Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Front Street Resurfacing Underway 

City of Wheaton Public Works crews began resurfacing Front Street between Western and Gary Avenue this week. During this work, Front Street from Western to Gary will be closed to all through traffic. Residents who live in the affected area will be allowed access. Eastbound traffic will be rerouted to Wesley Street, which will be divided down the center to allow for 2-way traffic. 

Parking, including metered parking, will be prohibited on Wesley from Western to the mid-block between Gary Avenue and West Street. All Metra traffic will be detoured to Gary Avenue. Thank you for your patience as crews work to improve this portion of Front Street. 

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month 

The Wheaton Police Department urges motorists to drop their phones and drive, or pay up. During National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, motorists will see increased patrols and enforcement zones across Illinois throughout the month. The Wheaton Police Department will be ticketing drivers who text or use their cellphones while driving.  

Texting while driving distracts a driver visually, manually and cognitively. Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent of driving blind at 55 miles per hour for the length of an entire football field.  

Read tips for a safe driving experience on the City’s website.  

Native Plant Sale Approaching

Grow native with Wheaton’s popular annual plant sale, which will take place on Saturday, April 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the City's Public Works Department Facility, 821 W Liberty Drive.  

The City of Wheaton, Wheaton Environmental Improvement Commission, and the Wheaton Park District encourage residents to use native plants in future landscape projects. Native plants are adapted to the soils and climate of our area. Native plants provide a habitat for a wide variety of native wildlife species, provide an attractive, low-maintenance landscape and are beneficial because they do not require irrigation or fertilizer, are resistant to drought and insects, and will not harm or degrade native ecosystems. See information about the plants offered at the sale. 

For information about pre-ordering a rain barrel, see the Wheaton Park District's website. 

Volunteers Needed for Prairie Path Cleanup 

The Wheaton Environmental Improvement Commission encourages the community to take part in the annual Prairie Path Cleanup on Saturday, April 27, 9 a.m.-noon. The event will take place rain or shine. This is an all-ages event, and all volunteer groups, families, businesses, student groups and others are welcome. Please contact wheatoncleanup@gmail.com to volunteer. 

Participants should meet at Lincoln Ave & Prairie Path, 2 blocks west of Gary Avenue, on April 27. Plastic bags for trash and recycling will be provided. Please bring work gloves.  

City of Wheaton Named Among America's Healthiest Companies 

The City of Wheaton has been named one of the “Healthiest Companies in America” by Interactive Health, whose workplace wellness program helps businesses invest in the health of their employees. Wheaton is one of 151 organizations across the country recognized this year for empowering employees to make significant and sometimes life-saving changes to improve their health. This is the third year the City of Wheaton has won the award. For more information, visit the City’s website. 

Call Before You Dig 

April is celebrated as Safe Digging Month, just in time for many homeowner projects as the weather warms up. 

If you’re planning to install a swing set, do some landscaping that requires digging, put up a fence, build a deck or even install a mailbox post, the City of Wheaton urges you to call JULIE (Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators) before digging to ensure you do not cut or damage underground utility lines when you dig. 
 
All residents need to do is call 811, or submit an online request two business days before digging. JULIE Inc., a nonprofit organization, will come out and mark utility lines free of charge so homeowners and contractors know where these underground utilities are located. For more information, visit the JULIE website. 

City Offices Closed 

Please note that non-emergency City offices will be closed on Friday, April 19. Garbage/yard waste collection will not be affected. 

City of Wheaton Videos

Upcoming Meetings

Wheaton Bicycle Advisory Commission Meeting 

Fine & Cultural Arts Commission Meeting 

Planning & Zoning Board Meeting 

Environmental Improvement Commission Meeting