On September 27, 2007 the Village of Justice held Its 1st ever town hall meeting.
This
meeting was the 1st in a series of open forum area specific meetings.
The village is broken down into quarters. The purpose in this is that
the mayor and trustees during these meetings will be able to hear the issues and concerns
of that specific part of Justice. Not all areas of Justice have the same
issues and concerns. This will allow them to become aware of the
residents issues/concerns and target solutions to that areas problems.
Residents can openly voice their opinions, concerns and ask questions.
The 1st meeting was held at the Lipiniski Community Center. Many residents joined the mayor and
trustees for this meeting. Some to ask questions, some to listen to the answers and some
gave praise to the new administrations efforts in such a short period of time. Mayor Wasowicz, Trustees and the Department Heads answered the questions and addressed the concerns of the residents as best as
possible. There were feedback/questionnaire forms handed out to all that
were present to either fill out right away or to take home with them. The many
questionnaires that were filled out that night were gathered up in order
to review them and direct them to the department heads or the trustees based
on criteria. Residents were encouraged to take the forms home, think
about what really concerns them, fill out the forms and drop them off at
the village hall.
Some of the questions
and concerns of this area were the young people in the area hanging out
at the Lipinski Center causing trouble, making noise late at night,
vandalism ect.. The response; the police had recently arrested several
individuals that are alleged to have been causing the bulk off these
problems. Cameras are also to be installed and hooked up directly to the
police department in order to monitor and respond quicker to any issue
that might occur there. Another issue mentioned was speeding motorist
through the neighborhoods.
These were just some of the issues and concerns that were discussed.
Over all the residents in attendance were very pleased with how the
meeting went, the openness, the ability to speak freely and directly to
the mayor and trustees, and with the responses given to their questions.
The mayor and trustees made several statements about
upcoming/ongoing projects and programs. They thanked all of the
residents for coming and asked that they stay involved in their
community, come to the board meetings and keep the lines of
communications open because they need the eyes, ears and voices of the
residents to help them make Justice a better place for us all.
This meeting started at
7pm and ended around 9pm. A lot of residents stayed after the meeting to
personally greet the mayor and trustees and ask them questions.
The meetings for the
remaining sections of Justice will be announced once they are scheduled.
On October 25,
2007 the Village of Justice held its 2nd in a series of the 1st ever
town hall meetings. The inclement weather kept the turnout low but
the residents that came asked many questions. Many voiced concerns
over dirt bikes and quads driving through the far northern part of town
and through private property to get to the area on the other side of
the tracks. The police are doing their best to try and stop this
activity but it is not easy to catch these types of vehicles. They
asked for the help of the residents in resolving this issue. Another
concern was abandoned and overgrown properties, as well as flood map
issues. The properties in question are being looked at. Some are in
foreclosure if that is the case the parties in control are
responsible for the upkeep
have been notified and if they don't
take care of them they will be fined. If the village has to
cut the grass the property managers will be billed at a rate of $150
an hour. There are some of these properties that lie on the floodway
which is why they are not selling and the market being in the state
that it is now is not helping. The mayor explained that the
village through the engineers have been able to have some 60+
properties removed from the flood map, but unfortunately at the same
time 10 have been added. He continued to say that the recent
improvements that have been made in-between Banks and Blazer streets
as well as the improvements to the drainage through out the village,
that he is confident that when the village engineer and himself meet
with the Army Crop of Engineers that they will remove more
properties from the flood map. The M.W.R.D (Metropolitan Water
Reclamation District) has control of the drainage/runoff of the
whole area and are taking measure outside of Justice were the water
is mostly coming from. Mayor Wasowicz is trying to persuade the
M.W.R.D . to look at were the water it is going (71St. ditch), take
measures to improve the flow in Justice 1st so when the water gets to Justice
from the neighboring communities it does not cause the problems that
are facing us now.
These were just some of the issues and concerns that were discussed.
Over all the residents in attendance were very pleased with how the
meeting went, the openness, the ability to speak freely and directly
to the mayor and trustees, and with the responses given to their
questions.
The mayor and trustees made several
statements about upcoming/ongoing projects and programs. They
thanked all of the residents for coming and asked that they stay
involved in their community, come to the board meetings and keep the
lines of communications open because they need the eyes, ears and
voices of the residents to help them make Justice a better place for
us all.
This meeting started at 7pm and ended
around 8:30pm. A lot of residents stayed after the meeting to
personally greet the mayor and trustees and ask them questions.
The meetings for the remaining sections
of Justice will be announced once they are scheduled.
On Thursday, November 29, 2007 Mayor
Wasowicz and the Board of Trustees hosted the 3rd in a
series of town hall meetings. This meeting was for the residents who
live in the southwest area of Justice.
A special guest appearance was made by
Congressman Daniel Lipinski. The Congressman is very interested in
what this board
and mayor are trying to accomplish in its efforts to turn Justice around. Congressman
Lipinski has been instrumental over the
past several years in helping our village obtain badly needed funds
for programs. One of those programs was the Wesley Field Water
Project. This was a collaborative effort by the Village of Justice
and the Justice Willow Springs Water Commission to bring an updated
water delivery system to the residents of the Wesley Fields area of
Justice. This program is now complete as the Mayor announced. Those
residents now have modern properly sized water lines not only for
water to their homes but crucial adequate water supply to fire
hydrants. Also present at this meeting were Water Commissioner Jerry
Carter and J.W.S.W.C. Director Peter Newman. They announced that
they are, through initial funding, paving the way for a new
residential notification system for Justice and Willow Springs. This
will be done through reverse 911. This benefits all residents in
that they can be notified immediately by phone of any type of
emergency situation that should arise.
