River Sweep Volunteers Still Being Sought

The annual effort, organized by Conservation Plainfield, helps clean up the DuPage River and local tributaries.

Volunteers are still needed for Saturday's DuPage River Sweep. Individuals, families, scout groups, and other organizations will help remove debris and litter from the DuPage River and tributary areas.  Registration for the annual Conservation Plainfield event begins at 8:30 a.m. at Plainfield Village Hall, 24401 W. Lockport St. Teams will formed and dispatched to clean-up sites throughout the village. A barbecue will be held for participants beginning at noon. To participate, call Jon Proulx at 815 609-6139 or go to www.conservationplainfield.com for more information and the registration form.

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Streets Closed Saturday A.M. for Church 5K Event

The race route for the Community Christian Church event includes stretches of Lockport, Ottawa and Van Dyke.

Several roads will be temporarily closed early Saturday morning to accommodate the Community Christian Church's** New Thing Initiative 5K Run, according to the Plainfield Police Department. The race begins at 7:30 a.m. near the Plainfield Village Hall. Participants will take Village Center Drive to Van Dyke Road; proceed on Van Dyke Road to Ottawa Street; proceed on Ottawa Street to Ira Jones Middle School; proceed around Ira Jones back to Ottawa Street; return on Ottawa Street to Van Dyke Road; go south on Van Dyke Road until it ends; the runners will then return north on Van Dyke Road and finish near the village hall. Because of the race route, the following streets will be closed to traffic and parking between 7:15 a.m. and no later …

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Karen Sorensen

9:08 am on Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Sue -- My apologies. The press release said Christ Community Church. I have made the correction in the story.   more ›

Hearings Set for Electric Aggregation

Residents can ask questions about Plainfield's decision to join forces with 18 other towns to negotiate a new electric contract, which could net 10% to 15% in savings.

Plainfield's Management Services Director Traci Pleckham says she's been getting three or four calls a week about electrical aggregation since voters last month authorized the village to negotiate new electric rates. Some want to know what happens next, others want to know when the savings will kick in, Pleckham said. A few want to know how to opt out and stay with ComEd, she said. What's been decided so far is the village will join forces with the Will Electric Aggregation group, a consortium of 18 municipalities that will seek bids on behalf of 130,000 residential customers, Pleckham said. It's being overseen by the Will County Governmental League, of which Plainfield is a member. As that process begins, the village will hold two public …

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Neil

12:54 pm on Friday, April 13, 2012

Your current rates are already set with permission of your government at the state level. This is just an attempt by your local government to find a lower bidder. They may be able to do just that.   more ›

Cubs Broadcaster to Speak at Baseball Lunch

Pat Hughes will be the keynote speaker at the Will County CrackerJacks annual luncheon being held at Plainfield Village Hall.

The Will County CrackerJacks, a collegiate summer baseball league team, will be hold its Feb. 16 Hot Stove Luncheon at Plainfield Village Hall. Pat Hughes, the Cubs broadcaster for WGN-AM (720) for 16 years and an eight-time Sportscaster of the Year winner, will be the keynote speaker for the 11:30 a.m. event. The CrackerJacks are part of the Midwest Collegiate League, which plays wood bat ball around the Chicago area. It's first game this year will be June 1 when they play the Southalnd Vikings in Flossmoor. “We could not be more excited to have Pat Hughes at our hot stove luncheon,” Mike Garabedian, the CrackerJacks' director of broadcasting and media relations, said in a statement released by the team. “This is the second time we have …

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Village Hall-Based 'Business Evolution Center' to Nuture Fledgling Companies

Business owners would rent cubicles for a nominal fee in order to have a professional place to do work, meet clients and eventually grow large enough to rent actual office space.

Eight or so years ago, when construction on the then-new Plainfield Village Hall was completed, the economy was booming and village had 40 more people on its payroll then than it does today. Fast-forward to 2012, and the economy needs all the help it can get, one section of village hall is unoccupied -- and an idea is born. The Business Evolution Center, in which fledgling businesses would be given village office space at a nominal fee to help them get off the ground, is being proposed by village staff. If approved by the Plainfield Village Board, it could be in place by month’s end, Village Planner Michael Garrigan said. “If you grow a business in a community, then it’s more likely to stay in the community,” Village Administrator Brian …

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Tim

1:56 pm on Wednesday, January 25, 2012

good for you. Looks like your competitors have nothing to worry about.   more ›

Early Voting for March Primary Starts Next Month

Locally, voters can cast ballots early at the Plainfield Village Hall and the county clerk's office beginning at the end of February.

