“There’s nothing that’s easy,” says Michael Garvey, Brookfield’s village president. In this case he was describing the fits-and-starts reality of moving forward, filling in the local gaps in the Des Plaines River Trail extension project. 

If 2023 was a “fit,” as funding for planning on the project ran dry, 2024 may be another “start” as the village signed on to another intergovernmental agreement to fund another phase of planning.

This trail runs for 55 miles, starting in Lake County and down through much of Cook. Right now the continuous flow ends in River Grove and skips all the way to Ogden Avenue in Lyons.

Brookfield has chosen over time to take the local lead. Since 2020 it has worked with Riverside, Lyons and LaGrange Park to keep some momentum going. 

Like fixing up an old home, planning a trail along the river has been slowed by add-ons that cost money and take time. Wetland delineations and tree surveys have been among the necessary impediments.

But Brookfield’s village board and staff keep at it. Grant by grant, inch by inch, as they shepherd this worthy project off the drawing board and into life.

Starting early on mental wellness

The stigma around mental health is slowly lifting. Thankfully. It’s too late for many people who have buried pain and shame within families and communities, unable and unwilling to address the simple truth that liberation can be won from this yoke.

One of the shifts we are grateful for is understanding that an early start in taking on mental-health issues is always the right course. And so the news from The Loft at Eight Corners in Brookfield that it will expand its care to include seventh- and eighth-graders is more than welcome. We understand that this program — a partnership of Pillars Community Health and NAMI Metro Suburban — needed time to become established in serving those in high school. 

Also, it is obvious that the developmental differences between a seventh- and 12th-grader are substantial, and more targeted sessions and support are necessary. The Loft, set in a storefront at Eight Corners, has a casual approach that encourages young people to walk in and join in support groups and possibly bring their families along.

Adding programs for middle-school students is a strong step forward for this valued program in these communities.