HR0245 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0245 LRB104 13114 LAW 25203 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Kevin J. Coleman on the occasion of his retirement as Village President of the Village of Hennepin; and

WHEREAS, President Coleman, who was born on July 13, 1953, became a resident of Putnam County at the start of his freshman year of high school in the fall of 1967; he married Jennifer Smith on May 22, 1982, and they became residents of Hennepin in 1984; and

WHEREAS, President Coleman worked professionally as a heavy equipment operator at the ESK silicon carbide plant located near Hennepin, beginning in 1979; he subsequently worked there for 38 years before retiring from the current Washington Mills silicone carbide plant in 2017; and

WHEREAS, President Coleman has served Hennepin for over three decades, beginning as a board trustee in 1993 and holding the position for one term of four years; he then began serving as village president in 1997, holding the position for seven terms across 28 years; he additionally served on the Hennepin Public Water District Board for 28 years, overseeing many updates and improvements to the village's water/sewer system while spending a majority of his tenure as its chairman; and

WHEREAS, President Coleman, in serving Hennepin, has overseen and collaborated on a number of projects to the benefit of the village, including the Hazel Marie Boyle Senior Homes project to offer affordable housing for senior citizens, the construction of the new Veterans Memorial at the Walter Durley Boyle Park, the securement of a Port Development Grant to rebuild the old J & L Steel Docks to increase size and capacity, the upgrades made to ball diamonds at village parks to provide a safe place for local Little League teams, the creation of a new sensory park, multiple other improvements to village parks, several major street improvements, including the addition of a bike path on High Street, the funding and creation of a pedestrian bridge to connect Hennepin to the Sue and Wes Dixon Waterfowl Refuge property, which will be completed in May 2025, and the relocation of a privately owned marina to Hennepin, a project that was initiated in 2024 and is still currently underway, which will establish the village's Big Bend Marina and provide 30 slips, a canvas shop, an Airbnb, and many amenities for boaters; and

WHEREAS, President Coleman has served for many years on the boards of the North Central Illinois Economic Development Corporation (NCIEDC) and the North Central Illinois Council of Governments (NCICG), and he currently serves as the assistant secretary of the latter; and

WHEREAS, President Coleman and his wife, Jennifer Coleman, have two daughters, Erin (Pep) Zulbeari and Meghan (Blake) Barnes, and two grandchildren, Nora and Enzo; and

WHEREAS, President Coleman will retire following the regular village board meeting on April 16, 2025; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Kevin J. Coleman on his retirement as Village President of the Village of Hennepin, thank him for his more than 32 years of service to his community, and wish him the best in his future endeavors; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to President Coleman as an expression of our esteem and respect.