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Libertyville plans to replace dedicated bricks at Cook Park

The "Buy a Brick" program for Cook Park in downtown Libertyville could be suspended as the village looks to coordinate repairs on the namesake mansion and local landmark.

It's too soon to know whether that will happen, but 624 engraved bricks that have been purchased and installed over the years in the popular gathering place will be removed and replaced this fall.

Settling has occurred in a 300-square-foot patio area in front of the mansion where the bricks are located, creating an uneven surface, according to village officials.

All the bricks have to be removed so a process known as mud-jacking can be used to level the concrete perimeter sidewalk. The sand base then would be regraded and the bricks reinstalled.

"We believe it needs to replaced properly so it doesn't become a safety hazard," Village Administrator Chris Clark said.

The original 624 engraved bricks will be replaced with new, engraved ones and 33 new bricks purchased this year also will be installed.

"If you have a brick there, your brick is not going away," Trustee Rich Moras said during the village board meeting Tuesday.

When the park was renovated in 1999, the village instituted a program for residents and others to "Buy a Brick" for $100. Through 2016, 1,473 engraved bricks were ordered and installed in various locations in the park.

The village board Tuesday authorized spending no more than $30,000 for the work involving the patio area known as the top deck. It did not address the remaining brick-paved areas in the park.

Bricks have to be replaced because over time, the engraving has faded and deteriorated on the bottom due to trapped moisture, according to Public Works Director Paul Kendzior.

"You're better served re-engraving the brick," he said. The new ones will have a special finish that lasts longer.

"It would be very, very difficult to try to re-use them," Kendzior added.

Clark said proceeds from the program do not cover maintenance costs.

At the village board meeting Tuesday, Mayor Pro-Tem Donna Johnson noted the "passionate commitment" of residents, but recommended suspending the Buy a Brick program pending a comprehensive repair plan for the Cook mansion.

Options will be discussed during the 2018-19 budget review, Clark said.

  Bricks in the patio area in front of Cook Mansion in Libertyville will be replaced as part of a repair project that could lead to a temporary suspension of the village's "Buy a Brick" program. Steve Lundy/slundy@dailyherald.com
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