SOUTH HOLLAND - 2008
Dear Residents and Friends of the Village of South Holland,
For the past 14 years, it has been my privilege to serve the Village as your Mayor. Your confidence in the leadership of our Board and Administration over this period has been truly appreciated. We began a great transformation which has included new infrastructure and roads, new residential and business districts and major new economic developments. During this time, I've shared how the Village of South Holland is moving toward a "new era", building upon our past history as we cast our vision for a very bright future. As I reflect on what has transpired during 2007, it is with tremendous excitement and enthusiasm that I share with you that our Village is in a strong strategic position to take the next major stride in our long and rich history.
In my 2006 State of the Village address, I noted that "we are, now more than ever, one of the most desirable communities in which to live and work in the entire Southland region." In 2007, it was not by chance that we have earned and received validation from a prestigious online magazine, Forbes.com, which named the Village of South Holland as the top "livable metro-area suburb" in the Chicagoland Midwestern Region of the United States. Now in 2008, we are continuing our commitment to create new opportunities for business development, to the ultimate success of Town Center, to bringing the new Southeast Service Line Metra Station to South Holland and to witnessing the construction and ultimate use of the Abraham Lincoln National Airport to our Chicago Southland Region.
The foundation that we are building upon began with our plan in 1997, when we charted our vision to be a "model community". It was then that we launched an important mission to provide our residents and business owners with a distinctive business plan. We set out to become the most efficient government of any municipality in the country by maintaining financial stewardship and stability, creating economic vitality, lowering crime rates through excellent public safety programs and personnel, and providing the highest level of essential public supportive services. We also set out to enhance our aesthetics, increase effective communication, provide enforcement and necessary resources to assure well-maintained properties and an improved infrastructure, to encourage community participation, to demonstrate our regional leadership and to lead a cooperative effort with our churches, schools, businesses, service organizations, and neighborhood groups.
As a result, I am extremely happy to announce that the Village of South Holland is well on its way to this "new era". The renaissance of our community is very bold and intentional. It began with our dreaming, planning, building consensus and organizing, demolishing and renovating, redeveloping and reconstructing. We gained significant momentum during 2007, delivering quantifiable and visible results, bringing us one step closer to our "new era". 2007 was indeed an outstanding year for our village! From the installation of the bold new South Holland, Illinois sign on the remodeled Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis to the opening of our new Walgreens and the completion of the impressively designed 6,000 square foot retail center adjacent to our Walgreens, all of which offers our community greater convenience and more choices.
Despite a difficult housing market, we anticipate that our renaissance will continue with the expansion of housing options in Town Center as occupancy occurs this spring and summer of the first set of beautifully designed brownstones completed at 100 Park Place. Contiguous to our Town Center project is the remarkable renovation of Veterans Park, with the first phase expected to wrap up by Memorial Day 2008. The park is undergoing a number of ambitious enhancements, some of which are now completed, adding new elements and opportunities for residents of all ages to enjoy. This includes a wetlands area, a lighted jogging/walking path, new ball fields with dug-outs, concession area and rest rooms, reconstructed parking lots, a new operations building, new playground equipment for younger children, and improved landscaping.
The renovation of Veterans Park during 2008 is only the beginning. We have additional exciting new features that our residents can look forward to within the next two years, including the beautification of our new main gateway entrance on 160th Place, a new and expanded picnic shelter, an outdoor amphitheater style band shell, two-story multi-purpose field house, with the possible addition of a lighted gazebo. It will be an outstanding park to relax and enjoy God's creation.
Phase II of our Town Center redevelopment included necessary and major infrastructure improvements on Louis and Wausau Avenues, between 161st Place and 160th Street and at the intersection of Route 6 and Wausau Avenue. This new intersection will facilitate traffic entering the new Town Center as Wausau Avenue extends to the north. 2007 was also the year where South Park Avenue took on its new streetscape, including new brick paving, beautiful ornamental and decorative lighting, and trees and planter boxes.
The impressive work of our Planning, Development & Code Enforcement Department is evident from the issuance of more than 1100 building permits, representing nearly $19 million in new investment and reinvestment in our community. Projects, such as the remodeling of the old Fannie May store, now home to Sprint and Firehouse Steak & Lemonade, a $4 million upgrade for our Jewel/Osco, and construction of a $7 million new freezer and administration building for Rupari Foods also breathe new life and energy into our village's economy.
