Godfrey Trustees Reverse Vollmer Lane Vacation After Public Speaks Out
Public comments lead trustees to reverse earlier decision; mayor says village leaders “not too proud to change our minds.”
Village of Godfrey Board of Trustees
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GODFREY – In a rare move on Tuesday night, Godfrey trustees agreed to reverse one of their earlier decisions to vacate a section of Vollmer Lane after several property owners spoke against the action.
Members of the Godfrey Finance Committee voted on Oct. 7, 2025, to vacate a portion of Vollmer Lane spanning the approximate blocks of 6100 to 8600. If the road were vacated, the village would no longer be responsible for maintaining it.
In a memo to Mayor Mike McCormick and Finance Committee members, Maintenance Director Jim Lewis suggested vacating the section of Vollmer Lane, described it as “more of a driveway than a road,” and encouraged village officials to drive to the area to “see what we’re maintaining and plowing snow off of.”
At this week’s Village Board meeting, residents and business owners on Vollmer Lane strongly disagreed with Lewis’s assessment of the area and asked village officials not to vacate the road to preserve access to their homes and businesses.
“We’ve got a lot of people here tonight who use the road, and we can get a lot more people here who use that road routinely,” one resident said. “So if you think there’s nothing down there, there’s a lot down there.”
Annie Hoagland, owner of Hoagland Stables, said her business and stables are frequented by horse owners from around the area who rely on the road to access their animals.
“We have about 31 people who are using that road, and I have stables down there. We breed horses, we’ve taught riding, we’ve trained horses … there’s a lot going on in the valley,” Hoagland said. “If you close or stop maintaining the road, that ends my business.”
She said Hoagland Stables are “the only stable of this kind in Godfrey,” underscoring the importance of keeping Vollmer Lane accessible.
“I hope you reconsider your abandonment of the road. Besides all the property and all, it would be crushing to people – it’s their entertainment, it’s their recreation, it’s their nature experience, it’s their animal that has to have a home,” she added. “We’re the only stable of this kind in Godfrey. We’re very unique, we have trails, and it would be a shame if you made us close.”
After several other property owners in the area spoke against vacating Vollmer Lane, Village Board members voted unanimously to reverse the vacation of the road and were met with applause from meeting attendees.
After the vote, Mayor McCormick assured Godfrey residents that their elected officials are willing to hear their concerns and take corrective action when needed.
“Us as a board up here, if we do bad, we’re not too proud to change our minds,” McCormick said. “That’s what happened here, and I want to thank you people for drawing it to our attention.”
A full recording of the Nov. 18, 2025, Godfrey Village Board meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
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