Pandemic Plea: Stay Home

INSIDE THIS EDITION COMET SPORTS $1.00 Reed-Custersenior Comets put winter Vol. 62, Issue 47 1section • 16 pages earns DAR Award season on hold Not over 75% advertising www.braidwoodjournal.com WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2020 | A FREE PRESS NEWSPAPER Council approves restrictions for new single-family homes BY BRIAN MURPHY hours, so you guys need to tell me Altiery said he is also concerned amend the budget. you can do for a city is over-hire. I CORRESPONDENT what to do,” Altiery said. “At this time, about the potential budget shortfall if “You cannot spend above the don't know your situation, but you we have not crossed any of the T’s or nothing is changed. appropriated budget, if you are can't over-hire. It's nothing personal, City Council members approved dotted the I's to make it a legal hire. I “We are having an ordinance spending above the budget every dol- we love Braidwood, we care, and all of new restrictions for single family talked to Fay and he said he can do coming through to amend the budget lar, every action taken above that is our guys are making sacrifices too,” homes and their 2021 meeting sched- whatever he wants, so he is putting for the street department. At this null and void. You cannot authorize Lyons said. ule during the regular meeting Nov. him to full time. He's never had a point in time if they stay on the same that payment,” Wellner said. “You Altiery asked Smith to not make 10 at Braidwood City Hall. drug test, background check or any arrow they're on now, they're going to can't just erase a number and put in a any staffing changes until the next Commissioner Fay Smith and paperwork on file.” be $50,000 to $60,000 over budget. number while the doors are closed. budget is made. Administrator Tony Altiery vocally Smith said he filed the appropri- The ordinance they are wanting to do, You have to do it in front of the city “The Mayor, myself, Todd, Doug; disagreed again about the movement ate paperwork and did everything they are wanting to move one guy council, it has to be done in front of we all spend a lot of time keeping the of a part-time employee to full-time legally. from part-time to full-time and also the public and has to be approved the budget to where it's gonna be. We are and whether the budget allowed for “The part-time guy has been employ another full-timer. Between same way the original budget is doing everything we can to struggle this change. made full-time lawfully two months the two of them, it's going to be approved.” and get by. If we can wait, which I Altiery was also concerned about ago. I hired him and I know, drug test roughly $130,000 with benefits which Police Chief Todd Lyons said spoke to Mr. Sullivan, until next budg- this employee, still listed as part time, him as many times as you want, and is going to put the Streets department tough decisions have been made for et time, we can rearrange money so working reportedly more than 80 he'll pass it. I filed paperwork that somewhere around $215,000 and the good of the city. you can put other people on full- hours in one week. said I hired him because I need him, $225,000 over budget,” Altiery said. “I'm down eight full timers from time,” Altiery said. “I need direction from you guys right now part-time is full-time. What City Attorney Bryan Wellner when I started, a secretary, and our Smith said he was unfairly treat- because we have the part-timers I've been elected to do is hire and fire advised the Council that the budget own mechanic which you guys ed, and he is prepared to defend his actually working 80 hours a week. We and run the street department and needs to be properly amended and approved. We are sacrificing, but we can't work a part-timer that many everything that's attached to that,” said there will be an upcoming ordi- are sacrificing because of the situa- SEE COUNCIL, PAGE 2 Smith said. nance regarding the process to tion the city is in and the worst thing Braidwood Commissioner Charlie Hart passes away The city of Braidwood is and clarity of purpose should mourning the loss of a long drive the board’s decision serving public servant. making. I want open, honest, Charlie Hart, who was and transparent communica- elected as the city’s Public tion between the city and our Health and Safety residents. I believe we can be Commissioner in 2019, passed fiscally responsible while away on Friday, Nov. 13. spending what is necessary to Prior to his election to the maintain and improve our city City Council, Hart was an infrastructure through a bal- appointed member of the anced, well thought-out plan city’s planning and zoning for investment in our commu- board, and also served as an nity. Because I care about the electrical inspector for the city. quality of life in Braidwood, I A veteran of the Army who want to make sure residents served from 1957 to 1959, Hart lived in Braidwood for more know their elected officials, than 15 years with his wife of and who to contact when they 60 years, Karen. The pair were have a need. I want to engage the parents of four children, the residents in conversation grandparents of seven, and about their city and use that great-grandparents of three. conversation to develop In 2019, Hart explained action for a better Braidwood.” why serving the city was Hart’s funeral services will important to him. be held privately due to the “I hope to bring a practi- pandemic. cal perspective and residential His full obituary can be voice to city government,” he found on page 8 of this edi- said. “I believe common sense tion. Image provided ONE OF TWO ALTERNATIVES FOR a new interchange at I-55 and Illinois Route 129 includes a standard diamond design, with exits and entrances for both north and southbound I-55 traffic, with a connection to Elion Boulevard after Route 129 ends. The exit ramp from southbound I-55 lanes at Route 129 was removed in 2011. Interchange projects at Lorenzo, Pandemic plea: Route 129 ready for public input Stay home order from the spring, rather a BY MARNEY SIMON is a state road. Road will address seeks input on two alterna- Mitigations call to limit outings in hopes of EDITOR Phase 1 of the study was Wilmington’s Elion Logistics tives for both interchanges. once again slowing the spread initiated in 2008, but in 2013 Center and the proposed The proposals for remain in place as of the virus. It’s been nine years since the project was absorbed into BNSF intermodal facility. Lorenzo Road include two At the close of last week, the Illinois Route 129 ramp the Phase 1 study for the The Route 129 exit will modified trumpet deigns. In Grundy positivity Grundy County’s seven day from southbound I-55 was Illiana Expressway. The Illiana allow for access to Route 129 the first, traffic entering rolling test positivity rate shuttered. Expressway project was put both to and from the south- Lorenzo Road from south- rate tops 25% topped 25% and the number Now, with plans to add a on hold in 2015. In 2018, the I- bound I-55 lanes. Access to bound lanes of I-55 would uti- of new cases was just short of new interchange at Route 129 55 study for Lorenzo Road and those lanes has was shut off lize a loop ramp, while traffic 500 according to the Illinois and a second at Lorenzo Road Route 129 was pulled out of nearly a decade ago. entering I-55 from Lorenzo STAFF REPORT Department of Public Health in the works, the Illinois the Illiana study and moved According to the study Road would use the same exit, (IDPH). Department of Transportation ahead on its own. documents, traffic through with the ramp making a On Monday, Nov. 9, the (IDOT) has opened the com- The study aims to address the region has continued to north-south split. As a second wave of COVID-19 outbreaks continue state health agency reported a ment period for the public to three basic needs for the area: increase. Estimated traffic vol- The second option would total of 1,557 cases had been weigh in. • Improve safety umes for the year 2050 show keep the current Lorenzo to sweep across the state, Illinoisans are being urged to identified in Grundy County. The comment period is • Improve facility condi- that the current interchanges Road exit from southbound On Nov. 16, the case count open through mid-December tion and design would suffer from congestion lanes as is. stay home as much as possible for the remaining days of was up to 2,053. for the proposed I-55 project. • Improve regional and by that time if not addressed, The two options for Route In Will County, the seven Lorenzo Road is under local travel and access which could lead to danger- 129 are a standard diamond, November. The interchange ous highway conditions The pandemic plea is not the jurisdiction of the city of SEE IDOT, PAGE 2 SEE COVID, PAGE 2 Wilmington, while Route 129 improvements at Lorenzo The public outreach a renewal of the stay at home Survey complete, but dam discussions just getting started BY MARNEY SIMON • Compete removal of the roller dam.

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