The County Board SportsPlex Debate

Finance Committee Chairman Marc Munaretto began the debate over whether to provide the developers of the McHenry County SportsPlex three more months to round up people to loan them money. Mary McCann took up the cause of those living off … Continue reading

Lakewood Village Trustee Offers Update

Lakewood Village Trustee Ken Santowski has made it a practice to send emails about his take on village affairs. His latest missive follows: Friends Neighbors and fellow residents, Unfortunately the August 10th board meeting was canceled. We only had the … Continue reading

Lakewood Village Trustee Gives View of SportsPlex Meeting

Below is the emailed letter that Lakewood Village Trustee Ken Santowski sent concerning Tuesday’s meeting which resulted in the approval of annexation of additional property to the village, plus economic incentives to the McHenry County SportsPlex. The SportsPlex is probably … Continue reading

Lakewood Approves McHenry County SportsPlex

The Lakewood village board unanimously approved economic incentive and annexation ordinances that allow the $40 million, 165 acre McHenry County SportsPlex to proceed. The result is three happy guys, Lou Tenor, EnRico Heirman and Jack Porter, plus a plethora of … Continue reading

Approval of Lakewood SportsPlex Planned for Tuesday Night at 6

The unveiling of the the McHenry County SportsPlex details will start at Lakewood’s Red Tail Golf Course Club House at six Tuesday night. Before the night is over, I’d give odds the deal, complete with so far unrevealed “development incentives,” … Continue reading

Lakewood Gains New Economic Development Tool

Pete Gonigam’s First Electric Newspaper reported it first, but he didn’t have the map you see below. What you see in orange is the new area within McHenry County designated by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Development as … Continue reading

Lakewood SportsPlex Proposal Getting Curiouser and Curiouser

Read this article on The First Electric Newspaper about the unsavory background of one of the McHenry County SportsPlex’ consultants. The publication reports SportsPlex supporters introduced “Terry Gaouette, Vice President of Administration and Business Consulting Services for H&K Sports Fields, … Continue reading

Investment Bank Announces Commitment to SportsPlex, If

Yesterday, McHenry County Blog showed you the letter from the Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group saying that it would raise $27 million “for construction and operation of the (McHenry County SportsPlex” sports facility complex to be constructed in McHenry County.” That … Continue reading

Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group Sends SportsPlex Investment Letter

The December 1, 2009, letter you see below was given to McHenry County officials on January 29, 2010, according to the date stamped on it. The Chicagoland Foreign Investment Group, known for short as the EB-5 company, pledges to provide … Continue reading

Lakewood Village President Erin Smith Endorses Ken Koehler for County Board

When I saw the envelope with Lakewood Village President Erin Smith’s name and office on it and no return address, I was surprised. Still, I live in Lakewood, I figured she might be writing the community about the SportsPlex about … Continue reading

So, You Want to Know More about the Lakewood SportsPlex?

Here’s the first of a series of article that Pete Gonigam has written for his First Electric Newspaper. It’s entitled, FEN Finds Possible Problems for Proposed SportsPlex You can read about and see the Prairie Grove maraschino cherry processing plant … Continue reading

Concept Drawings of the Proposed McHenry County Sportsplex in Lakewood

Details from the application for a Federal Stimulus Fund-subsidized $18 million loan the award of which is controlled by the McHenry County Board was discussed yesterday. There will be a 125,000 square foot indoor facility, plus “multiple baseball, softball, soccer, … Continue reading

$18 Million Federal Stimulus Request for $40 Million Route 47 & 176 Lakewood Recreational Complex on County Board Finance Committee’s Agenda Tuesday

Headed by Lake in the Hills’ Louis Tenore, Jr., a group of investors is seeking permission to obtain $18 million in Federally-subsidized stimulus money, according to a document posted on the McHenry County Board’s web site. The proposed McHenry County … Continue reading

Lake Barrington Sports Complex Might Provide Template for Lakewood’s

“State’s largest indoor sports complex set to open in Lake Barrington“ was the headline in the Daily Herald October 27, 2008. The story reported on a Lake Barrington field house that–at 175,000 square feet–would be the largest in the state. … Continue reading

Big Lakewood Sports Complex at Routes 176 and 47, Ancillary Uses in Second Phase

After the McHenry County Board’s Finance Committee meeting, Chairman Marc Munaretto answered some questions. One of them concerned how the allocation of Federal Stimulus Bonds for McHenry County was $27.5 million, but that there were about to be $33 million … Continue reading