City Council Meeting - Regular Meeting

Mayor Terry Darcy presiding. We will be led in an invocation by Pastor Kurt Hoover from the Messiah Lutheran Church at 40 Hobolt Road, after which he'll lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Lord be with you. Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for the public servants here. We thank you for all those that are represented. Lord, we pray for the safety of our first responders, our public workers, all those that provide water, electricity, safe roads, storm recovery. Lord, we pray for safety, and we give thanks for all that the city does. And not just the city, but the faces, the people that make that city work. Lord, we pray for your presence in this meeting. We pray that we might be present. That we might hear and listen to each other. And do the work that you've already planned before us. In Jesus' name, amen. We pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States.

Thank you.

We'll begin with roll call. Mayor Darcy? Here. Councilman Cardenas? Here. Councilman Clement? Here. Councilman Hugg did let me know he's going to be late this evening. Councilwoman Ibarra? Here. Councilman Moreno? Here. Councilman Mudren?

Here.

Councilwoman Coleman? Here. Councilwoman Reardon. Here. Under mayor, we have a proclamation for the Slovenian Union of America presented by Councilwoman Coleman.

I want you to stand and watch it because we're going to be on TV, so we're going to get you on TV. Two more over here, okay? All right. Here we go. Proclamation. Proclamation. Whereas the National Board of Directors and the members of the Slovenian Union of America are proud to announce the 100th anniversary of their union and the 50th anniversary of their Joliet home office in 2026. A special centennial convention is scheduled for July 30th, 31st, and August 1st in Tower, Minnesota and in Chisholm, Minnesota. Whereas the Slovenian Union of America, formerly known as the Slovenian Women's Union of America, was founded on December 19th, 1926 in Chicago by Slovenian immigrant Marie Cern Prisland to help Slovenian immigrant women adjust to America, to preserve and promote their beloved Slovenian heritage, and to help them become American citizens. For most of its existence, the union offered burial insurance to its members and branches throughout America. The Slovenian Union of America has been an Illinois 501c3 nonprofit since 2011, dedicated to educating its members and the public about the history of Slovenians and Slovenian Americans and their contributions to America. Its home office at 431 North Chicago Street is located in the 1910 Stonage Building and includes a Slovenian Heritage Museum and Library. It is across the street from the Slovenian-founded St. Joseph Church whose parish is celebrating its 135th anniversary in 2026. The city of Joliet designated this area as Slovenian Row several years ago in honor of the Slovenian immigrants who once lived and operated businesses here. The late Jonita Roof, also known as Ardravec was her maiden name, affectionately known as the mayor of North Chicago Street. was its office manager for some 37 years, and was a lifelong Joliet resident and member of the union's local branch 20, Joliet. Members of the Slovenian Union of American Joliet and across America are hardworking citizens who have enriched American society with their religious faith, patriotism, and love of their Slovenian history and customs. They continue to serve in all areas of life in Joliet and across America. They respectfully ask for recognition for the 100th anniversary of the Slovenian Union of America and the 50th anniversary of their Joliet home office. Now, therefore, I, Terry Darcy, Mayor of Joliet, Illinois, on behalf of the Joliet City Council, do hereby recognize the Slovenian Union of America and congratulate them on their 100th anniversary of the union and their 50th anniversary of their Joliet home office, dated July 7, 2026, and signed by Mayor Terry Darcy. Thank you so much.

I'm just going to introduce some people. This is Liz Engelman. She is president of the Slovenian Union of America Branch 20. Kathy Gunnier is vice president, and Georgine Agnitz is the director of the home office. Councilman Quillman said that we do have a museum on the north side of Chicago Street across from St. Joe's that is open for tours. We're kitty-corner from that new Dairy Queen museum you guys are putting in, so maybe we can coordinate something. Another thing that you might not know is anybody can join the Slovenian Union of America. They don't have to be Slovenian. They put out a magazine quarterly called the Zara, which means the dawn. or new beginnings and new hope, which everybody, I think, believes in. And the other thing is that there are branch offices all over the United States. New York, Ohio, Milwaukee, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Pueblo, Colorado, California, Washington, DC. not just local, they branched out all across the United States. But again, thank you. Thank you for this proclamation. We are very proud to be a part of it and thank you for acknowledging our 100th anniversary. Thank you.

Thank you.

Next is the approval of the agenda. Is there a motion to approve the agenda as written?

So moved.

Second. It's been motioned and seconded to approve. Councilman Cardenas? Aye. Councilman Clement? Aye. Councilman Hugg? Aye. Councilwoman Navarro? Aye. Councilman Moreno? Aye. Councilman Mudren?

Aye.

Councilwoman Coleman?

Aye.

Councilwoman Reardon? Aye. Mayor Darcy? Aye. Motion carried. Next is citizens to be heard on agenda items. I do have Carla Liberty would like to come up.

My name is Carla and I'm here tonight on behalf of the contractors association of willing Grundy County, just to say thank you for the upcoming agenda item, which is the resolution to adopt the honorary street name. After last Cheney, um, many of you in this room dealt with all my phone calls and questions last summer on how we could honor less after he passed in June of 2025. And we came up with this plan, which I think is an excellent way to honor him and also his wife, Maria, who could not be here tonight. She is very proud and also very thankful as we all are at the association. If you didn't know less, and many of you in this room did, I don't know how anyone in the city couldn't know less, right? I mean, that's just, he was a larger than life man. And I think, um, By doing this anyone who didn't know him might maybe look him up and get a chance to know him. He was just amazing We miss him every day.

So thanks again Is there anyone else who would like to speak on an agenda item this evening Okay seeing none we will move on to council committee reports land use and economic development I

Land use and economic development committee met Wednesday June 17th 2026 at 4 p.m. Here at City Hall and council chambers and attendance was councilwoman Ibarra councilman mudron and myself We had the approval of the minutes and then it was a short agenda. We reviewed and discussed agenda item TMP nine nine eight six a resolution authorizing a lease extension agreement for the snack bar at Gateway Transportation Center 90 East Jefferson Street with GG suite LLC Economic Development Specialist Diana Viveros spoke about the three-year lease extension for GG Suites, and we were all excited to hear that they were doing good there at the train station. And we had a presentation from the Heritage Corridor Destination's annual report. Tourism Manager for Heritage Corridor Kate Gilman gave the presentation and spoke about visitor profiles and how they used a platform called Zartical data for calendar year 2025 that grabs data from cell phones and credit cards to track visitors to our area. She explained what is considered a visitor is someone outside of 50 miles or greater from our home zip code and that visit a place of impact. If they use a credit card, it has to be 60 miles away. So 82% of those bidders were from out of state. She did a presentation about where people were going and how they were spending their money here in the area. So it was a really good presentation that you can see online on our committee. All items were approved and you know unanimously to come to the full council with our support There was a great presentation she did it explained a lot. So thank you mayor.

