Latest news with #BillNovack
Chicago Tribune
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville News Digest: Novack retires after three decades working for city of Naperville; 6th annual Pint For Kim blood drive/fest to be held May 10
Novack retires after three decades working for city of Naperville Bill Novack, director of Naperville's Transportation, Engineering and Development department, will retire Friday, May 2, after 33 years with the city. His tenure was honored April 15 at the Naperville City Council meeting, where Mayor Scott Wehrli presented Novack with a proclamation. 'Throughout his more than three-decade career, Bill has consistently exemplified the city's core values of people, trust, respect and pride and become a trusted partner, mentor, leader and friend to city employees and his fellow directors,' Wehrli said as part of the proclamation. 'He will be greatly missed.' In his time with the city, Novack attended more than 600 city council meetings and led the planning, development and management of the Naperville Riverwalk for more than 25 years, according to the proclamation. The recognition was met with a standing ovation from audience members. 'Little did I know or expect that I would finish my full-time civil engineering career in the city of Naperville,' Novack said as he accepted the honor. 'How lucky I am.' 6th annual Pint For Kim blood drive/fest to be held May 10 The 6th annual A Pint for Kim blood drive and festival will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at Naperville North High School, 899 N. Mill St. Community members can make an appointment or drop in during the event to donate blood. Organizers recommend arriving a half hour before a scheduled appointment. There are 1,300 blood donation appointment spots available, and the last walk-in will be taken at 3:15 p.m., an event announcement said. As part of the gathering, there will be live music, a car show, food trucks, raffle prizes, a dunk tank, face painting, U.S. Marine Corps' pull-up challenge, children's crafts, games and bounce houses, Edward Hospital therapy dogs, and other attractions and activities. Each blood donor and event volunteer will receive 10 tickets for a raffle for about 100 prizes worth more than $25,000. Each donor also will be given a pass for themselves and their children to sit in one of the cars in the Hamilton Collection Car Show, the announcement said. Organizers hope to break their record of collecting more than 600 pints, the largest one-day blood drive in the state, the announcement said. The event started in 2020 to honor Naperville resident Kimberly Sandford, who lost her eight-year battle with a rare cancer. To sign up to donate blood, volunteer or for more information, go to Travelers will need REAL ID or passport starting Wednesday Travelers 18 and older who want to take a commercial flight anywhere in the U.S. will need to present a REAL ID or passport for verification starting Wednesday, May 7, according to an alert from U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville. Either of those documents also will be needed to enter some federal facilities and military bases, Foster's release said. However, REAL IDs are not be needed to drive, vote or enter state-owned buildings and some federal buildings. The requirement is a post-9/11 initiative to improve security. It took many years to implement but is now taking effect, the release said. REAL ID designations on driver's licenses or identification cards can be obtained at Illinois Secretary of State's facilities. Recipients must provide several forms of identification in order to obtain the designation. Information on making an appointment to obtain a license or card can be found at Naperville VFW Post hosting Day of Service events Saturday Judd Kendall VFW Post 3873 will host a fitness competition for veterans and the public as part of its VFW Day of Service at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Yellow Box Community Theatre, 1635 Emerson Lane, Naperville. Last year the day drew more than 2,000 people, organizers said in a news release. Members of the community are invited to take part in the event, which will also include military fitness demonstrations, recruiting booths and merchandise from all participating organizations, organizers said. Military and first responders will be recognized as part of the activities.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Construction underway on Eagle Street Gateway improvements along the Naperville Riverwalk
Construction has started on improvements to the Naperville Riverwalk at Eagle Street. The Eagle Street Gateway project, expected be completed by early September, will be the second venture undertaken as part of the 2031 Riverwalk Master Plan. The first was a prairie nature garden installed last year just west of Centennial Beach. Both are part of larger plans to expand, upgrade and revamp the Riverwalk in time for its 50th anniversary in 2031. Work on the gateway construction began earlier this month, according to Bill Novack, director of Naperville's Transportation, Engineering and Development department. It's being done by Naperville-based Baumgartner Construction Inc. Over the next six years, the city wants to tackle more than a dozen improvements in advance of ringing in the Riverwalk's 50th birthday. Work is laid out in the 2031 Riverwalk Master Plan, which was endorsed in fall 