McHenry County Blog

Fox River Grove Village Hall

A “Meet the Candidates” night will be held at the village hall in Fox River Grove.

The event is hosted by Boy Scout Troop 166 and begins at 7pm

Lakewood Village Board meets on the topic of a new Village Board.

I asked Lakewood Village President Erin Smith what was up on the public-private partnership to build a new village hall.

Her answer:

“Not much yet.

“We decided to slow things down to do more thorough research.

“We directed staff to begin the process of soil borings, etc. that are required before we can solicit a more realistic proposal.

“We are getting bids on this work and will vote on this step at our first meeting in February.”

I asked about the status of the public-private partnership and got this reply:

“Yes, we will consider the concept proposed by the consortium, but we will also consider more traditional approaches using local builders based on resident feedback.

“We deferred this discussion until after the site discovery work is completed.

“We have slowed things down a bit to provide additional opportunities for public input.”

Erin Smith

Following is the winter newsletter from Lakewood Village President Erin Smith:

From the President

Dear Neighbors:

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, we want to extend our very best wishes for a joyous holiday season to each of you and your families.

There are a number of issues and projects which merit mention, and these are summarized below:

Village Hall

Lakewood Village Hall

Several months ago, the Village was approached by a consortium of firms which work to create efficiencies via public – private partnerships. They proposed such a partnership to build a new Village Hall/Police Station. All of the work proposed in the initial phase of evaluation was to be performed at no cost and no risk or obligation to the Village, so we chose to proceed. There were five basic components to this evaluation, including:

Demonstrate Need – While there was anecdotal evidence that a new Village Hall and Police Station is needed, this analysis revealed

• the full extent of non-compliance. Issues range from non-compliance with building codes and the Americans with Disabilities Act;
• no secured or confidential location for information or meetings; and
• a lack of a meeting space for the Board of Trustees.

Most importantly, however, the existing building does not maintain the necessary separation between the two critical government functions – Administration and Police – which creates an unsafe environment for residents and staff. Within the Police Department, there are not separate holding rooms for adults and juveniles; there is no separate waiting area for victims; the evidence room is not compliant; etc.

There is agreement among the Board of Trustees that a new Village Hall/Police Station is needed.

Existing Site – The existing site is simply not large enough to support an expansion of the current facility. This begs the question – what should be done with the existing site? Four possible scenarios have been discussed at a very preliminary level:

• open space;
• two single family lots of approximately ½ acre each;
• a small multi unit condo building; and
• a restaurant.

If the Board of Trustees chooses to move forward, a market analysis or sounding would be conducted by the consortium to help determine the feasibility of each of these uses as well as the highest and best use from a financial perspective.

Simply stated, the current site is too valuable for a municipal building.

Any proceeds from the sale or lease of the land would be used to offset a portion of the costs of a new facility.

New Site– Two sites were evaluated for the new location of a Village Hall/Police Station.

First cut of a site plan for a new Village Hall at Haligus Road south of the sewage treatment plant.

• The first was a privately held parcel off Huntley Road, with the idea of creating a mixed use town center. For a variety of reasons – acquisition costs, site development costs as a result of wetlands, and market forces— this site was taken out of consideration.
• Attention was then directed towards the site on Haligus Road currently owned by the Village (just south of the wastewater treatment plant). Since it is already owned by the Village, there are no acquisition costs. In addition, its topography is conducive to site development and has ample space for the creation of a future gathering place. For these reasons, the Board of Trustees is agreed that Haligus Road is the preferred site for a new Village Hall/Police Station.

New Facility – The architectural firm affiliated with the consortium has a strong background in public safety buildings and, after a series of meetings with staff, the consortium has determined that a Village Hall/Police Station would need to be approximately 9,000 sq feet and have a total cost of approximately $3.7M.

Financing – Given the Village’s AAA bond rating, the consultants estimate that the Village could issue debt certificates at an interest rate of between 2.5% and 3.0%. Debt certificates are different than General Obligation or Alternative Revenue bonds because taxes cannot be levied to pay for them.  [Revenue bonds were sold to finance the purchase of the golf club.  However, the Board at the time decided to guarantee payment with increased property taxes.  That led to approximately a $500 annual surcharge on Lakewood homes for twenty years.  The bonds were paid off last year and Lakewood taxes went down a lot this year.]

The Board of Trustees is absolutely committed to insuring that no new taxes will ever be imposed to pay for a new Village Hall/Police Station.

The decision currently before the Board of Trustees is whether to enter into an agreement to spend no less than $30,000 and no more than $50,000 to perform the studies needed to further refine the high level analysis conducted during the first phase. These studies would include such information as a topographical survey for the existing site (no such record currently exists), an environmental assessment of the Haligus Road site, soil borings, etc. All of this data would become the property of the Village of Lakewood. Detailed renderings of the facility would also be completed but would remain the property of the consortium unless the Village chooses to move forward with the project.

Prior to expending any funds, the Board of Trustees has directed the staff to conduct an analysis of existing revenue streams to identify the sources of funding for the annual payment needed to pay for such a facility. This report is expected to be completed after the New Year and will be discussed publicly at an upcoming meeting. Please review the meetings agendas that are posted online prior to a meeting or call Village Hall to determine the timing. As always, we are interested in feedback you have regarding any aspect of this project.

