Lily Lake president won't vote on road

Lily Lake's village president pledged Thursday to recuse herself from voting on a proposed road closure in her neighborhood after coming under fire from a fellow village official.

The closure would prevent motorists from using Hanson Road, the street where Village President Jesse Heffernan lives, as a shortcut between routes 47 and 64. Officials say cut-through traffic is growing increasingly common and poses dangers for residents and users of a nearby bike path; critics say closing the road isn't the answer.

"Because I'm inconvenienced and I benefit just like everyone else on Hanson … it would probably be a conflict of interest," Heffernan said. "It would probably be best if I didn't (vote)."

The decision came after village trustee Jeff Lonigro expressed concerns about political "hanky panky" related to the proposal, which Heffernan has worked on for more than a year. The matter is up for a public hearing at 5 tonight at village hall, 43W955 Twilight Lane.

Lonigro said he felt the village could have done a better job making residents aware the closure was being considered, and that Heffernan's continued involvement would only encourage the perception she might be quietly pursuing an issue from which she stands to gain.

"I think it speaks very highly of Jesse that she has decided to remove herself from this," Lonigro said Thursday. "She should have done it long ago."

According to Heffernan, the proposed closure came up a couple of years ago, when she served on a village planning committee. Heffernan said she took the lead on gathering information and reporting back to officials. Then, last June, she was appointed acting village president after Barry Kreczmer abruptly resigned.

Heffernan said she continued to work on the project regardless of her new position. Eventually, she and Kane County Forest Preserve District officials came up with today's plan, which proposes closing the roughly 1-mile stretch of road by building a parking lot in the middle to serve the Great Western Trail, which runs parallel to Route 64, though the road would remain accessible to emergency vehicles.

The parking lot was something forest preserve officials were already working on when Heffernan got involved and the notion of a mutual project developed, she said. In addition to creating a safer environment for families along Hanson Road, she said, it also would make eastbound commutes two miles longer for some homeowners.

Lonigro, the only trustee to express opposition to the closure, said he doesn't like the idea of closing Hanson Road because of how it could affect traffic through the village, particularly as it relates to the incoming Huntington Ridge residential and commercial development along Empire Road. He said a traffic study should be performed before making any decision, and that signs should have been posted along Hanson Road notifying residents of tonight's public hearing.

Lonigro also takes issue with a village document in which Heffernan wrote Hanson Road property owners, which include herself, could see their home values go up as a result of the closure, though Heffernan says she was only trying to address fears it would hurt property values, rather.

A final vote is not expected after Friday's hearing, but Heffernan said the board could potentially make a decision at a meeting Monday. "I would like to have a vote on it Monday, but that's up to the board," she said.