Frankfort Applying for Laraway Road Project Grant Funding

At the Frankfort Village Board meeting on Monday, September 16, they passed a resolution seeking grant funding to pay for the majority of construction of a new portion of a multi-use pathway along Laraway Road. The village desires to participate in the construction of a multi-use path along the north side of Laraway Road, between Pfeiffer Road and 80th Avenue and along Pfeiffer Road between Laraway Road and Sauk Trail. This is to complete a one-and-a-half-mile gap in the existing trail network through the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP).

The ITEP is a reimbursable grant program that will provide reimbursement of up to 50 percent for right-of-way and easement acquisition costs, and up to 80 percent for preliminary engineering, utility relocations, construction engineering, and construction costs. The village has determined the pursuit of funds from ITEP will help meet the objectives of the village’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The estimated total project cost is $2,040,207, and of which an appropriation of Village Capital Funds in the estimated amount of $408,041.40 will be used to defray the village’s local share of the project.

In other action, Frankfort welcomed a new police officer to its ranks. Elissa Cappelletti was raised in Tinley Park and graduated from Andrew High School in 2019. She then attended Moraine Valley, earning an associate’s degree in criminal justice. From a young age, Elissa aspired to become a police officer, a dream fostered by watching police shows with her mother. Her law enforcement career began at the Orland Park Police Department, where she worked as a Detention Aide in the lock-up facility, while attending the police academy.

After graduating, she served as a part-time police officer for the department. Determined to make policing her full-time career, she achieved her goal by joining the Frankfort Police Department in April 2024. Officer Cappelletti looks forward to serving the Frankfort community and is eager to excel in her career as part of the department.