Bridgeview man charged after crash closes roadside safety check prematurely

By Bob Bong
Desplaines Valley News

A roadside safety check set up by Chicago Ridge police on Aug. 31 in the 10500 block of South Harlem Avenue was called off after only 30 minutes after a Bridgeview man allegedly crashed into the flashing arrow telling motorists where to pull over.

Chicago Ridge police said they were conducting a four-hour safety check and had two motorists stopped when they heard a loud crash and saw that a red Dodge pickup truck had smashed into the flashing arrow sign directing traffic into the checkpoint area.

Police said the truck continued at a slower speed toward the officers but that the driver ignored orders to stop.

Police said one of the officers was able to open the truck's door and stop the vehicle by putting it into park.

Police said the driver, who appeared to be drunk, then asked, "What's going on?"

The driver, later identified as Lawrence Maderak, 67, of the 7400 block of West 80th Street in Bridgeview, was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn for treatment of minor injuries and while there refused to submit to a blood test, police said.

After he was released from the hospital, Maderak was arrested and charged with drunken driving, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, driving without proof of insurance and disobeying a traffic signal, police said.

Maderak posted bond and was released. His court date is Oct. 10 at the Bridgeview Courthouse.

Police said the sign was a total loss and estimated damage at about $8,000.

Hodgkins expands park district center

Hodgkins Park District Executive Director Kelly Young talks with guests at the July 29 groundbreaking for a $3.3 million expansion.

From staff reports
Desplaines Valley News

Work is underway on a long-awaited expansion and face-lift at the Hodgkins Park District building at Hodgkins Park, 8997 Lyons St.

Plans for the work first began in 2007 under then-park Executive Director Ron Kubicki and finally came to fruition earlier this summer when a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the end of July.

New Executive Director Kelly Young said the $3.3 million project will be paid for in large part by a $2.75 million Park and Recreation Facility Construction reimbursement grant from the state.

She said the project was the culmination of years of hard work by her and Kubicki and the park district board.

The project will see the renovation of the older portion of the building (constructed in 1958), the addition of an indoor playground at the east end of the building, and an expansion of the fitness center. Also added will be a new locker room, new bathroom facilities, a nutritional classroom (learning kitchen), a new multipurpose room (to include a fitness studio and a regulation volleyball court), a senior center, an expanded preschool room with controlled access, and an expanded and more functional lobby area. 

In addition to these specific improvements, the building will be getting an overall “face-lift” to the exterior.

At the groundbreaking ceremony on July 29, Young addressed a crowd of village residents and community leaders, expressing her joy at the culmination of so much work over many years.

“I can’t believe we’re finally here,” Young said. 

Also in attendance at the ceremony were representatives of the construction management firm, Sigalos and Associates, and of the architectural firm, Studio GC. 

Young expressed glowing praise for these two companies, and an excitement to see their work come to life.

“We threw any and every idea we ever had for this building at them. And we aren’t sure how they did it, but, even dealing with our craziness, they designed the most beautiful and functional building we could have ever imagined. I couldn’t have asked for a better team,” she said.

The PARC Grant is provided through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It provides 75 percent of funding for construction on public parks and recreational facilities through reimbursement, with the municipality typically covering the remaining 25 percent.

Construction is set to be completed by next June.

Sweet Frog hops into Frankfort

Sweet Frog Premium Frozen Yogurt opened last week at 9645 Lincoln-Way Lane in Frankfort.

By Bob Bong
Southland Savvy

The frozen yogurt craze has reached Frankfort. Texas-based Red Mango opened a shop on U.S. 30 earlier this summer and now Sweet Frog Premium Frozen Yogurt has opened a shop at 9645 Lincoln-Way Lane in the Crown Centre plaza.

Sweet Frog is like most other fro-yo stores in that it offers dozens of flavors of frozen yogurt along with dozens of toppings and sprinkles. It does feature two mascots, Scoop and Cookie, who are lime green and hot pink frogs.

Owners are John and Liz Sciaccotta, who live in neighboring Mokena.

Sweet Frog carries more than 70 flavors of frozen yogurt and features 14 specialty flavors such as thin mint and cotton candy. It also has fat-free, sugar-free, gluten-free and kosher varieties. The shop opened last week, just in time for the Frankfort Fall Festival.

Frankfort is the first location in Illinois for the Richmond, Va.-based chain that was founded in 2009 and has grown to 260 stores in 23 states as well as the United Kingdom and Domenican Republic.

Hours are noon to 9:30 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and noon to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

For information, call 815-277-2269.

Orland convenience store opens and closes

Stop and Shop Fresh Market opened earlier this summer and has already closed at 17849 S. Wolf Road in Orland Park. The store opened in May and closed a few weeks ago. It was the latest attempt to operate a store in that location. Previous incarnations included a White Hen Pantry and a Frangella Italian Imports deli.

Mariano's to anchor Evergreen Promenade

Mariano's, which opened a popular supermarket in Frankfort earlier this summer and has broken ground on a new location in Oak Lawn, last week agreed to open a 75,000-square-foot supermarket as the anchor for the new Evergreen Promenade shopping center in Evergreen Park.

The Evergreen Promenade is a planned 92,500-square-foot plaza on a seven-acre site at 2601 W. 95th St. It will be a joint venture among Inland Real Estate Corp., Dutch pension fund advisor PGGM, IBT Group LLC and Pine Tree Commercial Realty.

Mariano's is owned by Milwaukee-based Roundy's Inc., which has been aggressively adding locations in the Chicago marketplace.

Including the lease signed with Mariano's, Evergreen Promenade is already over 80 percent pre-leased, with another 15 percent of the space currently in negotiation with other national retailers.

Construction is expected to begin this fall and Mariano's estimates it will open in the fall of 2014. Upon completion, the joint venture with PGGM will have the option to acquire 100 percent ownership in the shopping center.

Zoo City Treats opens in Brookfield

A new sweet shop that carries ice cream, Hawaiian shaved ice and gourmet popcorn opened a couple of weeks ago in Brookfield.

Zoo City Treats held its grand opening Sunday at 3748 Grand Blvd. in downtown Brookfield.

Longtime village business owner Fred Tyler, who has owned a variety of businesses in town, opened the shop on Aug. 15.

The store is open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For information, call 708-255-5481 or visit their Facebook page.

If you see a new business in town or wonder what happened to an old favorite, drop me a line at bobbong@hotmail.com.

You can also catch up on business openings at Comings & Goings.