Sarto plans to address village, set 'benchmarks'

Carpentersville Mayor Bill Sarto says he will deliver a state of the village address within the next month to direct attention to the progress the village has made and chart a course for the village's future.

"I talked about a lot of things when I was running for village president, and I want to get back to them," Sarto said Monday. "I want to lay out things we have done in the last couple of years and give some vision to what we want to accomplish in the coming years -- to set goals and benchmarks for the village."

While no date for the address has been set, Sarto says he will not discuss illegal immigration -- a topic that has enveloped the village since last fall.

"It is time to turn the page and work on things that we can do legally and that will benefit the whole town," Sarto said. "The village is making some great strides, and I think it is time to toot our own horn here."

Sarto said the village made significant strides earlier this month when the village board approved zoning codes and design guidelines village staff had worked for months to revise. He also cited the village's updated comprehensive plan as a major step forward for the village.

"The village staff has done things that haven't been done in a long time or things that have never been done in the village," Sarto said. "Everything is in place for us to do some good things in the village and now we just have to sit down and get to work."

Projects Sarto said he would discuss during his first-ever state of the village address include: developing a TIF district along Route 25 to entice business to the area, attracting hospitals from Chicago to establish a teaching campus in the village and creating an entertainment district at Huntley and Randall roads that would boast a comedy club and piano bar.

"We need to focus on getting the right things in these locations," Sarto said. "If we sit down with the right developer, we could get it done."