Thank you Public safety

Thank you. The public safety met today here at the council chambers at 5.34 p.m. In attendance was myself, Suzanne Ibarra, and Jan Quillman. We approve the minutes from May 5th. And sorry, there's a lot of items on this agenda here. But there were no citizens to be heard on any agenda items. agenda item one purchase of five power pro two cots for power load auto cot loaders for expedition powered stair chairs for life pack 35 portable monitor and defibrillators for the city of july fire department from striker medical the amount of Six hundred fifty four thousand two hundred seventeen dollars and eighty cents if you remember a while back We approved the four ambulances and this is all the equipment that will go with with those ambulances the chief did Chief Kerry made a Mention that by doing this now he is saving the city eighty eight thousand dollars by doing this now and Under resolutions, resolution authorizing a letter of understanding between the City of Joliet and the Illinois Department of Transportation regarding maintenance and inspection of fire standpipe systems for the I-80 Des Plaines River Bridge Improvement Project. Basically, the standpipe, the City of Joliet will monitor, test, and take care of everything with the standpipe. If there is a fire... We will monitor this and the state of Illinois will cover all the cost in reference to this resolution number two authorized execution remember memorandum of understanding between the city of Joliet fire department and Elwood fire protection district basically if there is an incident where the July fire department is tied up Elwood and vice versa would respond to handle that incident basically down south of town where center point is and We would cover that it's just an MOU and understanding that we will respond basically number three resolution resolution authorize an executional memorandum of understanding between the city of july fire department and shanahan fire protection district basically the same principle if Either or is tied up on a call the other will respond and we'll get there when we can so Number four, resolution requesting authorization to accept a grant to assist Joliet's tobacco enforcement program. We've been doing this many, many years. We will send miners out with police officers to enforce tobacco, sale of tobacco to miners. We've been doing this a long time, and this is on tonight's agenda. resolution approving an intergovernmental agreement between what Plainfield Community Consolidation School District 202 this is Plainfield South we have an officer in the school and this is just an agreement between the city of Joliet and Plainfield School District resolution authorizing a FOID enforcement grant program agreement between the state of Illinois and the city of Joliet. Chief, do you mind? Do you want to talk on this real quick? Chief Brown, we do this every year, if you don't mind. This has to do with FOIA cards, and we are not targeting anybody with expired or revoked FOIA cards. Right.

Yes, we've been in this program for a while now. It actually started with that Pratt Company, Henry Pratt Company, to shoot it in Aurora many years ago, where we're doing compliance check on FOIA cards. Our department works collaboratively with the state through this grant. And as they get the information, once the information comes through the state police, they will send it to our officers at the police department that are on the FOIA task force. They will go out and do compliance checks on people with FOIA cards. If there's weapons that need to be revoked, they will go and deal with them to either take the weapon or transfer the weapon to someone. But this is a targeted thing that comes through the state police and the court. It is not us going out and take people's weapons.

Thank you. And then last, resolution declaring property of the city of Joliet a surplus tri-county auto theft task force. This is on tonight's agenda. The county gave us a vehicle. We used it through tri-county. We are now returning it. It has over 100 and something thousand miles on it. It's at the end of its use, so we're going to turn it back over. Is that correct, Chief?

OK.

All these items, we had a first and a second to move. Either they're already on tonight's agenda or future council meetings. So they were all approved unanimously. New business, not for final action or recommendation. Just we had a couple things I brought up last night and again tonight. Just if we could touch back to, we used to enforce liquor violations with the state police. And I believe the mayor is aware of that. And then Chief Brown also. We're going to see if we can get that back up and running again. I brought up e-bikes. Chief Brown, we are discussing that. It is becoming a serious issue. And moving forward, we're going to come up with something here. What we need to do I brought up dirt bikes ATVs motorcycles that are riding around with no plates. That's becoming an issue again Chief Brown and the troops are we there they're aware of it and and we're we are enforcing that Councilwoman Ibarra brought up the sale of Kratom Talk about that

Thank you. It's a synthetic form of heroin that's sold at gas stations, and it's marketed to kids, and it's marketed as a six-hour energy drink. So it's almost at every gas station you go to. It's highly addictive, and considering the fact that it's marketed to kids, I would definitely like to figure out what we as a city can do about that. Thank you.

Yeah, basically what that is, it's a mood lifter or energy booster, and I believe we do have something in our ordinance that covers that. And then Chief Brown brought up the Secretary of State's website. It does have information on this and other items that are sold in stores that are either illegal or not. But other than that, there were no public comments, and we adjourned. So that would be my report, Mayor.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

And lastly, public service.

There's a quick question. What's it called?

Kratom.

K-R-A-T-O-M. Is that a brand name or is that a company?

No, that's like what they call it. Any gas station you go to.

Do we have any brand names that we can let parents know?

This is just what it is. Okay.

Maybe we can get a list on our website of the brand names that are doing this so parents can at least see what it is and they see their kid in possession of it and know it's not a good thing.

Communication is important. Synthetic drugs are prohibited for sale in Joliet. The last time this came up, it was actually a shop in another community, nearby community. It wasn't actually in Joliet. We've sent out letters before to tobacco shops that this is prohibited, but it's something that you have to keep on, so I will look into it. You have to educate the parents. Right.

Thank you. All right. The Public Service Committee met yesterday, Monday, July 6, 2026, here in the council chambers at 4.30 in the afternoon. The committee is comprised of Councilwoman Raritan, Councilman Mudren, and myself. We had a short agenda. You'll find everything on this agenda, on tonight's agenda, to be voted by the full council. Under contracts, we only had two items. They were both related to bids for purchases of vehicles. One was for $272,000, and that was for two boom trucks for the Department of Public Works. One was specialized for the electrical department. The other was a smaller one that's used for sign installation and maintenance. And then we looked at a bid for $288,000 for six vehicles from around Terrapelli Ford. It was bid out. They came in low. And those were for public works and the fire department. We did find both contracts to be in order. And they were approved unanimously to be sent forward with the committee recommendation. that the council approved. Under the change orders, pay estimates and final payments, we had three items. One was an increase of $14,999 for the professional engineering services for the Joliet centralized traffic management system. This is an ongoing project in public works, long in the short of it. It's having the lights throughout the city communicate with each other better, so timing has been improved and will continue to be improved. And it's also replacing the old-fashioned loops in the concrete or concrete sensors, you know, how you sit at a light and you wait and you wait and you wait. They're going to be replaced, all of them eventually, and this is part of this phase one, two, and three. They're going to be replaced with video instead of concrete sensors, video. So that will bring us into the new millennium. How's that? We looked at one for the county line. road from Van Dyke to Kennedy Drive improvements project that's ongoing. So that project is done and it was a credit back to us of $16,000 and then the final payment was reduced to $97,620 and we also looked at the electrical maintenance assistance contract With Meade Electric Company, there was an increased amount to be paid of $19,237. That's an ongoing thing that what our electric department can't handle for whatever the reason may be, We subcontract out to them. So you'll see that. And that included a payment eight so far this year for $49,500. Again, we looked at all three items and found them to be in order and explained well by staff. Under ordinance resolutions, we had a housekeeping resolution appropriating motor fuel tax for the professional engineering services agreement I just mentioned. You always have to do that if you're going to spend motor fuel tax. You have to approve The expenditure, and then you have to approve the release of the money. They're two separate items. And then we looked at a resolution approving honorary street name designation for Les Cheney. And I knew Lester. I think everybody up here knew Les. And all I would say about Les, I've known him for 15, 16 years. He became a good friend. And he was a big man with an equally big heart. And he's still missed to this day. So this is a great honor that he deserves and his family does too. I know his wife is thrilled with it. So we looked at those. And again, we sent those two items forward with the unanimous recommendation that the council approve it. Other than that, I don't have anything else. Good. OK. Then, Mayor, that would be my report. Thank you. Thank you.

