South Cook News

Alsip residents heard from Mayor John Ryan that the village board is taking steps to make the community a safer place after a resident discussed issues at Heritage One Senior Apartment.

During the Nov. 14 Village of Alsip Committee meeting, streamed live on YouTube, Lewis Sibbi, a resident of the apartment complex, addressed the board to detail ongoing issues at the complex, pointing out that a fence damaged by a snowplow last year was removed and never replaced.

“What I understand there's some other issues over there right now, too, that I don't want to broadcast,” Ryan said during the session. “It's public knowledge, but I'm happy to talk to the board and see if we can accelerate that project, too. One thing I want to be careful of, though, I mean, let's put it this way: We're going to do everything we can to make that one of the best, safest communities around.”

During the session, the board discussed some of the issues raised by Sibbi, noting that the fence was removed because it was a hazard and they do have funding and plan to replace the fence, but the project was put out to bid and the board didn’t receive a suitable bidder. The project had been put out to bid three times, it was noted during the session, with the board receiving a bid on the third try.

The board also noted during the meeting that after the fence was damaged by the plow, it was determined it had to be removed because many of the posts were in disrepair.

It also was noted that the board will consider other options for fencing as it mulls a better option, and they also discussed installing security cameras. Though the money for the cameras isn’t budgeted until 2025, it was noted the board will see if that can be accelerated.