2020 to guide future development. Aspirations are large and small, ranging from building out new sections of the DuPage River walkway to ecological restoration along its riverbank. Naperville Riverwalk expansion, renovation plans for 2031 anniversary making progress The Naperville City Council hired Baumgartner Construction to build the $3.5 million in improvements at a meeting in December. Among the work that's to be done is the upgraded gateway at Eagle Street and Jackson Avenue, which will correct accessibility problems. Capital improvements include the addition of ADA-compliant ramps and stairways connecting the Riverwalk and street-level paths just west of Eagle Street and the replacement of retaining walls with landscaped terraces. During construction, visitors will be able to access the Riverwalk at Eagle Street south of the bridge at Farmer's Plaza. Project costs will be offset, in part, by a $900,000 federal grant secured by U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville. Asked whether the grant could be at risk among the uncertainty over access to federal funding in recent months, Novack said, 'We're keeping our eyes and ears open.' Foster, in a news release announcing the project's launch, said, 'The Riverwalk is one of Naperville's most cherished community spaces, and these improvements will make it more inclusive and welcoming to all. Investing in accessible infrastructure benefits everyone and strengthens the Riverwalk's role as a gathering place for the entire community.' Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli said, 'The Riverwalk was a gift to generations of Naperville residents to come,' adding that revitalizing the Eagle Street Gateway 'is part of the city's continued commitment to making sure Naperville remains the world-class destination to live, work, and visit for everyone to enjoy.' In all, the 2031 initiative is anticipated to be multimillion dollar initiative. To that end, a nonprofit organization — the Riverwalk 2031 Fund — has been established to help the city privately raise funding for master plan projects. The Riverwalk 2031 Fund last November also launched a website, to educate the community about Riverwalk upgrades as they take shape. tkenny@
Chicago Tribune
18-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Construction underway on Eagle Street Gateway improvements along the Naperville Riverwalk
Construction has started on improvements to the Naperville Riverwalk at Eagle Street. The Eagle Street Gateway project, expected be completed by early September, will be the second venture undertaken as part of the 2031 Riverwalk Master Plan. The first was a prairie nature garden installed last year just west of Centennial Beach. Both are part of larger plans to expand, upgrade and revamp the Riverwalk in time for its 50th anniversary in 2031. Work on the gateway construction began earlier this month, according to Bill Novack, director of Naperville's Transportation, Engineering and Development department. It's being done by Naperville-based Baumgartner Construction Inc. Over the next six years, the city wants to tackle more than a dozen improvements in advance of ringing in the Riverwalk's 50th birthday. Work is laid out in the 2031 Riverwalk Master Plan, which was endorsed in fall 2020 to guide future development. Aspirations are large and small, ranging from building out new sections of the DuPage River walkway to ecological restoration along its riverbank. The Naperville City Council hired Baumgartner Construction to build the $3.5 million in improvements at a meeting in December. Among the work that's to be done is the upgraded gateway at Eagle Street and Jackson Avenue, which will correct accessibility problems. Capital improvements include the addition of ADA-compliant ramps and stairways connecting the Riverwalk and street-level paths just west of Eagle Street and the replacement of retaining walls with landscaped terraces. During construction, visitors will be able to access the Riverwalk at Eagle Street south of the bridge at Farmer's Plaza. Project costs will be offset, in part, by a $900,000 federal grant secured by U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville. Asked whether the grant could be at risk among the uncertainty over access to federal funding in recent months, Novack said, 'We're keeping our eyes and ears open.' Foster, in a news release announcing the project's launch, said, 'The Riverwalk is one of Naperville's most cherished community spaces, and these improvements will make it more inclusive and welcoming to all. Investing in accessible infrastructure benefits everyone and strengthens the Riverwalk's role as a gathering place for the entire community.' Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli said, 'The Riverwalk was a gift to generations of Naperville residents to come,' adding that revitalizing the Eagle Street Gateway 'is part of the city's continued commitment to making sure Naperville remains the world-class destination to live, work, and visit for everyone to enjoy.' In all, the 2031 initiative is anticipated to be multimillion dollar initiative. To that end, a nonprofit organization — the Riverwalk 2031 Fund — has been established to help the city privately raise funding for master plan projects. The Riverwalk 2031 Fund last November also launched a website, to educate the community about Riverwalk upgrades as they take shape.