I show no other reports. Consent agenda approval of minutes it has recommended the minutes of the pre-council meeting June 15th 2026 and the City Council meeting held on June 16th 2026 stand approved as recorded Invoices to be paid it has recommended this report be approved council memo number 336 dash 26 approved payment to will County Center for economic development for annual membership dues in the amount of $50,000 Councilmember number three thirty seven dash twenty six approval of purchase of two specialty trucks for the Department of Public Works in the amount of two hundred seventy two thousand one hundred and forty three dollars Councilmember number three thirty eight dash twenty six approval of purchase of six vehicles from Ron Terrapelli Ford in the amount of two hundred eighty eight thousand three hundred eighteen dollars Council member number three thirty nine dash twenty six approval of amendment number three to the phase one phase two and phase three professional engineering services the Joliet centralized traffic management system improvement project MFT section number twenty one dash zero zero five four six dash zero zero dash TL to I terrace incorporated in the amount of fourteen thousand nine hundred ninety nine dollars and twenty four cents Council memo number 340-26, approval of change order number one for the County Line Road, Van Dyke Road to Kennedy Drive, Roadway Improvements Project, MFT section number 24-00569-00-WR to P.T. Farrow Construction Company, a deduction in the amount of $16,122.71 and payment number three and final in the amount of $97,620.74. Council memo number 341-26, approval of change order number three for the 2024 electrical maintenance assistance contract to meet electric company in the amount of $19,237.51 and payment request number eight in the amount of $49,527.97. It is recommended Council memos 336-26 through 341-26 be approved. Is there a motion to approve all said consent agenda items? Motion approved.

Second.

It's been motioned and seconded to approve. Councilman Clement. Aye. Councilman Hugg. Aye. Councilman Navarro. Aye. Councilman Marino. Aye. Councilman Mudren. Aye. Councilwoman Coleman. Aye. Councilwoman Reardon. Aye. Councilman Cardenas. Aye. Mayor Darcy. Aye. Motion carried. Under ordinances, council memo number 343-26, ordinances associated with the resubdivision of lot one of Vista Ridge phase three planned unit development, ordinance approving a final plat of resubdivision of lot one of Vista Ridge phase three planned unit development, PUD-7-26, ordinance approving a recording plat of resubdivision of lot one of Vista Ridge phase three planned unit development, RP-9-26. It is recommended that ordinance be adopted.

So moved. Second. Any comments or questions? Thank you.

It's my motion and seconded to approve. Councilman Hugg? Aye. Councilman Nabarro? Aye. Councilman Marino?

Aye.

Councilman Mudren? Aye. Councilwoman Coleman?

Aye.

Councilwoman Rudin? Aye. Councilman Cardenas? Aye. Councilman Clement? Aye. Mayor Darcy? Aye. Motion carried. Council Member Number 344-26, ordinances associated with 580 Caton Farm Road, ordinance approving the final planned unit development of 580 Caton Farm Road, PUD-4-26, ordinance approving the recording plat of 580 Caton Farm, a planned unit development, RP-7-26. It is recommended that ordinance be adopted.

So moved. Second. Any comments or questions? Thank you.

It's by motion and seconded to approve. Council Member Navarro? Aye. Council Member Moreno?

Aye.

Council Member Mudren?

Aye.

Council Member Quillman? Aye. Council Member Reardon? Aye. Council Member Cardenas? Aye. Council Member Clement? Aye. Council Member Hugg? Aye. Mayor Darcy? Aye. Motion carried. Councilmember number 3 45-26 ordinances associated with 1216 Fairview Avenue Ordinance approving a special use permit to allow a duplex located at 1216 Fairview Avenue ZBA debt CBA 2026-07 Ordinance approving a variation of use to allow an r3 one and two family residential use in the r2 single-family residential zoning district located at 1216 Fairview Avenue ZBA 2026-08 it is recommended that ordinance be adopted. I It's my motion it's not gonna to approve councilman Marino, all right councilman Mudren councilman Quillman Councilman ridden. I councilman Cardenas councilman Clement councilman hug councilman to borrow Mary Darcy motion carried Councilmember number 346 dash 26 ordinance proposing the creation of a business district in the city of Joliet will in Kendall counties Illinois and Fixing the date and time for a public hearing in connection with the same rock run collection business district. It is recommended said ordinance be adopted second

Any comments or questions?

Mayor, I just want to reiterate, as I did yesterday at the meeting, to anybody watching, this is not an incentive of us giving money to the developer. This is an increased tax of 1% to be collected in that development and given back to the city. I just wanted to clarify that.

Thank you.

So move. Oh, I'm sorry. It's my motion and seconded to approve. Councilman Mudren?

Aye.

Councilwoman Quillman? Aye. Councilwoman Reardon? Aye. Councilman Cardenas? Aye. Councilman Clement?

Aye.

Councilman Hugg? Aye. Councilman Navarro? Aye. Councilman Marino? Aye. Mayor Darcy? Aye. Motion carried. Under resolutions, council memo number 348-26, resolution requesting authorization to accept a grant to assist Joliet's tobacco enforcement program. It is recommended that resolution be adopted.

So moved. Second. Any comments or questions? Thank you.

It's my motion and seconded to approve. Councilwoman Quillman? Aye. Councilwoman Reardon? Aye. Councilman Cardenas? Aye. Councilman Clement? Aye. Councilman Hugg? Aye. Councilman Navarro? Aye. Councilman Moreno?

Aye.

Councilman Mudren?

Aye.

