We are proud of our diversity. We know the importance of having diversity and we know that we are leading Steger in the right direction. Whether it is race, gender, age, experiences and viewpoints, we are diverse. However, we are together and agree on how best to work towards a better Steger and address the challenges we have as a community. We are fortunate enough to have this diversity strengthen the leadership of our Village for you. A vote for Tim, Brittany and Gerald is a vote for the best leadership team to represent you.
We understand that a key to a great community is family involvement. We will work hard to increase the opportunities and activities for families and our residents. We have plans to improve our parks, increase our bike paths and work to tie them into existing path systems. We have plans to increase the number of events that can be enjoyed by families. A vote for Tim, Brittany and Gerald is a vote for community involvement.
We understand that we can be a stronger community if we work towards a greener and sustainable Village. We would like to see a farmer's market, improved green space and better use of our outdoor space. We did add to our garbage contract weekly pick up of an electronic item and our recycling program is going strong. We need to continue to build upon this initiative and continue to add program and resources that will make our community a safe and healthy place to live. A vote for Tim, Brittany and Gerald is a vote for a greener and sustainable Steger.
The biggest issue we face is that we have many needs to keep Steger great. We have to make sure our roads are repaired. We have to make sure water does not flood our town when it rains. We have to improve our water system. We have to attract and keep businesses in our community. We have to address properties that are abandoned or in need of repair. We have to upkeep our Community Center and parks, including the buildings and structures in our parks. We have to maintain our Village Hall, Police Station, Fire Stations, Public Infrastructure Building, and EMA Building. We have to provide sports programs for our residents. We have to purchase and maintain vehicles and equipment to provide critical services, like ambulances, police cars, snowplows, trucks, etc. We have to make sure we provide proper wages to the employees that work so hard to serve us. As you can see, there is a lot of demand for our investment in community. The revenues for the Village are limited. Therefore, we know we must be thoughtful on how we spend our resources. Tim, Brittany and Gerald know how to prioritize our expenditures and know how to make the right decisions for us. We need their leadership so we can stay financially responsible, but still get the services and investments we need that make our Village a safe and vibrant community. A vote for Tim, Brittany and Gerald is a vote for responsible leaders who will continue to direct Steger in the right direction.
We understand that one of the keys for Steger is a strong local economy. It serves as the source of resources we need to provide the services you expect. Together for Progress understands how to use the economic incentives it has put in place in order to make an impact. Steger has great businesses in town. Together for Progress though will not just sit back. Tim, Bittany and Gerald will continue to work to bring in other businesses, help the ones we already have grow and prosper and will strengthen our economy. They already are working with the Mayor, Trustee Lopez and Trustee Trotier and Village Clerk Zagone on new businesses coming to Steger. A vote for Tim, Brittany and Gerald is a vote to continue to grow our local economy in the right way.
We understand that a strong housing market is one of the keys to our success. A strong market increases the value of our homes and it also helps attract families that support our local economy. We have implemented various programs to support our housing market and it has worked. Our abandoned houses are dwindling. The number of days a house stays on the market for sale continues to be short. The asking price for houses are usually met or exceeded. We have demolished homes that cannot be repaired and we have worked on rehabs of homes that can be repaired. Our focus is to get our foreclosed and abandoned homes into the hands of people who want to own a home and live in Steger. Our focus is also to continue to raise housing prices. We have proven we can achieve these goals. A vote for Tim, Bittany and Gerald is a vote to keep our housing market strong.
Tim started as a Fire & Police Commissioner before becoming a Trustee. Brittany is currently a Fire & Police Commissioner. Gerald was the President of our Recreation Board, which has kept our sports programs growing strong, before becoming a Trustee. All three know what it takes to hire and promote our police officers, support our fire department and grow our sports programs for our youth. A vote for Tim, Brittany and Gerald is a vote to keep our community safe and continue great programs for our kids.
Steger has approximately 32.3 miles of roads, which equates to approximately 170,016 feet of roadway. It costs roughly $65 per foot to repave it. That means it will cost us around $11,051,000 to repave all of our roads. That is extremely costly, but we continue to address our road maintenance.
We also realize that water is the main reason our roads fall into disrepair. The storm in 2019 was historic for Steger. But even our "normal" rains and snow continue to dump more and more water on our community. Without addressing our drainage issues, we are just throwing money into roads that need to be repaired again in a couple of years. That is not wise spending.
So, as we said above, we are implementing drainage plans beginning this Spring to get our rain water out of our community faster and to prevent flooding of homes. This will also improve the life of our roads when they are repaved. If we do not do both, we are not using our money wisely. We will also continue to improve our sidewalks as we repair the roads and drainage. We already installed many handicapped accessible corners so those sidewalks can be used by everyone. Steger has never taken such a comprehensive approach to roads, sidewalks and drainage. A vote for Tim, Brittany and Gerald is a vote for improved roads and sidewalks.
We understand that Steger faces many challenges, and you cannot solve one problem without addressing others. Steger needs to improve its infrastructure, but in order to do so, it needs revenue to pay for such improvements. Steger gets its revenues from businesses and its residents. Existing businesses will not grow, and new businesses will not come if we do not keep existing families and attract new ones that will support our local businesses. Families tend to choose to live in municipalities that have a strong local economy, a strong housing market, and updated infrastructure. In other words, it is all inter-related. We understand that inter-relationship. We know we cannot focus on just one problem. The only way to tackle our issues is to work on all of them at the same time. Together for Progress has proven it can and will do so and promises to continue to work on all of our issues. A vote for Tim, Brittany and Gerald is a vote to continue addressing all of our needs.
Many politicians make promises. We keep our promises. We would be honored to serve you as your Village Trustees. Please get out to vote for Tim Perchinski, Brittany Stone, Gerald Stewart for Village Trustees on April 4, 2023 (or early vote starting March 20th) so that we can continue to make Steger a place to live, work, and raise a family.