Naperville Outdoor Sirens Undergoing Routine Maintenance
Annual maintenance of the City’s outdoor warning sirens will begin on Monday, Oct. 10. During this time, each of the City’s outdoor warning sirens will be activated individually for evaluation. Residents should not be alarmed if they hear sirens in their community during calm weather. The annual maintenance of these warning sirens is not related to the nationwide changes that were made following the investigation into why sirens did not activate during the July 23, 2022 tornadoes. The audible portion of the testing will take place between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., and should be completed by October 14. For more information about the maintenance, visit the City of Naperville website.
Affordable Housing Incentive Program
Naperville City Council will continue to discuss a list of incentives to encourage companies to add affordable housing units to residential developments. During their Tuesday meeting, city council was given three options: agree with the proposed incentive program and have city staff create an ordinance for review, authorize more money for SB Friedman to create a new plan, or do without the incentives and focus on other affordable housing plans, such as instating a revolving rehabilitation loan program for low-income senior citizens. Council gave members of city staff another six weeks to refine the program. Real estate consultant SB Friedman created the list of potential incentives for developers, which included floor area ratios, parking spots, open space, and several other factors. Mayor Chirico and members of the council also wanted to make sure that if a developer buys lots and knocks down existing homes that multi-family housing cannot be built in an area strictly allowing single-family houses. Discussions about the affordable housing incentive program will continue at a future council meeting.
Blackwell Solar Installation
On Wednesday, officials from the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County gathered at the Fleet Management building in Blackwell Forest Preserve to celebrate the installation of a 260.2 kW solar array project created to offset approximately 110% of the building’s electrical energy consumption. The 531-panel system installed by 93Energy is expected to annually produce 324,000 kWH, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save taxpayers roughly $24,000. The cost of the project was about $570,000, and more than 60% of the expenses were funded through private donations or financial incentives for solar projects. The project is another step in the Forest Preserve District’s 2019 master plan to reduce the district’s energy costs, carbon footprint, and reliance on fossil fuels.
Pumpkin Race Volunteers
Turning Pointe Autism Foundation is searching for volunteers for its sixth annual Naperville Pumpkin Race on Saturday, Oct. 29. The volunteers will set up and take down the event, handle registration, work as course monitors and more. Participants in the race will launch their decorated pumpkin cars down a track using race kits put together by Turning Pointe students. The event runs from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Naperville Carillon next to Rotary Hill at 440 Aurora Ave. Volunteer sign-up forms and more information about the race are available on the Turning Pointe Autism Foundation website.
Naperville Teen Wins Governor’s Award
Neuqua Valley High School senior Joel Setya has received a 2022 Governor’s Volunteer Service Award. He won in the 18-year-old and younger category thanks to his work starting STEM & Buds in Naperville. The national nonprofit has impacted more than 3,500 students in 15 cities and three countries. Setya leads free sessions to teach students through STEM-related activities, developing relationships between high school mentors and younger students. Joel was one of six winners in the northwest region of Illinois. The awards were presented by the Serve Illinois Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service.