Westmont, Illinois
Date Issued: May 12, 2020
“It’s understandable that everyone is getting restless at this point,” said Westmont Mayor Ron Gunter. “Normally, as warmer weather approaches, people are ready to get out and enjoy all the things that are associated with late Spring and Summer. Of course, this is not a normal time and we are still navigating the protocols for a safe reopening of our community and businesses.”
DUPAGE MAYORS AND MANAGERS CONFERENCE
The Village of Westmont is a member of the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference (DMMC), which is a collective of DuPage municipalities that works together cooperatively for the common good of DuPage municipalities. In response to the State of Illinois COVID-19 Stay At Home orders, the DMMC lobbied the State of Illinois and Governor Pritzker to make sure that reopening plans for DuPage County were not associated with the entirety of NE Illinois since COVID-19 cases and deaths are dramatically higher than the suburbs. “For the moment, DuPage is in the same region as Chicago regarding the Governor’s reopening plan,” Gunter said, “but we plan to work together to make sure we have our own reopen plan consistent with DuPage County that makes sense for us.”
SURGE CAPACITY
“The State reopening plan is tied to benchmarks pertaining to hospital and ICU surge capacity,” added Mayor Gunter. “Though DuPage cases and deaths have been relatively low compared to the region, and though the curve has appeared to flatten, our available hospital and ICU beds remain a concern. We must be patient as we plan for the reopening of businesses and the community so that we do not overwhelm our medical professionals and healthcare facilities.”
LOCAL TRAGEDY
“Many people are well aware that Westmont has the highest percentage of senior citizen populations in DuPage County,” stated Gunter. “And we are also aware that this disease is particularly deadly for seniors and people with underlying health concerns. Our community and our senior living facilities have suffered greatly. Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and healthcare providers who have been dealing directly with this trying time.”
WESTMONT BUSINESS STIMULUS & RE-OPENING
“We feel we are close to sharing the details of our new Westmont Business Stimulus Program,” announced Gunter. “As soon as the plan and criteria is completed, we will roll this program out to our business community. Our Village Board earmarked $150K for this program that is intended to assist the small businesses that are most impacted by COVID-19.”
Mayor Gunter shared additional information regarding a plan to reopen locally. “While we continue to press the State and the Governor to make sure that our community and County reopening plans fit our specific needs, we are continuing conversations with our businesses to hear their ideas about the best way to reopen and move towards a new normal. I want to thank all of the Westmont businesses who are reaching out and sharing their suggestions as well as working with us to create a plan that allows us to open successfully and safely.”
ACCURATE INFORMATION
“We want to make sure that our citizens know that the best source for local information is our Village of Westmont website,” said Gunter. “We republish most of our information on Facebook and NextDoor, but the most accurate and up to date information will always be found at westmont.illinois.gov. If you ever have a question, suggestion, or concern, then please contact us directly. We have always resisted direct engagement on social media because it is too easily misinterpreted, which can lead to a proliferation of misleading speculation and general misinformation.”
To contact Mayor Gunter directly, you can reach him via email at rgunter@westmont.il.gov.
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Contact: Larry McIntyre
Village of Westmont
Communications Director/Public Information Officer
630-417-0280
lmcintyre@westmont.il.gov