Mayor Darcy? Aye. Motion carried. Council member number 349 dash 26 resolution appropriating motor fuel tax funds for amendment number three the professionals engineering services for the phase 1 phase 2 and phase 3 engineering services for the Joliet centralized traffic management system improvement project MFT section number 21 dash 0 0 5 4 6 0 0 dash TL it is recommended that resolution be adopted Any comments questions, thank you It's been motioned and seconded to approve. Council Member Reardon? Aye. Council Member Cardenas? Aye. Council Member Clement? Aye. Council Member Hugg? Aye. Council Member Navarro? Aye. Council Member Moreno? Aye. Council Member Mudren? Aye. Council Member Coleman? Aye. Mayor Darcy? Aye. Motion carried. Council Member number 350-26, resolution approving an honorary street name designation for Les Cheney. It is recommended that resolution be adopted.

So moved. Second.

Any comments or questions? Mayor.

Just briefly, you know, I met Lester in 1992, 93, L&M Concrete. And, you know, then he worked for deconstruction and with the trades and all that. And just what a great, great guy. I mean, working out of the mayor's office, once a week he'd be popping in there just saying hi to everybody. Just a great guy. He always had a duck coming in, you know, just a giant. But anybody and everybody that knew him, what a great, great guy. And what an honor.

Yeah. Thanks.

Yeah.

I agree, Joe. Les was just one of those guys that everybody loved. Everybody that he met was a friend, and we miss him. And we're glad to do this, and we know that Maria is very grateful. Thank you.

It's been motioned and seconded to approve. Councilman Cardenas? Aye. Councilman Clement? Aye. Councilman Hugg? Aye. Councilman Ibarra? Aye. Councilman Moreno? Aye. Councilman Mudron? Aye. Councilwoman Coleman?

It's quite a loss, Maria and him. Couldn't want nicer people and he was always my big teddy bear because I'm so short and he was so tall We give me a big hug. I'm like, where am I? He wasn't anything he wouldn't do for you and he sometimes would just say okay I'm here to help you wouldn't even have to ask him and Maria too and I feel bad for them He'll be sorely missed and of course I vote aye Councilman written by mayor Darcy by motion carried

Councilmember number 351-26, resolution declaring property of the City of Joliet a surplus tri-county auto theft task force. It is recommended that resolution be adopted.

Motion approved.

Second. Any comments or questions? Thank you.

It's been motioned and seconded to approve. Councilman Clement?

Aye.

Councilman Hugg? Aye. Councilman Nabarro? Aye. Councilman Moreno? Aye. Councilman Mudron? Aye. Councilman Coleman? Aye. Councilman Reardon? Aye. Councilman Cardenas? Aye. Mayor Darcy? Aye. Motion carried. Next is the City Manager's Report.

Good evening, everybody. Since our last meeting, Joliet has continued to gain national attention in conjunction with Route 66 with the temporary installation of the world's largest fried apple pie and the restoration of the world's first Dairy Queen. I also want to acknowledge the city staff who also supported an extraordinary number of events while responding to severe weather incidents across the community over the past week or two. Staff successfully managed multiple fireworks celebrations and provided significant support through all three days of NASCAR helping ensure a safe and successful weekend Despite the rate the heat the rain and high winds all events were well attended and enjoyed by thousands of residents and visitors I want to sincerely thank all city employees for their hard work and dedication, with special recognition to our police, fire, EMS, public works, and every department that helped keep our community safe, responded to storm cleanup, and made these events a success. We're really on the map. Joliet is doing great things. That concludes my report for tonight.

Next, we have public comments. This is for anybody who would like to address the council this evening on a non-agenda item. I do have some people that have signed up. David Hook.

Hello, my name's David Hook. I live in the Preston Heights neighborhood off of Route 53 and Pheasant Run. And I'm not sure if you all are aware, since the city took over the Southeast Joliet Sanitary District, There's been probably almost 40 water main breaks, and our water goes out from anywhere from 24 hours to 72 hours. The last time it happened on the 4th of July, in the heat, in the rain, and then the power went out as well. But the problem is, first it's the communication. How many times this happens and we are out of water, we try to call, People are not answer, you know, they don't answer when they do they have no clue, you know Oh, well, we'll send somebody out or do you know where to water maybe but this has been going on For a while and it's hard to live, you know, especially since February 1 to have 40 of Times that we don't have water And then with that, as of February 1st, when Joliet took over, our water bills have gone up since before, but we're getting less water. And then when they do go out for that amount, people with kids or pets or whatever, in the last probably three months, I've spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars to go and buy, you know, get 50 gallons of water stored at my house or have to go to a hotel. Like just on Sunday, my son literally had to go to Pilot to take a shower and pay 20 bucks to go take a shower because our water was out for two days. And this is just getting, to me it's ridiculous, and I know we just talked to the public works person, and she did say that starting July 20th that you guys approved the contract. But I think it's just something really needs to be done because people cannot live without water, especially that much in three months. So I just kind of wanted to share that. And I know some of my neighbors might come up and share some of their thoughts as well.

Thank you, sir.

Ashley Bester.

Good evening. I'm Ashley Bester. I actually live on Luana, also in Preston Heights. While I'm originally from Joliet, my husband and I moved back to town to care for our elderly And so not only do we have two small children, we also care for a special needs relative. And based on the information that we just received out in the vestibule area, since February, they've reported that there's been 33 water main breaks. Although we physically endured more than that. In addition to that, from the information that we just got, The information that we get every time we call the utility company is that the system is over 100 years old. It's only been band-aided for all these years. Now it's just overwhelmed, and it is what it is until it gets fixed. And then we just learned that, as my neighbor just said, on July 20th, there's supposed to be construction starting. But the one question that I asked is, where is the accountability? Because the information that we're giving the gentlewoman that we spoke with out there is not in any way close to the information that she is alleging to be receiving from her colleagues or her direct reports. And so there's a major disconnect there. And so my number one question is, where is the accountability? We all have jobs to do.

And if we don't do those jobs, we have performance improvement plans.

So where's the PIP for the people that are either not giving the information, don't understand the information, not doing anything with the information, and while we're being negatively impacted? We've had to put family members in hotels for two to three days at a time. We had the terrible storm, so I had a relative, my aunt, my elderly aunt, she was out of power for two days. Her power came on at 3 a.m., her water cut off that same day by eight. She was without power, I mean, she was without water, I'm sorry, for three days. And so I understand that a lot of my neighbors do not have it financially to go to a hotel who are also price gouging when they understand that this is happening, right? Because demand goes up. And so I just need to understand, what is the reprieve for the constituents in Preston Heights?

Natalie Silva.

