South Elgin village hall remodel expected to start in July

South Elgin residents will have to deal with some inconveniences during the upcoming remodeling of the municipal building, which will create separate entrances and lobbies for village hall and the police department.

The nearly $1 million project also will create a "one stop shop" front desk at village hall and include roof replacement, a larger employee break room, improvements in lighting, insulation and interior finishes, and possibly remodeled restrooms on the first floor.

The firm Kluber Architects & Engineers Inc. worked with staff members on various options, and the board gave its OK to the plan Monday night.

The project, budgeted at $997,880, is expected to go out for bids June 8; pending board approval of a contract, construction is expected to start July 5.

Kim Wascher, director of parks and recreation, said she hopes the project will be done by the end of February.

"There will definitely be disruptions, but we are trying to make those disruptions as seamless as possible," she said.

Village hall's front counter temporarily will be relocated to the board room on the second floor. After May 22, the village board will hold its meetings at the public works building at 1000 Bowes Road.

The current lobby has a customer service window for village hall and one for the police department, which means residents don't get much privacy if they come in for sensitive matters, Wascher said.

"This is going to emphasize more that we are taking precautions as a village hall that everyone's confidentiality when they come to deal with the police department is kept confidential," she said.

The remodeling also will allow residents to get paperwork and make payments in the same spot, rather than "walk into a circle" to different counters, she said.

Wascher suggested residents pay their bills online at southelgin.com to avoid unnecessary trips to village hall during construction.

The village recently launched a revamped website that is smartphone- and tablet-friendly, said Mary Vandenboom, assistant to the village administrator, who managed the project. The village has a $4,100 yearly agreement for website content management with GovOffice Web Solutions; the revamped site includes links to the village's Twitter and Facebook feeds.