New Look for Downtown:
Downtown Naperville is getting a new look. At last night’s Naperville City Council meeting, city staff proposed new standards for the downtown streetscape. The goal is to provide a consistent aesthetic to the district, while also making the area convenient for all visiting downtown. This will include widening certain sidewalks and installing uniform amenities like planters and bike racks. The angled parking spaces along Main Street and Jefferson Avenue will also be converted to parallel spaces, reducing the number of parking spaces by 13. Staff said both the Senior Task Force and Disability Task Force approved the proposed designs.
Park District Modifies Active Shooter Training:
The Naperville Park District will be changing their outdoor active shooter training after a drill this Saturday at Centennial Beach caused panic. During a debriefing session yesterday, the group decided to refrain from using a public address system to make announcements during training, and will use an air horn instead of a starter pistol as a warning device. They also resolved to notify event organizers ahead of time if a drill is taking place in a nearby area, as well as on the day of the event. During Saturday’s training, many participants at a nearby walk to raise funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and some Naperville Little League teams playing on nearby fields were not aware of the drill, and believed it to be a real emergency. The park district extends their regrets to both organizations.
Honor for Local Firefighter and Team:
Naperville firefighter, paramedic and Dive Team Coordinator Chuck Gros, along with his fellow team members on the Illinois Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, IL-TF 1, will receive an award for their efforts in developing a swift water response team. The group is being honored with the Higgins and Langley Memorial Award, for creating a response team ready to aid in state or national emergencies, such as when they assisted in North Carolina during Hurricane Florence rescue efforts in 2018. The award will be presented on June 2, at the International Association of Water Rescue Professionals Surface Water Rescue Symposium in Indiana.
Contact Police Directly:
The Naperville Police Department is asking the public to reach out to them directly in the event of any suspicious activity or crimes, rather than reporting it on social media platforms. Recently the department has seen an uptick in messages of this sort being posted online on sites like Facebook or Nextdoor, before folks reach out to notify police.
Dress Donations Needed:
District 204 is asking for formal dress donations for their Valley Runway program. This initiative collects new and gently used prom or homecoming type dresses and accessories to offer at no cost to low-income District 204 high school juniors and seniors. Donations can be dropped off tomorrow at Metea Valley, Neuqua Valley or Waubonsie Valley high schools between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. If you have some hangers to spare, those are welcome as well.
