'Taj Mahal' nickname not going anywhere

Looks like the phrase "Taj Mahal" is here to stay.

If you've been around Arlington Heights for the past few years, you know what I'm talking about. And it's not the massive mausoleum in India.

It's the $30 million village hall, which opened in January 2008 at Arlington Heights and Sigwalt roads. You can't miss it - it's 75,000 square feet and more than twice the size of the former village hall.

As soon as construction started, the project's cost and size rubbed some people the wrong way. In 2003, the project was estimated at $21.1, so the cost jumped $9 million in a few years. The village spent $1.5 million for furniture. Another $80,000 for a rooftop garden.

So you bet the "Taj Mahal" came up again on Monday when more than 150 people complained about the proposed tax levy increase from inside the new building. The increase would be $46 on a $5,800 tax bill.

Arlington Heights resident Greg Andejeski was one of a few people who brought up the cost of the new village hall.

He called it "the Taj."

"Why aren't we talking about freezing pay or not giving raises?" Andejeski said. "I've been back here for 10 years and I don't think you've ever said no to anyone."

Use of the hall's nickname drives village officials and trustees nuts.

When Andejeski and other residents use the phrase "Taj Mahal" during public meetings, you can see them wince. They've been defending the village hall project for years and it looks like they'll be defending it for years to come.

These days, residents and even other governing bodies refer to the "Taj Mahal in Arlington Heights" as an example of government overspending and the term pops up all the time in our Fencepost letters section.

I did a little research and it turns out former Special Events Commissioner Tom Kivlahan was the first person to come right out and use the phrase during his Hearts of Gold speech in February 2007 - a year before the building opened to the public.

"Village hall was demolished to make room for a modest little project at Sigwalt and Arlington Heights Road which will be known as the John G. Woods Municipal Campus," Kivlahan said. "Although former Village President Woods certainly deserves the recognition, I won't be able to remember that long title.

"I prefer a shorter and more descriptive nickname for the new structure: the Village Taj Mahal - "

He wasn't the only one.

• Sheila Ahern covers Arlington Heights. She can be reached at (847) 427-4563 or via e-mail at sahern@dailyherald.com