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Lake County mayors look back village accomplishments in 2014

Whether it's in business or personal life, the end of a year is always a good time to look back and assess what happened in the previous 12 months: what was good, what was not so good about the year that was.

It's no different in government, so we contacted mayors in Lake County and posed this question: What was your village's top accomplishment in 2014?

Here's what they had to say.

Larry Hanson, Antioch: Breaking ground on the new LEED-certified, state-of-the-art manufacturing building in the IDI industrial park. This is the economic catalyst we need to ensure the availability of excellent job opportunities and an increasingly viable business climate in our town. This project is a keystone development, which we look to as Antioch overcomes the challenges of the recession years and emerges into the full opportunity of the 21st century. We believe this investment will attract other compatible businesses and become the economic engine that will bring increased prosperity to our citizens, while providing a more stable tax base and serving to attract retail and commercial development on the Route 173 corridor.

Donny Schmit, Fox Lake: Hiring a village administrator and community development director; the re-emergence of the facade and Promote Fox Lake programs; expanding our Lakefront Park through land acquisition; receiving an $800,000 grant for our Lakefront Park, an RTA grant, a Chicago Metropolitan Planning Area grant, a Community Block Development grant, repairing over two miles of streets and replacing 33 fire hydrants to name a few of our accomplishments. The thing that I am most proud of, however, is the way we have changed the way that Fox Lake does business with our residents and businesses.

Mayor Rhett Taylor, Grayslake: The village had more than one "top" accomplishment: financially, the village remained debt-free and delivered another balanced budget. We continued to make significant capital improvements in the town. The intersection of Lake Street and Route 120 was improved to add in traffic flow, including the addition of much needed turn lanes. The northwest corner of the property was purchased in a joint public/private partnership and the abandoned gas station has been removed and replaced with a public park, thus improving the appearance of the intersection. Finally, on an economic development front, the village has benefited from the continued expansion of Northwestern Hospital Grayslake Outpatient Center.

Bernard Wysocki, Green Oaks: Formation of the Roundout Redevelopment Project Area Tax Increment Financing District (TIF district). The TIF district was formed to provide economic incentive potential for redevelopment of a 300-acre area consisting of industrial and commercial properties. Through the just-completed TIF formation process, each taxing body in the district was advised of the village's plan to redevelop public roads, sewer and water infrastructure improvements. All taxing bodies agreed to the plan for redevelopment, and with the ability to even reach some moderate success, all of the taxing bodies will benefit. Trustee Denny Dorsey spearheaded the working group and shaped the study, the plan and the implementation of the project. While there are miles to go with the plan of redevelopment, there couldn't have been a better beginning.

Kristina Kovarik, Gurnee: Landing Akhan Semiconductors, a major new high-tech manufacturing firm bringing high-paying jobs to Gurnee, and a major collaborative effort with Sen. Melinda Bush, IL DECO, Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor and the Lake County Board plus the financial support from all the local taxing bodies (schools, township and park district). Working together made it happen.

We passed a dedicated funding source to fund an annual Capital Infrastructure Program. Investing in our infrastructure and curb appeal has been a goal of the board for several years. The community understands the importance of this step to our future viability. We will be publishing a rolling 5-year CIP so everyone always knows exactly how the money is being spent and what is getting worked on and when.

The groundbreaking of Welton Village Plaza came to fruition. We are thrilled to honor Mayor Richard Welton with such a fitting location and plan, but it also creates a gathering place in the center of the village to share our history for future generations.

We launched One Stop Gurnee, which modernizes the community development department and makes it easier for residents to engage and secure permits. As future enhancements are made, it will streamline and reduce the time to secure a permit.

We collaborated with the three school districts on the first joint newsletter. It was well received and we plan to continue it. A joint newsletter saves costs and keeps all our residents informed whether they have children in school or not.

Joe Mancino, Hawthorn Woods: Some of our 2014 highlights are the comprehensive plan completion: this was a 10-month public process that included board members, committee members, staff, residents and business owners. It was completed with a $95,000 grant the village received in 2013.

Exceeded General Fund Reserve budget: achieved a reserve fund surplus of approximately 45 percent of our general budget, allowing us to reinvest capital into the village.