More tomorrow.

A fast track design and building consortium headed by Draper and Kramer made a presentation to the Lakewood Village Board Tuesday night.

The players in the discussion of a new village hall.

They didn’t cinch the deal, but made a favorable impression.

The Village Board decided it wanted more input from residents, which would be sought at the next meetings.

Only residents Tom Wilbeck and Cal Skinner made comments after extensive questioning by the Village Trustees.

Financing was a key topic.

Costs could range from $165 to $286 a square foot. The most expensive was for the Lisle Village Hall.

Having been burned for twenty years on the alternative revenue bonds sold by the 1992 Village Board, current members were adamant that no borrowing would be approved that would require a tax increase.

The 1992 Village bought the pitch that bonds backed up by property taxes would be cheaper than those backed solely by the golf course.

When the golf course revenues did not provide enough money to pay off the debt, property taxes had to be increased. Many have estimated the annual increase in property taxes to be about $500 a year for twnety years because of that 1992 decision.

Debt certificates were discussed. They could cost up to a half a percent more and would be backed by the full faith and credit of the Triple A rated village government, but could not force taxes higher.

Debt certificates could be sold without a referendum.

If adequate money were not available to repay the debt certificates and other village expenses, however, other expenses would have to be cut in order to pay off the borrowing.

Discussion ensued around using the lake front property where the current village hall is located.

With about 100 feet of waterfront, the property could be cut into two lots and sold for an estimated $750,000 a lot.

Alternatively, the property could become the only waterfront restaurant in Crystal Lake. That would supply the village with both property tax and sales tax revenue.

The cheapest village hall mentioned by the developers had a $4 million price tag, but making an estimate of the square footage and using the cheapest ($165) per square foot figure, one trustee estimated the cost might be $2-3 million.

A formal needs evaluation would be part of a no-cost Phase 1.

Village Administrator Catherine Peterson pointed out that the Village Board “used to have a nice room,” but space needs of the growing village forced a move of meetings to Red Tail Golf Course.

That was supposed to be a “3-5 year solution.”

“Now, we’re going on 5-10 years.”

Confidentiality in processing those arrested and, sometimes, having a place for their distraught families other than the waiting area in the Village Hall portion of the building, was mentioned after the meeting as a significant reason for the need for more space.

The first phase of the proposed project would be free to the village. It would include a needs assessment and an evaluation as to the reasonableness of staff requests.

Members of the build-to-suit team thanked Village Board members after the presentation and discussion was completed.

A second phase would cost $30,000 to 50,000 for consultants to do soil borings, preliminary environmental work, etc.

Construction could be completed within 18 months, if the village board decided to move forward.

The finance advisor from Stern Brothers & Co. said the time was favorable for long-term borrowing.  The general contractor on the team added that construction costs were low.

Crystal Lake City Hall

State Rep. Pam Althoff and State Rep. Mike Tryon are holding a series of events.

Two will be town hall meetings held in Crystal Lake and Huntley.

Specifically aimed at seniors are ones concerning fraud prevention.

September 19, 2010
Representative Mike Tryon and Senator Pamela Althoff
to Host Town Hall Meetings and
Senior Fraud Prevention Seminars

Huntley Village Hall

Interested resident can learn about recent and upcoming legislation in the Illinois General Assembly and who also want to share their views on current political issues are invited to attend an upcoming Town Hall meeting hosted by State Representative Michael Tryon and Senator Pamela Althoff.

At the meetings the lawmakers will be on hand to discuss the challenges facing local residents and the State of Illinois, and a question and answer period will follow.

Residents may choose to attend one or both of the following Town Hall meetings:

• Tuesday, September 28, Crystal Lake City Hall, 100 W. Municipal Complex, 7:00 PM
• Wednesday, September 29, Huntley Village Hall. 10987 Main Street, 7:00 PM

Area seniors interested in how they can protect themselves from fraud are encouraged to attend an upcoming prevention seminar.

State Sen. Pamela Althoff (R-McHenry), State Rep. Michael Tryon (R-Crystal Lake) and Deputy Republican Leader Tim Schmitz are teaming up with Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s Office to offer numerous “Silver Beat” fraud prevention seminars, aimed at giving seniors the information they need to avoid such scams.

Two seminars have been scheduled in the area and refreshments will be served:

• Monday, September 27, Algonquin Township Offices, 3702 U.S. Highway 14, Crystal Lake, 10:00 AM-Noon
• Wednesday, September 29, PNC Bank (formerly National City Bank), 13300 South Illinois Route 47, Huntley, Noon-2:00 PM

At the seminars, seniors will receive a wide variety of information and training on fraud prevention, including:

• Avoiding financial exploitation and scams, including information about debt settlement traps and how to avoid fake check cashing scams
• “Reverse mortgages” and if they are really right for you
• The Senior Medicare Patrol Project and health care fraud
• Your rights under the new credit cards rules
• How you can protect yourself, your friends and family from scam artists and fraudulent businesses.

Through the Silver Beat Training Program, the Attorney General’s Office trains and educates a corps of seniors on how to detect and avoid scams, and they in turn use that knowledge to help educate other seniors. The seminars are free and open to the public.

For additional information about these events, please call Representative Tryon’s legislative office at 815-459-6453.