Kane County unwilling to delay work
A St. Charles official's pleas to stall work on the continued buildout of the new Kane County government site Tuesday morning met with both reassurance and a message to get on the train or get run over.
St. Charles Ward 5 Alderman Ed Bessner delivered a letter from city administrators to the Kane County Board. It expressed fear that the construction of a vehicle maintenance facility on the northeast corner of the government complex along Route 38 west of Randall Road may disrupt the daily lives of St. Charles residents nearby.
Bessner told the county board he didn't feel anything was being hidden from the public, but the county must do a better job of letting nearby residents know what may happen. Bessner lives in the subdivision that would abut the potential maintenance facility.
"I feel there was 20 community members that were involved and the rest of the community has no idea what was going on," Bessner said of the plan.
Several board members reacted to that concern by suggesting the county wait 30 days to approve a concept plan for the future of the government complex. The idea was to allow St. Charles to fully express concerns.
But the majority of the board said the concept plan, even with the maintenance facility located where it would be, is just a beginning. It will be years before the actual building is erected, leaving plenty of time for St. Charles to suggest alternatives without delaying approval of the concept. The approval allows architects to get a jump start on further designs.
"This is a broad-stroke concept kind of plan," said county board member Mark Davoust. "With the jail project, I feel we have shown we are very sensitive as neighbors."
Davoust, who is from St. Charles, said he's led at least three meetings on the plan for the complex with a fair share of input from local residents. There will be many more opportunities for input and changes for those same residents, he said.
If that was the gentle reassurance for St. Charles residents, Kane County Board member Arlene Shoemaker, from Aurora, delivered the rebuff.
"We have bent over backward to make this a beautiful facility, and I am sure that if we put a maintenance facility there it will also be a beautiful facility," Shoemaker said.
"I went to a lot of the public meetings, and I heard the people say, 'Why are you doing this to us?' Well, we're doing this to you because we've spent a lot of money; it's always been our plan; it's never been a secret. We're going to put a good facility there. The people of St. Charles better work with us or get used to it."
The county board approved the concept plan 17 to 4.
After the meeting, Bessner said he was glad his comments sparked some debate, but he still believes St. Charles residents haven't been well informed about the project.
"I don't want people to feel that this was shoved down their throats," Bessner said. "I know it's just a concept plan, but I've seen concepts carry all the way through to the final project."