Lawsuit To Stop Loves: 'We're Fighting The Mayor Of Joliet'

JOLIET, IL —A small group of dedicated east-side neighbors who live near former Joliet City Councilman Warren Dorris have been successful the past three years at stopping construction of the Loves Travel Center approved by the Joliet City Council in October 2018.

"It is important to note that Love’s planned actions will contribute to an already congested traffic flow, and their presence will add 600 trucks and 2,400 cars daily to the area," reads the website organized by the Neighbors Opposed to Annexation of Parcels.

But after three years of success, members of the coalition fear the Loves development may still move ahead, and doing so would ruin the character of their neighborhood, cheapen the value of their properties and lower the quality of life, according to one of the residents, Jacque Cottrell.

In a 6-3 vote, on Oct. 2, 2018, Joliet approved plans for construction of the Loves Travel Stop at the Briggs Street exit for Joliet's Interstate 80 corridor. Since then, the Neighbors Opposed to Annexation of Parcels filed a lawsuit in Will County in an effort to stop the Loves project.

Their pending lawsuit is entering year four and so far, the Loves has not been built. Several people opposed to the Loves Travel Center live along New Lenox Road and off Briggs Street. Lawyers representing Joliet and Loves are hoping to have the lawsuit dismissed so construction for the Loves can begin.

When it came to the critical votes, the following city of Joliet elected officials were in favor of the Loves Travel Stop during the vote of Oct. 2, 2018:

1. Mayor Bob O'Dekirk
2. Councilwoman Jan Quillman
3. Councilman Larry Hug
4. Councilman Don "Duck" Dickinson
5. Councilman John Gerl
6. Councilman Pat Mudron

Voting against the project were:

1. Councilman Terry Morris
2. Councilwoman Bettye Gavin
3. Councilman Mike Turk

"We need to get momentum and more traction on our story," Cottrell wrote Joliet Patch last week. "Neighbors in Joliet, New Lenox and surrounding areas need to know we're fighting the mayor of Joliet since he (is) trying to put us out of our homes and decreasing the value of our properties for his own selfish gain."

Last week, Cottrell established a GoFundMe aiming to raise $60,000 to go toward her group's legal fees to continue with their Will County lawsuit against the city of Joliet and Loves. The GoFundMe is called "Community Needs HELP to STOP Mega Truck Take Over."

So far, there's been a dozen donations to the cause, totaling $1,740.

"We are desperately seeking support and involvement from anyone who may have a vested interest in keeping our city, neighborhoods and community intact and free of crime and all other undesirable elements that come with allowing a large truck stop to be placed in our community," the GoFundMe proclaims.

For more information about Cottrell's grassroots group, visit the website for Neighborhoods Opposed to Annexation of Parcels.