Mayor outlines future of Roselle

Better technology, improving communication and marketing the community better to attract new residents and businesses will be the top focus of Roselle village officials next year.

That's what Roselle Mayor Gayle Smolinski told a roomful of people Tuesday when she delivered her annual State of the Village Address to the Roselle Area Chamber of Commerce at Sergio's Cucina Italiana restaurant in Itasca.

"We need to devote more time and resources to where we want to take the village in the future," Smolinski said. "We consistently look for ways to work smarter, do more and use technology to keep our costs down."

In the technology department, the village plans to install two new outdoor storm sirens by next summer, something that a number of residents lobbied for in recent years.

Additionally, the village's police department plans to install cameras at Gary Avenue and Lake Street and at Roselle Road and the Elgin O'Hare expressway.

If that happens, speeders will receive speeding tickets in the mail and police will be able to better monitor the activities in those areas that are known for many accidents.

A total of roughly $500,000 will be invested in technology. That includes computer upgrades in municipal buildings and improvements to the village's 911 system.

To improve communication and marketing, the village recently started a new e-news newsletter a few months ago.

It already has roughly 600 subscribers and informs residents via e-mail about upcoming projects, events and other useful information.

In the upcoming months, the village also plans to hire a new part-time community relations coordinator that will be responsible for the village's cable program and special events.

The mayor also answered questions about upcoming developments.

A large development on Gary Avenue and Lake Street could be complete by summer, she said.

The project includes a new hotel, gas station, townhouses and three commercial and retail buildings that could eventually house anywhere from 18 to 24 new businesses.

As for Roselle's downtown, the Roselle Chamber of Commerce plans to move its offices from its location near Turner Park to downtown Roselle, near Park and Main streets.

Additionally, the village board will discuss building a Safety Town near Parkside Park.

In the finance department, Smolinski said that the village is seeing an increase in revenue, particularly on income and sales taxes.

Next year, the village plans to spend roughly $1.2 million on improving streets, $800,000 for sewers, $2.8 million for a new sewage storage tank and another $500,000 to renovate the Devlin sewer plant.

"We live well in Roselle. We have great parks and great schools ... a nice standard of living," Smolinski said. "If you live here, you live a pretty darn good life."