Island Lake buying land for new park
With plans to build a new park, Island Lake officials agreed on Thursday to buy vacant land from one of the town's former mayors.
The property - actually, three adjacent lots totaling about a quarter-acre - belong to Tom and Sharon Hyde. The land will cost the village $20,000.
The property is near Route 176 and Roberts Road, on the west side of the town's namesake lake.
Officials have discussed creating a park there to give people "better views of the lake," interim Village Clerk Jen Gomez said.
In a discussion before Thursday's vote, Trustee Thea Morris asked where the board is getting the money for the project.
She noted that the financially struggling village owes hundreds of thousands of dollars to a police pension fund and has roads in poor condition, and she suggested the money could be better spent in those areas.
Trustee John Burke said about $10,000 for the deal could come from an upcoming grant. Mayor Charles Amrich suggested the rest of the cash could come from the expected sale of an unrelated piece of property.
The purchase would be reliant on the money from that grant and the other property sale coming through, officials said.
Tom Hyde was Island Lake's mayor from 2005 to 2009. He previously served as a trustee.
Sharon Hyde was a village official as well, running the Creative Playtime preschool for many years.
Neither could be reached for comment Thursday.
The village has 23 parks that offer beaches, basketball courts, playgrounds, athletic fields and other amenities, according to the town's website.