Community Corner

Walking Expert Visits Lemont to Kick Off Active Transportation Initiative

Mark Fenton, former host of "America's Walking" on PBS, led the first of two workshops to establish the community's goals for walking and bicycling in Lemont.

A nationally renown walking expert helped Lemont kick off its new active transportation initiative Tuesday with an analysis of the village’s current accommodations for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Village officials hosted a community workshop Tuesday morning that included more than two dozen community members, school and park district administrators, and representatives from the Active Transportation Alliance, a Chicago-based non-profit organization that "works to improve conditions for bicycling, walking and transit and engage people in healthy and active ways to get around."

Serving as a special guest speaker was Mark Fenton, a national expert in walkability, public health and planning, and former host of the PBS series America's Walking.

Find out what's happening in Lemontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tuesday's meeting marked the first major step in putting together the village's , which will outline the the community's goals for new policies, programming and infrastructure for all forms of active transportation.

"There's no better way to get to know the character of Lemont and what needs to be done than by getting the community involved and utilizing their intimate knowledge of the town," said Steven Buchtel, Southland coordinator for the Active Transportation Alliance.

Find out what's happening in Lemontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Cook County Grants Aim to Promote Healthy Living

The Active Transportation Alliance's work with the village, and Lemont schools is being funded through a $48,000 grant from the program. The money was awarded by the Cook County Department of Public Health and the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, which gave a total of $4 million to 41 agencies in suburban Cook County to promote health and wellness within their communities.

Grant funds will help promote breastfeeding, increase opportunities for physical activity in schools, add access to services for adults at-risk or with chronic conditions including obesity, and create more safe and convenient spaces for physical activities, among other initiatives.

Lemont received funding to "create more safe, convenient places for walking, biking and other physical activities in Lemont," according to Village Planner Charity Jones.

Community Input Needed; Plan to Be Drafted by December

Moving forward, Jones said the village will work with the Active Transportation Alliance to gather feedback from the community. A first draft of the plan will be submitted to the Active Transportation Committee in December.

The final plan is expected to go before the Lemont Village Board by early next year, Jones said.

The next meeting on the Active Transportation Plan is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at the , 16300 Alba St. That meeting will feature guest speaker John Vande Velde, a U.S. Olympic and National Champion cyclist.

The Active Transportation Committee is also seeking community input through an online survey, which can be accessed through the village’s website. For more information, contact the Economic Development Department at 630-257-1595.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here