E. Dundee gives heath center $73,000 for $183,000 renovation

A health care center with offices in West Dundee and Huntley soon will shut down those locations to open one office in East Dundee.

But it needed a little bit of help in doing so.

East Dundee officials this week agreed to give 7 Hills Healthcare Center the $73,000 incentive it needs to complete a $183,000 renovation project at its future office on 455 E. Main St.

The now-abandoned building once housed a restaurant and a real estate firm that closed about a year ago, Village President Jerald Bartels said.

East Dundee has the option of getting the $73,000 from a tax increment finance district, from the business development district that surrounds the future office or from the sales tax 7 Hills generates.

Trustees are due to consider the redevelopment agreement Monday, Interim Village Administrator Bob Skurla said.

The village, meanwhile, stands to collect $68,000 a year in sales tax from the health care center’s pharmacy arm. The renovations also bring new life to a building on Route 72.

“It’s one less vacant building,” Bartels said.

7 Hills, which offers physical therapy, primary care physicians, occupational medicine and doctors that make house calls, opened its first office in West Dundee in 2008. It expanded in 2009 with a second location in Huntley.

But now, 7 Hills wants to consolidate its operations in the interest of offering higher quality care, more expansion opportunities and out of convenience for its patients, according to a letter 7 Hills sent to East Dundee.

The new office in East Dundee will include a pharmacy for 7 Hills patients and offer home-delivery service for its immobile patients. Authorities project 7 Hills would serve 9,500 patients. It is expected to be up and running by the end of the year, Skurla said.

Representatives from 7 Hills could not be reached for comment.