Good evening, my name is Natalie Silva, and I'm here tonight because our community has reached a breaking point. The water lines in our neighborhood are old and are breaking nearly every two weeks. Every time this happens, families are left without water for two to three days. We cannot cook, shower, wash clothes, or even flush our toilets without finding expensive alternatives. Many of us have spent hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, buying water bottles, purchasing barrels of of purchasing barrels to collect rainwater just to flush our toilets, and even paying for hotel rooms for our families to be able to bathe and to have access to running water. These costs should not have fallen on residents because of the fail of the failing public infrastructure. My husband and I are new residents to Joliet, and we purchased our new construction home in Pheasant Run area, which is one of our concerns. The infrastructure that has been serving this community was already struggling. As more homes were added, residents were left wondering why replacing the water lines was not treated as the same priority as expanding the neighborhood. Growth should have never become... first as a priority, instead the responsibility of providing reliable infrastructure. New development should be matched with the investment needed to ensure existing and new residents have dependable access to clean and running water. This is no longer an inconvenience. It's a public health issue and a quality of life issue. Families are rearranging their lives every few weeks just because we don't know when we will run out of water or when the next water main break will happen. Tonight, I am asking for more than just another temporary repair. We want answers and we want a timeline for replacing these aging water lines. I want transparency and funding available to move forward and for residents to finally have a permanent solution. We pay our taxes and we invest in this community. We deserve infrastructure that is safe, reliable, and maintained before it falls again and again. Please just do something. I want to be able to shower. I want to be able to be with my kids at night. You guys shower? You guys have water? It feels wonderful. And that's not just something that we should be hoping to have and to wake up every day. We should have it. And we pay for it. Please do something. Please.

Is there anyone else who would like to address the council this evening?

Good evening, Mayor, members of the Joliet City Council. My name is Crystal Adams. I am a resident served by the Southeast Joliet Sanitary District. I am here tonight. I did put in a request online to speak, but I didn't get a response back from you all, so that's the reason why I'm here now. I'm here tonight because my family, my neighbors, and many others in our community, as so many have spoken, are exhausted from repeatedly losing access to one of life's most basic necessities, which is running water. When a water main breaks, our community is left without water for hours, and in some cases, more than 24 hours, days. During that time, families cannot cook, bathe, flush toilets, wash their hands, do laundry, safely care for children, seniors and even those with medical needs now the biggest issue is that there probably are not many businesses losing revenue because there are not many businesses in that area which is why we feel that maybe it's not at a high priority for this council but unfortunately residents are forced to scramble for bottled water and other basic necessities These are not isolated incidents, as many have spoken before. We've had over 33 water main breaks since February 1st. I can't even count the number even prior to that. They have become a reoccurring problem, and temporary repairs are no longer enough. Our community deserves permanent solutions. Reliable access to clean water is not a privilege. It is essential to public health, public safety, and just overall quality of life. Every resident in Joliet deserves confidence that when they turn on the faucet, water will be there. Tonight, I respectfully ask this council to make the Southeast Joliet Sanitary District aging water infrastructure a priority. It should be on this agenda every two weeks. Work with the state and federal partners to secure funding for long-term infrastructure improvement. Increase transparency, as requested earlier, by providing residents with regular updates on planned repairs, infrastructure conditions. We shouldn't have to come here to voice our concern to get an update. And timelines for actual permanent solutions. Advocate for every neighborhood affected by these reoccurring outages so no community is left behind. Our residents are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for reliable infrastructure, accountability, and the basic dignity of having running water in our homes. I urge this council to act before another water main breaks, leaving families without the essential services they depend on every day. I just want you to imagine organizing a family event for the Fourth of July. or for your child's prom send-off and not having access to running water. And I want you to think about what it would feel like waking up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, and you can't flush your toilet. You can't wash your hands. Thank you for your time and for your commitment to serving the residents of Joliet.

Is there anyone else who would like to address the council this evening on a non-agenda item?

I spoke last night, I speak to Chief Brown afterward after a meeting here about my order of protection. I'm going with my attacker. I feel he's violating the order of protection, but he keeps coming around by me. I don't feel safe anywhere from my attacker. Despite his repeated efforts, even with the presence of a Wilmington police officer by me, my attacker still had the guts in October to come right up to me and harass me. And would you like the incident that happened June 1st at the Islander Pilot gas station when he drove to the back of my pickup truck with me in it. He knew my trucks ever since me and my boss owned those trucks. He knew what these trucks looked like, especially when they were sitting in his driveway when I was leaving them. He knows it. When he turned to the gas station, he should have just turned right around, not drive right up to the back of my truck and slow down to make sure I seen him. My order of protection specifically says he's not supposed to be in 50 feet of me any place. That means wherever I'm at. But I got Chief Brown here telling me, well, I got fear. I can't even list where I'm living at right now because of the fear of what this guy would do to me at my vehicles and at my place sleeping and everything. And you all think that I'm just supposed to stay in that room that I'm living in right now and just stay there 24-7 and never leave. can't do that i gotta go out and go socialize and try to socialize with some of my friends to get myself on my moral spirits okay and the disgusting thing is chief brown saying well why don't i move why don't i move how long have i been trying to find a place to move to ever since i got taken out of my mother's place i have been looking and looking for a new place for me and my brother And the difficulties I face because of it, because of my brother being a registered sex offender, and I have to get government approval by federal government to where he can live. I just can't go live anywhere, because he's not allowed to go live anywhere. It was all brought up at his criminal trials up there in Chicago with the FBI. The FBI is involved in this case and the Department of Justice a lot, the federal Department of Justice. So I just can't find another place to go live right now. Places are not out there. And I gotta get a place to where I can afford to go live too, you know? Just can't go buy any place and then the taxes get so high and I can't pay property taxes. That's why my ma's place was just so important. this thing with this pickup truck with this John Byrne hat you know I had an investigation done by Crest Hill police you know people that he took the repair shop to his buddies there at the first choice auto there said he removed the seat belts cleaning put new tires on the truck no he tore this truck completely up The seatbelt clickers ain't even in it right now. The tires on the truck are like car tires. I used to have to stand on my tiptoes to see the back of that truck. Now I just walk right up and see right in the back of my truck because the tires are like car tires on the back of this truck. I can't even drive this truck. This truck was my pride and joy until it got destroyed. And I don't even know, how does this guy, John Byrne, know about this truck, getting this truck, supposedly from Whimsy Truck, and how does he know about it unless he came on the property and was snooping around? Like I know him, because when I was still living at my ma's house at Gator Mobile with Darren Wolf driving around with Whimsy Truck and driving around my ma's property while I was still living there and spying, snooping around, seeing what they could take. And they did take everything.

Is there anyone else who would like to address the council this evening on a non-agenda item? Okay. Seeing none, we'll move on to mayor and council comments.

Nothing for me.

