Mayor Noak gave his State of the Village Address this afternoon. In it, he highlighted another strong year for the Village of Romeoville, including the addition of over 1,600 jobs, retail sales projected in excess of $1.1 billion, and an equalized assessed value of the community at $1.48 billion. Given the success, the Village once again passed a balanced budget and lowered its portion of the property tax rate for the 8th year in a row.
It’s not just the Village and its businesses that are investing in the community. Residents are taking advantage of incentives to improve their homes through the Romeoville Reinvestment Program, with 57 residents undertaking projects in 2022.
As usual, the departments have been busy. Public works paved 3.28 miles of roads while also continuing to plan for the coming Lake Michigan water source by 2030. The fire department purchased new equipment for search and rescue operations, including a search and rescue dog. The police activated body cameras for all officers in the field and were ever present in the community, attending and hosting many events for residents. Parks and recreation hosted new events, from a large scale concert to Romeo-Con. They also renovated parks and oversaw the continuing construction of the Aquatic Center, which should open this summer.
55 new business licenses were issued in 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. Some of those new businesses included Scene75, Belle Tire, Cilantro, and Clean Energy Refueling. The mayor also highlighted some smaller businesses that were owned by residents like Corn Beef Hideout, JBam Epic Designs, and Poke Brothers.
Projects still set to open this year include Jimmy John’s, Taco Bell, Dunkin’, the Ovation Center, and the U-Haul expansion. Developments that are set to break ground this year include Mercedes-Benz, Hampton Manor senior living, QuikTrip, and Mariott TownPlace Suites. Moving to transportation, residents can expect improvements to 135th Street, the final connection of Pinnacle Drive, and a widening of the last section of Weber Road are on the horizion. Mayor Noak announced that Mongo McMichael’s is under contract with Pop’s Pizza, so residents can expect this new concept to be unveiled soon. Additionally, a new partnership has been established to develop the vacant parcels on the southeast corner of route 53 and 135th street.
One of the more exciting announcements of the presentation was that the retail center commonly known as the former Dominic’s site is under contract with a new partnership. The developer hopes to revitalize and reinvest in the site in partnership with the Village. More details will be forthcoming soon.
“Presentations like State of the Village allow us to reflect back on the year and see the big picture,” said Mayor Noak. “When we see growth in a variety of different areas, parks and facilities that are being renovated or maintained, and a docket of businesses still on the way, it is very rewarding for our team. It reinforces that we are making the right moves for our residents now and for the future growth of Romeoville.”
Follow the Village of Romeoville on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and keep an eye on romeoville.org for news, projects, events, and everything else happening in town. Residents will soon be able to view the State of the Village presentation in its entirety by visiting the village’s website or YouTube channel. The State of the Village is hosted annually by the Romeoville Area Chamber of Commerce.