Village of Gurnee owes us an apology
When the heavy snow on March 21st fell, the village of Gurnee was out in full force with their snowplows, and they put some of their own residents at serious risk.
That afternoon at 3:15, I watched a snowplow driver clearing Monterey Court off of Pinewood Drive. This would not have been remarkable, except for the fact that all the snow he cleared from this cul-de-sac was unceremoniously dumped at the entrance of Sherwood Court, making it impassable for most cars.
Being a resident of Sherwood Court, I know that this cul-de-sac is considered private property, and no one would have expected this driver to completely plow our road, but for the village to effectively seal off residents' access to their homes is inexcusable. What made matters worse was this plow driver saw me sitting with my turn signal on, waiting for him to clear some path to allow cars into and out of Sherwood Court; instead, he simply drove away.
The village of Gurnee should be thanking the powers that be that no emergency vehicles needed access to Sherwood, as they too would not have been able to maneuver through the snow bank created by the plows. I, along with a few other people, ended up trying to drive over the snow bank to get home. Had it not been for the kindness of my next-door neighbor, my car would have remained part of the road block until the snow melted.
I wonder if the village of Gurnee would have shown the same lack of consideration to any of the businesses that keep the city on the map, such as Key Lime Cove, Great America or Gurnee Mills. Of course not; this is all tourist money that comes into the village. They apparently must be more important than the needs of those who call Gurnee home, and who try to support smaller businesses, keeping money in our own community. It puts into perspective who the village considers more important: tourists or residents.
Mayor Kristina Kovarik and the village board have failed to provide me with any explanation as to why the public works department effectively closed our cul-de-sac. The village of Gurnee needs to be held accountable for their actions, and they owe the residents of my street, as well as any other that was closed in this manner, an apology and the promise that it will never occur again.
Christopher A. Thelen
Gurnee