Residents Discuss Village Issues At 'Coffee With The Mayor'

PLAINFIELD, IL — Plainfield residents met with Mayor Michael Collins and the heads of various village departments on Wednesday morning, Jan. 8, to discuss pressing issues in and around town. Representatives from public institutions like School District 202, the Plainfield Fire Protection District and the Plainfield Public Library also attended the meeting to give residents updates on their current statuses and ongoing projects. Despite starting at a bright-and-early 9 a.m., the meeting was well packed with about 40 residents.

"I prefer this to Village Board meetings," one attendee said, "because it's a lot less formal."

Residents discussed a number of developments with the village department heads, including street conditions, pedestrian safety, and local beautification projects. The lion's share of meeting time was devoted to a single topic, however: the ongoing construction of a local Costco.

"It's been a long time coming... now that we have this new project coming I think we'll be quite excited," Mayor Collins said.

As part of its agreement with the village, the Costco is required to open for business by Dec. 1 of 2022, but staff with the village Planning Department have previously said that the goal is for the store to open its doors by November of this year. Perhaps, Planning Department Director Jonathan Proulx said, even earlier.

"[Costco management] have stated publicly that their target date to open is in November," he said, "but as village staff we're optimistic that it could be sooner."

With such a relatively soon grand opening goal, residents at the meeting had questions about everything from the building's environmental impact to its water management systems to how much sales tax revenue it is expected to generate for the community. Collins and Proulx both stressed that Costco would be a boon to the community, and urged residents to keep on top of developments by attending future village board meetings and of course, future 'Coffees with the Mayor.'

"This is a tradition that started many years ago... It gives us an opportunity to share with residents what's going on in the village," Proulx said. "All the department directors here, we're directly accountable and accessible to answer questions on issues residents may have."

The next 'Coffee with the Mayor' meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 12 at 9 a.m. It will be held in the Plainfield village hall at 24401 Lockport Street.