Lyons improves path safety
Flashing signs to be installed at three intersections
By Steve Metsch
The Lyons Village Board has approved an intergovernmental agreement with Cook County to provide safer travels for those using the Salt Creek Bike Trail.
The board voted unanimously at its Oct. 16 meeting to install beacon lights where the trail intersects with three roads in the village.
A Cook County Department of Transportation grant of $45,000 will pay for the beacons, Mayor Christopher Getty said.
The beacons, one facing in each direction, will be installed where the Salt Creek Trail – typically used by joggers, walkers and bicyclists – meets Ogden Avenue, at Cermak Park; at 43rdStreet; and at 47thStreet near the bowling alley, Getty said.
It basically runs north to south through Cermak Park.
The board also approved a resolution which amends an agreement between the village and Reliable Materials Lyons regarding payments for soil compaction at the old quarry site located at Ogden and First avenues.
“We have had close relationship with Reliable Materials Lyons in the operation of the quarry and we have, in the past, negotiated a compaction agreement to provide additional revenue to the village,” Getty said.
“The administration felt it should be renegotiated for the timeline of when we receive those monies. Reliable was very graceful in negotiating those terms and working with the village to provide us money sooner in this agreement,” Getty said.
Compacting the soil involves repeatedly dropping a 20-ton weight on the fill, Getty said. “They believed by executing that, we’d receive more fill in the quarry,” he said.
The village was to receive a 2 percent r0yalty that was negotiated before Getty took office. The plan was to give $30 and 2 percent of the price per truckload to the village. It roughly was worth $1 million for the village.
“We wanted to speed the process up so we asked them to give us a $500,000 lump sum payment and spread the remaining $500,000 out over the contract that runs through Dec. 31, 2019. And if they fall short of the $1 million at the end, they cut us a check for the remainder,” Getty said.
“It was a back-end loaded deal before. At the time we thought it was great. But at this time, we thought let’s get some of it now and the rest over the next 14 months,” Getty said.
In other business, the police department averaged 48 calls per day for the month of September, Trustee Pat Alonzi said.
The police made 532 premises checks, and 97 traffic stops with 74 traffic citations. There were 282 parking citations, with 78 of those for not having a village vehicle sticker, she said.
There were no public comments at the meeting.
Desplaines Valley News
Email Steve Metsch at sm4610@sbcglobal.net
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