Hawthorn Woods trailblazes plan for village path network

The saying goes that every 1,000-mile journey begins with a single step.

And for the village of Hawthorn Woods, miles of bike and pedestrian paths will likely begin with a single map.

"The goal would be to someday to have bike paths that link every major asset," Mayor Keith Hunt said, adding the paths would really be more than bike paths but would encompass all "nonmotorized" travel.

And though members of a newly formed bike path task force say they know it's an ambitious goal, they're beginning to map where they would like to see paths throughout the village.

"You really need to have a comprehensive plan," Trustee Neil Morgan said, in order to have a hope of getting federal or state grant funding. "That's what we embarked on."

Morgan, who's leading the task force, said the map will continue to be reviewed -- by the village board, committees and Hawthorn Woods residents -- until it reflects their dream network of paths along almost every major roadway. The paths will also link other area bike paths like the Millennium Path.

"We looked at what destinations people are interested in going to," task force member Trustee Steve Riess said. "Who's going to get there and how are they going to get there?"

Riess said the idea behind the project was to encourage "interconnectivity" in the sprawling village of more than 8,000 residents.

"We believe that it adds to the general feeling of the word 'community,'" Riess said, noting if residents have friends in the next subdivision, they still have to drive to visit them. "That's crazy," he said.

The village task force is now studying past bike path plans and coming up with a network of paths that either already exist or the village suggests should be built.

"We've sort of been doing this informally," Hunt said, noting previous board committees already mulled over other variations of a villagewide path system. "This is really the bringing together of all of those efforts."

Morgan said in the next month or two, the proposed bike path map will go before the board and residents for their input. Then, he said, the village can discuss priorities and start thinking about applying for grants.

"The important thing is being prepared and having the study complete … It's going to be a multiyear project," Morgan said. "It's not something that's going to be completed in just one broad brush stroke."