The Township of Lemont was incorporated on April 2, 1850,
covering 24 square miles and has a population of 17,500 people. Since the time
of incorporation, the township has been providing services and programs to the
residents. The Township has had thirty-nine supervisors since 1850 making sure
quality services were provided through direct and partnership relationships. The
Township became the starting point for many of the community’s functions, civic
club beginnings, and the creation of other local governmental units.
The Township started experiencing rapid growth at the end of the 1980’s. The
Township built a new 4,000 square foot garage to meet the ever-growing needs of
the road district. The building was financed with in-house funding. A large
amount of the new road equipment was also purchased to meet the 30% increase in
road miles during the late 1980’s. The Township has now been experiencing over
10% annual growth for several years.
The Township government has serviced the community through two tornadoes, one
major flood, multiple industrial caused disasters, and severe weather
conditions. The Lemont Park District was started in 1966 by the township
organizing the residents to form the district. The community medical equipment
lending closet was collaborated with the Lemont Professional Nurses Association
in the mid 1970’s. The Township played a key role in the community’s recovery
following the 1976 and 1991 tornadoes. A youth commission was established in
1977 to service the social needs of Lemont’s teenagers. A human service
department was created to meet the challenges of meeting the social needs of
families senior citizens, and low income residents. An emergency warning siren
system was installed in 1993 by the Township, with additional sirens installed
in growth areas of the Township
The Township participated in the federal food surplus program using the Lemont
Lions Club to distribute over six tons of food monthly. A meals-for-homebound
program was established to provide healthy meals to homebound citizens in the
Township. The Dial-A-Ride program was started in cooperation with PACE of the
RTA. Family counseling was created to meet the challenges under the human
services department. A senior citizen advisory committee was established to
provide better services, housing, and programs for the seniors of the Lemont
Township. The Township works with Cook County Health Department to provide
medical shots and services locally.
The Township partnered with the Lemont Park District in 1991 to build a new
community center for both the township and park district building needs, The
intergovernmental agreement was a role model for other agencies to follow. A 2.5
million dollar building was built including a gym, arts & crafts center, fitness
center, eight meeting rooms, offices for both agencies, a senior citizen’s room,
and ample parking and site development. The thirty thousand square foot building
has a daily attendance of more than 500 people per day. The center was built
without a referendum nor a tax increase.
The Township continues to meet the growth and social needs of the community by
expanding services in the Assessors Office and Road District. It is working with
a developer to provide a low cost senior citizen housing project. The Jaycee
creed has a phrase that says it all for the Township efforts to help its
residents. “services to Humanity is the best work of Life”
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