So happy together? It may be time for one Dundee

Up and down the Fox River - from the city of McHenry in the north to Aurora in the south - municipalities straddle both sides of the waterway.

But there are two villages in the Fox Valley where the river serves as a border separating one town from another: East Dundee and West Dundee.

The discussion of unifying the two towns comes up occasionally and has twice made its way to the ballot in a referendum question, only to fail.

But with the Dundees struggling to revive revenues and beef up their bottom lines, is it time again to consider one Dundee?

Some village leaders from both sides of the river say they would support unifying to become one Dundee. Others say just merging services, such as police, fire and public works, would prove more useful than unifying the two towns.

"There needs to be a regional type of approach in the consolidation of services and intergovernmental opportunities," West Dundee Village Manager Joe Cavallaro said. "I think that is more likely to happen and an appropriate scenario rather than merging the two towns."

But for others, unifying would help both sides of the river, with each town providing unique businesses, public spaces and other opportunities like the Depot and Haeger Pottery in East Dundee and Grafelman Park and Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee,

"The Dundees are the only towns that exist on either side of the river as two separate towns," East Dundee village Trustee Jeff Lynam said. "It doesn't make sense that we are the only ones."

Voters in 1956 and 1962 rejected efforts to combine the villages. East Dundee proposed the first referendum question, but West Dundee voters said no. The roles were reversed in 1962.

"What we have now with the economy certainly makes sense for it," Lynam said.

West Dundee Trustee Norm Osth, who has lived on both sides of the river in the last 40 years, said he has never understood the reason or rationale that the two towns are divided by the river.

"I have always considered it Dundee," said Osth, who lived in East Dundee for 21 years and before crossing to West Dundee 19 years ago. "Why couldn't it be a wholistic community just like Algonquin, St. Charles, Aurora or Geneva?"

Although he would support unification, Osth said the decision would ultimately depend on the willingness of residents from both towns.

"If residents at a grass-roots level can stand up and say, 'We are tired of the redundancies', then something will happen," Osth said. "Otherwise it is not going to happen because everyone will want to protect their fiefdom."

Village presidents of both towns reiterated Osth's assertion that a move to make the two towns one would need to start with the residents.

"At the end of the day for a unification to come to fruition it has to be something that is a grass-roots effort by the residents," East Dundee Village President Jerry Bartels said. "If it is something that the residents really want, then it will happen. But I don't think it is a decision for the politicians to make."

For East Dundee Trustee Michael Ruffulo, that answer depends on which hat he is wearing: trustee or resident.

As a trustee, Ruffulo said merging with West Dundee would be in the best interest of East Dundee and would also benefit West Dundee as the village continues to watch its sales tax revenues slide.

"There are businesses merging trying to cut costs as much as they can," Ruffulo said, "Five years ago we wouldn't even be thinking about it, but now West Dundee's needs have certainly changed, too. This economy is affecting them as well."

Ruffulo pointed out that both villages would save by eliminating duplicated services such as in the police department, public works and in the village staff.

"It would be better to bond up and face this as one," Ruffulo said. "Dundee is such a magical name and should be captured as much as possible. But I guess it would be like moving in with the in-laws."

<p class="factboxheadblack">Better to merge? </p> <p class="News">If West Dundee and East Dundee were to unify to become Dundee, what unique landmarks would each town offer? Here's a short list of places village officials say would benefit both towns.</p> <p class="breakhead">West Dundee</p> <p class="News">Grafelman Park</p> <p class="News">Spring Hill Mall</p> <p class="News">The Clearwater Theater</p> <p class="breakhead">East Dundee</p> <p class="News">Haeger Pottery</p> <p class="News">The Depot</p> <p class="News">Piece-A-Cake Bakery</p> <p class="News">Source: West Dundee and East Dundee village board. </p>