ROUNDTABLE REPORT

Click here to view the Roundtable Report.

Following consensus of the Roundtable participants in July, the Will County Environmental Network has committed to forming an electronic community for exchange of ideas and data.

The new e-mail is willcountyenvironmentalnetwork@hotmail.com

Please forward your request to have your e-mail inputted and shared to this e-mail address.

The Will County Environmental Network will meet at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, November 12  at Laraway School in Joliet. The regular meeting was moved to Thursday because of the Veteran’s Day holiday.
Important agenda items include an update on the Network’s Roundtable Special Report that is being distributed and continued development of the electronic roundtable.
Other key agenda items include updates on Vulcan Material’s proposed expansion of quarrying, expanding to the west on acreage that stretches to the west and Brandon Road.
Everyone interested in working to protect & defend the environment is invited to attend this meeting.

The Will County Environmental Network  held an Environmental Roundtable on July 9, bringing together government agencies, industries, and citizens to work towards a wholistic review of the region.

A Roundtable Report will be printed in the coming weeks. Anyone interested in a copy of the report may request one by e-mailing the Network at wcenroundtable@hotmail.com.

The Will County Environmental Network invites you to join our efforts to protect and defend the environment.

Our membership is open to anyone willing to learn more about protecting the nation’s natural resources.

Meetings are generally held the second Wednesday of month at 6:30 p.m. at Laraway School in Joliet.

Please NOTE: The July meeting has been moved to the third Wednesday, July 15 because of a special event.

The Will County Environmental Network is working to host an environmental round table in July.

The goal is to create an interactive, intergovernmental response to reviewing environmental issues with regional impact.

“It’s important to take a regional look at the impacts of proposed projects,” Network President Mary Baskerville said.

“With many projects, the environmental impact goes beyond the borders of the project being reviewed for a permit.”

“The goal is to be aware of how each project impacts the other.”

“This is particularly important when studying groundwater effects,” she said.

For more information about the environmental round table, interested persons are invited to call Baskerville at (815) 478-5416.

THE WILL COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK CONTINUES TO ADVOCATE FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE HISTORIC WOODS IN SECTION 29 OF JOLIET.

 LOUIS JOLIET AND FATHER MARQUETTE RECORDED THE BEAUTY OF THE SITE FROM MOUND JOLIET.  WILL COUNTY’S EARLIEST SETTLERS AND LEADERS REMARKED, TOO, ON THE BEAUTY OF THE WOODS.

Members of the Will County Environmental Network continue to advocate for green space abutting the historic woods in Joliet Township. We hope to meet with both the City of Joliet and CenterPoint officials soon.

A second important issue is before the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, now and the Network urges members and others to contact the EPA with their input. The proposal is to use the quarry on the east side of Brandon Road near Patterson Road in Joliet Township as a clean construction debris fill site.

Network members and residents of the area raised serious concerns about the impact on private wells within the 200 foot setback zone, and other issues.  Public comments must reach the EPA by the deadline. Check the earlier post for address and deadline information.

WRITE YOUR COMMENTS AND SEND THEM IN BEFORE THE DEADLINE. “THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE FOR EVERYONE IN THE TOWNSHIP,”  Network President Mary Baskerville said.

That CenterPoint green space proposal and the quarry issue will be on the agenda at the next Network meeting, slated for the third Monday in August at Laraway School in Joliet.

Anyone interested in working to protect and defend the environment is invited to attend.

The Will County Environmental Network continues to advocate for green space north of Laraway Road to mitigate the effect of CenterPoint Properties’ impact on the historic woods that the Network has worked to protect since the 1980s.

Two important meetings are slated this week.

First, the CenterPoint annexation is expected to be voted on at the Tuesday, July 29 Joliet City Council meeting.  The Network urges everyone to attend and voice their concerns.

Secondly, the Environmental Protection Agency is holding a meeting to discuss the proposal for a construction debris permit that would allow the filling of the quarry on the east side of Brandon Road. The Network has raised important water quality issues and urges everyone in the area to attend. The meeting is slated for  4 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, July 30 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Joliet.

Democracy requires active citizens: Help shape the future of Will County!

THE VILLAGE OF ROCKDALE PASSED A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING A GREEN SPACE BUFFER DURING ITS Tuesday night meeting.

The resolution reads:

“WHEREAS, the Mayor and the Board of Trustees of the Village of Rockdale believes it is beneficial to require large-scale developments to provide green space to mitigate and buffer the effects on surrounding properties; and

WHEREAS, trucks and trains associated with CenterPoint Properties proposed creation of an Intermodal rail hub in Joliet will undoubtedly impact surrounding properties; and

WHEREAS, the Village of Rockdale will be affected by the proposed development of nearly 4,000 acres; and

WHEREAS, the Village of Rockdale hereby joins a growing community coalition and requests that the City of Joliet require CenterPoint Properties provide a green space buffer north of Laraway Road and abutting the historic woods in Section 29 of Joliet Township.