More Top Picks Best Swiss Watches For Men
player ready...Parking in downtown East Dundee might get a little easier.
Village officials recently learned $600,000 has been appropriated in the state capital bill to construct a downtown parking garage. State Rep. Suzanne Ness, D-Crystal Lake, informed village trustees of the funding at a recent village board meeting.
“This is a real big win for the village,” Village President Jeff Lynam said, estimating the village has about 130 on-street parking spots in the downtown district. ” It’s going to go a long way toward alleviating some of the problems we’ve had for some time now.”
The grant comes from the Build Illinois Bond Fund and will be administered by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, according to the bill.
East Dundee’s downtown district has attracted new shops and restaurant in recent years, making parking a bit of a problem, officials said.
“We could use more parking,” East Dundee Village Board Trustee Scott Kunze said. “If you come down on a Saturday night, you will have a hard time finding a spot in the immediate downtown area.”
Often diners and shoppers must park on streets in neighboring residential areas adjacent to the downtown business district.
Ness said she was made aware of the village’s interest in additional parking during a conversation shortly after the April elections with Lynam.
As a newly elected state representative, Ness reached out to local elected officials in April, she said, and her conversation with Lynam ended with Lynam mentioning the village’s need for parking. He estimated a new parking deck would cost about $1.5 million.
When Ness learned of the appropriation bill, she recalled the conversation and sought funding through the bill. She also secured $3 million in appropriations for other projects throughout her district, including $400,000 for sewer, water and sidewalk improvements in West Dundee, $500,000 for economic development projects in Carpentersville and $400,000 for flood mitigation and road projects in Algonquin.
“I think this is one of those things that there is agreement from everybody that they could benefit from (more parking) and it would be a big help to the community,” Ness said.
However, Ness’ announcement at the June 21 meeting came as a bit of a surprise to village trustees, who said they were unaware the village was actively pursuing any type of a parking project. Trustees at the meeting questioned how the funding came about and why Lynam did not make the board aware sooner.
While Lynam could not offer any specifics on a parking project or the anticipated costs, the need for additional parking is well established, he said.
“The parking situation in the downtown has existed for a number of years,” Lynam said. “We’re parking on top of one another down there. “
In 2016, the owner of Bandito Barney’s Beach Club and Bordello purchased a lot at 110 N. River St. in the downtown district with plans to turn into a parking lot. Village officials at that time noted that a special use permit would be required and they turned down a request to help fund the project. Today, the property remains an unpaved gravel lot.
Lynam said he plans to find way to increase downtown parking, be it through a parking garage or additional parking lots. The village has a couple of options in the downtown district where the added parking could go, but declined to say if the Bandito Barney’s lot was one of the options.
“We haven’t delved far enough into the process to know where it will be,” he said.
Lynam said he expects the village board’s economic opportunity committee to discuss the situation in more depth in the coming months and to suggest ways to address it.
Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
More Top Picks Best Pillows For Combination Sleepers With Neck Pain