New Lenox Scout Prompts Multi-Agency Action on Neighborhood Traffic Safety

New Lenox Township Board of Trustees Meeting | August 14, 2025

Article Summary: A presentation by a local Life Scout regarding speeding and traffic safety concerns in his neighborhood prompted a swift, multi-agency response coordinated by New Lenox Township. While the township cannot install the requested stop sign on a county road, officials have arranged for an electronic speed monitoring sign, increased police presence from the Village of New Lenox, and have formally petitioned Will County for a traffic study.

Fourth Avenue & Williams Street Traffic Safety Key Points:

• Life Scout Chris Arnold of Troop 49 presented data to the board showing neighborhood support for a stop sign and increased speed limit enforcement.

• The intersection is under county, not township, jurisdiction, requiring a formal petition and traffic study for a stop sign.

• Highway Commissioner Mike Potocki has already started the petition process with Will County.

• Immediate actions include deploying a township speed monitoring sign and arranging for Village police enforcement during the first week of school.

A presentation by a local scout on Thursday, August 14, 2025, has spurred New Lenox Township officials to coordinate a multi-pronged approach to address traffic safety concerns at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and Williams Street.

Chris Arnold, a Life Scout from Troop 49 working on his citizenship in society merit badge, appeared before the New Lenox Township Board of Trustees to detail residents’ safety concerns. Arnold presented data indicating that his neighborhood supports the installation of a stop sign at the intersection and would like to see increased police enforcement of speed limits to curb dangerous driving.

Following the presentation, Highway Commissioner Mike Potocki explained the jurisdictional complexities of the request. He informed the board that because the roads in question are controlled by Will County, the township does not have the authority to unilaterally install a stop sign. Such a measure requires an updated traffic study and approval from the county.

“If all was needed was for the Township to install stop signs it would be done, but the Township has to go through proper channels with the County,” Potocki stated, according to the meeting minutes.

Potocki assured Arnold and the board that he has already taken the first step by initiating a formal petition with Will County to begin the traffic study process. He said he would continue to monitor the request as it moves through the county’s system.

In the interim, Potocki outlined immediate actions the township and its partners are taking. The township will install an electronic speed monitoring sign near the intersection to alert drivers of their speed and encourage them to slow down. Furthermore, Potocki contacted the Village of New Lenox, which has agreed to provide a police officer for traffic enforcement at the location during mornings and afternoons for the first week of school to ensure student safety.

Arnold thanked the board for their time and consideration of the issue. The board took no formal action, as the response is being handled at the administrative and inter-governmental level by the Highway Commissioner.