Village News

Lake Bluff, IL – This Thanksgiving, The Lake Bluff Police Department is joining the Illinois State Police and local law enforcement to ensure holiday travelers are buckled up and driving sober with a “Click It or Ticket” and “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” enforcement campaign that runs Nov. 17-27.

“Thanksgiving means more vehicles on the road – and an increased risk of crashes,” said Chief Matthew J. Smizinski. “No matter how long or short your drive, remember to buckle up and make sure children are in a safe seat. By buckling up and making a plan for a sober ride home, you help everyone have a safe and happy holiday.”

The goal of this high-visibility effort is to reduce motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities. Proper seat-belt use is the most effective way to protect vehicle occupants. According to IDOT, the statewide seat-belt usage rate has room for improvement at 92.9%.

If you’ll be celebrating with alcohol or other impairing substances, please remember:

• Plan for a sober ride home before you go out.
• Call a taxi, take mass transit or ask a family member to get you home safely.
• Use your favorite ride-share service, such as Uber or Lyft, or take public transportation.
• If you see a drunk driver, pull over safely and call 911.
• Make sure everyone in your vehicle wears their seat belt. It is the best defense against an impaired driver.

The Thanksgiving enforcement effort is made possible by federal traffic safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

For information, contact: Deputy Chief Erik Gehrke at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 847-283-8680.

Village Contractor Corrective Asphalt Materials, LLC will be performing preventative maintenance. Between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, on-street parking on certain roads will not be permitted so that the contractor can sweep the roads prior to their pavement rejuvenation emulsion application. The list of streets can be found here.

Treatment FAQ:
Why is this product being applied to my road? CAM, LLC will be applying Reclamite Maltene Based Rejuvenating Agent to your roads. Reclamite is a product designed to extend the life of the pavement by sealing the pavement from the elements. This penetrating sealer is the most widely used pavement rejuvenator in the market for over 50 years, and will assist in minimizing the need for more costly and disruptive methods of street repair.

How long does the process take? Once our small crew begins work on your street, the process will usually only take one to two hours. Please obey all signs and crew direction. Once the road has been treated with lime screenings, the road will be fully opened to traffic.

When can I drive on the road? You can exit your driveway and drive through the work area, but please go slow and stay on the area treated with sand/screenings. Please be advised that driving onto a driveway before the contractor is finished applying the limestone/sand may cause vehicle tires to track some of the product onto driveways and sidewalks. These markings are not permanent, and will naturally fade within a few weeks.

When will the road be cleaned up? After the product is applied, an application of limestone screenings will be applied to the road. This is not permanent. The screenings will be swept up in a day or two after the product is applied.

These agents are environmentally safe and extend the pavements life. If caution and reduced speeds are taken when driving on recently treated roadways, the transfer of material from the roadway to your vehicle is unlikely. If you do have product that has transferred to your vehicle, it is non corrosive and will not damage your vehicle. A bug and tar remover (available at any local auto parts store) will safely remove any material on your vehicle.

Lake Bluff, IL — The Lake Bluff Police Department today announced it has been awarded a Federal Fiscal Year 2024 Sustained Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) grant to conduct additional traffic safety enforcement efforts. The STEP program focuses on high-visibility enforcement and strategies aimed at saving lives and preventing injuries by reducing traffic crashes.  

“We’re pleased to receive this grant to step up our road safety efforts with the goal of saving lives,” said Chief of Police Matthew Smizinski. “Our mission is to make travel safer through directed, proactive patrols and to stop, cite and arrest those who choose to violate traffic laws.”

During the STEP grant year, which runs from Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024, the Lake Bluff Police Department will conduct additional enforcement efforts to supplement mandatory and optional campaign enforcement dates scheduled during some of the deadliest times of the year.

The additional efforts will focus on the leading contributory causes of crashes: speeding, impaired driving, electronic device use, failure to yield and disobeying traffic control signals, as well as occupant restraint violations.

The STEP grant is funded by federal highway safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Lake Bluff, IL – The Lake Bluff Police Department conducted a traffic safety campaign July 6-31 reminding motorists to slow down to save lives. The speed enforcement effort was conducted by Lake Bluff Police and other state and local law enforcement agencies across Illinois to reduce highway fatalities.

During the campaign, the Lake Bluff Police Department issued:

• 39 speeding citations
• DUI arrests
• 8 suspended/revoked licenses
• 9 uninsured motorists

“We continue to urge residents and others traveling through our community to slow down and obey speed limits,” said Police Chief Matthew J. Smizinski. “The choices you make behind the wheel could help save lives.”

The speed enforcement effort was made possible by federal traffic safety funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

For information, contact: Deputy Chief Erik Gehrke at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 847-283-8680.

In 2021, the Village received a $10,000 grant from Openlands and ComEd  to implement the Village’s Landscape Playbook on the north side of Route 176 (Rockland Road) between the right-of-way and the Lake Bluff Golf Course. The purpose of the project was to rehabilitate 10 acres of high-profile hardwood savanna and wetland habitat along an important Village corridor consistent with the Village's Thematic Landscape Identity Gateway and Corridor Plan (which was developed in community partnership), in order to transform and beautify a buckthorn thicket into a high-quality habitat for pollinators.

The funding supported two phases: invasive removal and installation of new plantings. The Village retained Pizzo and Associates, Ltd. to perform the initial clearance as well as the treatment of any resprouting invasive species in 2023 and 2024. The grant also included the donation of native trees by Rotary as well as the purchase of about $10,000 in grasses, forbs, shrubs, seeds, etc., which were planted by Lake Bluff Open Lands (LBOLA) volunteers.

Special thanks to:

• ComEd and Openlands for their financial support in this endeavor;
• Rotary for their native tree donations; and
• LBOLA volunteers for all their hard work in completing this project.

The Village Board has approved a May 15 - September 30 seasonal ban on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. This action follows the Village's participation in a Regional Leaf Blower Working Group formed in late 2021 to study the impacts of gas-powered leaf blowers, alternative technologies and how communities could mitigate the impacts of this equipment.

To ensure a balanced and thoughtful report, the Working Group was comprised of elected officials, appointed officials (i.e. Sustainability Commission members), professional municipal staff (municipalities and park districts), and representatives of the landscape industry.

You can view the working group's final report released in December 2022 by clicking here. If you don't perform your own lawn maintenance, talk to your contractor about this new regulation.