin Road.
Morris and municipalities west are in favor of the B5 proposed route, said Gordon. Representatives from Kendall County and the villages of Sugar Grove and Oswego have already opposed the connection west of Morris.
At a standing-room-only town hall meeting July 5 in Morris, residents voiced concerns over rapidly expanding communities.
"Just the growth that would come in so quickly, they would not be able to handle that," Gordon said. "(The parkway) is going to benefit the whole area, but to take peoples' farms and change their way of life when there are other areas to do it."
Will, Kendall and Kane counties are ranked among the 100 fastest-growing counties in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The population is expected to reach 2.3 million by the year 2030.
The village of Minooka has not yet made a formal decision on which route it will support, said Village Administrator Jim Grabowski. The board would like to meet with IDOT representatives one more time.
"We want IDOT to come out and present to the board so we can make a decision that's best for the village," Grabowski said.
The board in 2002 passed a resolution pledging its support of the parkway, but the language is vague. The resolution states that the village is in support of the corridor protection process and supports attracting industrial development to offset residential costs.
Now that more information is available on the parkway, IDOT wants input again from local municipalities. Gordon is hoping to gather that information by mid-August so IDOT can make its decision by September.
IDOT plans to hold a final round of public information hearings after its impact study is completed.