February 2015

VILLAGE PRESIDENT ROBERT “BOB” KOLOSH

Village of Thornton News and Views

Village Hall

115 East Margaret Street

Thornton, Illinois 60476

Phone (708) 877-4456 Fax (708) 877-4458

www.thornton60476.com

Hours

Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm

Saturday 9am - 12pm

Hopefully everyone made it through the almost 20” of snowfall! I know that I myself had to snow blow and shovel my driveway numerous times. As soon as our Public Works department and State of IL plows got out there the roads were in as good of shape as possible considering the amount of snow we had. Thank you to our Public Works Department who worked tirelessly plowing, our Fire Department for plowing approximately 117 senior driveways, and our Police Department for extra patrols for our residents. All of these efforts were addressing the safety of our residents. Hopefully we have seen the worst of the snow and the accumulation. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we know that there are some inconveniences associated with the amount of snow that we had.

Included in this newsletter we would like our residents to know that we have a water rate increase that will occur on our March 15th bill and an unavoidable tax levy increase. However we are also proud to inform all our residents of the many accomplishments that have been achieved by our Village Board and Administration in the prior, current and future years.

For anyone who doesn’t know, the Village of Thornton gets billed for its water use by Chicago Heights and South Holland. When those two entities have their rates raised by Hammond and Chicago, our rates are raised to cover those costs. Therefore, our residents will see the following rate increases on their March water bill due to increases from Hammond and Chicago:

South of I-80: $1.17 per 1,000 gallons.

North of I-80: $0.65 per 1,000 gallons for the first 500,000 gallons, $0.58 per 1,000 gallons over 500,000.

The property tax levy was also raised for the first time in 3 years. The increase was passed at a rate of 3.95%. Overall, this will generate an additional $70,000 for the Village. The increase was needed to cover projected increases to the Village for items such as health insurance, general liability insurance and garbage pickup. Village staff has done their best to keep costs down and the Village Board is committed to finding new sources of revenues to keep taxes for our residents and business owners as low as possible. Unfortunately there are increased costs that are simply unavoidable and new sources of revenue take time to procure. Ultimately, the goal is to continue to provide the highest level of service at the best cost for that service.

Think Spring!

Bob and Doug

Proclamations 2014-2015

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROBERT KOLOSH, Village President of the Village of Thornton, do hereby, on

behalf of the Board of Trustees and all of the residents of the Village of Thornton, extend our gratitude, appre-

ciation and heartfelt thanks to the following for all their accomplishments, achievements, dedication and civic

contributions given to the Village of

Thornton.

Pete Panozzo with wife Marilyn.

Mayor Kolosh with Joseph Sweet.

Mayor Kolosh, Richard Yave-nue and wife Beatrice.

February 2015

FROM THE CLERK’S OFFICE

VILLAGE PRESIDENT Robert “Bob” Kolosh

VILLAGE ADMINISTRATOR Doug Beckman

CLERK/COLLECTOR Debbie Pisarzewski

DEPUTY CLERK &

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT Melissa Doud

BUILDING DEPARTMENT Building Commissioner

Russ Oberman Electrical Inspector

Bernie Lubawy

TREASURER Arlette Frye

ATTORNEY Scott Dillner

ENGINEER James Hus

Robinson Engineering

NEWSLETTER EDITORS Sharlee Dunlop Melissa Doud

Village Hall

115 East Margaret Street

Thornton, Illinois 60476

Phone (708) 877-4456 Fax (708) 877-4458

www.thornton60476.com

Hours

Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm

Saturday 9am - 12pm

Hi Everyone -

I wanted to share with you something that happened last Monday. I had stayed

overnight at my mom’s house. She’s 75 and lives by herself surrounded by farmland. At 7:10 in the morning, she received a call (caller ID said anonymous) wherein a man

informed her she won $850,000 and a Mercedes Benz. He was so persistent, my

mom starting believing him so she asked me to speak to him. He told me his name was John Fernandez and my mom filled out a coupon at Walmart in March of 2013

and was entered into a second chance drawing. He wanted to send someone out to my mom’s house to fill out the paperwork. (I’m telling you, these guys are good!!!)

He even called my mom seven more times that day. I told mom to just hang up on

him.

In November, I attended a seminar put on by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan concerning telephone scams. She stated that scammers try to lure you in with prom-

ises of unexpected riches such as a large sum of money, a vacation, or a “get rich

quick” investment scheme. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. Attor-ney General Madigan says, “JUST HANG UP.”

She also suggested placing your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry.

This will block most unwanted telemarketing calls. Once your number is on the regis-

try, you’ll know any telemarketer who does call you is probably up to no good. You can register your home phone or cell phone online at www.donotcall.gov or call

1-888-382-1222 from the phone you wish to register. Or if you have fallen victim to or want to report a telephone scam, please contact the Illinois Attorney General’s

Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-386-5438 or Senior Fraud Helpline at 1-800-243-5377.

