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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Village of Harwood Heights will celebrate the
3 sixtieth anniversary of incorporation on November 4, 2007; and
 
4     WHEREAS, In the fall of 1947 a vote was taken and 350 votes
5 were cast for incorporation, and the Village of Harwood Heights
6 came to life; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The name Harwood came from a combination of "Har"
8 for Harlem Avenue and the "wood" from Norwood Park Township, in
9 which the Village is located; "Heights" was added in reference
10 to the highest point in the Village which is located at Harlem
11 and Foster Avenues; and
 
12     WHEREAS, The first Mayor was Herbert Huening; the original
13 area incorporated only consisted of four square blocks from
14 Harlem Avenue to Oketo Avenue and Foster Avenue to Ainslie
15 Avenue; and
 
16     WHEREAS, In 1958 additional areas were annexed, and in
17 1961, new sidewalks, new street signs, water and sewer lines,
18 and the paving of streets improved the Village; and
 
19     WHEREAS, In 1973 Ray Willas was elected Mayor and was the
20 longest serving Mayor, retiring in 2001; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Harwood Heights is known as an island in the city,
2 surrounded by the City of Chicago; the Village has a prosperous
3 business district, provides a low tax rate for its citizens,
4 and provides many programs for it people; there are programs
5 such as the Free Dial A Bus, door-to-door service, I Live
6 Alone, Neighborhood Watch, Officer Friendly, DARE, computer
7 training, and many sports programs that can be enjoyed by both
8 young and old; there are also programs for persons with
9 disabilities sponsored through the West Suburban Special
10 Recreation Association; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The Village motto is "Serving People with Pride";
12 the Village of Harwood Heights has proudly lived up to this
13 motto since 1947; and
 
14     WHEREAS, Harwood Heights is beginning a redevelopment
15 stage and many homes are being rebuilt; industry is changing to
16 mixed uses, and new improvements include the Lawrence Avenue
17 Streetscape Project, where improvements will foster the
18 creation of a vibrant commercial and pedestrian corridor,
19 generating additional sources of tax revenue and decreasing the
20 tax burden on local homeowners; additional parking,
21 landscaping, lighting, and sidewalk improvements will also be
22 included; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Harwood Heights is also known as "the small town
2 of big opportunities", due to it's continual revitalization and
3 it's proximity to Chicago, the suburbs, the airport, the
4 expressways, and to public transportation; and
 
5     WHEREAS, In January 2000, current Mayor Margaret Fuller
6 formed the Harwood Heights Historical Committee, whose purpose
7 is to preserve and protect the history of the Village for years
8 to come; therefore, be it
 
9     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
10 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
11 congratulate the people of the Village of Harwood Heights as
12 they celebrate sixty years of incorporation; and be it further
 
13     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
14 presented to Mayor Margaret Fuller as a symbol of our respect.