Homer Glen officials plan to host an informational meeting with their village attorney to help residents who have received eminent domain notices from Will County over the planned widening of 143rd Street.
Residents living along the route have protested the widening for nearly a year. While the road is under Will County’s jurisdiction, they have sought help from Homer Glen village officials, who also oppose expanding the road.
Board members said they have actively discussed legal options behind closed doors to stop the road widening. They have also been monitoring a lawsuit filed in April by Will County Board Republicans against County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant to stop the project. The next hearing is Nov. 14.
Without divulging too much of their potential legal strategies, the board on Wednesday voted to hold a workshop so the village attorney can help explain to residents what to do if they get an eminent domain notice. The attorney fees for the workshop would be paid for by the village, and the village attorney would not represent individual homeowners.
Trustee Jennifer Consolino said this is a proactive approach that demonstrates to the residents that village officials are not sitting idly by.
“The purpose and the idea behind this was to get some type of action other than the word ‘monitoring,’” Consolino said. “That’s where the anger and angst, whatever you want to call it, is coming from. I feel that it’s very important that we try to be more advocates for them.”
Attorney Michael Carroll said he frequently gets emails from residents living along 143rd Street and he has to explain he represents the village and is not their personal attorney. A resident cannot engage the village attorney’s services.
Carroll said he understands the Village Board is under pressure from its constituents seeking assistance. He said he would be comfortable having a workshop to guide residents who don’t have an attorney or field calls from attorneys representing homeowners.
This would give the village a way to help residents without committing a lot of resources, he said.
“We’ve been spending money on this for a year now, so I would rather it go to something that will be more productive and helpful to the residents,” Consolino said.
Trustee Curt Mason said the workshop will help send residents in the right direction.
No date has been set.
The county is in the process of seeking 116 parcels of land to widen 143rd Street to five lanes from State Street/Lemont Road to Bell Road.
Residents say they believe the road’s widening will not only take their property but invite more traffic, speeding, noise and semi-trucks along the rural road. Residents said they don’t want the rural character of Homer Glen to change, and widening would take down mature trees and encroach on active farms.
“We have an opportunity to save a beautiful community,” said Christy Nahser, owner of Chrislin Farm on 143rd Street.
Meanwhile, Will County wants to widen the road to improve traffic flow and safety. Mayors of more than a dozen nearby communities also are in favor of the expansion citing its significance to the region. They have said the widened road will help promote economic development in Will and Southwest Cook counties. The road also has an exit to Interstate 355.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