Development: approved and saw ground break of new 241-home development from Pulte Homes, which includes new parks, open space and a retail/commercial component.

Investment: New roof at village hall, new state-of-the-art snowplow truck, new police squad car.

Grants: $352,000 in cash grants awards and $31,000 in products - trees, AEDs, police vests, and recycling bins.

Awards: Lake County Municipal League Innovation Award: Re-Inventing Municipal Government: An Entrepreneurial Small Business Approach; Women of Law Enforcement Award issued to HW Police Chief; IAPD Best Friends of Illinois Parks Award; Mayoral Leadership Award from CSNA and ARSA.

Park upgrades: Compliance with ADA standards now accessible to everyone.

Team additions: hiring village's first professional full-time planner to work on the new, impending development.

EOP Plan completion: a comprehensive, real time update to our Emergency Operations Plan complete with a new designation for our EOC and a fully equipped mobile EOC.

Charles Amrich, Island Lake: We have been able to continue to pay into the police pension fund the money it was shorted from the previous administration. The village has also been able to settle a dispute with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in regards to a grant received for Greenleaf Woods that has been ongoing for about eight years.

Todd Weihofen, Lakemoor: The start of the construction process for our new municipal campus. Our village has been in need of a new village hall and police department almost from its inception. We currently reside in a temporary village hall and hold our meetings in a board room at our police department. We hired FGM Architects to provide design and architectural services for our project and after a solid needs analysis, we chose a site along Route 120 east of Darrell Road. We are in the process of choosing a construction manager and look to have the project completed by spring 2016. The building will be roughly 15,000 square feet and will house the administration and the police department.

During the process the village applied for general obligation bonds. We had not had a bond rating in the past and had to undergo a very stringent evaluation by Standard & Poor's Rating Services. After a review of our fiscal responsibilities and the manner in which our village is run throughout all departments, we were given an AA rating. This was a huge accomplishment for our village due to the fact most municipalities receive an A rating or lower on their first evaluation. Some of the reasons cited by Standard & Poor's for the higher rating were a strong budgetary performance, strong management conditions, adequate debt and contingent liability profile and a strong institutional frame work. I am proud of all of the department heads, staff and elected officials who made this possible.

Frank Loffredo, Lake Villa: Since getting our first village administrator this year, we have been a very active community. In the area of public works, it has to be the progress we have made in obtaining Lake Michigan Water. We have moved forward with our approvals and are ahead of our timeline. We hold a preliminary seat on the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency board and are finalizing our internal engineering needs.

Public safety has introduced a great deal of new technology into the police department but I feel the biggest advance was in community policing by offering programs, for the public, to raise their awareness of issues affecting today's society. Also, the Neighborhood Police Program, which assigns an officer to specific areas where they meet residents and establish a relationship that they can contact that officer whenever a question or need arises that is a nonemergency.

From the village, I would have to say it is our implementation of our Transit Oriented Development Plan, which is designed to redevelop, rehabilitate and revitalize our "downtown" economic core. We have rewritten most all of our codes and ordinances to create exciting opportunities in our community for commercial development.

Thomas Poynton, Lake Zurich: The village received a AAA bond rating, a distinction earned by only about 3 percent of Illinois municipalities. This was proof the village's efforts in belt tightening and renewed sense of fiscal responsibility were recognized. The village was able to achieve the long-sought-after 12-year TIF extension approval from the General Assembly. The TIF district extension was a key component of the village's Six Point Downtown Action Plan adopted last fall containing near-term strategies for moving downtown forward and was identified in the village's 2011 Downtown Redevelopment Strategies report as critical to ongoing economic development efforts. The projected financial benefit over the course of the next 23 years is some $14 million.

Terry Weppler, Libertyville: I am most proud of our communication level with our residents. During the Brainerd and video gambling issues, we held town hall meetings, gathered and put out information to our residents and provided sufficient information and input so the board and I could understand the feelings of our residents. We did this through a special edition Village Views on Brainerd, reverse 911 calls to let residents know about upcoming meetings, putting together unbiased information on the pluses and minuses of both issues and getting that out to the public. I am also proud of our working relationship with MainStreet, our businesses and the residents. We do not have any open buildings on Milwaukee Avenue in the downtown that are not currently in development. I believe our working relationship with all entities involved with the village is great.

