As we approach another Thanksgiving Day, I wish each and every Peoria Heights resident a healthy and happy holiday filled with family, with faith if that is your tradition, with feasting and fun.
All of our personal stories fit within the general story of the Village, and no chain is stronger than its most vulnerable link, but all in all we have much to be grateful for as we celebrate Thanksgiving 2025.
Our local economy is growing as we welcome private and public investment alike. Hardly a month has gone by this year in which ground was not being broken on some project somewhere in the Village, especially in our destination downtown. We’re witnessing that right now at Pearl Insurance, at the Pabst Building, at Trefzger’s Bakery and elsewhere, and we expect more of it in 2026. Our restaurants continue to do brisk business, our sales tax revenues prove it, and fresh new faces and storefronts are being added to our restaurant row and retail rosters.
People are drawn here in part because of our commitment to public safety. We have a new police chief, Chris Ahart, overseeing a dedicated department that continues to do an outstanding job. We have put unprecedented funds in our fire department and we believe we have a good fit in our new interim chief, Austin Szentes.
Measurable progress is being made on our public infrastructure front, especially with our locally owned water system. Hundreds of lead water lines are being replaced throughout the Village, at no cost to our residents. The wholesale, $80 million-plus reconstruction of Illinois Route 29 through our community with an accompanying recreational path on the bluff overlooking the Illinois River is now within the foreseeable future. Meanwhile, we are setting the stage for growth on our riverfront with a 4th TIF District that will encourage compatible economic development there. We are moving forward on the $20 million-plus reimagination of Prospect Road through the heart of our community. Our public library is in line for needed renovation and expansion.
There will be some inconveniences as we go along, but all of these contributions will, in the long run, make our Village an even better and more viable place for our residents, first and foremost, but for visitors, as well.
Meanwhile, we are very fortunate that we have been able to attract millions upon millions of dollars in grants to relieve the burden on our local taxpayers. Our budgets have been balanced and then some with annual, consecutive surpluses that we are able to pump into more and better services for our residents.
Like every community, we have our challenges, and collectively we are trying to address those. On Thursday, for example, our fire and police departments once again will team up to deliver food essentials to some of our neighbors who may have been priced out of providing for their family’s Thanksgiving meal. Beyond that, each one of us has it within our capacity individually to do something kind, to make someone else’s life better if even in the smallest way. I encourage that, on this Thanksgiving Day and every day. We never want anyone to feel left out of our blessings.
Finally, I hope to see Tower Park packed over the next two weekends, starting with the ceremonial lighting of our Christmas tree and our annual visit from Santa at 6 p.m. this Friday. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.
Mayor Matt Wigginton