Huntley Musings: A Symbolic Ribbon Cutting

Editors usually shun away from stories about ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Some newspapers even ban photo opts of the events.

The Route 47 ribbon cutting is different.

Huntley’s ceremony is a symbol of its past, present and future. The first ribbon cutting was held in 1936 when Huntley was a small town. The two-lane road was fitting for the sleepy country town.

Huntley’s growth propelled the Route 47 widening project that started two years ago and was completed last month. The two-lane road caused traffic snarls and headaches as the town’s population went from about 5,700 people in 2000 to 24,358 in 2011, according to the U.S. Census. The need to widen the road was obvious.

Route 47 is a symbol of the future, too. It will play a vital role in Huntley’s final transition from a country town to a thriving city.

The widening project, in the works for years, is one step toward this transition. The Route 47 and Interstate 90 full interchange is the next step. That interchange is expected to draw new business to the village and the hope is to spur more development.

Huntley is one of the rare cases where a village has continued thriving and grow at a steady pace, despite the economy. The village’s finances are solid. Its crime rate is low. The schools are good. The roads get fixed. It’s just a nice place to live.

When there’s so much negativity about governments _ with one California town even declaring bankruptcy _ in the news, it’s refreshing to be seeing a village like Huntley reach a milestone and continue to prosper.

So, go out and celebrate Huntley’s past, present and future at the ribbon cutting.