Brett Blomberg, Lincolnshire: We brought in new business to town and are developing a program to promote and market Lincolnshire. I expect to continue to grow our business base.

Susan Lahr, Lindenhurst: Finalizing membership with the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency. This was another milestone event in the village's efforts to obtain Lake Michigan water and secure a long-term, cost-effective water supply solution for our community.

Steve Lentz, Mundelein: Completing construction of our village hall ahead of schedule and under budget. Using savings, anticipated TIF revenue, and through a private/public partnership with a top-floor tenant, we completed this project without raising taxes. We also launched a comprehensive branding campaign for the village. We rolled-out our branding promise: Mundelein will be central Lake County's premier location for entrepreneurs and known as a welcoming community. Our tag line is, "Start here. Star here." and our new logo is a well-designed multicolored star.

Shannon Yeaton, Port Barrington: Port Barrington has a population of nearly 1,500 residents. Being a small community, we have limited funds for large scale projects. The projects that we do complete have been planned for and budgeted as long-term goals. This year, 2014, we were especially proud of a complete overhaul of our signature park, Hermann Park, adjacent to village hall. Trustee Rose Eddy, the supervising trustee of the project, came in under the allotted $36,000 budget. The park was unveiled during this year's annual Village Garden Party in September.

Dan MacGillis, Round Lake: Change starts within. We have made significant changes in administration to facilitate a business-friendly environment and create a comprehensive plan for the future development of Round Lake. This year, we have in place a new village administrator, finance director and land planner.

Restructuring the police department was an enormous accomplishment. The organization is now composed of our chief, two commanders and five sergeants. This structure provides greater administrative efficiency and opportunity for advancement inside the department while adhering to the budget.

The $4.8 million Hart and Sunset Road reconstruction project. Improved corridor, sidewalks for public safety for pedestrians and school kids, stormwater management and entrance to our industrial area.

We have received many compliments for the work our new beautification committee has provided us improving our downtown appearance.

Upgrades in technology such as communications, servers, voice over IP. We purchased tablets for department heads and trustees leading to a sustainable greener environment.

Reforestation program continued to be successful in 2014, as we partner with our residents and a cost-sharing program allowing us to combat the devastating effect of the emerald ash borer.

One of the least visible but most important accomplishments is my continued effort and quest to bring Round Lake together and create a true sense of community. The business owners and homeowners summits continue to be successful. This is evident by the level of participation both groups provided at the community outreach event for our comprehensive plan. I am so proud of our trustees. The board is cohesive, works well together and shares a common vision for the future of Round Lake.

Mayor Richard H. Hill, Round Lake Beach: Signing Meijer to come to Round Lake Beach, appointing a new chief of police and a new finance director.

Terry Lumpkins, Round Lake Heights: Started a veteran's committee and we have started to plan the Veteran's Memorial Park. We plan on breaking ground shortly and finishing the park in 2015.

Linda Lucassen, Round Lake Park: Successfully completing the Groot Transfer Station hearings and updating the village's website and improving communication with our residents.

Roger Byrne, Vernon Hills: We maintained a strong budget balance sheet while delivering high quality services and attaining AAA bond ratings from both Standard & Poor's and Moody's rating services.

Burnell Russell, Volo: The agreement with Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency and Wauconda for Lake Michigan water is the number-one accomplishment. Also, reorganized by hiring Mike May as full-time administrator Jan. 20, 2014.

Frank Bart, Wauconda: Completing our strategic plan to be introduced in late December. We have successfully completed the planning process and established a five-year strategic plan endorsed by all stakeholders. Our planning process featured input from the general public, business owners, civic groups and other local government entities. We have made some progress on some of the key strategies outlined in our strategic plan as well.

Donny Schmit, Fox Lake
Rhett Taylor, Grayslake
Bernard Wysocki, Green Oaks.
Kristina Kovarik, Gurnee
Charles Amrich, Island Lake
Todd Weihofen, Lakemoor
Frank Loffredo, Lake Villa
Thomas Poynton, Lake Zurich
Terry Weppler, Libertyville
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