Moments before the January 13 Peotone Village Board meeting, a water main on West Main Street broke. Water mains break in frigid temps all the time, but this water main was under the newly finished streetscape.
The repair required a nearly 6 x 20-foot rectangular hole in the three-month old asphalt in front of Daum Appliance, once again restricting access to the business and requiring a boil order for the next 24+ hours.
And while the break wasn’t addressed during the meeting, it was addressed on social and in public comments.
Resident Julie Busich expressed her disdain at the sight of the break, the third since the streetscape construction began in April of 2024.
Busich, a former building owner downtown, knew the water mains were volatile and had seen countless water main breaks before the streetscape construction. Even though she no longer owns the building, she’s a resident and taxpayer and doesn’t understand, for the money, why the infrastructure wasn’t improved.
“I think it’s absolutely appalling. I think it’s a slap in the face to the citizens of this village. I just don’t understand it. Everybody loves pretty; anyone can do pretty, but get down into it, and do it right. This is going to be it.”
The water mains are likely near 100 years old and, according to GPM Pavement Management (gpmpavement.com), “reconstructed asphalt lasts longer than patched asphalt.” Essentially, the streets will need to be resurfaced sooner now that they’ve been patched repeatedly than if the streets had not been repaired after water main breaks.
Mayor Pro Tem Gary Hudson said, as Village President Peter March was absent, that Aqua was aware of the construction, and all new infrastructure could’ve been put in, and maybe it would’ve been better, but there was still a chance the pipes would break. Hudson continued and noted Aqua owns the system now, and it’s their responsibility to fix it.
Hudson says the village has repair projects all over town that not everyone sees. He added that repair projects have to be addressed as they occur.
Busich replied that after watching the village board meetings, she expected more from the village partnership with Aqua. “We will never have that opportunity. We will never have that opportunity in my lifetime, even my children’s lifetime, to access what we could’ve under Second and Main,” said Busich. “I think you guys dropped the ball. You completely dropped the ball on that. I think the mayor completely dropped the ball. I think anyone can make something pretty,” Busich continued.
Busich confirmed this is the third water main break since construction began. She also said she thought money spent on the streetscape was wasted, and she’s glad the mayoral race is contested this election cycle.
Railroad Street also was patched repeatedly after being reconstructed due to water main breaks.
More Gaming Tabled
The Corner Cafe’s request for a gaming license was tabled after Trustee Todd Sandberg inquired as to how the license would work.
“It’s always been a breakfast and lunch place, so I have my concerns if it would last,” said Sandberg.
Corner Cafe representatives were not present to answer questions. They did not attend in September 2023 when they requested a liquor license but sent a representative in their stead. The liquor license was granted under the premise that Corner Cafe would extend their hours for dinner service, of which they have yet to do. The rep for Corner Cafe at the time said their intent was to stay open for dinner until 8 p.m. but remain open for gaming until 1 or 2 a.m.
Then Village Administrator Aimee Ingalls said the code would need to be reviewed as to whether the restaurant would need to remain open in order for gaming to be accessible.
Corner Cafe first built a patio for open dining, but then closed in the patio to make room for a gaming area. That area has a separate accessible door from the restaurant.
In September of 2022, a proposed gaming cafe at 117 W. Main Street, which would’ve served sandwiches and offer gaming in the rear of the establishment, was denied when the motion to change the code to allow for two gaming cafes in town wasn’t seconded. Trustee Julie Sluis had motioned.
Trustee Gary Hudson said at the September 26, 2022, board meeting, “You seem like really cool people but, unfortunately, I’m not for this. I know there’s a lot of gaming that goes on, and it can be very entertaining. I feel like Peotone is saturated with gaming machines. In the downtown area, we’re getting ready to spend some money, and residents really want it to be a more family friendly downtown, and this isn’t a step in that direction.”
Other Board News
An ordinance amendment allowing for electronic participation in meetings unanimously was passed. The ordinance would allow for trustees to participate electronically only if a physical quorum is present and only in cases of emergency or travel.
Another ordinance cleaning up the parking code also unanimously was passed. Chief DeMik said there were signs without ordinances and ordinances without signs, so the revisions to the ordinance were just a measure of fixing that.
Also a discussion around recycling old PCs with Leading IT led to the agreement to recycle. Several old PCs were found in the basement, and the current agreement with Leading IT will wipe them and recycle them.