Update: Renwick Road Bridge Reopens

A construction vehicle carrying steel crossed the bridge Wednesday morning.

Updated at 10:25 a.m. June 7: Plainfield Township Highway Commissioner said state inspectors gave the OK Wednesday night to reopen the Renwick Road bridge after a construction truck drove across it. "It was open this morning," Reichert said Thursday. "Inspection went fine, so it's back open." Original story, June 6: Things just got a little more complicated for drivers already dealing with detours thanks to the closing of the Renwick and River roads intersection. As work continues on a replacement for the Renwick Road bridge, the one-lane structure is closed after a construction vehicle drove over it late Wednesday morning. “Apparently some large construction truck decided to drive over it,” Plainfield Police Sgt. Mike Fisher said. “He …

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A Town Called Plainfield

Lambert: Old School Site Tied to Village History

As developers get ready to break ground on a new 340-unit apartment complex, we explore why the building on 127th Street, east of Route 59, is significant.

The Inquiry Plainfield Patch reader Brian asked about the history of the soon-to-be-demolished former Christ Lutheran Academy building on 127th Street between Route 59 and Naperville-Plainfield Road, just east of the Walmart plaza. Construction begins Tuesday on a 340-unit apartment complex. Brian wondered if the doomed building had been built as a local high school at one time. In fact, the site of the structure is tied to three pioneering events that not only shaped the local rural neighborhood, but played a role in the development of national advances in technology. In the first of a two-part series, we set the stage. The Facts The first settlement of Wheatland Township occurred nearly a decade after the pioneer settlement at Plainfield…

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Work Under Way for St. Mary's New Traffic Signal

Randy Jessen, the village's superintendent of public works, said the light should be operational by the end of the year.

Work has started this week on the installation of a traffic signal at the Route 59 entrance to St. Mary Immaculate Parish. Church officials requested that the Illinois Department of Transportation authorize the light because of the huge number of people who attend St. Mary's, the largest Catholic church in Illinois. The church has agreed to cover the construction expense. If all goes according to plan, the traffic signal will be operational by the end of the year, said Randy Jessen, Plainfield's superintendent of public works. The Rev. David Medow, St. Mary's pastor, has said some 10,000 cars will enter and exit the church parking lot at 15629 S. Route 59 every weekend, a volume so great they've had to hire police officers to direct …

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After 2-Year Absence, Hawg Night Returns Saturday

Route 59 construction kept the annual event from happening in 2009 and 2010; organizers eager to have bikers show off 'hogs.'

Do you go for ape hangers or beach bars? Baffles or straight pipes? Or have no idea whatsoever we’re talking about? No sweat. Whether you’re a motorcycle enthusiast with a mean paint job or simply someone who enjoys checking out rides and being part of the scene, Hawg Night in downtown Plainfield has something for you. Hawg Night, the motorcycle version of a car cruise night, will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Aug. 27. It takes its name from the "hog" nickname for bikes, which in turn comes from the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.). Good weather can bring out hundreds if not thousands of motorcycles – from custom choppers and vintage rides to everyday bikes. Owners park their bikes on Lockport Street and surrounding streets for all to …

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Completion of the Route 59 Widening Work to be Celebrated July 29

The village is planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony and is asking all merchants to hold a sale in which they use "59" in their prices.

July 29 is a day most Route 59 merchants -- and all Plainfield residents -- have been anticipating for more than two years: The completion of the Route 59 widening project. The village will celebrate the day with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and are encouraging all businesses in town to hold a weekend sale in which they price items using the number "59." In other words, 59 cents, 1.59, $59 and so on. In addition to the ribbon-cutting event, the village will also pay to publicize the weekend sale, said spokeswoman Amy De Boni, who issued a media release on the idea. The bulk of the $89 million widening project, in which Route 59 went from a two-lane to four-lane thoroughfare from Shorewood and Joliet through Plainfield wrapped up last October …

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Wheatland Pays $5K for PR to Promote New Town Hall, Despite Opposition

Two board members say they had no idea a public relations consultant had been hired to "educate" residents on the history and need for the building.

