Ribfest 2021 Canceled
The Exchange Club of Naperville has canceled Ribfest 2021. The group said it made the decision due to challenges presented by COVID-19 and changing regulations. The event had been planned for July 1 through 4 at Romeoville’s Deer Crossing Park. This is the second year the event has been canceled due to COVID-19.
CityGate West Plans Approved
Last night, Naperville City Council approved plans for what has been called CityGate West. The project is a mixed-use development that will include two full-service hotels, more than 400 residential units, restaurants, and office space. Representatives of petitioner Inter-Continental Real Estate said the development at the intersection of Route 59 and Ferry Road would be marketed to young professionals and active older adults, rather than families. They said that would reduce the impact on Indian Prairie School District 204. The district has previously opposed the development but did not submit a position on the project at last night’s meeting. The name CityGate West will change due to Calamos Real Estate terminating an agreement to use the CityGate name. Councilwoman Jennifer Bruzan Taylor was the lone vote against the project, due to concerns about transparency and that there was no guarantee the units the petitioner called attainable/affordable wouldn’t increase in rent above the state’s definition.
Will County Redistricting
Will County Executive Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant proposed a redistricting plan at a special board meeting yesterday. The plan would reduce the size of the Will County Board from 26 to 21 members. It would break up the county into 21 districts rather than the current 13. But under the new plan, each district would get one county board representative, rather than the two currently allotted. The proposed plan used population data from the American Community Survey to divide the districts into equitable populations of between 33,000 to 34,000 residents.
D204 Fall Plans
Tentative plans for Indian Prairie School District 204 call for all schools to return back to full days of in-person learning with pre-pandemic hours in the coming school year. Superintendent Adrian Talley shared some early plans the district has for the next school year at the latest Board of Education meeting and said some safety protocols will need to be followed like mask wearing, social distancing during lunch, and a minimum of three feet of space between students in classrooms. The district is also planning on having a remote learning option as well. More details are expected to come out at the board’s June 14 meeting.
Friends at StoryPoint
The Friends Experience made a special pop-up visit at StoryPoint Naperville on May 13 thanks to the senior center’s life enrichment team. No Ross and Rachel, but you could find Phoebe’s open mic set-up, ready for resident performances, and a mannequin representing Joey wearing all of Chandler’s clothes. One other “perk” – a trivia contest based on the show.
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