A historical moment in the town of Homer Glen/Homer Township, Illinois!
A proposed road project by Will County would have devastated the community, harming people's property, decimating nature, demolishing historical structures, and encroaching on agricultural land.
But finally...on December 21st, 2023, the Will County Executive Board voted to "approve" the transfer of WC1 (Highway County 1) or (Will County Route 1) to the Village of Homer Glen, Illinois.
This roadway is respectively referred to as:
Parker Road, Chicago Bloomington Trail Road, and Hadley Road.
(roughly 3.16 miles) + (about .59 of a mile located in New Lenox Township)
The Village of Homer Glen has promised to maintain the corridor "as it is", without using federal funding for any future road maintenance.
Additionally, there was a section (.59 of a mile) within the corridor that ran into the Township of New Lenox, which they have also acquired through a jurisdictional transfer. This portion is the southern end of Parker Road.
We are thankful for everyone involved in this process!
This shows that anything is possible with persistence and a loud voice!
The petition will continue to run as it is now in the Village of Homer Glen's hands to make sure that a proper ordinance or rule will be written in, so the delicate ecosystem and historical nature of the corridor is eternally preserved.
This is an amazing feat, but there is yet another road project nearby with similar drastic consequences:
Please continue to check the webpage https://www.parker-hadley.com/ in order to stay up-to-date on this matter, as well as the Will County road project..."143rd Street Project"...which is also under the watchful eye of stakeholders and residents.
There is a MEETING January 2nd, 2024 9:00am at 302 N. Chicago St., Joliet, Illinois, 2nd floor. The "Public Works and Transportation Committee Meeting" will need your comments/concerns sent in TODAY (Monday Jan 1, 2024) by 3PM in order for them to be saved on public record and reviewed at tomorrow's meeting.
Please electronically send in your comments opposing the 143rd Street Project here: https://www.willcountyboard.com/index.html
You can also email the Will County Board asking them to refrain from trying to build up the rural area into a truck route, and to refrain from these extensive, unnecessary road projects:
countyboard@willcountyillinois.com
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ATTENTION.
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND SAVE NATURE, PRIVATE PROPERTY, FARMLAND, HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT AREAS AND MORE BY JOINING TOGETHER.
Sign & Share the petition to keep the fight going against unnecessary road construction!
https://www.parker-hadley.com/
Read more about the history of Homer Township (Homer Glen) and how the farmers "pulled Homer outta the mud" in 1913:
https://www.parker-hadley.com/pull-homer-out-of-the-mud
The 1913 news article was printed and published DECEMBER 21 - the same day as the County Highway 1 was transferred over to the Village of Homer Glen (DECEMBER 21, 2023).
110 years later, TO THE DAY, Homer has proven to be a pretty tough town.