Welcome from the Mayor of Diamond
As Mayor of the Village of Diamond and on behalf of the Village Board, Planning & Zoning Board, employees, and our residents, I extend to you our warmest welcome. We are incredibly pleased that you are interested in learning more about our Village. Diamond began attracting miners in the early 1870’s. On February 16, 1883, tragedy struck when a mine shaft flooded, killing 74 men and boys. Incorporated in 1895, the village nearly disappeared after coal mining ended in the early 1900’s. Diamond was reincorporated in 1949 and is located approximately 54 miles southwest of Chicago.
Throughout the years, Diamond has seen continued growth and improvement. The current Board has focused its attention on attracting economic development and improving infrastructure. With that in mind, the Village established the Diamond I-55 Corridor TIF District in the Will County portion of our community and the Diamond Enterprise Zone located in both the Will and Grundy County portions of our community. In the last five years we welcomed Morris Hospital Diamond-Coal City Campus, Diamond Indoor Trap Range, which includes a pistol range, GasNWash, Dunkin, a new Midland States Bank, and others. This year we will welcome Jewel-Osco, Starbucks, and Hero’s West Diamond. Wonderful things are happening in Diamond!
The Village continues to pursue grant opportunities along with public/private partnerships for major infrastructure improvements, which have resulted in over $4 million of major roadway reconstruction and improvements on IL 113 (Division) and Will Road.
The Village is dedicated to continually improving our community. In 2019 we completed significant watermain projects with more to come this year. To effectively communicate with our residents and business owners, the Village instituted “Smart Message.” This allows them to get alerts, road closures, and other important Village information by text, phone, and email quickly and timely. This year we will be removing the poor condition, 5’ sidewalks on IL 113 (Division) and replacing them with 6’ sidewalks, which will be more accommodating and safer for all users and will be plowed during the winter to allow yearlong use.
Our residents enjoy the quaint, small-town atmosphere, along with an outstanding school district, great grocery and retail shopping, a wide variety of dining choices, services, a church, nearby beautiful state parks and recreational opportunities, as well as low taxes and a low crime rate, while still having all the offerings of urban life just a short distance away.
Our Village Board meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at the Village Hall. We invite you to attend our meetings and become involved in our community.
Sincerely,
Teresa “Terry” Kernc
Mayor
