Richton Park Herald

Richton Park's Lakewood Plaza had a Grand re-Opening on Saturday October 31st. After years of neglect the Village of Richton Park bought the shopping center originally built by George Arquilla of Burnside Construction. A developer was under contract to redevelop the plaza, but when the economy took a nose dive he backed out and the village undertook the task themselves. Richton Park's Economic Develpoment Commision came up with the plan. Abe Lenter Ricthon Park's Economic Development Officer and his trusty sidekick Ouida Oneal carried out the plan. They did a lot of work on the plaza with the help of the Public Works Department. A $300,000 loan was secured from Old Plank Community Bank of Frankfort and contractors were hired to do roofing, electircal, masonry, plumbing and all the other various tasks that needed to be done. The plaza looks great. The Grand re-Opening, which took place on Halloween, included a haunted house, candy, clowns and face painting for the kids. Food from Liang's Chinese restaurant. A reptile show including an alligator, snakes and other various reptiles, A good time was had by all.

Richton Park had a ground breaking ceremony on Saturday, October 31st for their new Community Center. Scheduled completion will be around the same time next year. Community advocates have  wanted a community center in the village for a long time. However, a couple of village wide referendums were defeated years ago that would have increased taxes on residents to build and operate a community center. It just so happens that one of the more successful TIF (Tax Increment Financing) districts in the village has accumulated tax funds over the years. These funds were sitting there until someone reviewing the original TIF documentation discovered a clause that allowed these funds to be used to build a community center! These funds accumulated over many years, so no increases in taxes were required to build the community center.

From left to right is Village Clerk Mary Pierce, Trustee Cynthia Butler, Trustee Valerie Babka, Village President Rick Reinbold, Trustee Julian Alexander, Trustee Sharon Kriha, Trustee Jennifer Artis and Trustee Harry Olson.

Above are the Community Stakeholders plus everyone else that showed up! A good time was had by all! Let's start construction!

Its got nothing to do with State Farm Insurance. Here are some of the things I look for from a good neighbor:

If you're going to have a loud party that goes well into the night, invite your neighbors to the party! See what I'm saying?

When its fall and leaves are all over the place, at least make an effort on one day to rake up the leaves on your lawn. Don't wait for them to blow away onto my lawn. You know what I'm saying?

If you have a dog, don't just leave it out unattended to come over and do its thing and leave its stuff on my property. Dogs are to be leashed at all times (village law). So, if you walk your dog and it does its thing on my property, pick it up and take it away with you(village law)! Don't just leave it there for me to worry about. Its your dog! Why do people do these things?

Keep your house and property looking good and well maintained. That's just a good general idea since a home is one of the biggest investments you'll ever make. So why not keep it in good condition? You may want to sell it one day. So, if your home's in bad condition and all your neighbor's homes look like they are in bad condition, it'll bring your home's value down. You don't have to be a braniac to figure out that's bad!

Keeping your house in good condition includes taking care of your lawn. Dandelions are BAD! They take over your lawn, kill the grass and spread to your neighbor's lawn (that would be me!). Stop it.

Another way to keep your house in good condition is to make you home maintenance free. I use to paint the exterior of my house every 3 or 4 years. I now have vinly siding and aluminum soffets! No more painting and the place looks great! No more work and no more expense!

Here's another little detail... If there's broken glass on your sidewalks, sweep it up! That should be a no brainer for most people. Don't wait for it to go away in the shoes of unsuspecting people, including children, that are walking by!

Wow, how about some feel good news? Really good news! A group of Veterans refurbishes and opens their new home in Richton Park! The old Advance Bank building on Governors Highway just south of Sauk Trail is the new home of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Benjamin O. Davis Post No. 311. Through the generosity of the Matteson American Legion these guys were able to have a temporary home while they built up their own home building fund. Once they felt they were ready to find a new home, Richton Park stepped up and offered the use of the old Adavnce Bank building which the village owned. The Village and the VFW worked together to bring a very good use to a building that was sitting empty. We know the VFW will be a positive force in our community and we hope the community will support it in return! Here's a few pictures for your enjoyment...

A before the work is all done picture

Gary Marquardt, President of the Richton Park Merchants Chamber, presents Bill Colon of the VFW with a Flat Panel TV, a donation from the RPMC

Richton Park Merchants Chamber Members and VFW Members in front of Liang's Chinese Restaurant after the TV presentation

Bill Colon's Office at the VFW... Nice Bill!

A packed crowd at the VFW's Grand Opening

Officers and Members of the VFW and State Representative Al Riley

The food was good!

Again the food was good and a little clean up was required!

State Representative Al Riley welcoming the VFW to town

National Night Out was on Tuesday, August 4th. Richton Park Village officials came out and met with village residents in a shared concern over safety in our community. Present were Village President Rick Reinbold, Trustees Harry Olson, Julian Alexander, Valerie Babka and Cynthia Butler. Police Chief Vito Manino was present as were Director of Community Development Regan Stokstell and President of the Richton Park Merchant's Chamber, Gary Marquardt. Mr. Marquardt and Director Stockstell are members of the 2010 Census Committee in Richton Park.

As far as the census goes, it is very important that all residents of Richton Park are counted. With the record number of home vacancies in Richton Park due to foreclosures, the village could loose up to $500,000 a year in revenue a year. Since the next census will not take place until 2020, 10 years of lost revenue could add up to $5,000,000. Stand up and be counted for goodness sakes!

Check out the fireworks video, under the video link on the top menu bar.