Town Board Applies for $750,000 to Fix L Strip and Denies Block Party Application Because of Alleged Gang Activity
The Town of Cicero trustees during their bi-weekly board meeting on Tuesday May10th, 2022 (Photo by April Alonso).
By Efraín Soriano
Town of Cicero board members briefly gathered on May 24 to review and approve several resolutions.
The resolutions introduced included a worker’s compensation settlement, titled Christopher Quelette v. Town of Cicero, regarding an injury Mr. Quelette sustained responding to a fire. The board also moved forward with many appointments of department heads and boards, and agreed to apply for grant funding from the Illinois Department Of Commerce And Economic Opportunity.
Most agenda items were approved with the exception of a block party permit.
The Cicero Police Department suggested denying the block party permit of the 1200 block of 60th Court due to a “lack of resident signatures” and alleged recent “gang activity”. The board recognized the opinion of the Police Department and denied the permit.
Here is a summary of the approved items:
Town Of Cicero Appointments
The board approved the appointment of individuals to different positions, and of certain Board of Trustees members to specific committees. All appointments are effective immediately, and are set to expire on October 31, 2022. All appointments have been gathered below for your viewing:
Approval of Resolutions
The board approved a resolution to submit an application for grant funding from the Illinois DCEO.
If approved by the DCEO, this grant funding would be used to support a $750,000 project to improve the street lighting and pavement of the parking lot known as the L Strip, which is located immediately north of Cermak Road and bounded by Central Avenue on the east and Lombard Avenue on the west.
According to the town, this parking lot strip has not been paved in over 35 years and the existing lighting system is over 50 years old. The town has identified that this area is in need of a complete reconstruction and hopes these improvements will serve the Cermak Road businesses who utilize these parking lots.
The town also approved a resolution for the worker’s compensation settlement in the case of Christopher Quelette v. Town of Cicero. Mr. Quelette sustained an injury to his knee while putting out a house fire in February of 2020. The Town and Mr. Quelette reached an agreement for $1798.88 to be paid in a single payment. The Town noted that they do not admit to any wrongdoing and agreed with the plaintiff to accept the settlement agreement to avoid any further costs or legal fees associated with the litigation.
The board proceeded to approve service agreements with Fountain Pros LLC for the maintenance of the fountains located at Community Park on Laramie and 35th Street, and the Community Center on 49th Avenue. The first agreement consists of a $12,240 quote for 14 weeks of regular maintenance beginning on June 1, 2022 for Community Park. The second agreement consists of a $5,100 quote for 16 weeks of maintenance beginning on June 1, 2022 for the Community Center.
You can view the recording of the full meeting here:
Efrain Soriano is a local freelance photographer and a contributing reporter for Cicero Independiente.
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