Public Works
Public Works gets a new pickup truck just in time to plow the big snow of January 21.

Transportation
Tyrrell Road to be extended and widened – when and where it will happen

Transportation
Yellow warning signs are being placed throughout the village announcing street intersections.

Water & Wastewater
The village is reviewing its contract with Illinois American Water to resolve issues and provide better service.

Public Works
The public works department received a new four-wheel diesel drive pickup truck equipped with a snow plow literally hours before snow began to fall on Jan. 21 & 22.  This new truck is a welcome addition to our current fleet of trucks.  With the completion of the developments along Big Timber Road several miles of new streets need to be plowed and salted.  In a heavy snowfall, like we had on the Jan 21, weekend the entire public works crew of four people works the maximum hours allowed by law to keep our streets clean of snow and safe for driving.

Remember,  village ordinance requires that when the snowfall is over two inches, street parking is prohibited until the snow stops and the streets are cleaned.  Your cooperation by not parking on the street helps to make sure the entire street is plowed as quickly as possible.

The village replaces vehicles and equipment on a regular basis to insure that it can provide the necessary services of public safety to all of its residents.  As the village grows, additional equipment, personnel and facilities are added to keep this service at the level that each of us expects. 

Transportation
As a result of the development to the north of Rt. 72, Tyrrell Road will be extended north of Rt. 72 and will then take a gentle left turn until it connects up with Galligan Road.  This connection at Galligan will occur near the vicinity of where the Kost plant is located. 

As part of this project, an Intersection Design Study (IDS) was conducted.  A traffic signal will be located at the intersection of Rt. 72 and Tyrrell road.  Also at that location will be turning lanes to insure a smooth flow of traffic.  Approximately 900 feet to the north of Rt. 72 on the Tyrrell Road expansion, a second traffic signal will be located. This will provide residents in this new development a means of getting on to Tyrrell Road.

These two new traffic signals, like the two traffic signals along Big Timber, will include the Opticon option.  This allows fire and police to control the signal as they are responding to a call.  It also includes the learning feature whereby the traffic signal monitors the traffic flow based on time of day and traffic volume and adjusts the timing to minimize the wait for the signal to change.

The original plan called for the Tyrrell Road expansion to have four lanes plus turn lanes.  However, in ongoing discussions with the county, it was determined that only a two lane road with turn lanes will be needed.

Kane county's expansion of Tyrrell road south of Rt. 72 to Big Timber is on the back burner.  The biggest obstacle is the cost of widening the bridge across the tollway and the expansion of the road right-aways into each of the side streets that are along Tyrrell.

The development of the Tyrrell Road extension is planned to start no latter than mid-May 2005 with a completion date by the end of October 2005.  We are all looking forward to a signal at this location.

Transportation
Traveling westbound on Rt. 72 you may have noticed that the yellow warning sign announcing Tyrrell road had been missing for several weeks.  You may also have noticed that there were no signs along Tyrrell announcing either Kildare or Welch streets.  Well, the county was contacted and they replaced the announcement sign along Rt. 72 for Tyrrell Road and they have placed the announcement signs along Tyrrell for Kildare and Welch streets.  

Water & Wastewater
There have been some recent articles in the newspaper about ongoing issues with the Village water operator – Illinois American Water (IAW).  Yes, there have been some issues and recently there was a renewed effort by both the Village and IAW to resolve them.  For now, I am proposing that there be no change in the contract that the village currently has with IAW.  My plan is to keep IAW as our contractor as they have provided good quality water which meets and exceeds the standards that must be followed.  In the meantime, discussions will continue with IAW representatives to work through issues related to billing and daily operations.  I, for one, do not want to make hasty changes without fully understanding the pros and cons of the decision.  Remember, the village is regulated by various agencies and a wrong choice could end up costing the village and the users of the water systems fines of several thousand dollars for each day of non-compliance.  Watch this column for future updates.