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6 | June 14, 2018 | The Homer Horizon news homerhorizon.com Administration & Finance Committee Officials hear update on grant for Heritage Park Electricity rates for residents, boundary agreement with Lemont also reviewed Jessie Molloy Freelance Reporter The Homer Glen Administration & Finance Committee discussed several pending issues coming before the Village Board in the near future at its June 6 meeting. The most imminent development discussed by the committee was the progress of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency 319 Grant for Heritage Park. The project, which includes the creation of detention ponds, bioswales and the placement of native plants to improve stormwater management and water quality, went out to bid on June 5. Development Services Director Mike Salamowicz revealed that the low bidder on the project was Alessio & Sons Company, with a bid of $1,196,592.50. This amount is well below the budgeted price of $1,526,000. The grant will provide funding for approximately 60 percent of the project’s cost. The Village Board was to be asked to approve the contract at its next meeting. If the contract is approved, work will begin in mid-July and is slated for completion by the end of September. The grant project is part of Phase II of the Heritage Park construction, along with the active core area, which is also currently out for bid. Salamowicz reported that three contractors have already expressed interest in the project, and the bid will be awarded by the end of the month. Meanwhile, Phase I of the park is 80 percent completed and will be finished within the next two weeks. Electrical aggregation Assistant Village Manger Heather Kokodynsky reported on the Village’s electrical aggregation contract, seeking guidance on how to proceed. Homer Glen has been part of the Will County Electric Aggregation Group with 17 other municipalities since 2012 in an effort to get more competitive electricity rates than were available through ComEd. The WEAG’s current supplier of electricity is Dynegy, a contract which is set to expire in October. Kokodynsky reported, however, that recently ComEd’s rates have become more competitive with Dynegy and other alternate retailers. Given the newly competitive rate and some of the confusion the aggregation’s opt-out program has caused among residents, Kokodynsky asked the committee if the Village should sign on to continue the aggregation plan with WEAG. Residents are often confused by the fact that the company contracted through WEAG will become their default power provider. Many believe they have to opt into the aggregation program, when in fact the opposite is true. There has also been miscommunication on social media, Kokodynsky explained, stating that ComEd’s prices are lower than the aggregated prices. ComEd is currently charging 7.358 cents/kWh, while Dynegy is charging 7.19 cents/kWh. WEAG argues that the rates will continue to provide a savings to the residents, and the committee voted to at least keep the option open while WEAG investigated prices from ComEd and different companies. Boundary agreement with Village of Lemont Finally, the committee discussed a recent development to a boundary agreement between the Village and the Village of Lemont. Two properties making up a triangle northwest of Archer Avenue and south of 135th Street were supposed to be handed over to Lemont in order to “clean up the map and make the boundaries more contiguous,” according to Director of Planning & Zoning Vijay Gadde. The matter of handing over the property had gone as far as being slated for this week’s Village Board agenda but had to be removed because it came to light that the properties are owned by the Illinois Department of Transportation, not private individuals, as was originally assumed. The issue has not impacted the properties’ ability to change hands, but it has delayed it while the transfer is worked out with IDOT. 1DOES YOUR BUSINESS HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE? YES 2 DO YOU USE IT TO ADVERTISE? YES 3ARE YOU TARGETING SPECIFIC CUSTOMERS? YES More than 50 million businesses are on Facebook. It’s a great marketing tool for businesses big and small. Let’s talk and see how Facebook can improve your business! NO Facebook has thousands of users in your area. Give us a call to help get you started! NO Facebook allows you to target customers through behaviors, demographics, and interests. We can help you with this! Give us a call today! GREAT! LET’S TALK AND SEE HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO CONTINUE BOOSTING YOUR BUSINESS! NO INTEGRATED MARKETING CAMPAIGNS BROUGHT TO YOU BY For more info, contact: 708.206.5800