On a lighter note, the Village Wide “Spring Clean-up” Garage sale is tentatively set for Saturday, May 16. Pass the word!!!

Please be careful and take care - Debbie 2015 Pet Tags Now Available

Only $2.00 per tag.

February 2015

Our Board members have been busy working together for the betterment of the Village. Here is a list of some past, present and future accomplishments happen-ing in town:

Prior Years Accomplishments

1) New digital Village Hall sign. (TIF Funds) 2) New Fire Engine 777. (Part TIF Funds) 3) New downtown sidewalks. (TIF Funds) 4) Replacement of high efficiency windows at Village Hall.

2014 Accomplishments

1) $1.4 Million bond approval-Roads, water main and valve replacement. 2) New roof at Historical Society. 3) New doors, electrical and fascia at Police Department and Community Center. 4) 3 New vehicles delivered for Police, Fire and Public Works. 5) Vehicle replacement for TEMA. 6) New workout equipment at the Community Center. 7) New lighting at the Community Center. 8) Groundbreaking on Thorn Creek Senior Living Center ($12 Million Project). 9) Harcros Chemicals Relocation (Over $1 Million Project).

Future Programs and Plans

1) Soltis Family Distillery Co. Grand Opening. 2) New conference room at the Village Hall. 3) Thornton’s 1st new ambulance-delivery Spring 2015. (Part TIF Funds) 4) New Public Works facility. (Possible TIF Funds) 5) Water main replacement on Williams Street. 6) Menards/Homewood Agreement. 7) Chicago Heights water Agreement finalized. 8) Sewer relining project. 9) Continue upgrades/replacement of public safety equipment. 10) Continue upgrades/maintenance of all public facilities. 11) Re-evaluation and revision of 5 year capital plan. 12) Aggressively pursue new development for vacant Village owned properties.

Thank You to all of our Trustees working together as a team for all of Thornton.

Building & Grounds: Trustee Hudson

Economic Development & Budgeting: Trustee Kaye

Public Safety: Trustee Kolosh

Recreation: Trustee Atkinson

Streets & Sanitation: Trustee Pisarzewski

Utility & License: Trustee Ehlers

VILLAGE BOARD APPROVALS

MEETING SCHEDULE

Village Committee Meet-

ings are held on the first

and third Mondays of

every month at 7:00pm.

Village Board Meetings are

immediately following at

7:30pm.

The Planning and Devel-

opment Commission

Meetings are held on the

second Wednesday of the

month at 7:30pm.

Police and Fire Commission

Meetings are held

quarterly.

All meetings are held in

the Board Room of the

Village Hall.

Open to the Public.

Village Hall

Board Room

115 East Margaret

Street

Visit us at www.thornton60476.com

for agendas and

meeting packets.

Board of Trustees

Ernest “Bo” Kaye

Kim Atkinson

Tom Ehlers

Joseph Pisarzewski

David Hudson

David Kolosh

February 2015

Our Mission: The Thornton Police

Department exists for the purpose of protecting life

& property, and to maintain social order within the carefully prescribed ethical & constitutional limits.

Through a cooperative effort we will provide

citizens & visitors to the community with

professional police services, always with the

emphasis on the continued sensitivity to

the communities needs & concerns for all.

TTHORNTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

Glenn Beckman, Chief of Police 700 Park Avenue

(708) 877-2531 Non-Emergency

(708) 877-4440 Records (708) 877-5525 Fax

Office Hours: Monday - Friday

8am - 4pm Saturday 9am - 12pm

SCAMS The Police Department is continually answering service calls for scams. Scams and identity thefts are the crimes of the future. Some of the calls are minor infractions that

a resident is only advising the police of the scam. But on occasion, the call for service is a legitimate scam that requires police action. Here are a few scams the police de-

partment would like residents to be aware of.

IRS imposters – The IRS will NOT call individuals claiming they owe money. If you

receive a call from an individual requesting past due taxes, DO NOT give any personal information to the callers, hang up immediately.

Click-Bait Schemes – Sensational or provocative content, especially on social media

attracts attention to a particular web page. Often, clicking on links tricks users to go to fraudulent websites usually installing viruses or malware on the com-

puter or smartphone. Fake Utility Bills – Scammers target consumers claiming utility bills are delinquent

and their services were in danger of being disconnected. NEVER provide per-

sonal or financial information. Contact the service provider directly and verify the call.

Fake Lottery & Sweepstakes – Consumers are told they have received a large sum of money, but must pay fees and taxes first. No “winnings” are ever received.

Residents are encouraged to inform the Police Department of any “scam” activity. NEV-ER give personal or financial information to anyone over the phone or computer unless

absolutely positive it is legitimate.

