Bartlett board talks Metra coffee, video gambling

While no official decisions were made, Bartlett village officials discussed a number of issues at a village board meeting Tuesday evening that have potential to affect many residents.

The village board will choose at its next meeting, scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 20, one of three vendors to sell coffee to morning commuters at the Bartlett Metra station.

Companies that have bid for the spot include Bartlett Coffee Depot, which would be owned by the same couple that owns the Hanover Park Coffee Depot at the Hanover Park Metra station; Sandwich Nation LLC, which would have the same owner as Sandwichville, 968 S. Bartlett Road; or Tazza, the current vendor that has served commuters for four years.

The board expressed the most interest in Sandwich Nation, despite the fact that coffee would be a new endeavor for the company. Trustee Michael Airdo cited the fact that Sandwichville is a local business and that the owner’s proposal to license the premises for $700 a month for three years would bring in the most revenue. Other trustees agreed and also stated that they would like a change from Tazza’s coffee.

The license for Tazza expires on Oct. 17.

Some discussion also took place regarding on video gambling, with little progress. The state approved video gambling as a money raising venture for a capital construction program but allowed towns to opt out. The Illinois Gaming Commission is still developing the rules for regulation of video gambling, so no licenses have been issued.

There are 23 locations within Bartlett that would qualify for a video gambling license, setting the maximum number of video gambling terminals in the village at 115. The village would receive about $2,250 annually from each terminal.

The board was open to the idea of video gambling in Bartlett but requested more information from the village’s staff, in particular why surrounding villages, such as Streamwood, Hanover Park and Roselle, already chose to ban the machines. A decision does not need to be made on the issue for six more months.

Toward the end of the meeting, Jim Plonczynski, community development director, presented further updates to a draft of the village’s often unclear zoning ordinance that set rules for residents working out of their home.

The additions included restricting the size of home occupations to 20 percent of the total floor area, including the basement and garage, or a maximum of 400 square feet, whichever is less.

Plonczynski said while not many Bartlett homes are in violation, “you get people though who want to push the envelope,” such as a person who was running a printing operation out of a living room and dining room.