Map of area being annexed to Lakewood.

Without a murmur of opposition, the Lakewood Village Board annexed 540 acres, including the proposed site for a SportsPlex.

No resident mentioned the attendant costs nor did village officials reveal them, but you can read them here.

Judge Michael Caldwell gave permission a month ago.

Lakewood attorneys Rich Flood and Michael Smoron confer during the meeting.

Tuesday night, with two attorneys present, the village board dotted its “i’s” and crossed its”t’s” during a Planning and Zoning Committee hearing and a village board meeting devoted to nothing else.

Village President Erin Smith admitted to having a script during both the Planning and Zoning Committee hearings and the village board meeting. She stuck to it, asking for public comment in each hearing.

Several soon to be new residents were present, one to ask about whether the family’s above ground swimming pool was in any trouble since they did not see a specific reference to it in the annexation agreement.

The answer was that it wasn’t, even though Lakewood does not allow above ground swimming pools. It’s OK for this family because all non-conforming uses were allowed to continue.

Another wanted to know if the home approved by the McHenry County Board could still be built.

Another “Yes.”

With over 100 items on the agenda, the village board completed what turned out to be completely routine work in about 35 minutes. The committee meeting, took about 40 minutes.

“Welcome to Lakewood,”

Trustee Carl Davis said after the annexation approvals.

Afrer the short meeting adjourned, Erin Smith explained the annexation map.

He pointed out that the staff had been working on “putting this together” for three years and that village leaders had been “looking at it for ten years.”

Davis also mentioned a letter from Chuck Turner about flooding in his area. Davis pointed out some progress had been made as a result of lining all of the Eastside sewers.

Village President Erin Smith announced that former Trustee Rick Clark had agreed to lead a task force about the flooding and deteriorating infrastructure in Country Club Additions.

She also said investigation is proceeding to find “a machine that comes by and sucks (leaves) up” from where residents have raked them to the edge of their properties. Lakewood had such a system in 1980, when all outside burning was banned by legislative action right after Earth Day.