St. Charles fire district rethinking land buy
The St. Charles Countryside Fire Protection District appears poised to part with one of its most valuable possessions: land.
Specifically, the district is considering letting go of a Burlington Road parcel that was once pitched as the site of a new fire station, until the folks next door complained.
"We want to the community to know -- and especially the adjacent neighbors -- we are sensitive to their concerns and looking for alternative choices," board of trustees President Ed Malek said.
The district bought the property, which includes a house and swimming pool, in 2006 for about $460,000. It's about a mile north of Route 64 and Wasco, on the west side of Burlington Road.
The residence was to be converted into a fire and ambulance station proposed under a referendum request that would have almost tripled the district's tax rate.
But voters handily rejected the measure, which raised a stink among several Burlington Road property owners who said they weren't told of the district's big plans and didn't want to hear fire trucks and ambulances rumble by at all hours of the night.
These days, Malek says, using the site as originally intended is off the table while the district scouts alternative sites in the "general Campton Hills and Wayne" areas.
"We would much rather identify an alternative location before we put the (Burlington Road) property up for sale," Malek said, noting that the district recently negotiated a lower interest rate on its mortgage. "We're taking it one step at a time."
Malek added that the ongoing talks include collaboration with St. Charles' municipal fire department, which currently is contracted to provide all of the district's emergency services and is looking to build its own new station along Red Gate Road.
She'll to the talking: The city of St. Charles finally has a voice. Her name's Beth Mund and she's the city's first manager of community and public affairs (a.k.a. spokesman).
In the newly created position, the city says Mund will "support city administration communications initiatives, manage news and information delivery for the city and serve as a key communication liaison and city spokesperson." In other words, she'll do the talking.
Mund has 15 years of experience in public relations and communications. She worked previously as a senior communication consultant for Motorola, Allstate and United Airlines. She also has done public affairs and PR work for NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and the International Space Station Program, the city said.
"St. Charles is a dynamic city with a strong history and a powerful vision for the future," Mund said in a news release. "I look forward to working with the citizens and employees to continue to help St. Charles shine as the jewel of the Fox Valley."
Added City Administrator Brian Townsend: "This new role will greatly help continue to strengthen communication and to develop new communication opportunities for us to work with the citizens of St. Charles."
Mund's starting annual salary is $72,500. The city has budgeted for the new expense, Townsend said.
jstockinger@dailyherald.com