Body shop could cost Antioch

Five years ago we left the city of Chicago, in search of a peaceful and a relatively environmentally clean atmosphere to live in.

We chose Antioch after six months of house shopping in many of the Chicago metro areas. We were surprised at the high cost of homes, even going out this far north.

But the relatively quiet and clean environment of Antioch sold us. The house cost us $430,000 and the taxes are $6,800 due to lakefront property. This in itself makes me adamant, to say the least, that we are about to put our wells and lake in harms way because the current mayor and board is primarily looking at the tax revenue that businesses would generate for the village. Did you fully analyze the housing status and the warning of economists five years ago? Did you analyze the repercussions to the village if developers would go under? Obviously not.

Now again the mayor and board find themselves deciding on a controversial and hazardous issues, and again they seem to be leaning towards increased tax revenue.

Over the decades, the homeowners association surrounding Lake Antioch have spent tens of thousands of dollars to bring the lake to its pristine state and continue to spend $7,000 per year to keep it that way.

Imagine one day the tanker truck that comes every day to pick up the spent solvent from the proposed Autobody Repair and Painting shops decides to take the scenic route, to get a closer look at the lake and has an accident with the garbage trucks that drive down our streets on Thursdays and Fridays or even a delivery truck, and splits open, spilling thousands of gallons of solvent into the lake and eventually polluting our wells.

Try to imagine the ecological impact that the village would be ultimately held responsible for. Again our taxes would have to foot the cleanup cost.

Every morning when I leave for work I see numerous children walking to the elementary school, which is located half block from the proposed body shop and the same after school. The increase of tow trucks and delivery trucks that the bodyshop requires increase the chances of our children getting run over.

Andrew Kasian

Antioch