“If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

VILLAGE NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

The Village implemented a new Emergency Notification System called Connect CTY in 2009. The Village has used the system to notify residents of emergency incidents as

well as community service announcements. Although past uses have been done with

the best of intentions in providing information to the community, the use of community announcements has taken away from the primary purpose of the system – to notify as

many residents as we can reach as quickly as possible of EMERGENCY situations.

Moving forward, the Village will utilize the following notification system: 1) Village An-

nouncements – email only; 2) Community Events – email and text messages; 3) EMERGENCIES – email, text messages, and phone calls. Messages that come in from

the Village or from Wolcott School (in the case of school closings) will show up on caller ID as (999) 999-9999 and if your home phone or cell phone ring via a phone call – you

will know some type of EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION is taking place. If you want to

be included or add a secondary phone number or email address, you can complete a form online through a link on the Village website (www.thornton60476.com).

February 2015

TTHORNTON COMMUNITY CENTER

Hours

Monday - Friday 9am - 8pm

Saturday 9am - 1pm

Sharlee Dunlop, Director of Parks and Recreation Amy Potwin, Assistant Director

701 Highland Ave

(708) 877-4454 (708) 564-5078 Fax

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Pinochle every Thursday 1:00pm

Hand & Foot 1st/3rd Fridays 5:00pm

Alcoholics Anonymous

FREE Senior Fitness Center (62+)

ESL Conversation Class every Wednesday 12:00pm

PARKS AND GROUNDS

Charles P Nason Park, Highland Avenue

Diekelman Park, North Kinzie Street

Marian Mikrut Memorial Park, Pawnee Drive

Hubbard Park, 102 N Hubbard St.

Skate Park, Park Avenue

COMMUNITY SERVICES

Memorial Tree Project

K-9 Training Academy

T.O.P.S.

Recycling

Party & Conference Room Rentals (new pricing!)

Table and Chair Rentals

First Aid Equipment Rentals

ZUMBA® T/TH 6:30-7:15pm

M 5:30-6:15pm

Youth TH 5+ 5:00pm

If you’re moving,

you’re doing it right!

Home School Social Break!

Thursday, February 19th 10:00 AM to

12:00 PM

FREE CHILDREN’S SELF DEFENSE

CLASS

FEBRUARY 21, 10:00 AM

Adult and Youth

Martial Arts by:

Open Gym &

Game Room 9-11am Ages 7-12

March 2

April 2

$5.00/each

Parents must be present to register.

Teen fitness and

Conditioning

Tuesdays 5-6pm

$40.00/ 6-week session

Ages 12+

SPRING

Co-Ed and Men’s Softball Leagues now forming! Call

for more info!

Spring Break Boredom Busters

April 6 & 7 Gym Time

April 8 Play-doh & Paint

April 9 Just Dance

April 10 Movie (PG)

$5.00/each

Ages 6-10 9-11am

TYBL Thornton Youth

Baseball League

Ages 4-6

$65.00

Tim Lively 877-5149

Flashlight Easter

Egg Hunt

Ages 6-9 $5.00

Friday, March 27

Little Easter

Egg Hunt

Ages 0-5 $3.00

Saturday, March 28

YOUNG REMBRANDTS CARTOON CLASS BEGINS

MARCH 5

AGES 6-12 4:00PM $45

2015-16 Preschool Registration & Open House.

Village Residents ONLY

Thursday, March 19, 6:30 PM

$100.00 deposit and proof of residency required.

Non-Resident Open House will be held on Saturday, March 21, 10:30 AM

FITNESS CENTER IS NOW BUY ONE MONTH GET ONE FREE UNTIL MARCH 31st—Limit 3

February 2015

Our Mission: To provide the citizens of

Thornton with fast, effective and professional fire, rescue and medical services through the use of trained personnel and quality equipment. We

continually strive to

prevent the loss of life, personal injury and

property damage through public education and

emergency responsiveness. We will render our services with

pride and personal commitment to the

individuals in need of aid.

THORNTON FIRE DEPARTMENT

David Habecker, Fire Chief Joe Eaker, Assistant Fire Chief

115 E Margaret Street

(708) 877-4459 Non-Emergency

This winter has been much different than last year! As I write this the northeastern part of our country is getting socked with over 2 feet of snow. We have only plowed driveways once this year so far and hopefully our good luck will continue. We currently plow over 100 driveways in the pro-gram and of course have Fire Department functions we must perform as well. Our program is de-signed to clear the driveway enough to get out (one swipe of the plow), it is not a comprehensive

snow removal program.

Here are a few other reminders about our driveway plowing program:

This service is offered to any Thornton resident who is a retired senior citizen, 65 years of age with no capabilities of plowing their own driveway; or any adult who is perma-nently disabled, with no able bodied person in the home.

