Kendall County Times

This week, the City of Joliet posted to its Facebook page a portion of the recognized properties in this year's program to award city residents for their landscaping efforts to keep their properties and neighborhoods beautiful.

The Facebook post came a few weeks after the 2022 Neighborhood Hero Award Program winners were announced, and some of them were recognized during Joliet City Council's meeting earlier this month.

"The City Council earlier this month recognized the remaining ten properties with outstanding yards," the Facebook post said. "These properties received an award through the Neighborhood Hero Award Program, which is an annual program co-sponsored by the City and Project Acclaim. By showing great pride in their property, these families demonstrate great pride in their neighborhood and in our City!"

The City again partnered with Project Acclaim, the city's civic pride organization founded in 1985 that works to promote a positive image for Joliet. The City put out its last call in June for nominations of Joliet residents who "show great pride in their property and therefore demonstrate great pride in their neighborhood and in our City."

In August, Project Acclaim and the City announced the selection of 18 properties for this year's recognition. Six of the properties are in Joliet's Cathedral Area.

Winners received celebratory yard signs and Joliet City Council recognition.

Joliet City planner and Project Acclaim President Jayne Bernard and Councilwoman Jan Quillman recognized 10 of the 18 winners during Joliet's Sept. 6 City Council meeting.

"Project Acclaim's vision is to promote a positive image of Joliet area and its people, engage residents and organizations to make their neighborhoods better, as well as partner with anyone or any organization working towards the same end," Bernard said during the meeting.

This year's Neighborhood Hero awards had a more inter-neighborhood focus, and only residents who did their own landscaping could be nominated. All of this year's winners were nominated by their neighbors.

"This has been around for a while and every year it gets bigger and bigger," Quillman said during the meeting.

This year's winners included a young couple who moved into an old parsonage in the summer of 2020 and continue to fix up the property and the yard. Other winners were households that have lived for decades in the same property, including one winner who has lived in the same house for 47 years.