Where there was smoke, there was a hero in Carpentersville

In case you missed it, there's a hero among the ranks of the village of Carpentersville's staff.

Engineer Ed Szydlowski saw smoke coming from a home on Kings Road in Carpentersville early last week.

Instead of continuing his drive back to the office, Szydlowksi, who is also a village trustee in Hampshire, stopped.

As he walked up to the house, Szydlowski said he saw a woman yelling from an upstairs window and smoke coming from a side door.

A pan of food was smoldering on the stovetop. Szydlowski and another passerby moved the pan to stop the food from continuing to smolder. The unidentified passerby left the scene.

The elderly woman was home alone and needed assistance down a couple flights of stairs and out the door to safety.

Though Szydlowski downplayed his actions during an interview, there was nothing casual about what he did last Monday.

Village Fire Chief John Schuldt said Szydlowski would receive the Fire Chief's Award of Merit at the village's May 6 board meeting.

Super-sized retail news: If you need proof that Wal-Mart is planning to open a supercenter in West Dundee, head to Monday night's West Dundee planning and zoning commission, 7:30 p.m. at village hall.

Wal-Mart representatives will present a concept plan to the planning commission for a supercenter, which houses a discount retail store and supermarket.

Unlike Wal-Mart's initial proposal, the site no longer includes a lube service center or tire retailer, decreasing the store's size significantly.

The proposed store will be located near the intersection of Huntley Road and Route 31, on the outskirts of Spring Hill Mall.

While some residents will complain that the world's largest retailer will ruin stores in the neighborhood, others might find comfort in the fact that Wal-Mart will build a green store.

No, the building will not be painted green, but the components that go into building it will be environmentally friendly, or eco-conscious.

From exterior solar panels and skylights to use energy from the sun, to refrigerator lights that go off when the door closes, Wal-Mart is making an effort to save the environment.

Since the new store has yet to obtain village approval, it is unknown what might happen to the East Dundee store.

Although there are rumors that the East Dundee store in Route 25 could get a makeover and be transformed into a supercenter, that will not happen.

But that does not mean Wal-Mart is leaving East Dundee altogether, a company spokesman told me last week.

There's still no final word on the fate of East Dundee's largest sales tax generator.

Still, East Dundee officials are bracing themselves for the worst possible outcome.

Village President Dan O'Leary is hoping businesses that once said they would not open up if a Wal-Mart was nearby, might move in after all.

Something needs to be done to fill the potential $600,000 hole in East Dundee's annual sales tax receipts.

• Larissa Chinwah covers Carpentersville, East Dundee and West Dundee. To reach her, call (847) 931-5722, or e-mail lchinwah@dailyherald.com.