This service is secondary to fire and EMS calls so there may be a delay if there are ongoing emer-gency calls.

Driveway plowing will only begin when there is a snowfall greater than 2 inches of accumulation in the Village.

The plowing will begin when the snowfall is over and we will not plow after dark, so it may not begin until the next day.

If the plow arrives and there is a car in the driveway, that driveway will not be plowed.

Although there is a specific route we follow, we use a different starting point each time we plow in an effort to be fair to all the residents.

If there is a significant snowfall on the night before or the day of garbage pickup, we ask that gar-bage cans be placed clear of the driveway to allow our plow access without having to stop and move the garbage containers.

Finally, if you have a planned event that is interrupted by the snow, please have a back-up plan for clearing your driveway. Although we do our best, we cannot guarantee your driveway will be plowed by a certain time.

On behalf of the entire Thornton Fire Department, I thank you again for your patience!

Dave Habecker, Fire Chief

Senior Driveway Program Reminder

WOLCOTT

REUNION "Come Home To Thornton"

July 31st - Aug 2nd, 2015

wolcottreun-

ion2015@yahoo.com

SPREAD THE WORD!

February 2015

THORNTON PUBLIC WORKS

Public Works Office Hours: Monday – Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm

After hours: Call Lynwood

dispatch 708-758-4744 ext #1

Maintenance tech is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Bryan Roberts, Assistant Superintendent 321 E Harriet Street

(708) 877-4462

(708) 877-1627 fax

Our Mission: To provide a wide range of vital community services to the residents of Thornton in a professional and effi-

cient manner.

Full Time Staff:

Eric DiSanto

Regan Ruchala

Part Time/Seasonal Staff:

Richard Kingery

Dominic DiMarchi

USE YOUR WATER METER TO CHECK FOR WATER LEAKS!

Most Residential meters within the Village will have a red triangle in the middle (pictured above), if this indicator is moving and NO water is be-ing used you have a leak. If your meter does not have one, you can read the water meter number before and after a 1-hour period when NO water is being used. If the meter number does not read exactly the same, you have a leak.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR? Change dripping faucets.

Check for leaking or cracked pipes.

Check for leaking/running toilets.

Stop by the Village Hall and pick up a toilet test kit or put a little food coloring in the toilet tank. If without flushing, the color begins to ap-pear in the bowl within 30 minutes, you have a leak that should be re-paired immediately.

Cold weather is here! Visit www.thornton60476.com to learn about preventing frozen water lines and read about the Village’s Residential Water Freezing Policy.

February 2015

BULK RATE

U.S. Postage

P A I D

Thornton, IL

60476

Permit No. 8

POSTAL CUSTOMER

THORNTON, ILLINOIS 60476

THORNTON COMMUNITY GARDEN

The North American Monarch Butterfly is in trouble. Its population has dropped by more than 90% in the past 20 years. You

can help by simply planting a Milkweed plant. Visit www.saveourmonarchs.org or www.monarchwatch.org for more infor-mation. The Thornton Community Gar-den participants will create a butterfly

garden in the Spring. The Milkweed plant will be one of the main plants used in the garden to help preserve the Monarch But-terfly habitat. The Garden will also incor-porate native plants and nectar plants to attract more butterflies. For more infor-

mation regarding the Thornton Communi-ty Garden, please contact Mark Ferris

(877-7172).

Holiday Happenings 2014 – Another Success!!

What a great event!

Thanks to the businesses and organizations who made monetary donations, to those who opened their doors for us to visit, to everyone who helped with the organizing, and also to those who attended the various activities throughout the weekend.

This was the ninth year for this holiday event and we already have ideas for next year – our 10th anniversary!! It’s not too early to think about 2015. Mark your calendar now and shop those early holiday sales for lights and other decorations to trim your vehicle for the Fire Department’s light parade which will be bigger and better! Next year we’re planning to reinstate the contest for decorating your house with lights. Plan now to have your decorations up by that time.

We’re always looking for new ideas to include and also for new peo-ple to volunteer to make it all happen. WE REALLY NEED YOUR IN-PUT!! LET US HEAR FROM YOU!! Please contact Janet Sanders (877

-6137) or Debbie Pisarzewski (877-4456) or send e-mail to Melissa Doud, deputyclerk@thornton60476.com .

THORNTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Thornton Historical Society Annual Tea will be held at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 508 Chicago Rd. on Saturday, March 7th at 2 p.m. Since this is the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, we will feature a USO theme. The Legacy Girls will entertain. Tickets

are $15.00 per person. Reservations must be made by February 21st. Please call Sue (877-8901) for further information.

Museum hours through April are 1-3 p.m. the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month. Please plan to visit.