The Oswego Village Board recently approved an honorary street name designation for Wolfs Crossing at the Harvey Road Roundabout in honor of state Sen. Linda Holmes, D-Aurora, for her years of service in the Illinois Senate.

Holmes was elected to the Illinois Senate in 2006 and announced she will not seek re-election when her term expires in January. She previously served two years on the Kane County Board, following a decade of neighborhood advocacy, village officials said.

Oswego Village President Ryan Kauffman read a proclamation recognizing her contributions and accomplishments over the past 20 years, saying Holmes has served Illinois residents and Oswego with “compassion, integrity and thoughtful leadership.”

“Throughout her Senate career, Senator Holmes championed healthcare protections, and helped lead a bipartisan agreement to restore the state unemployment insurance trust fund, bringing together business, labor and both political parties to reach a historic consensus,” he said.

Oswego opened its first roundabout to traffic in 2023 as part of a $70 million multi-year plan to improve Wolfs Crossing to help ease traffic congestion, improve safety and accommodate growth in town.

The construction project widened Wolfs Crossing to four lanes from just west of Harvey Road to just east of Devoe Drive and replaced a four-way stop-controlled intersection at Wolfs Crossing and Harvey Road with a roundabout.

Holmes was instrumental in helping secure $3.6 million in state funding to support local programs and projects like the Oswego Senior Center and improvements to Wolfs Crossing in Oswego, as well as ongoing public safety initiatives “vital to Oswego’s continued growth,” Kauffman said.

Holmes said she was humbled by the remarks and grateful to constituents who have supported her.

Although the 42nd District that she has represented in the Illinois Senate is considerably “different through redistricting” from when she was first elected, she has always represented a portion of Oswego, she told trustees.

“In my first meeting with Oswego, I was told that we need a train station, and Wolfs Crossing is a major road that is really instrumental and we’ve got some real serious difficulties with it. It has been consistent throughout,” she said.

“Oswego has always been sort of my favorite and my pet. While I live in Aurora, I am right down the street,” Holmes said. “It truly has been an honor of a lifetime to have served in the Illinois General Assembly and certainly to represent your community.”

Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.