Full Text of HR0228

HR0228 LRB104 13006 LAW 24711 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to congratulate Kevin Richardson on the occasion of his retirement as Village President of the Village of Lake Barrington; and

WHEREAS, President Richardson began his public service when he was elected as a trustee to the Lake Barrington Board of Trustees in 1999, and he served in that capacity until 2005 when he was elected president; he was re-elected in 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2021; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure, President Richardson has prioritized open space and the environment as a key initiative, with a cornerstone of this initiative being to make open space publicly accessible; under his leadership, Lake Barrington strategically acquired land for the preservation of open space in order to make Lake Barrington "an oasis of gracious countryside living"; and

WHEREAS, President Richardson has been a community visionary through his establishment of Freier Farm, a 24-acre park that includes a community garden, a brick fire pit, horseshoes, walking trails, and a winter sledding hill, and his development of Fetherling Park, a 8.1-acre park that includes walking trails, fitness stations, and an overlook pier on the pond, further showcasing his focus on protecting Lake Barrington's natural environment and groundwater recharge areas; and

WHEREAS, President Richardson's foresight has benefited the Village of Lake Barrington numerous times, including when he negotiated an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with Wauconda, Cuba Township, and the Illinois Sierra Club to ensure that the proposed expansion of Wauconda's water reclamation plant operated under higher treatment standards than required by the State of Illinois, thereby protecting the groundwater in Lake Barrington; and

WHEREAS, President Richardson's civic service has gone beyond Lake Barrington; he has served on the board of visitors of the Graduate School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University, as an advisory board member of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame, and on the Political Advocacy Committee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Mayor's Water Council for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, both located in Washington, D.C., since 2007; and

WHEREAS, President Richardson will preside over his last village board meeting on May 6, 2025, concluding 20 years of service to Lake Barrington; 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 Richardson on his retirement as Village President of the Village of Lake Barrington, thank him for his dedication as a public servant, and wish him much happiness in his future endeavors; and be it further

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