Village News 4

The Village wide Drainage/Flood Control project was resurrected by the Mayor and Trustees last year and was taken down state to our legislators to get funding for this badly need project.

This project was attached to a State Capital Bill, was passed and appropriations approved. The Governor has yet to sign this bill for unknown reasons. With the recent heavy rains of up to 8” in less then a 12-hour period last weekend, Justice was left underwater in many areas.

"I have never seen anything that was this bad before or like this,"Mayor Wasowicz said. "I have seen bad rains but never this bad. We did everything we could possibly do to help guarantee the safety of our residents. We mobilized the police, fire departments and our employees to provide safety for our residents."

Mayor Wasowicz said he has been collecting and taking photographs of the conditions Justice has to suffer through every time we receive any substantial rain to our Governor in the hopes that he will finally sign the bill. He is also taking petitions signed by residents asking the Governor to sign that bill and help us alleviate our flooding issues and damage to properties in the village.

"We have already collected 250 signatures but we need more," he said.

The Village of Justice wants your support and asks that you sign the petitions. The petitions are available for you to sign and we also encourage you to call your state legislators and let your feelings be known at this time and in the upcoming election in the fall.

It is very important to get as many signature as possible to take with the photographs to the Governor. Please do your best to get your signature on the petition. The flooding the Village endures effects all resident and together we can make a difference.

Again, petitions are available at Village Hall.

Be a part of your community.....Sign the petition.

At the board meeting on Monday, Kevin Joyce, a representative of the Cook County Emergency Management Administration explained that the local municipalities, the county and the state were working to get President Obama to declare Cook County and its suburban communities a "Disaster Area". Joyce was at the meeting to present a Certification to the Village for its disaster preparedness planning.

Joyce explained that if the President declares a disaster area in Cook County, residents who suffered structural damage to their homes (including the cost of cleanup) can apply for compensation after all insurance avenues, if available, are pursued. He said local governments and taxing bodies could also be compensated for damages and expenses associated with flooding responses.

"Most of the western suburbs were hit very heard. The infrastructure in all of the towns and communities are not capable of handling that amount of water in that short of time," Joyce said, noting that as much as 7 1/2 inches of water fell within a one hour period.

Trustee Mary McGee reported that the Public Works Department employees went out early on Saturday as the heavy rains were coming down, closing streets and putting up barricades to prevent vehicles from driving through deep water which often can cause secondary damage through "waves" that wash up on properties from the speeding vehicles.

McGee reported that the Public Works Department also inspected retention ponds and continually assessed the situation and flooding reports to insure residents' safety.

"The system just could not handle all of the water. This storm and the floods did not just happen in Justice, they impacted 30 other suburban communities in Cook County. This was an area-wide problem," McGee reported.

2010 Scholarship Awards

VILLAGE OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCES 2010 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

The Village of Justice presented eight scholarship awards to recent high school students who reside in the Village. The awardees were evaluated by the Village Board based upon their scholastic achievements, participation in sports and/or extracurricular activities and their involvement in community service projects/events.
Trustee Kinga Bartoszek announced the winners at the July 12, 2010 Board meeting. Mayor Kris Wasowicz presented each winner a check for $500.00 and a recognition plaque on behalf of the Village.
The winners of the 2010 Village of Justice Scholarships are:
Andria Ard - a graduate of Argo Community High School. While at Argo Andria was Captain of the Pom Pons, First Chair in the Marching Band, played two instruments in the Jazz Band and Section Leader of the Pep Band her Junior and Senior Year. Andria will pursue studies in Pre-Engineering and Music at Quincy University.
Jessica Dreher - a graduate of Argo Community High School and Valedictorian of her class. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the French Honor Society and an Illinois State Scholar. While at Argo she was on the Bowling Team for four years. Jessica will pursue studies in Mathematics and Computer Science at Lewis University.
Caitlin Glynn - a graduate of Argo Community High School. While at Argo she was a member of the National Honor Society. In addition she was on the Pom Pons Team where she placed third in the state in 2009 and fifth in 2010. She was also captain of the Cross Country Team and a Member of the Class Board her Junior and Senior year. Caitlin would like to pursue studies in Nursing or Special/Elementary Education.
Brittney Karlow - a graduate of Argo Community High School and ranked fifth in her class. While at Argo Brittney was a member of the National Honor Society, Theatre, Band, the Student Council, Speech and the Ambassadors Club. Brittney will pursue studies in Broadcast Journalism and Advertising at the University of Illinois.
Natalia Kulach - a graduate of Argo Community High School. While at Argo Natalia was a member of the National Honor Society, on the Track Team and in the Orchestra where she was First Chair Violin. Natalia will be attending Northeastern University where she will pursue studies in Music Education and Composition.
Michael Krzywinski - a graduate of Argo Community High School and Salutatorian of his class. While at Argo Michael was a member of the National Honor Society, Mathletes, Track and Field, Cross Country, the Science Club and the Spanish Honor Society. He is an Illinois State Scholar who tutored children at Graves Elementary School every Wednesday morning before school. He will be attending Purdue University where he will pursue studies in Civil Engineering.
Iqra Mushtaq - a graduate of Argo Community High School where she was a member of the National Honor Society, the French Honor Society and an Illinois State Scholar. In addition Iqra was on the Track and Cross Country Team. While on the Track Team she placed third in 2007 and 2008 in the 3200m race. Iqra will be attending Loyola University and pursuing studies in Biology/Psychology.
Biljana Naumovski - a graduate of Argo Community High School where she was a member of the National Honors Society and the Spanish Honors Society. In addition she was on the Pom Pons Team, the Swimming and Diving Team, the Track and Field Team on the Student Council and a member of the Mathletes. Biljana broke the 200 free relay record and was the MVP of the Swim Team. Biljana will be a pre-med major in college this fall.
Trustee Bartoszek congratulated each winner on their achievements to date and wished them the best of luck as they pursue their future endeavors.

Chipping to Start the 1st Week of April

The branch chipping season will begin the first week of April, 2010. Public Works crews will chip branches no longer than ten feet (10') in length and less than four inches (4") in diameter that residents have cut during the maintenance of their property at no charge to the residents. Branches should be stacked at the edge of the street, with the tips of the branches pointing toward the street. Please be aware that no chipping will take place if the branches are wet due to the weather.

Public Works crews will NOT pick up tree trunks, stumps with dirt balls attached, full trees, or limbs larger than 4 inches in diameter. Residents that have a private or commercial tree service cut their trees are required to have that service remove the limbs and branches from the property. Any tree trunk, limb, branch or debris resulting from the cutting, trimming or removal of a tree on a public easement or on a right of way is considered to be on private property.

By special arrangement, larger limbs may be scheduled for pick up by Public Works at a fee prescribed in the Village of Justice Municipal Code Section 7-314. The minimum charge is $75 for the first 30 minutes or less and $10 for each additional 15 minute period (or any part thereof) past the initial 30 minutes.

Call: 708-458-2961 for more information

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