decided in my heart [nursing] wasn’t for me, and I walked over to the school of education and signed up,” Hohnstedt said. “It was a divine intervention. I truly believe it was.” Fresh out of college in 1978, she started teaching at a elementary school district in Louisville, where she worked for five years before moving to Illinois. “I swore when I first started teaching, I would never teach high school,” Hohnstedt said. “Well, I’ve been here 33 years.” Throughout her 38 years in education, she’s taught science, math, English, driver’s education and health. Her favorite, however, is science. Hohnstedt works specifically in the modified program at LTHS, teaching students with learning disabilities or students who are cognitively impaired. This past school year, she taught British literature to seniors who are learning disabled and cognitively impaired, as well as daily living skills, which included learning to cook, clean, make a bed and crossing the street. “The kids excite me,” she said. “I have had some of the most interesting students in my career that I know some people would never ever have the opportunity to meet.” Looking back at her career, Hohnstedt said one of her greatest success was helping Bradley-Pantoja. “[Bradley-Pantoja] is probably one of my greatest successes,” she said. “She came to me originally for English. She was on my caseload, so I got to know her family. She has a college degree, she worked her butt off to help herself and advocate. She’s learned to be a great self-ad- homerhorizon.com news the Homer Horizon | June 14, 2018 | 7 Lockport special education teacher retires after 33 years Hohnstedt taught a variety of subjects during her career Jacquelyn Schlabach Assistant Editor LTHS special education teacher Kathy Hohnstedt retired after 33 years of teaching at the school. Photo submitted Every year since 2009, Lockport Township High School graduate Samantha Bradley-Pantoja has visited her alma mater for one very special reason. Around Christmas, Bradley-Pantoja stops by the school to see her former teacher Kathy Hohnstedt and catch up. Looking back at her high school experience, she credits the special education teacher as someone who has had the biggest impact on her life. When the alumna was a senior at LTHS, Hohnstedt was the driving force in guiding Bradley-Pantoja into the next chapter of her life. She attended a community college for two years before she attended Columbia College Chicago, a school that Hohnstedt said would be a great fit for Bradley-Pantoja because of their educational resources and her interests. She later graduated with a focus in radio and continues to do freelance work from home while taking care of her son. “I feel like I’m really happy with the way it turned out,” Bradley-Pantoja said. “I’m really happy she guided me in that direction and suggested that college to begin with.” Hohnstedt was a different kind of teacher to Bradley-Pantoja, who said she pushes her students to the best of their ability and always encourages them to achieve their dreams, even after they’ve graduated high school. Hohnstedt has had a positive impact on a countless number of students throughout her 33 years at LTHS. Thirty-eight years after she first started her career in the education field, Hohnstedt will be entering a new chapter of her own, as she retired from the job she truly loved at the recently completed school year. “I’ve been very fortunate,” Hohnstedt said. “I don’t think there are a lot of people in this world that can go to work every day, well, almost every day, and say that they’re having a good time.” Hohnstedt had a sister with Down syndrome who was 10 months younger than her; however, she never thought she would end up going into special education. She decided to wanted to become a nurse and attended the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. But even after all her hard work of getting into the nursing program, it didn’t feel like the place for her. “I don’t know how it happened, but one day I was doing clinical work, and I just Please see teacher, 9 Cutting Values Please call 708.326.9170 to reserve your Ad. www.22ndcenturymedia.com A 22 ND CENTURY MEDIA PUBLICATION Reach more than 87,000 homes and businesses! All ads will also appear digitally on each publication’s website. Appearing August 2nd Reserve your Ad by July 6 • Approve your Ad by July 12 VENDORS WANTED PRESENTED BY 22ND CENTURY MEDIA THURSDAY, AUG. 9 • 6-9 PM GEORGIOS BANQUETS QUALITY INN AND SUITES CONFERENCE CENTRE, ORLAND PARK This event will feature a fun night out for women of all ages with vendor booths, health tips, mini workshops, refreshments and more! TO BECOME A VENDOR, CALL 708.326.9170 VISIT 22NDCENTURYMEDIA.COM/NIGHTOUT
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