Mayor Noak delivered the 2024 State of the Village Address at Mistwood Golf Club yesterday to a compacity crowd. The presentation covered a wide range of topics and showed Romeoville as a growing community on solid financial footing.
In addition to lowering the tax rate, the Village approved its largest property tax rebate program ever that will be available to homeowners this fall. The stable financial base has been driven by a robust business community with over 800 active businesses and nearly 30,000 workforce positions.
Just some of the many new businesses highlighted for this year included Red Bull, Creamery Corporate HQ, Global Builders Corporate HQ, MetalRays (manufacturer of electric bicycles), Faiza, Halsted Street Dawgs, Jimmy Johns, Kick Off Sports Pizza & Sports Bar, Goodwill Outlet Store, and the Ovation Center. All of this, and more, has added 844 jobs to Romeoville this past fiscal year alone.
Much was completed in the last year, but what is to come? This summer residents can expect the opening of Sable Creek Winery (1876 W. Airport Rd) and Kiddie Academy childcare center (south side of Airport Rd near Walmart), with a QuikTrip (Weber Rd. & Normantown Rd.) opening in the fall, and a Mercedes-Benz dealership (on Weber Rd, just south of Farm & Fleet) opening in the winter. Beyond that includes Hampton Manor, a senior living facility along Budler Road, an 11-unit retail development at Weber Rd. and N. Carillon Dr., and the four story, 111 room Marriott TownePlace Suites hotel near the corner of Weber Rd. and Windham Parkway. At the site of Quicktrip will be a future Hilton Tru hotel and two additional restaurant/out lot developments starting this year. Also covered was the new residential project being proposed by Edward Rose and Sons to fill the open land at the southeast corner of Weber Road and Romeo Road. The development would consist of a contemporary styled 180-unit, three-story senior living community and a three-story Class A apartment development. Several other upcoming projects were discussed with several more anticipated to be announced over the next few months.
Infrastructure is vital to the area, to that end, Romeoville will be working two major projects this year to improve getting around town. 135th St. will be resurfaced and redesigned to promote greater pedestrian safety and traffic calming. The piece of Pinnacle Drive between Taylor Rd. and Airport Rd. will start construction, allowing for direct access to Renwick Rd. without the need to travel on Weber Rd. or Rt. 53. Additionally, this past year over four miles of roads were repaved, and water and sewer lines continue to be replaced. The work to bring Lake Michigan Water to Romeoville continues to progress, as things are still on pace for the community to have lake water by 2030. The final phase of Weber Rd. widening is set to begin by Will County in the coming months and will run from south of 135th to north of Airport Rd. The Illinois Department of Transportation has included the next phases of the new interchange at Airport Rd. and I-55.
Conservation has been and will continue to be a big focus in Romeoville. The Village was once again recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation as a Tree City USA and was granted the Growth Award for the 4th year in a row. The Village of Romeoville ranks in the top 3% of communities in the U.S. for its commitment to proper forestry practices. Many residents took advantage of the rain barrel program and the native plant sale to help expand conservation efforts. The new Conservation and Sustainability Commission will be working on additional efforts over the coming months.
The various departments in the Village of Romeoville continue to work hard for the community, whether it’s providing entertainment, safety, or cost saving measures. The Recreation Department had a big year, opening the new Romeoville Aquatic Center and splash pad in September, expanding the Holiday Lights Festival with bigger displays, music, and lights, and continuing work on Romeo Crossing Park, which will feature a dog park, sledding hill, sports fields, and an adaptive field for people with disabilities. The Police Department continues to be out and about connecting with the community. They have been successful in recruiting officers and have increased the force to a total of 71 officers. The Fire Department has increased their resources for water rescue, and has implemented a bicycle medic program, which can get paramedics and aid to people quickly in crowded areas or in places like bike paths where ambulances cannot. Public Works was also highlighted with many infrastructure improvements made throughout the community including the replacement of 1,200 streetlights as well as LED upgrades to Village Hall and the Police Department.
Follow the Village of Romeoville on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and keep an eye on romeoville.org for news, projects, events, and everything else happening in town. Residents will soon be able to view the State of the Village presentation in its entirety by visiting the Village’s website or YouTube channel. The State of the Village is hosted annually by the Romeoville Area Chamber of Commerce.