Wheatland Township has hired a former Naperville community relations manager to write a press release promoting a new $1.5 million town hall, despite the township board's decision to temporarily halt the project.  “We are excited about having the opportunity to move this project forward,” Wheatland Township Supervisor Todd Morse said in a quote in the release. The release was e-mailed to Patch by Thursday by Gary Karafiat, head of Naperville's community relations department from 1996 to 2006 and current owner of GK Communications. The press release would seem to contradict the board's decision to put the new town hall plans on hold and would seem premature given that a special meeting is to be held Monday to consider a public request that …

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Eunoia

1:59 pm on Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Apparently not................... most use the township as a second income OR a stepping stone to their next office There was a person from Bolingbrook mentioned the supervisor had announced he was going to Run for State Rep - in 2012 ??   more ›

About Town

Residents Suggest Leasing Space as Temporary Fix for Wheatland Issues

Move would give the township board time to sorts out its options on finding a permanent solution, one citizen leader says.

Wheatland Township citizens opposed to construction of a new town hall are eying office space in the Republic Bank building at Route 59 and 111th Street as a possible stop-gap measure. “It looks like a good option,” said Mike Crockett, one of two leaders of a faction of Wheatland residents who last month petitioned for a special meeting on the issue. At it, they asked that all details of the proposed $1.5 million town hall and other options be put on the table. One of those details is a survey of existing properties the township might buy or lease. Trustee Joe Hudetz, the Naperville developer behind the English Rows Towne Center, suggested the Republican Bank option, Crockett said. The office suite is ready to move into and has plenty of …

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Karen Sorensen

6:36 pm on Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I have removed two comments here for falling into the category of personal attacks. Please limit what you have to say to the facts at hand so there can be a legitimate discussion of issues, rather than a forum for name-calling and accusations.   more ›

Wheatland Residents Demand Another Look at Plans for a New Township Hall

Record crowds turned out for Tuesday's annual town meeting, voting another special meeting to re-visit town hall options.

More than 130 people attended the Wheatland Township annual town meeting Tuesday, where a vote was made to stop all action on a proposed $1.5 million town hall until township officials can provide more details. The issue will be discussed again at a special, as-yet-unscheduled town meeting. Because electors voted to hold that meeting, they will have the authority to action on the issue. Opposition to the new building, proposed for a site at 4232 Tower Court in Naperville, has been building in recent weeks. But the issue is not a new one -- it's been the topic of several town meetings since 2004. Some residents of the township, which encompasses parts of the village of Plainfield and the city of Naperville, believe it would be less …

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Sheila Raddatz

9:43 am on Saturday, April 16, 2011

I have physically been in this building. I will admit that the office space stinks of mold and I am certain that it is an unhealthy environment for the employees. It smells dirty and it is very dated. The amount of water damage evident cannot be good for the office equipment, either. With that said, I agree that the township needs a new space but I do not agree that a new building is the answer, …   more ›

Lead-Footed Driving, Crashes on the Decline, Ticket Data Shows

Despite Plainfield’s reputation as a speed trap, the number of tickets issued annually has decreased significantly in the last three years.

Plainfield was thrust into the media spotlight last week when police clocked a teenager barreling down Route 59 at 108 mph in the middle of the afternoon. Bad press, yes, but the big picture is far more positive, Plainfield police say. Speed-related accidents in the village have dropped fairly dramatically over the past five years. In 2006, police attributed 81 collisions to drivers going too fast. Last year, there were only 33. And while Plainfield has something of a reputation as a speed trap, Plainfield police, in fact, are handing out fewer speeding tickets as well, police department data shows. Lead-footed drivers received 5,124 speeding tickets in 2008; in 2010, the number was 3,787, data shows. Contrary to popular opinion, police …

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Fate of New Township Building to be Decided by Wheatland Voters

As allowed by law, the question can be put to voters who attend the annual town hall meeting on April 12.

Residents who turn out for Wheatland Township’s annual town meeting next month will give a thumbs up or down on the township's plan to build a new $1.5 million administration building.  More than 55 Wheatland Township voters signed a petition to put the public vote on the April 12 annual town meeting agenda, said Trustee Karl Karantonis, an outspoken opponent of the new building.  The item, “Discussion and potential action on lease or purchase of an existing building for township office space,” appears under new business in an early draft of the legal notice for the annual town meeting. State law mandates that townships post the notice by April 2.  The town meeting is a way for the public to force a public referendum. Until March 1, any 15…

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