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4 | December 15, 2016 | The Homer Horizon news
homerhorizon.com
Walsh pushes for progress, projects in post-election speech
Kirsten Onsgard
Contributing Editor
Will County Executive Larry
Walsh emphasized economic vitality
and political cooperation
during the annual State of the
County address Dec. 7 hosted by
the Joliet Area Chamber of Commerce
and Industry.
The speech came days after
Walsh was sworn in for his fourth
term as Will County executive, a
position he has held since 2004.
The Democrat overcame Republican
challenger Laurie McPhillips
in the November election.
Walsh praised his former
opponent and other Will
County politicians for running
respectful campaigns and urged
collaboration among officials
going forward to fulfill a vision
marked by capital projects and
infrastructure overhauls in the
rapidly growing county. Will
County’s population increased 34
percent from 2000 to 2010 and is
among the 100 largest counties in
the country, according to the US
Census Bureau.
To about 50 chamber members,
officials and residents, Walsh reiterated
many of his campaign
platforms — such as economic
development, health, capital projects
and infrastructure investment
— and projects detailed in the
county’s 2011 master plan while
looking to the past and future of
the county.
That included the launch and
continuation of overhauls of aging
county buildings, such as a
$29.5 million Joliet public safety
office to replace the “dilapidated”
Sheriff’s Office. Ground broke on
the 85,000-square-foot facility on
Laraway Road in October after a
2013 confirmation. The facility
could be completed by the end of
2017.
Construction is also set to begin
on a 10-story, $195 million
judicial complex — which will include
county departments and 28
courtrooms — by spring 2018.
Walsh praised these projects
as helping to “streamline county
government operations,” and in
the case of the judicial complex,
increase safety by better moving
visitors and detainees.
The county has also been investing
heavily in transportation
infrastructure and road spending,
to the tune of about $30 million
per year, Walsh said.
The County Board is expected to
approve a new blueprint for transportation
spending, Will Connects
2040, early next year, in addition
to studying how the county should
respond to increased freight traffic.
“While this increase in traffic
is a major factor in our economic
growth, we must address the effects
on our county’s overall safety
and quality of life,” he said.
In addition to responding to the
burden of a population expected to
reach nearly 1.2 million residents
by 2040, Walsh emphasized job
creation, skills training and resident
health.
Several large-scale distribution
centers will soon call Will County
home, pointing to what he said is
the county’s attractive business
environment.
“Our prime location at the
crossroads of America, our skilled
workforce and our infrastructure
continue to make Will County appealing
to a variety of business
sectors,” he said.
Amazon announced it will open
three new warehouses in Romeoville,
Monee and a second Joliet
location this year. Other brands,
such as IKEA and grocery chain
Fresh Thyme have distribution
centers planned.
“Eighteen months ago, Amazon
did not have a presence in
Will County,” Walsh said. “Today,
through its four locations, Amazon
has created more than 6,000
jobs.”
In the midst of an ongoing opiate
epidemic, Walsh pushed for
increased school and community
education in response to a county
with the highest number of
overdose deaths outside of Cook
County in the state last year.
Students in Lincoln-Way and
Wilmington schools will begin anti-drug
education following a pilot
program elsewhere in the county,
thanks to a federal grant.
“Research has shown that kids
are smart, and if we give them the
information we need, they will
make educated choices,” he said.
“It’s an extremely wise investment
to keep our children away
from heroin and ensuing consequences,
both legal and fiscal, that
occur with drug abuse.”
The county began training police
in the administration of the
heroin antagonist Narcan in 2015,
which saved 19 people from overdoses
this year, he said. Seventytwo
people died from overdoses
this year, he said, up from 53 last
year, according to the most recent
data available from the Will County
Coroner.
Looking forward, Walsh acknowledged
the work to be done
in public health and nodded towards
the continuation of ongoing
and forthcoming capital projects
in 2017.
“Many of you have experienced
firsthand the effects of the rapid
growth that our county has experienced
over the past decade,”
he said. “We have grown from a
rural farming community to a significant
player in the global marketplace.
We have acknowledged
many times: with this growth
comes substantial challenges.”
Illinois American Water offers residents tips to protect water meter, pipes from cold
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Submitted by Illinois
American Water
With winter’s bitterly
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Illinois American Water reminds
homeowners now is
the time to safeguard their
home plumbing to prevent
water damage from frozen
and burst pipes and water
meters that bring plumbing
repairs and frozen water replacement
fees.
Illinois American Water
encourages residents to take
the following precautions to
reduce the risk of freezing
and bursting pipes:
Before frigid weather sets in
•Know what areas of the
home — such as basements,
crawl spaces, unheated
rooms and outside walls —
are most vulnerable to freezing.
•Eliminate sources of
cold air near water lines by
repairing broken windows,
insulating walls, closing off
crawl spaces and eliminating
drafts near doors.
•Know the location of the
main water shut-off valve. If
a pipe freezes or bursts, shut
the water off immediately.
•Protect the pipes and
water meter. Wrap exposed
pipes with insulation or use
electrical heat tracing wire;
newspaper or fabric might
also work. For outside meters,
keep the lid to the meter
pit closed tightly, and let
any snow that falls cover it.
Snow acts as insulation and
shouldn’t be disturbed.
When temperatures are
consistently at or below
freezing
•If there are pipes that are
vulnerable to freezing, allow
a small trickle of water to
run overnight to keep pipes
from freezing. The cost of
the extra water is low compared
to the cost of a broken
pipe.
•Open cabinet doors to expose
pieces to warmer room
temperatures to help keep
them from freezing.
If pipes freeze
•Shut off the water immediately.
Do not attempt to
thaw frozen unless the water
is shut off. Freezing can often
cause unseen cracks in
pipes or joints.
•Apply heat to the frozen
pipe by warming the air
around it or by applying heat
directly to a pipe. A hair dryer,
space heater or hot water
can be used. Be sure not to
leave space heaters unattended,
and avoid the use
of kerosene heaters or open
flames.
•Once the pipes have
thawed, turn the water back
on slowly and check for
cracks or leaks.
When away from home
•Have a friend, relative or
neighbor regularly check the
property to ensure that the
heat is working and the pipes
have not frozen.
•Also, a freeze alarm can
be purchased for less than
$100 and will call a userselected
phone number if the
inside temperature drops below
45 degrees.
Illinois American Water
also advises that subfreezing
temperatures can
cause aging water mains to
break and cause water to
cover roadways. If a leak
is seen, or if water service
is disrupted or low pressure
is experienced, contact the
company’s 24-7 customer
service center at (800) 422-
2782 to report an emergency.
For general inquiries, call
between 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
More cold weather tips
can be found at www.illi
noisamwater.com in the online
learning center.