News

Sludge building doing its job at Braidwood's WWTP

Published by admin on Tue, 01/09/2024 - 3:32pm

It’s unlikely that most people give it a second though what happens after you flush the toilet.

But the waste that disappears like magic in the powder room sticks around for awhile, first entering the city’s wastewater treatment plant, then through the oxidation ditch, and eventually it’s reduced to what is unfortunately referred to as “sludge.”

Getting rid of that sludge can cost the city a pretty penny. That’s why city leaders erected a building to house the sludge until it can be hauled away.

That new sludge house got its first real test as winter began.

Road survey to aid Braidwood's maintenance, construction schedule

Published by admin on Tue, 01/09/2024 - 3:31pm

The city of Braidwood will take a new approach to road work.

This spring, a comprehensive road survey will be created for all city-owned roadways in the city limits.

Last month, the Braidwood City Council approved a contract with Robinson Engineering to complete that survey.

Will County wants to know your transportation priorities

Published by admin on Tue, 01/09/2024 - 3:29pm

Do you think Will County roads are congested? What roads do you think need improvement?

Will County officials want public input as it embarks on a long-term planning effort to guide the next 25 years of transportation projects.

The “Our Way Forward 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan” will evaluate future priorities through an online survey and workshops.

Street side parking prohibited when snow piles up

Published by admin on Tue, 01/09/2024 - 3:26pm

The villages of Coal City and Diamond have snow routes in place and failure to comply will find drivers digging into their wallets.

Winter weather has arrived and drivers should be aware of town rules when it comes to street side parking when the snow falls.

Municipal code prohibits street side parking, in both villages, when a roadway is being cleared of snow. Specifically, in the event of a two inch or more snowfall vehicles must be removed from streets in a timely manner.

Village sees 400% increase in home solar permits

Published by admin on Tue, 01/09/2024 - 3:23pm

The year 2023 was the year more Coal City residents took a strong interest in solar power.

The Coal City Building Department saw a 400% increase in issuing permits for home solar projects, resulting in approximately 35 homes now being power by the sun.

There were 12 permits issued for new residential installations, that’s up from three the year before and the most issued in a single year.

Braidwood puts its needs in order for 2024

Published by admin on Tue, 01/02/2024 - 4:00pm

If city leaders in Braidwood put together a vision board for 2024, the word that would pop out is “priorities.”

Mayor Karen Hart and City Administrator Tony Altiery said the city has been in the process of creating a list of all items big and small to be addressed, figuring out which items take precedence for the new year, and coming up with plans for how the city will pay for those things.

Braidwood Fire celebrates lives saved in 2023

Published by admin on Tue, 01/02/2024 - 3:59pm

There are some amazing events in the EMS/fire protection world that capture exactly why those first responders live for their profession.

And one of those is for those first responders to save someone’s life, then see that person standing in front of them knowing that the hard work and dedication of firefighers and EMS mean they are still able to spend their lives with family and friends.

For the Braidwood Fire Protection District, such life saving efforts happened not just once, but three times in 2023.

Braidwood aims to beef up police department in 2024

Published by admin on Tue, 01/02/2024 - 3:56pm

Like police departments across the nation, the Braidwood Police Department’s staff is stretched thin.

It’s a staffing issue that city leaders plan to address in 2024.

“In the last two weeks, we had 175 hours of overtime, because we don’t have the police officers that are needed,” city administrator Tony Altiery said.

Reed-Custer to complete classroom furniture upgrades

Published by admin on Tue, 01/02/2024 - 3:55pm

The Reed-Custer School District will spend $37,000 to outfit some high school classrooms with up to date furniture. The purchase of that furniture will complete a process to replace desks and chairs district-wide that started several years ago.

Wilmington takes a new approach to road maintenance

Published by admin on Tue, 01/02/2024 - 3:52pm

The city of Wilmington is moving toward a proactive approach to street maintenance in an effort to preserve one of the city’s biggest assets: Its roads.

In January 2023, the city was awarded grant funding by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) to create a multi-year plan to address the city’s roads. CMAP worked with Aecom, an infrastructure consulting firm, and Applied Research Associates (ARA), an engineering firm, to implement the program.