Board leadership from seven local government entities participated in the 17th annual ‘Shape of Addison’ town hall meeting held at Addison Village Hall on Thursday, January 25th. The event provides an opportunity for the agencies to present brief reports on their activities and accomplishments during the past year and initiatives for the upcoming year, and answer audience questions. The program is sponsored by Itasca Bank & Trust Co. and moderated by their Chairman of the Board, Jack Mensching.
Presenters for the seven Addison taxing bodies included: Rich Veenstra, Mayor of Addison; Joe Savarino, Board secretary, Addison Fire Protection District; Daniel Olson, Board Vice President, DuPage High School District 88; Dave Williams, Board president, Addison School District 4; Mike Capizzano, Board president, Addison Park District; Christopher Pudelek, Board president, Addison Public Library; and Dennis Reboletti, Supervisor of Addison Township.
Presentations among all groups focused on fiscal responsibility amid the current challenges of inflation, infrastructure costs, and staffing. New initiatives announced included the opening of the Illinois Secretary of State’s Road Testing Center at Addison Township, the participation of the Addison Public Library in the SWAN collaborative to expand resources for patrons, recent OSLAD (Open Spaces Land Acquisition and Development) grants received by the Addison Park District to upgrade Lake Manor Nature Preserve and Community Park, the current reexamination of school boundaries in Addison School District 4, the updating of the DuPage High School District 88 strategic plan, the hiring of 5 firefighters in Addison Fire Protection District, the receipt of over $14 million in state and federal grants for Village road, sewer, and flood mitigation projects and the addition of new local programming on Addison Community Television and the Village of Addison YouTube channel.
More than 50 questions were submitted in-person, via telephone and email. Questions ranged from taxes, the impact of migrant relocation on the area, hours of operation of the Addison Food Pantry, and student performance in Addison School District 4. Other questions dealt with Village traffic and business location violations, future Village development plans, the closure of the Addison Park District’s Par 3 golf course due to irrigation issues, the Addison Public Library’s upcoming plans for interior remodeling and staffing issues at Addison Fire District.
The 2½-hour meeting was carried live on Addison Community Television and is available online at www.AddisonAdvantage.org or at YouTube/Village Addison.