Well, it's been a long time since we last met and so many things have happened. I'll just run through it really quickly. We have a dedication to the city square ribbon cutting, which is well attended. The theater area, a concert in the park over at Farragut School. They have their third Friday of the month put on by the Park District. We call it our little rovinia, and everybody's welcome to come. And they'll be having another one here on July 17th at Farragut School. It starts at 6.30. You bring your chairs, what you want to drink, or if you want to eat something, it's like a little picnic of your own. It's a really good time. Um, we had the McDonald's medication, the 30 foot apple pie over there on Broadway street. And that was something, and they're bringing back those little apple pies and they're tastes better than they used to, uh, to say that. Um, then there was the very queen designation at, uh, on Chicago street. And I have to say that in 2011, it was named a historical landmark and they had a big to do there. ABC was there. And we got a lot of good press on that. And the owners of Dairy Queen were so very happy that the original one was there and the museum has preserved part of it. And that particular day they were serving dilly bars in the freezer because they couldn't do the regular soft cream, but it was nice and well attended and everybody really enjoyed themselves and very happy that it's going to be on the original. It was on the original Route 66, but then Route 66 moved over a little bit but they're going to direct people over there to look at, they're going to have the regular neon signs, and that's being provided by the original company and the original owners for Dairy Queen. So I guess Bicentennial Park had fireworks on Friday, despite the weather. It was short, but it was very nice. And the stadium had fireworks as well, so I made it to both of them. So I was all over the place this last couple of months, but it was very fun and well-attended. I'm glad that people are starting to come downtown Joliet and enjoy themselves. So come on down if you haven't been there. So safe travels, everybody, if you're going to have a vacation, and stay cool. And I will tell you, I know what it's like to be without water and electricity. Been there, done that, OK? So I feel your pain. So we'll try to get on that right away. Thank you.

This is for Beth. Hey, on Heinepen Road and Route 30, a couple residents reached out to me that they would like to see, so they have a sidewalk, but they don't have an actual crosswalk where people can take the kids from either, you know, from the church to the Five Guys area, you know, to Fresh Thyme. So if we can work on that one, please. Also, between Frontage Road, so Frontage, So between Black Road and Frontage Road on the far west side, right before the library, that whole area, we have the Rock Run Trail and all that stuff. I would really like to see some lighting over there. I know we had someone die, a bicyclist got killed a couple years ago. It's very dark there during the night and in the mornings. I know right now the sun's helping us out, but maybe we can do something about that down the road. And... Everybody from Preston Heights, thank you guys for coming out here. I really appreciate that and voicing your concerns. I know exactly how you guys feel. My relative lives over there and he complains to me all the time, but he goes to my dad's house and he's like, hey, what's going on? I wasn't aware to the extent of it. If I'm not mistaken, this was a decision from the state to take on Preston Heights and basically we just give you guys the water service. Madison although I talked to her earlier they are gonna work on it and I would like maybe we can send them out a letter so that we can give another explanation and have contact numbers so that you guys can call the right numbers and I think Allison's already suggested having a meeting with all of them so yeah no that's all for today

OK. For everyone in Preston Heights, I want you to write down this phone number. I'm your district councilwoman. Not only do you have me, you have Joe Clement. Councilman Clement is an at-large. Councilwoman Quillman is an at-large. And Councilman Marino, who just spoke, and the mayor were all your representatives. My number is 815-351-6381. I want you to make sure you know who I am. I've gotten an explanation from the city today that it might be up to 10 years until you're on a stable system. And it is because of the disrepair. Decay that happened to that Southeast sanitary district I'm wondering if there's any emergency plan like maybe our emergency management can get involved in here in this possibly Beth because I cannot imagine them Enduring this for another ten years not a single one of them looks like they want to take it one more night so I'm wondering if there's any emergency plan or anything else we could do to think outside the box and to try and help them, because I have to rely on the experts that are telling me, you're going to be enduring this for 10 years. And I care about what's going on there. I don't want to see you endure this for another 10 years. So maybe we can figure out an emergency plan for them. Beth, the city manager, just said, yes, we're going to figure out something for you. If there is a meeting, I would like to be there, because I am your district representative. And so thank you for being here. And thank you for speaking on it. I also want to say that there is an amazing show at Hollywood Casino this Saturday. It is a constituent of mine, Brandy Phillips, and her amazing mother, Mother Gloria. She's doing the Tina Turner Experience, which is a free concert at Hollywood Casino. Also, the reason why I'm smiling and I'm so loving about them is they have a nonprofit in Joliet called Helping Hands, and they give out coats and hats and gloves and all kinds of amazing things to the community the whole entire year through. They have never said no to a request. So I would really love it if everyone could get out to Hollywood Casino to see Brandi Phillips of the Tina Turner experience. So if you're a Tina Turner fan, get out and see that free concert at Hollywood Casino. So I do hope you will reach out to me. I'll be available tomorrow. Give me a holler. And if you have a meeting, I would like to be there as your district councilwoman. Thank you. Thank you.

In response to Councilman Moreno, I've done some of the calls to people asking why they can't have a crosswalk across 30 because it's a state highway.

No, no, no. On Heineken. So from Heineken across. Right.

It's traffic. It has to do with traffic. You know, for instance, out there, you live out there. You know where Grand Prairie School is?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

People that live across the street on Caton Farm?

On the Corcoran.

No, it doesn't matter. They go to that school. They're not allowed to walk across the street. You can't put a crosswalk in because of the traffic count. So you can tell them that because that's the accurate sign. It's the traffic count. We don't want anybody to get hurt. And the state highway is controlled completely by the state. I had other people call me just recently. I thought maybe it was the same people. Asking about getting across 30. I said, no. I said, that's just like 59. You don't have crosswalks because it's a highway. And it would be too dangerous. People would get killed. No problem.

Thank you for bringing it up. I guess you can scratch it from your list.

