Board OKs Street Closures for Harvest 5K, Homecoming

By Michelle Mullins

Drivers will have to find alternative routes as two popular Plainfield functions will close several streets in the coming weeks.

Plainfield trustees on Monday approved this year’s Edward Plainfield Harvest 5K, the village’s longest-running and largest 5K event, and the Plainfield Community Homecoming Parade, the village’s largest single-day event.

The 15th annual Harvest 5K will take place starting at 8 a.m. Sept. 29 on Ottawa Street, next to the Village Green Park. The run heads east on Ottawa Street, south on Illinois Street, west on Commercial Street, south on James Street to the entrance of Plainfield Central High School.

The route goes around high school property to its east entrance on Fort Beggs Drive before heading south on River Road. After making a loop on River Court, the runners will travel north on River Road to James Street, then east on Ottawa Street to finish at the Village Green Park.

More than 1,350 runners and 3,500 spectators are planning to take part in this year’s Harvest 5K.

The roads are expected to reopen by 11:30 a.m.

Also, the village board on Monday approved this year’s Homecoming Parade, the village’s largest one-day event.

The parade will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 5 and steps off from Village Center Drive and Lockport Street. It heads through downtown Plainfield to Plainfield Central High School at Fort Beggs Drive and James Street.

Roads are expected to close by 8:30 a.m. and remain closed until noon.

Last year’s event saw 151 parade entries and drew about 15,000 spectators.

In order to continue the parade tradition, village officials had to borrow about 120 pieces of fence barricades from the village of Naperville after Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet could no longer offer the barricades to the village.

Trustees on Monday recommended that the village look into buying its own barricades for future events, and possibly leasing them to the groups that organize the parades to offset the cost.

In other news, the Plainfield Village Board approved the village’s strategic plan objectives for 2013-18.

The village broke down their objectives into four main goals: transportation, community life, business and retail development, and village infrastructure.

Future goals include improving traffic flow at key intersections, increasing the number of bike paths and sidewalks, playing a major role in the future of Interstate 55, connecting 143rd Street to Route 126, and minimizing or eliminating truck traffic on downtown Lockport Street.

The village also aims to create a vibrant downtown area that includes a historic district, civic buildings and a senior center and to find a better location for the farmers market.

The village wants to promote its retail opportunities by showcasing its ties to the historic Route 66 and recruiting a hotel and business center.

Finally, the village board approved a special use permit that will allow Life Touch Church to operate a Sunday morning church service and Wednesday evening Bible study for about 30 members in a light industrial park building at 24119 Riverwalk Court.

A number of the suites in the existing building have been vacant, village officials said.