After no vote, rehab plan will go to Kane County instead
Officials representing the Kiva Recovery Center, rejected by Campton Hills trustees, said Wednesday they plan to take their proposal to the Kane County Board.
Kiva had asked to be annexed into Campton Hills, which gave trustees the ability to negotiate numerous conditions, such as impact fees for emergency services and a security system requirement. But the plan was defeated by a 4-2 vote Tuesday night as residents opposed to the project cheered.
The county does not have the same amount of oversight as the village in its evaluation of converting a 120-acre former school into a 96-bed rehab center.
Steven Elrod, an attorney representing Kiva, said the group still plans to buy the site off Silver Glen Road and will bring its proposal to the county “immediately.”
“We respect the decision of the village board. This was a matter of annexation, and in Illinois, this is one of the few matters, if not the only matter, in which they have complete and total discretion. We regret that the majority of the village board was unable to separate fact from fear,” Elrod said.
“We intend to present the same professional fact-based, expert-proven case to the Kane County Board,” he continued. “We fully intend to cooperate with the county at every level in addressing any legitimate concerns that its professional staff and its appointed and elected officials may have.”
Campton Hills residents fought the Kiva proposal, saying it would burden emergency services, lower property values, hurt the village’s image and pose a safety risk if clients left the property.
Kiva officials said no addicts would be detoxed at the facility, which would be geared toward recovering professionals and cost $30,000 for a 30-day stay. Kiva officials did acknowledge that meth addicts would be treated at the facility but maintained this was voluntary, private treatment that clients would be choosing themselves.
The village’s plan commission unanimously endorsed the project in November, but trustees had the final say. Residents also pushed for a nonbinding referendum in April to gauge opinion on the matter, but trustees opted to conduct a postcard survey of village households in which more than three-quarters of respondents opposed the plan.
On Tuesday night, trustees Laura Anderson, Susan George, Al Lenkaitis, and Mike Millette voted to deny the plan. Trustees Jim Kopec and John Strauss voted in favor of it. Village President Patsy Smith votes only to break a tie and declined to say Wednesday how she would have voted if the board had been deadlocked.
After Tuesday’s vote, Smith attempted to address the crowd, saying there’s a “consequence” to trustees voting down the plan. But she was jeered and heckled and did not finish her statement.
On Wednesday, Smith also declined to elaborate on what she was going to say but noted that Kiva was to pay a total $7 million in impact fees for emergency services and other assessments under the proposed 20-year annexation agreement with Campton Hills.
“The board spoke and the majority of the board members chose to turn it down. I know the board put a lot of time and consideration into this,” Smith said, adding the entire debate shows how residents value their community in general. “Our people are very concerned about the quality of life in the area. They appreciate what we have here. They’re engaged — which is good.”