Some of the questions residents in attendance
asked were about the “Asbury” dirt hill, streets, drainage and
public services. The Mayor told residents they can expect to see the
removal of the dirt at Asbury start very soon as contracts for that
removal are being looked at by the village attorney. Drainage and
the condition of the streets are a concern for the entire village
and the board is looking to find ways to get the funds/grants needed
to be able to formulate a plan to get started on repairing and
upgrading. The village is not in the financial position or able to
afford the complete renewal of our infrastructure.
Once the funds are acquired a formal plan will
be announced, and the village will do what it can with what it has
to work with. This is the same for all of the villages needs; we
have to have the funds in order to do anything.
Village Treasurer Ed Rusch stated that the
budget is very close to being balanced for 2008 and that they were
very conservative in what income is foreseeable for 2008 in
preparing the budget. The village for now is concentrating on paying
down the debt and providing essential services.
Treasurer Rusch added that the debt of the
village is a manageable thing. Through sound educated decision
making this debt will be paid off but it's going to take time to
achieve.
Many residents expressed their appreciation
that they are able to meet with the Mayor and Board Members and
discuss openly the things that concern them. The Mayor and Board
members would like to express their appreciation for the residents
that have attended all of the town hall meetings. Their input at
these meetings is invaluable resource to the village and is helping
them to get a pulse on the village, its services and operational
functionality. They hope that the residents will continue to attend
these meetings and the regular board meetings as well. Working
together with the residents, through open lines of communication,
will make Justice a better community for all.
The meetings for the remaining section
of Justice will be announced once they are scheduled.
Be a part of
your community!
On
Thursday, January 24, 2008, Mayor Wasowicz and the
Board of Trustees hosted the 4th in a series of town
hall meetings at the Wilkins School. This meeting was for the residents
who live in the southeast area of Justice. Despite
the frigid temperatures many residents from the
Roberts Park and Wesley Fields areas attended this
meeting. Mayor Wasowicz started the meeting off by
giving a state of the village address that lead into
what the Board members and himself see for the
village in 2008. The mayor stated the village in
working hard to get bonds issued. These bonds will
aid the village in many ways. The village will be
able to restructure its finances freeing up assets
to work for the village. Monies from these bonds
will also be used for matching funds in procuring
grants from state and federal levels with the help
of local officials such as Congressman Lipinski who
has already given the mayor his support. Congressman
Lipinski knows that the village needs grants to
improve its roads and infrastructure.
A special guest attended this meeting. Lyons Township Supervisor Pat
Rodgers addressed the residents. In his statement he
mentioned that he is very happy to see the
turnaround and progress the village has made under
this administration.
Many small towns and villages are in the same
situation as Justice. With state and local cutbacks
funding is getting harder to come by. He pledged to
work with the mayor and assist the village in any
way he could in its remarkable turnaround. He
realizes that many residents are having a hard time
struggling with their own budgets in keeping up with
the cost of living. He further stated he knows the
price of gas is taking a big bite out of everyone's
pocket these days, with such an unpredictable
market so much so, that he presented the mayor with
two $50 gas cards which were raffled off and given
to two residents in attendance. Every resident that
attended received a raffle ticket upon their
arrival.
Residents asked many questions most of which were of the same concerns of
all the residents in the village. Road conditions,
traffic concerns and taxes. A resident asked if a
stop sign could be placed on Roberts Road at 80th
St. near the Wilkins school. With many people
turning onto 80th to drop their children off at
school and the heavy traffic flow he has been
witness to and involved with many near misses
of being in accidents. Mayor Wasowicz explained that
the village is aware of the problem but Roberts Road
is a county road and falls under the control of the
county. Justice has no authority to put a stop sign
there. He said all the village can do is bring it to
the attention of the county and request a traffic
study, stop sign or the possibility of a turn lane.
Another resident asked if there was anything the
village could do about the junk yard mess at Ideal
Auto. This resident's property is adjacent to that
property and it is a "real eyesore" for all the
residents in that area. He said the he asked the
last mayor to help with this problem and got
nowhere. Mayor Wasowicz stated that Ideal Auto is
part of Bridgeview and that he will address the
problem with Mayor Landek in efforts to get Ideal
Auto to clean up their act.
These are just a few of the concerns of the residents in this area and the
residents were happy with the answers they received.
They were happy with the fact that they can now be
heard in meetings like these and showed their
appreciation for that.
The mayor concluded the meeting by saying that he appreciated the
residents coming out on such a cold night to
meet with the village board, department heads,
village clerk and himself. These meetings help them
to understand the problems and concerns of the
residents and to formulate solutions to them. He
also praised the residents in taking an active part
in how the village is run and asked for their
continued involvement not only in meetings like
these but in attending Village Board meetings and
other functions as well. Residential involvement is
key in the progression of the village. The
village is in better shape than it was a short year
ago. Working together Justice is well on its way in
becoming all that it can and should be.
