McHenry County Blog

During the Crystal Lake City Council’s send off of the Crystal Lake Park District’s proposal to purchase Viking Dodge, this little thought entered my mind.  For the article about the council meeting, see

Crystal Lake City Council Lights Park District Viking Funeral Pyre

Since no purchase of property was being contemplated, I could probably obtain the appraisals of the sites being considered besides Viking Dodge.

I filed my little Freedom of Information form (literally half the size of every other governmental entity) and was provided with appraisals for the following locations:

• Oak Manufacturing (at least that’s what I’ll always call it), the old manufacturing building at the southeast corner of East Crystal Lake Avenue and Main Street
• Parts of the Immanuel Lutheran Church property between Crystal Lake Central High School and the shopping center with the Jewel grocery store
• Viking Dodge

For the life of me, I don’t know why the three locations could have not been made public from the day Viking Dodge was selected.

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Graphics by Alan Showalter, creator of One Heck of a Guy blog.

The Crystal Lake Park Board met behind closed doors Thursday night.

Before adjourning, the board made no decision regarding a location for the long talked about community center.

Through Freedom of Information requests, however, McHenry County Blog has learned that two of the properties being considered.

One, previously revealed, is Viking Dodge on Route 176 on the northern edge of town.

The other is the old Oak Manufacturing building at East Crystal Lake Avenue and South Main Street.

Out of contention is the old Cub Food store, which backs up to Vulcan Lakes.

Attending the meeting until nearly the end was Crystal Lake City Engineer Victor Ramirez and traffic engineer Gary Overbay. (Overbay is on the left; Ramirez on the right.)

One could imagine Overbay and Ramirez trying to figure out a way to get traffic into and out of the Viking Dodge property.

Perhaps Ramirez’ knowledge about water mains was also tapped, considering a pool is contemplated.

Present for the entire meeting was real estate broker Mike Deacon.

As you can see, board members continued their discussion after the meeting adjourned at about 10:10 PM. Here you see Richard Sexton, on the left, talking to Mike Walkup, while Angel Collins converses with Candy Reedy (back to camera).

The Crystal Lake Park Board met behind closed doors Thursday night.

Before adjourning, the board made no decision regarding a location for the long talked about community center.

Through Freedom of Information requests, however, McHenry County Blog has learned that two of the properties being considered.

One, previously revealed, is Viking Dodge on Route 176 on the northern edge of town.

The other is the old Oak Manufacturing building at East Crystal Lake Avenue and South Main Street.

Out of contention is the old Cub Food store, which backs up to Vulcan Lakes.

Attending the meeting until nearly the end was Crystal Lake City Engineer Victor Ramirez and traffic engineer Gary Overbay. (Overbay is on the left; Ramirez on the right.)

One could imagine Overbay and Ramirez trying to figure out a way to get traffic into and out of the Viking Dodge property.

Perhaps Ramirez’ knowledge about water mains was also tapped, considering a pool is contemplated.

Present for the entire meeting was real estate broker Mike Deacon.

As you can see, board members continued their discussion after the meeting adjourned at about 10:10 PM. Here you see Richard Sexton, on the left, talking to Mike Walkup, while Angel Collins converses with Candy Reedy (back to camera).

As I was leaving the old Oak Manufacturing building after missing the McHenry County College meeting trying to explain why a community college should enter the field of entertainment by subsidizing a private minor league baseball team, I saw a couple of young people standing on the front stoop.

One was wearing this tee shirt listing all of the ten Crotiva Institute Schools of Massage around the country.

Locally, Chicago has one and Crystal Lake has the other.

Ironically, I came through the same door each day when I wasn’t in Springfield. My office was on the right.

As I was leaving the old Oak Manufacturing building after missing the McHenry County College meeting trying to explain why a community college should enter the field of entertainment by subsidizing a private minor league baseball team, I saw a couple of young people standing on the front stoop.

One was wearing this tee shirt listing all of the ten Crotiva Institute Schools of Massage around the country.

Locally, Chicago has one and Crystal Lake has the other.

Ironically, I came through the same door each day when I wasn’t in Springfield. My office was on the right.

When the Tax Increment Financing District was being discussed for Main Street running from the railroad yard north of East Crystal Lake Avenue down to the classic car shop, one of the selling points was Columbia College’s presence in the old Oak Manufacturing building.

Wednesday night, Columbia College spokesman Melissa Stutts appeared before Crystal Lake’s Planning and Zoning Commissioners with a representative of Talon Development. Talon’s property is located north of Route 176 on Route 31.

“Are you going to move (the entire operation)?” one commissioner asked.

“We would move the entire college to the Route 31 (facility),” Stutts replied.

When the Tax Increment Financing District was being discussed for Main Street running from the railroad yard north of East Crystal Lake Avenue down to the classic car shop, one of the selling points was Columbia College’s presence in the old Oak Manufacturing building.

Wednesday night, Columbia College spokesman Melissa Stutts appeared before Crystal Lake’s Planning and Zoning Commissioners with a representative of Talon Development. Talon’s property is located north of Route 176 on Route 31.

“Are you going to move (the entire operation)?” one commissioner asked.

“We would move the entire college to the Route 31 (facility),” Stutts replied.