Let Wasco be Wasco? It will be up to voters

The future of downtown Campton Hills, or Wasco as it's known locally, is the subject of a nonbinding referendum in the April 7 election.

The ballot question asks voters whether the village should preserve Wasco's "identity," Village President Patsy Smith said Monday.

"We're just trying to get some idea of how people feel and if the majority of them want to somehow honor Wasco history," she said. "There's no set plans on what to do or not to do."

Centered around the intersection of Route 64 and Burlington Road, Wasco consists mostly of small businesses and eateries. It was considered a hamlet until Campton Hills incorporated two years ago, absorbing the area previously governed by Campton Township.

Julia Glas, the township clerk, said Wasco became a hub of local commerce in the 1800s, largely because of a train depot where farmers picked up milk every morning. The depot was relocated in the 1960s and now serves as a community center nearby. The area also is home to Wasco Elementary School, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.

"There is a ton of beautiful history around here," Glas said.

Smith said preservation efforts could be as simple as leaving up signs designating the area as Wasco or as complex as starting a historic district. The latter idea has been thrown around before but never materialized, she said.

"Based on what they (voters) say, that will take us to the next level of looking at ways to do that," Smith said. "If they say no, it's a moot point."

Should the majority of voters show an interested in preservation efforts, the matter would be sent to the village's new economic development committee for preliminary discussion, Smith said.

She said the village chose to put the issue on the ballot instead of doing a survey because "it's the easiest, most inexpensive way for us to get input from residents."

"We just need input," she said.