A third-grader has won the contest to design the 2026 vehicle stickers in Willow Springs.
Madison Corella, who attends Pleasantdale Elementary School, was honored with a plaque at the March 12 meeting of the village board.
The plaque features her design for the sticker.
Mayor Melissa Neddermeyer said it’s been several years since the village held the contest.
“We wanted to bring that back for our young residents,” she said.
Madison is the granddaughter of former Willow Springs mayor and police chief John Carpino, Neddermeyer said.
“You will see these stickers all around town,” the mayor told Madison.
Vehicle stickers go on sale April 1, Village Clerk Lori Charles said. Sticker renewals are due by June 30, she said.
LTHS District land
Village Administrator Ryan Grace gave the board an update on land owned by the Lyons Township High School District in Willow Springs.
He said the high school district board has “engaged a land-use consultant who is going to help them market the property for sale.”
“I do expect them to have it out for a competitive bid over the summer,” Grace said.
That is the site that several years ago became a hot topic as the school district tried to sell it to a company that wanted to be in trucks, something not in line
with the zoning.
It led to several heated meetings, including a memorable one at the high school that was packed with opponents from Willow Springs.
“Our understanding is they are well aware of the zoning at this point and the consultant they hired is also well aware of it,” Grace said.
Food pantry rescheduled
A food pantry was not offered in March because it’s held in the community center, where voting in the primary election was taking place, Clerk Charles said.
The next food pantry will be held from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. April 21, Charles said.
“They don’t do one every month,” she said.
“They were supposed to have one in March, but the election was the 17th, the day they’d normally do (the food pantry), so we switched to April,” Charles said.
Street resurfacing
The board approved a contract for $417,765 for the 2026 Street Resurfacing Project by Lindahl Brothers Inc.
Lindahl was the lowest of seven bidders, Village Engineer Tom Brandstedt told the board.
The board also approved an intergovernmental agreement with Lyons Township for resurfacing a portion of Wolf Road.
April meeting
The village board’s next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 9 at the village hall.