Mayor: New Lenox Should Put Roundabout At W. Haven Avenue

NEW LENOX, IL - At last week's meeting, the New Lenox Village Board awarded a demolition contract to bulldoze a village-owned property, a vacant house at 102 West Haven Ave. Bechstein Construction of Tinley Park was the lowest of 10 companies in competition for the New Lenox public works project. The company submitted a low bid of $15,700, village officials announced last week. The Haven House residential property has sat vacant and has no redeeming value to New Lenox officials.

During the discussion on the demolition project, Mayor Tim Baldermann suggested the village should give serious consideration to installing a roundabout at the intersection once the house is razed. The house sits near an intersection with South Cedar Road.

"I think it's an ideal location for a roundabout myself; if we can fit it," Baldermann told the rest of the village board. "Now, it's up to the board whether they agree with me on that."

Although the intersection does not have a rash of crashes, the mayor pointed out, when accidents happen here, they create a hazard for other motorists.

"It creates a line of sight issue," Baldermann explained. "So there's some real problems there. I just think we need to push the issue."

Later in the meeting, village trustee David Butterfield endorsed the idea of New Lenox pursuing the roundabout concept near the Haven House property.

"With two sons going to college in Wisconsin, I'm a big roundabout fan," Butterfield told his colleagues. "They're all over up there and they work."

"They do," Baldermann added.

Butterfield's next comment caused other village officials to erupt in laughter.

"It will work after everybody runs into each other a few times ... Once everybody figures it out, they're wonderful."

Image via Patch, village board meeting via YouTube