um well i've learned something serving on the public service committee all these years right guys right pat correct um i'm going to address it folks i'll give you some of the facts i am the chairman and i serve on the public service committee and i have since 2015 okay as a chairman and i serve with two other well-qualified very intelligent people that would be councilwoman reardon and councilman mudron so i know a little bit about this you are not the first unincorporated area with a private water system for the city to step in on. We did it originally at Ridgewood, which is over by the Old Silver Cross Hospital, if you're not familiar. All for the same reason, too. And we did it at Fairmont, which is between Joliet and Lockport. It's an unincorporated neighborhood. Your area is unincorporated. Of the 800 homes roughly that are on that water system, About 30, maybe 40, were in the city of Joliet. I can't tell you why when they first broke ground 20 or 25 years ago on those two subdivisions, they incorporated in Joliet, but the developer decided to plug into that private system that you guys have. So we were approached. We didn't seek out, we weren't looking to expand our water service to unincorporated areas, but the citizens of Joliet have a heart. We were approached in all three situations I described to you, yours and the other two, by the county. When you have, like the Ridgewood Water Reclamation District, you have the Fairmount Water District, now you have yours, right, the Southeast Water District, when they go defunct, and yours did, yours went defunct, it was insolvent, it had no money, it couldn't make repairs, the county came to us and said, we are on the edge of catastrophe, and you're feeling that catastrophe, right? And I feel that for you. Can you guys step in like you did at Fairmont? Because they approached us on Fairmont. Now, we can't take that on and spend tax dollars. First of all, water is not paid by taxes. It's paid only, it's called an enterprise fund. All tax dollars that come into any city, including Joliet, pays for public works, police, fire. Water is its unique own animal. It's called an enterprise fund. It has to survive on the money it collects. We could, if you will, loan from the general fund to the water fund, but our water system department is run well enough that we don't have to do that. Other communities sometimes have to do that. As far as somebody saying looking for grants, that's what the county did. So the county approached us and said, hey, if you guys don't take over the southeast district like you did the other two places, we're going to have to put it up for bid to a private water company. If that had happened... you've seen an increase in your rates, you would have seen three to four times that increase if it was American Water or one of those companies. There's a lot of communities, including Bolingbrook, that are trying to get out of the private water contracts because they're through the ceiling. Homer is another one, Homer Township, or the village of Homer Glen. So we were brought in and we said, sure, we have a heart, we'll do it. It has to be done. But not with Joliet taxpayer dollars. I mean we don't even use Joliet taxpayer dollars for the Joliet Residence water that's done through the water fees It's an enterprise fund so we said yes We will and we knew from the beginning as County knew That if we took it over it would save you guys a lot of money. You have the same. Maybe it will be better I can't speak for the private sector water companies how quickly they will alone the county committed 15 million dollars over 10 years and to improve the system. You guys have a vast majority of your valves to shut off right now. Your system has one pipe in for water and you have valves in your system so what happens in a healthy system If there's a break over here, you shut the valve here, you shut the valve there, you shut the valve there, you isolate it, and everybody else keeps the water. Your valves are rusted solid shut because the sanitary district was nonexistent for going on almost 20 years. I'm not even sure. I mean, I'm not sure. How did you guys? Well, I'll ask you after the meeting. How did you even pay? Because my understanding of the sanitary district got to the point, there was maybe one person that was Part of the sanitary, you know that southeast sanitary district district. There was no cruise. There was no money So now you're feeling it in the city. This is gonna do the best I can but it has to do it within the budget provided by the county I don't know if you guys were explained that or not. Yeah, I wanted to give you the facts So, you know you still remain unincorporated but now you your water service is going to be managed by us and And moving forward, it will be self-sufficient based on your fees for regular maintenance. But the trick is the bridge between the horrible condition it is after all these years of being run and owned by the private sanitary district. And I want people to know, and maybe people are watching, so they don't think that Joliet neglected this little cluster of houses in Joliet for 30 years and let you guys, you know. We had nothing to do with your water until February. Until February. And yes, we've had 33 breaks. which accounts for almost half the breaks we've had this year citywide. So we've improved our own city. So you'll get the improvement. Can anybody promise you that you're not going to experience more? It's an aging system. As the county had said, it's in the catastrophic stage. So we're getting ahead of that. You heard about that from Allison. We just did a bid, and we're going to start work. Which contractor was that, Allison? Austin Tyler. Austin Tyler. And that's the first step in repairing this old, rusting, and collapsing system. And we'll continue to do that, but that money is provided by the county. The only way to increase that faster would be to get money faster. And I don't believe that the county – I think the county is being very generous with the $15 million. It would have been horrible. I think by law they have to step in if your district goes defunct. I'm not a lawyer, but I think that's – basically it in a nutshell. Because if not, if Joliet had said no, and a private sector company didn't want to bid on it and really gouge you, right? You guys would be on your own right now, and that would be even worse. Because these breaks that you've had the last several months, Nobody could fix them. There was no money in that account anymore. So Joliet is listening, and we have a heart. We brought this on knowing that it was best for you guys. Had you gone private sector, Fairmont, we did four years ago, was it, Allison, five years? Yeah, and we're still upgrading them, right? And we did the same thing with the county. Again, they had that private sector. district set up that you guys had. You know, a lot of people in the county in unincorporated areas like yourself, most people don't have water districts. That's kind of an outmoded thing. It was kind of cool when it worked well. They have septic and private pumps. They don't have a water system, a system of pipes going from house to house. Each house is on its own. You guys did. Fairmont did. And Fairmont was in a better condition than your guys. It was in a challenging condition, but better, because it was run by Lockport Township, who said, we just don't know how to run this. We're not going to run it anymore. And they were getting prepared to sell it to a private company. There was one woman, I forget her name, very nice lady, who came to the city and asked us, you know, do you have a heart? And we're like, well, what's going on? And she told us, and they told us to expect our rates to at least quadruple as soon as any sale is made to a private company. Same thing would have happened to you. So we're doing the best we can with the money and the agreement the county gave us. And we'll continue to, and you're welcome to call any of us. And I'm sure Allison will set up. You know, Allison, when it comes to brakes, we dispatch in that new area that we now control and maintain, we dispatch crews just the same as we do in the rest of the city. Do they have a good number, do you know? The phone number? Yeah, do they have a good number, these folks? Yes, I mean, the phone number for, I believe, 8157... 724-4220, 815-724-4220. So I wanted to give you guys the total picture of what Joliet's trying to attempt to do. As a city, Joliet's trying to take this system and help you guys out, incorporate you into our system, and improve the system. So that's where we're at right now, just so you know. And yes, don't let anybody pull punches. As presented to us when we agreed to take it on, this is a 10-year project. Now, that doesn't mean in nine years it's going to be exactly as it is now. Each year will get better because there will be more contracts paid for each year. But it sounds to me like, I may be exaggerating slightly, your entire system needs to be replaced because it's been neglected for over 20, 25 years. It just was nonexistent. It would be like, you know. Having a car outside the garage and never changing the oil, just driving it around anywhere and putting it in the elements and then having somebody come in and fix your car. You're like, okay, it's going to take a little at a time to get this done. So we do have an agreement. It's $15 million to be spent over 10 years. I understand that the county is doing it out of their own budget, but also with federal and state grants, CDBG grants and other type grants. So there are people out there looking for, you know, if another grant, a $20 million grant became available that the county can apply for and get for you, That would expedite things. You could do a bigger project, you know. But right now they've committed a total of $15 million, and they continue to look for more. So, you know, it's not what you wanted to hear, but I wanted you guys to have the facts. Just have the facts. And, again, you're welcome to call any of us. With that, that's my comments, Mayor. Thank you.

Mayor, I'm going to jump on board too. Allison, is that accurate? 800 homes are affected? By this situation?

Yes. The southeast Joliet sanitary district area consists of about 800 homes.

OK. Larry, thank you for the explanation. You're welcome. And everybody up here. What I'm seeing from sitting here is We need to call the governor's office. We need to call our lobbyists in Washington. This is a serious problem for these people. And we explained it, but they need some relief. We need to send a letter out to respond to these people. Portable bathrooms. And I'm not saying the city pick up the tab or the county or the state or somebody has to do something, right? The lighter, portable bathrooms, portable showers, you know, portable water. I mean, we have to help these folks out some way, somehow. And I think we need to call the governor's office tomorrow or our state reps and senators. Some of them, a couple of them want to get in our business all the time. This is a perfect time to get in our business and help us out and help these folks out. That's what I believe needs to happen.