In addition to razing many older structures in Town Center, we were very happy to see the demolition of the Knights Inn Motel and the Yellow Ribbon Restaurant, consequently creating an opportunity for new developments at our southwest entrance. The formation of our new Interstate Zoning District along the east side of Interstate 94 is sure to spur quality development along one of the most highly traveled interstates in the country. The improved access and tax incentives for new corporate, commercial and retail developments will without question be of tremendous attraction to major developers throughout the Midwest.
2007 included the completion of Cottage Grove Avenue, which has been remarkably transitioned into a landmark boulevard, with an innovative and safer roundabout at the 166th Street intersection, 4-foot bike lanes, ornamental lighting, and new sidewalks and brick paving. Our roundabout, now called "Freedom Circle" has been given this name in honor of the men and women, who have and continue to preserve and defend our freedom here in the United States of America. It is also dedicated to our Village of South Holland public safety personnel who daily serve and protect us in such an excellent manner.
Dynamic efforts were made by our Parks and Recreation team as they continued to provide quality services and programs for our residents. Playground improvements were completed at six of our parks, and seven new pieces of equipment were installed at the Fitness Center to meet the needs of our members. With forward thinking, well trained and certified staff and expanded recreational opportunities, the Community Center can boast an increase in membership, rentals and patrons served.
Our public safety teams - the South Holland Police and Fire Departments, and our Emergency Services Disaster Agency (ESDA) - are widely recognized as the best in the Chicago Southland Region. The level of service they each provide is second to none. Our Police Department implemented several new initiatives, including the Crime Tip Hotline, red-light photo enforcement, and the Deputy Marshal and Lateral Hire programs. The department also restructured the Community Policing Initiative, which has been very successful in engaging our community and building new relationships between our residents and police officers.
The Fire Department is under new and experienced leadership with the appointment of a new fire chief, Randy Stegenga and a new deputy chief, Don Bettenhausen. The department recently hired four firefighter/paramedics, reactivated the DIVE Team with team training and recertification and equipment replacements, and welcomed five new cadets into the department's Cadet Program.
ESDA has made significant contributions through their continuing quality assistance of our overall public safety program. The agency's training and continuing presence also very reliably provides support to our neighboring communities, to our other village departments and service organizations, offering assistance during community events, weather-related emergencies and traffic impediments.
The Public Works Department launched its multi-year beautification project with several aesthetic enhancements, including freshly painted fire hydrants and street sign posts. This initiative will continue in 2008 with curb painting and pavement stripping. In addition to its routine maintenance of our sanitary and storm sewers, streets and sidewalks, lighting and water supply, the department rolled out its quarterly street sweeping schedule, which enables us to provide rapid and more frequent service throughout the village. As residents and businesses, we can all be thankful for their quick response to street, storm and sanitary infrastructure maintenance and repairs.
We place a tremendous priority in receiving and disseminating information that will keep our residents and businesses informed. The embracing of some exciting new technology and procedures in our Clerk and Collector's office will be initiated in 2008. This will include the implementation of E-Pay, giving our residents a convenient online option to pay their water bills.
The South Holland Today, village website, public access cable TV programming, the new electronic message board, the Faith Family Future Center, and the coordination and administration of community events all provided an opportunity to encourage social interaction and relationship building. Under the direction of the Communications Department and Commission, new or improved activities are hosted annually, including the 5-K Heritage Haul and the annual CommUNITY Dinners.
Our deliberate plans to build outstanding caring and loving relationships between our South Holland residents have stimulated a distinctive and growing network of neighbors and friends. We are intentionally building new bridges of communication, while promoting the moral, ethical and traditional values for which South Holland's rich history and heritage of faith and family have for many years been identified.
In 2008, we are committed to advancing this mission, raising the bar even further as our development of personal relationships and new economic achievement become even more substantive. I have a deep love for the people and the Faith and Family principles the Village of South Holland has pronounced so boldly as its identity. I believe so strongly in whom we are and what we will become as our plan unfolds.
Let's continue to work together as we build upon a solid foundation and with God's help, a united team and strength of resolution, we will greatly advance from being not only "the most livable" but to being identified by all as the "Model Community" that all other communities want to emulate.
Sincerely,
Don A DeGraff