Will County Clerk Nancy Schultz Voots released information this week on how area voters can cast a ballot early in the upcoming March primary. Early voting is available beginning Feb. 27 through March 15 for any registered voter in Will County. According to the clerk's Web site, state law requires that a registered voter show valid photo identification before voting early. Voters casting an early ballot must display a current driver’s license, a state-issued ID card or another government-issued ID with a photograph. Plainfield's early voting site is at Village Hall, 24401 W. Lockport St. Early voting hours at the site are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. The Illinois primary is March 20. The last …

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Mark Your Calendar: Memorial Day Parade Starts at 10:30 a.m.

Annual parade gathers at Plainfield Central High School and follows a path to Settlers' Park, where a ceremony will be held.

It wouldn't be Memorial Day without the American Legion's annual parade. This year, the gathering will begin at 10:30 a.m. at Plainfield Central High School at Fort Beggs Drive and James Street and will proceed to Settlers' Park behind Plainfield Village Hall, 24401 W. Lockport St. The official ceremony begins in the park at 11 a.m., with speakers including Plainfield Mayor Michael Collins; the Rev. David Medow, pastor of St. Mary Immaculate Parish; and state Rep. Tom Cross (R-Oswego), according to Marilyn Pecoraro, wife of Plainfield American Legion Marne Post 13 Cmdr. Frank Pecoraro. Three high school bands will also play, Pecoraro said, and other groups, including the Knights of Columbus, will participate. When the ceremony is over, the…

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Take-No-Prisoners Blizzard Plows through Plainfield

Area sees somewhere in the neighborhood of 16 inches of snow.

We may be out of the woods as far as more snow accumulation goes, but National Weather Service reports say the fun is far from over. Wind gusts will continue through tonight, ushering in an overnight low of 18 below. This, on the heels of the blizzard that whipped through Tuesday night -- with its occasional near-zero visibility, howling wind pelting ice against windows and surreal claps of thunder -- makes it all feel a bit Armaggedon-like. According to the most recent numbers available,  16.4 inches of snow were tallied at the National Weather Service office in Romeoville, and weather watchers in Joliet recorded anywhere from 12 to 17 inches. O'Hare International Airport measured 20.2 inches and Midway Airport had 19.9. (To see more …

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Recycle Your Old Batteries at Plainfield Village Hall

Waste Management program will prevent used batteries from ending up in landfills.

Old batteries can be dropped off for recycling at Plainfield Village Hall as part of Waste Management's battery recycling program, BatteryTracker.  Only dry-cell batteries will be accepted:  Alkaline (AA, AAA, C, D, 9 volt and lantern), carbon zinc, NiCD, NiMH, silver oxide and mercury batteries.  This includes button cell batteries (hearing aids, watches, etc.) and rechargeable batteries.  Lithium, lithium ion, lead acid, wet-cell and leaking batteries will not be accepted.  Each battery must have its end taped or be placed in its own plastic sandwich bag to prevent short circuits and damage to terminals. Recycling batteries prevents them from going into landfills. Village Hall, 24401 W. Lockport St., is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. …

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About Town

About 650 Get a Jump on Tuesday's Election by Voting Early at Village Hall

Today's the last day to cast an early ballot and avoid the polls on Election Day; you can vote absentee on Friday.

There's just two days left of early voting, and already nearly 650 people have gone to Plainfield Village Hall to cast their ballots for next Tuesday's election. Village Clerk Michelle Gibas says she's getting an average of 50 voters every day since early voting started Oct. 11. At this pace, the village is on target to process about 750 early ballots by the end of business Thursday, she figures. Some days, especially on Saturdays, there is a line stringing through the clerk's office. "It's not a very deep line, but sometimes people have to wait a minute or two," Gibas said. Thursday is the last day for early voting. But people still can cast absentee ballots on Friday. "The difference is that on Friday, people have to give an excuse of …

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