The Fleming Road folks had yard signs throughout their campaign. And they periodically changed them.
A message from the Fleming Road Alliance about their McHenry County Board victory:
Dear Fleming Road Alliance Residents and Supporters:
Diane Evertsen
By now you probably have read the Herald article on the meeting yesterday, and received Diane Evertsen’s email thanking you for your participation in the email campaign to contact her.
Thanks to her vigilance at committee level, the county board convened this Committee of the Whole meeting to discuss the proposed new Highway Improvement Plan (HIP). We packed the audience as well as Diane’s email box.
Overall the meeting was a success.
The county board members repeatedly took the Division of Transportation to task for not listening to their constituents.
Almost every county board member echoed the concerns of FRA and repeated the mantra “same footprint”.
Scott Breeden even added “and same profile” (same elevations) to the requirement.
Ersel Schuster
Although the Committee of the Whole does not have any decision making authority as a body, members clearly gave MCDOT direction to rethink their approach to Fleming Road and Alden Road.
Other issues in the 5-year highway Improvement Plan were also concerns to the county board members.
All in all, we believe they are taking a good look at what the county highway division is doing for the first time in a long time.
Saving the daffodils was emphasized.
It was particularly refreshing to hear Ersel Schuster comment on the need to reduce spending.
However, we cannot afford to relax and let down our guard.
We should be presented on January 18th with a revised HIP that includes changes to the Fleming Road plan.
MCDOT was clearly asked by Nick Provenzano, to present a plan that conforms to FRA requests so that cost and longevity can be compared to the four (yes four, and none of them acceptable) design plans already generated by the engineering firm TranSystems.
The County Board clearly told the County Transporation Department that they didn't want Fleming Road to be an eastern truck bypass of Woodstock.
This is the cost/benefit analysis that we have requested and been openly denied for the past two years.
We will remind you again about the meeting on the 18th. Please plan to attend. No need to speak, but the number of people in the audience in a show of unity is a very powerful influence. This is an election year. In the meantime, we will keep you posted if things come up.
Your Fleming Road Alliance steering committee thanks you for the great turnout, email deluge and heartfelt support you showed in the past week.
County board members in attendance at the COW meeting were:
Peschke, Provenzano, Jung, Heisler, Donner, Breeden, Bergan-Schmidt, Yensen, Evertsen, Hill, Merkel, Munaretto, Schuster, Wheeler, Nowak, McCann, Kurtz, Draffkorn, Miller, Koehler. The ones in bold have stepped up previously with written support letters for FRA.
Emily Berendt