After a vote failed to generate enough support to seek bidders to buy the Heritage Center, Indian Head Park likely will seek volunteers for a committee to determine the best use for the village-owned property.
The Indian Head Park Village Board voted 4-2 Thursday in favor of an ordinance to solicit bids for the purchase of the property, but the law requires 75 percent approval of the board, or six of the seven members, to pass the ordinance, village officials said.
Village board members Christian Metz’s and Sean Conboy’s no votes at the meeting were sufficient to keep the process of selling the property at 6250 S. Wolf Road from starting.
Metz admitted he originally thought, “get rid of it. It’s a waste of money.” But he said that as he became more involved in the village and more familiar with the Heritage Center as a docent, his opinion changed.
“It’s an asset,” Metz said. “The house is 140 years old. It is a historic home. It does have value just because of its age.”
Metz proposed forming a committee to look comprehensively at the center, its possible uses and maintenance.
The Heritage Center houses a volunteer-run library for which all the books are donated. The building originally was the parsonage for Lyons Congregational Church and then became a private home. In 2001, the village received a state grant of $350,000 to purchase the home to create a community center.
For a time, Boy Scouts and other groups held their meetings there.
“It’s our only really common-shared space,” said Tom Rice, who has lived in the village since 1982.
Library volunteer Sharon Kalinoski said 200 people were registered to borrow books at the library.
Anne Bermier, a former Indian Head Park village trustee, said the building should be where the history of Indian Head Park is preserved. A lot of residents do not know how the village developed or why the streets have Native American names, Bermier said.
“Once you tear down that building, you can’t get back your heritage,” she said.
Jean Southerland, who is in charge of the library docents, said, “I don’t think the potential of the Heritage Center has ever been realized.”
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But board members Amy Jo Wittenberg and Brenda O’Laughlin said the question of what to do with the Heritage Center has been discussed publicly for years and no concrete proposals have ever surfaced.
The village budget is tight and paying for maintenance of and capital improvements for the Heritage Center is something the village cannot afford, Wittenberg and fellow board members Glenn Mann and Rita Farrell Mayer said.
Between 2007 and 2012, the village spent about $88,000 on a new roof, windows, siding and parking lot at the center, according to Village Administrator John DuRocher.
He estimates between $10,000 and $15,000 per year should be budgeted to maintain the building and pay for capital improvements.
Officials said future projects would include fixing the cracks in the foundation, which allow water to get in the basement. Several village trustees are concerned about mold in the basement.
The Village Board put a non-binding advisory referendum on the November 2014 ballot asking if the village should sell the property, which includes the two-story frame house and an adjacent lot.
Sixty-two percent of the 1,615 ballots cast were in favor of selling the property.
“That should be given a lot of weight,” Farrell Mayor said.
“This is a ‘nice to have,'” Wittenberg said. “Yes, we all like the historical value. Yes, it’s a pretty lot … But we have to make a decision about what is the best use of this asset.”
She favors selling the property, which the village had appraised last October at $447,000. The appraised value rose to $465,000 if the Heritage Center were torn down before the property is put up for sale. Village officials believe two homes could be built on the property.
O’Laughlin said she appreciates all the time and energy the docents have put into the center, but, she said, “to me, the historical part of the house was gone when we put the siding on. The same with the windows.”
O’Laughlin developed an agreement with the McCook Public Library in which Indian Head Park residents could become members of the McCook library for $100 a year and have access to all the materials in that network of public libraries.
Conboy voted not to sell the property because, “that land has a significant value to the village and to the residents of the village.” Whatever money they would get from the sale would be a short-term gain, he said.
“Most likely we won’t have an opportunity to get a piece of land like that (again),” Conboy said.
Village President Tom Hinshaw abstained from voting, saying, “at this point, I am still on the fence.” He estimated there had been about 10 meetings on the future of the Heritage Center.
“To me, a big reason to sell is because the public, a majority of the public, said to sell,” said Hinshaw who is a volunteer docent at the center. “Even if the board votes to sell, we may not get any bids.”
If Hinshaw had voted to proceed with the sale, his would have been only the fifth vote in favor and six were needed.