Ela Township workers move into new digs in Lake Zurich

The smell of fresh paint and carpeting pervaded Ela Township's new building as officials moved in Monday.

While plastic still clings to the floors throughout most of the building, construction is finished and nearly all the furnishings have been moved to the new facility at 1155 E. Route 22, near Knox Park, in Lake Zurich.

Lucy Prouty, supervisor for Ela Township, said the building was finished on time and cost less than the $2.8 million budget.

"It's not as fancy as it looks," said Justin Pathmann, project manager for Pathmann Construction Management. "We used materials that look more expensive than they are."

Pathmann said the porcelain tiling in the lower level is very inexpensive and holds up well although it looks pricey.

The new building houses offices for the assessor, town clerk and social worker in addition to Prouty. Everyone from the old building at 99 E. Main St. moved into the new one Monday, except the assessor, who will not move in until March.

The community room downstairs will welcome meetings of the Boy and Girl Scouts as well as the senior club, which Prouty said has 3,200 members. The space will also be home to the township's board meetings starting Feb. 12.

"We never had a place to meet at, we kind of sat at a card table," Prouty said. "We had a little portable microphone that we hoped to pick everything up on."

The old building was cramped full of boxes Monday as everyone continued to pack up and move out.

"Even before (moving) we had boxes everywhere," said Nora Cunnie, an administrator. "It's a big difference."

Pathmann said his family's construction company started working on the project in late April. They designed, built and decorated the building.

"We picked out all the colors and the furniture ... They hired somebody to give them a complete building," Pathmann said.

The building has about triple the amount of parking that they need, Pathmann said. The extra parking spaces will be used for the Lake Zurich Flames football games.

Township Clerk Bill Donnan said the board has not yet met to decide what will become of the old building.