Time may be right for the construction of hotel along the Route 30 corridor in Montgomery, Mayor Matt Brolley told a crowd gathered for his State of the Village address.
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Brolley noted the explosive growth of the Stuart Sports Complex as well as athletic fields being constructed for Aurora University just west of Orchard Road. During his annual address Tuesday, Feb. 28, the mayor spoke with a packed village hall that included dignitaries from state and local government as well as residents who had simply come to hear what is up for the village that makes its home along the Fox River.
Stuart Sports Complex includes a 15-acre dog park and just last summer hosted for the PepsiCo Showdown, considered the largest high school soccer tournament in the country.
“We believe the time is right to bring a hotel to Montgomery,” he said. The mayor said the village is currently working with consultants to determine the appropriate sites for hotels within the village and predicted, once done, the entire region could be a considered a major sports complex.
The first-term mayor, who is running unopposed in the upcoming election, said he was using the occasion to announce a new business assistance program. “For more than 30 years we have offered village-funded loans to private companies for economic development projects that create or retain jobs in Montgomery. Over the years, we funded $5.2 million in new projects that generated $23.8 million in private investment that created and retained a significant number of employment opportunities right here in Montgomery.”
The mayor said he grew up in the village and counts one of his largest accomplishments as passage of a referendum in 2014 that created millions through a 1 percent non-home-rule sales tax specifically for infrastructure improvement.
“Previously, road maintenance was one of our highest concerns as our funds only allowed for a 75-year rotation in pavement resurfacing, which was grossly inadequate. This dedicated revenue stream will allow us to adequately maintain our roadways and expect to re surface all village streets in just 20 years,” he said.
The village board has voted to freeze property taxes for the fourth year in a row, an accomplishment Brolley highlighted saying “our board is fiscally conservative and we are proud of the services we continue to provide our residents while holding the line on expenses. We have adopted a “do-more-with-less” mentality that has challenged all Village departments to continually seek ways to save money.
Brolley said he was proud of the many businesses and corporations that have moved to the area highlighting a $44 million bulk sugar storage and transfer facility. The United Sugars Corporation inflated their dome along Aucutt Road this year, the only free standing sugar storage facility in North America.
Judy Pochel is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.