Brennan gives his final state of village address for Minooka

MINOOKA – Mayor Pat Brennan partnered with the Channahon-Minooka Chamber of Commerce to present his final State of the Village address as mayor May 6.

The majority of viewers had to attend the event was virtually this year because of COVID-19 guidelines, but Brennan was able to have some staff, village officials and family present and socially distanced in the Village Hall Community Room. More than 100 people tuned in altogether for the hybrid event.

“I want to open by thanking people for helping Minooka be a great place to call home,” Brennan said at the start of his speech.

Brennan brought laughs and tears of appreciation from many in the audience as he spent time naming and describing his gratitude for individual elected officials, community leaders and staff.

“I learned quickly that if you are honest and good to people, great things can happen,” he said.

Because Minooka and the Chamber had to cancel last year’s State of the Village address because of the pandemic, Brennan spent some time recognizing accomplishments from the past two years, including the expansion of the Kellogg facility by 800,000 square feet and the U.S. Cold Storage building by 300,000 square feet. He also spoke of new companies that now call Minooka home, such as Prime Trucking and Deiter Trucking, and others that are on the way such as Starbucks.

“One of my favorite and most sought-after projects started construction in 2019, the Ridge Road Rail Overpass. Since this was a Grundy County project, the village helped assist with the $13 million-dollar project by securing over $4 million in grant funding from the [Will County Governmental League] to help get the county project moving and started. Scheduled to be completed at the end of 2021, this will alleviate the bottleneck along Ridge Road and make the transit four lanes from I-80 to McEvilly Road. Our next phase of Ridge will be the final stretch from McEvilly [Road] down to Route 6, where ourselves, Channahon and Grundy County plan to work together to get it done for our citizens,” he said.

As part of the annual State of the Village address, the village recognized Officer of the Year Matt Juris.

Brennan continued by highlighting the residential growth Minooka has seen, as well as the opening of Aux Sable Springs Park. He concluded by welcoming new Mayor Rick Offerman to the podium.

“Speaking of all these accomplishments, with all new sunrises, the sun must set. It is with a heavy heart that I’d like to thank all the residents who entrusted me with not only your vote but your time and confidence that our team here at the village helped bring new jobs and opportunity to the village, new safer bike paths, new roads and parks. It is time that I say goodbye and turn the job over to ... recently elected Mayor Ric Offerman.

“I will simply say it has been an honor serving as your village president, an honor being your neighbor and an honor being a resident here in the village of Minooka,” he said, holding back tears.

Offerman was welcomed by applause. He thanked Brennan for his dedication to the city and for establishing the staff and team the village has in place that will continue his hard work.

Offerman shared some of the village’s goals for 2021 and beyond, including funding the engineering to extend larger-sized utilities under Interstate 80.

“This will ensure our village can expand north and attract new economic development for our future,” Offerman said.

He also cited the investment by Ridgeline Properties to build a 1.1 million-square-foot logistics spec building, and the village’s continued work to seek grants to extend the McEvilly Road Bike Path over the DuPage River and connect the trail system with Channahon’s trails.

The Village Board surprised Brennan at the event by dedicating the Community Room in his name. A plaque stating “Brennan Community Room Dedicated in honor of Patrick J. Brennan - Village President (2009-2021)” is featured on the wall.

The State of the Village address with Minooka has become a staple event with the Chamber, and one the business community looks forward to annually, Chamber President and CEO Christina Van Yperen said. This year’s event was sponsored by Chamber member Boyk Consulting.

“Under Mayor Brennan’s leadership, Minooka has become a village to admire, and we know Mayor Offerman will continue Minooka down this inspiring path,” she said in a news release. “The Chamber looks forward to continuing to support the Village in its successful future.”

The Channahon-Minooka Chamber, a division of the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce and Industry, partners with the local municipalities to improve the business community. For information on the Channahon-Minooka Chamber and the Grundy Chamber, call 815-942-0113 or visit grundychamber.com.