Just call the governor and don't go through the chili. Go right to the head.

We got to do something to help the if there's no money to do it. It's a 10-year practice of me going out for a long time And I just think mr. Mayor we we really need to make a phone call to something that could this this is an emergency for these folks here these 800 homes and the residents of liver I just think we we have to do something Susanna you're on something with the emergency management thing, but We have to do more than And I appreciate the explanation, but we've got to take it one step further.

Yeah, can I give you some information real quick, Joe, too? Allison, you know, if I misstated, it's not only their homes that are affected. There's a certain area at the southeast end of the system

that is affected the most am i yes and to clarify uh the the 10-year plan is to complete all of the improvements for the water and sewer system the project that is starting july you know the end of july will be completed in september and so we anticipate that that will alleviate many of the issues because it will add a second feed and connect the system into the joliet system on the south end where many of these residents right now we only have one feed that's correct

So that's great news, but I think in the meantime, portable showers. You know, they make the showers on the trailers and the bathrooms, and I mean, we could find the money somewhere. Maybe the state can help us. I mean, I think it's a perfect opportunity to ask our fellow legislators.

They get some generators and you know horrible things like that.

So each you know, no electricity that's even worse If it's considered catastrophic mayor, could we call FEMA and have FEMA come out and Provide them with what the things they need. They don't even have the basic necessities at this point. I

At this point, as I propose a meeting, we need to gather more information to understand what's going on. We have some ideas for other things we might need to try. But at this point, I need to gather more information and make a recommendation to the council And like I said, the project that's starting will be completed in September. We think we'll, not that two more months of no water is acceptable, but we need to gather more information to appropriately respond.

Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you.

Yeah, I think my it's a big issue. And my question on this is the project is about to start in July right now. Is it a good possibility that after that is going to help considerably more with these water main breaks and or these outages?

Yeah, so right now the issue is that the southeast Joliet sanitary district is on an island with one connection to the Joliet water system. So when there's a water main break in the southeast Joliet area, because the valves are so old and can't be operated, it's difficult to isolate the break. So a lot of times when the valves are turned, the people on the south end lose pressure Don't have water service the project that will be completed in September will add a connection on the south end to a parallel Joliet water main that is on Route 53 and so that will then provide a redundancy that currently doesn't exist and

And so then the thing I struggle with, I think, with what Councilman Hugg said as well is when we talk about money and say, well, if we had more money, we'd get this . Is that true? Is it like money really the factor here to say, if we had another $20 million, $30 million, then we can have more secure water source to these people sooner?

I mean, the city has demonstrated that we can replace up to 30 miles of water main in a year. So if we were given $15 million to spend, we would replace the entire water system. That's not what the commitment is currently from the county. The commitment is that that money will be provided over a 10-year period. We need to go back and talk to the county about How that funding is being distributed, right now the funds are coming from their remaining ARPA funds. And so we're getting the initial infusion of about $4 million this year to do improvement. So the project that's going to be completed in September will be about a $3 million project.

So I do promise that I will do everything I can to work to get $15 million as soon as possible and find a way to do it because I just think, again, coming and being raised on the east side of Joliet and just having access to water or not access to water and then say, well, we don't got the money, but we sit on a lot of money in other situations and there's a lot of money elsewhere, but not for water. Like you said, to be 4th of July sitting at home and not having access to water on an everyday basis is just not acceptable.

Promise to try to do everything that I can to figure out where we're gonna get this money from but we need to do something So, thank you Thank you Yeah, you know, I'm sorry that we're just hearing about this And it's terrible. We definitely want to work with you. We want to help We'll put together a task force tomorrow and start figuring out a way to expedite all this for you all and I really apologize that It took this to get to our attention. You know, we'll call the county and talk about it. Right now, I think we could talk to our emergency management team and find out how we can help you in the days to come. You know, whatever happens tomorrow, we need to be prepared to help you. And we do apologize that we're at this point. And again, you know, we took this over to help, and it's incumbent on us to make sure that we do it right. So we are sorry. Now I'm going to go on to a different subject, I apologize, but you know that you have our commitment, all of our commitments to get this right for you all. I'm going to talk about the City Square dedication which we did on June 18th. It was a ribbon cutting for City Square which has been much anticipated. It was great to see so many people out and participate in that. We talk about many things that happened over the celebration weekend. We had the opening of the square showed bringing people together. We're a city of neighborhood, but this gives everybody a place to come. We ask everybody to embrace it. Come down and You know, be neighbors together. There were many residents that came in and enjoyed live music, performances, local artists, family activities, and an incredible drone show that doesn't happen very often anywhere. And we want to thank Ann Sylvester and everybody that put those together for us, and all the volunteers and downtown businesses and city staff that made all this happen so well. over the weekend and on Thursday we had race fan rally which brought together many many people and celebrated racing back in our community for the first time since 2019 a Local legend there a legend that came back was Kenny Wallace part of the big Wallace race family rusty Wallace and his family have been racing for generations he came to sign autographs and share some comments and This year, Joliet celebrated with the country the 250 years of our country's beginning. And we are proud to how that all went off here in Joliet. We had fireworks on the 3rd along the river at the Billy Lee Marker Park with many family-friendly features, live music, food vendors, kids activities, and fireworks over the river. On the 4th of July, we had fireworks at the Memorial Stadium. And over the three days, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, we had NASCAR back. And in working with NASCAR, they told me they had people from 50 states. They sold out. They had people from 50 states, 31 countries, and six continents come to visit Joliet. We should be proud of that. We should be proud of the way they were treated. People loved it here. And I had many, many positive comments as I walked through the crowds. So again, we're grateful that Joliet is moving forward. We definitely want to get with you and make sure that we get that right for you. One thing I want to mention is one of our local reporters, John Farrick, had an unfortunate incident. He was training for a bike ride across Iowa, and at dusk one morning, he was hit by a 14-year-old on an e-bike. No lights. He was put in the hospital for several days. He's had several surgeries. He's working on recovering. His knee may never be the same. But I think it's something that we all need to be accountable for. This 14-year-old young person is now accountable for what happened to this to John Ferrick, and we're really sorry that happened, but who's going to pay for all that? You know, is it his insurance? How does this work? But I see a lot of these e-bikes around, and I'm not against it, but I think as parents, they need to really be sure that they know where their kids are in these things, because perfect example of something that went wrong. So don't want to belabor that, but John, we hope you get well soon, and appreciate all your comments whenever you write. with that we want to wish everybody a wonderful week god bless you all and thank you for bringing this to our attention is there a motion to adjourn so moved second all in favor aye opposed