Latest news with #HomerGlenVillageBoard
Chicago Tribune
15-05-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Homer Glen board votes to ban nitrous oxide to prevent recreational use
The Homer Glen Village Board voted Wednesday to ban nitrous oxide sales after village officials learned some people buy the product in tobacco and vape stores for recreational drug use. Nitrous oxide is a colorless, nonflammable gas that is used as an anesthetic, such as laughing gas, or to dispense whipped cream. But flavored nitrous oxide canisters have become popular and offer a variety of different sized containers to purchase, village officials said. When inhaled, the user can get a euphoria or high. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning earlier this year that intentional misuse or inhalation can lead to serious problems including asphyxiation, blood clots, loss of consciousness, palpitations, paralysis, psychiatric disturbances and other adverse health effects. Regularly inhaling nitrous oxide can lead to prolonged neurological effects, including spinal cord or brain damage, even after stopping the use, the FDA said. It can also lead to death, the FDA said. 'We don't need it in our village,' said Homer Glen Trustee Curt Mason, chair of the village's Public Services and Safety Committee. 'It's another addiction. It's another method for people to make money off the demise of our children, and it's not going to happen here.' Nitrous oxide is sold under multiple brand names such as Galaxy Gas, MassGass, and Whip-it!, according to the FDA. Village Manager Joe Baber said because of way it can be misused, it's concerning. Flavored nitrous oxide containers appear to be marketed to children, he said. 'We are trying to nip it before it becomes a problem in Homer Glen,' said Baber, who also chairs the village's Behavioral Health and Addiction Recovery Committee. Homer Glen officials modeled their ordinance on the village of Manhattan, whose officials banned the sale of nitrous oxide containers last year. Manhattan Village Administrator Jeff Wold said officers were concerned seeing nitrous oxide cartridges or canisters in cars during traffic stops, including teenaged drivers. Officials found that the products were sold online on retailers such as Amazon and also next to cigarettes and vaping products in stores that aren't selling whipped cream, Wold said. The Manhattan Village Board approved the ban on nitrous oxide sales in February 2024. Wold said the village sent tobacco and vape shops certified mail, and he spoke personally with the managers of the stores to let them know of the ordinance. The village gave the stores a few weeks to remove the product from their shelves, and the village has not had an issue with compliance in the past year, Wold said. The Will County Health Department does not have data on nitrous oxide usage. 'Nitrous oxide containers sold in tobacco/vape stores allows for easier access and this poses a threat to young people,' Dr. Kathleen Burke, the program coordinator for substance use initiatives at the Will County Health Department, said in a statement. 'They are able to purchase the containers and use the nitrous oxide to get high. Without preventing vape/tobacco stores from selling the product, it is very difficult to stop the misuse.' In Homer Glen, liquor, tobacco and vape shops caught selling nitrous oxide would face a maximum fine of $500 for the first offense and could have their business license revoked if they were caught a second time, Baber said. The Will County sheriff's office conducts compliance checks on liquor and tobacco stores to ensure they aren't selling items to underaged consumers, and officers could check they aren't selling nitrous oxide as well, Baber said. Homer Glen Trustee Nicholas Muller, a sergeant with the Oak Forest Police Department, said banning the sales of nitrous oxide makes sense for the public health and safety of the village. It was only recently that a man in his 20s who had used nitrous oxide was involved in a crash and hit a bus shelter near 159th Street and Cicero Avenue, Muller said. A few years ago, a teenager who had used nitrous oxide crashed into a tree, Muller said. 'You don't know what it will do to someone's mental state,' Muller said.
Chicago Tribune
24-04-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
New Homer Glen Board OKs subdivision, park improvements
The Homer Glen Village Board voted Wednesday to approve a residential development designed for older adults after the developer met with village officials and adjacent homeowners to work out their concerns. The Village Board also swore in Trustee Rose Reynders and new Trustees Michael LePore and Nicholas Muller after the April 1 election results were certified this week. The new board also advanced several recreation projects, including new lighting and an architectural design for a veterans memorial at Heritage Park. The board gave its support for the town house development proposed by Marth Construction after tabling a vote on it earlier this month. The developer plans to build the Villas of Hidden Valley consisting of 25 ranch duplex buildings for a total of 50 homes on about 21 acres of land near Hidden Valley Trail and 159th Street. The land was previously zoned for a potential commercial use. After no businesses showed interest in the property, which was on the market since about 2012, Marth Construction requested developing it into duplexes targeted for adults 50 years and older. Nearby residents of Hidden Valley Estates raised concerns regarding density, flooding and whether the homes looked too similar to one another. Homeowners also were divided if the developer would build a park or donate impact fees to the village in lieu of a park. After a neighborhood meeting with the developer, an additional duplex was added to the plan, raising the total number of homes from 48 to 50 from the previous proposal. Each of the attached town houses would contain two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a basement and be about 2,180 square feet, village documents show. The developer agreed not to put in a park, which would have been near busy 159th Street, but rather will install an outdoor seating area with a pergola on more than a half acre of open space. The developer also agreed to a cash donation to the village of $87,560, according to village documents. More landscaping will be planted between the proposed town houses and the existing single-family homes to the south, and the developer will use an additional color brick to add more variety to the neighborhood. Village officials said they appreciated that Marth Construction was willing to work on its plan with the neighbors and felt confident it would be good development. Officials said the new subdivision was under the density allowed by zoning codes. 'You're going to be getting a beautiful product on 159th Street, which is desperately needed in our community,' Reynders said. Muller said the development keeps residents who are 50 and older in Homer Glen, and Mayor Christina Neitzke-Troike said the neighborhood would not burden the school districts. 'It's absolutely a solid development,' Muller said. Marth Construction would like to break ground in the fall, managing partner Jim Marth said. Park improvements The Village Board also advanced several projects to improve various parks. The board approved a proposal by The Lakota Group to provide architectural design and engineering for a proposed veterans memorial, water feature and pavilion in Heritage Park for $315,440. Heritage Park, located behind Village Hall, 14240 W. 151st St., is about 103 acres and includes various amenities such as bike trails, picnic areas, a playground, a fitness course, and pickleball, tennis and volleyball courts. Development had occurred over several years, halted in 2020 due to the pandemic, and is picking up again. 'This is a long time coming,' Reynders said. Homer Glen American Legion Post 2011 Cmdr. Lou Zemke thanked the board for moving forward with the veterans memorial. 'You made veterans very happy,' he said. The board also agreed to a lighting project for an expanded parking area in Heritage Park for a cost of $159,377. The board opted to pull the lighting out of the original parking expansion project last year in an effort to save money. Officials said that by bidding the lighting separately, it saved about $220,000. Other recreational improvements include about $13,500 to install artificial turf on the west football field sidelines at Sports Park, because the area often turns into mud by the end of the youth football season. The board also approved buying new electronic scoreboards for three baseball fields at Sports Park for about $18,000, at the request of the Homer Athletic Club. Homer Glen will also use a $15,000 grant from the Morton Arboretum to clear out invasive species at Lamers Park. The project costs $18,400 to clear about 4 acres of woodland and a pond. The board also approved controlled burns this year for Culver Park, Erin Hills Park and Heritage Park for $13,000 to control invasive species, clear out dead organic material and help the natural plants thrive. Officials said it had been between three and five years since the last controlled burns at these parks.
