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12-year-old gets West Dundee to consider saving historic pump house

A century-old pump house slated for demolition in downtown West Dundee might be reconstructed into a community space using salvaged materials.

The roughly 1,200-square-foot pump house is one of a handful of buildings expected to be knocked down as part of a redevelopment plan for the corner of First and Main streets. But village officials began considering how they could incorporate the pump house into West Dundee's downtown plan after hearing from community members interested in preserving it.

Among them was 12-year-old Ben Dombrowski, who researched the building and urged trustees for weeks not to tear it down.

"I have a passion for history, and a lot of the reason people like this town is because of its history that kind of gives it a charm," said Ben, a sixth-grader at Immanuel Lutheran School. "I think this (pump house) has a lot of potential."

Because of its poor condition, renovating the existing structure was deemed too costly for the village. But Trustee Dan Wilbrandt said there's a feasible option for preserving the 19th-century pump house.

In addition to demolishing the building at a cost of roughly $34,000, officials have agreed to allot $7,000 toward preserving its materials, such as bricks, windows and limestone windowsills, according to village documents. Those salvaged pieces could then be used to rebuild a similar - and perhaps smaller - pump house-like structure at a nearby location closer to the Fox River.

Wilbrandt said he envisions the reconstructed pump house becoming a community attraction - a spot for kayak, canoe and paddle boat rentals, or a centralized space during village events, including Dickens in Dundee or Heritage Fest. It would also contain restrooms and be built to code.

"This is a chance for West Dundee to put an iconic structure in the forefront of our downtown plan," Wilbrandt said.

Though Ben would prefer to see the existing pump house saved, he supports the village's idea to reconstruct and relocate it.

"Anything is better than just destroying it," he said.

Village President Chris Nelson said a public-private partnership is necessary to make such a project feasible. The village may not have to look far, as Jay Correia of DreamCo Design, a business at 102 W. Main St., has already met with trustees and expressed interest in being a concessionaire.

"I definitely think it's a good thing for the town," Correia told trustees Monday. "I'm behind the plan, and I'd like to stay involved with it if I have the opportunity."

The pump house reconstruction project costs, anticipated at about $220,000, have been included in a second phase of the redevelopment plan for First and Main streets, Village Manager Joe Cavallaro said, though a source for those funds has not yet been identified. The plan's first phase, which has already been given the green light, includes improving other properties along the river and stabilizing the shoreline.

"Adding some life there through this relocated (pump house) makes sense, but it has to be done in a way that's practical and sustainable," Nelson said. "We want to reactivate that stretch of the riverfront."

  Several community members, including 12-year-old Ben Dombrowski, have expressed interested in saving the century-old pump house slated for demolition in downtown West Dundee along the Fox River. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
  The pump house in West Dundee might get new life in the form of reconstruction. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
  Ben Dombrowski talks about the historic significance of the West Dundee pump house slated for demolition. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
  Ben Dombrowski, 12, holds a book showing several historic images of the West Dundee pump house. Mark Black/mblack@dailyherald.com
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