Carol Stream considering village hall project

Carol Stream trustees next week will review several conceptual proposals for the future of their village hall and police station, both housed in a nearly 40-year-old building on Gary Avenue.

Built in 1979, the 40,400-square-foot building is undersized and presents security and accessibility issues, architects say.

On March 3, the village board will get a look at four possible alternatives prepared by a village-hired firm:

• A major remodel of the building.

• A major remodel with a partial demolition of the building, possible land acquisition and additions.

• Construction of a new facility to house both village employees and police on another site.

• Construction of a new police station on another site.

The building's roof, exterior, windows and a fire suppression system are generally in good condition, according to Williams Architects. But the firm recommends a facility of about 54,730 square feet, a footprint that would meet "near-term" plans for the village's workforce.

The police department, for example, is expected to grow from a current staff of 89 employees to 93 over the next few years.

"The building, in general, has a tired, worn, outdated and negative effect on the energy level of those that visit and work there," a memo by architects to village staff members said.

Officials are looking to "flush out concepts" and are far from discussing funding a project, Village Manager Joe Breinig said. Architects, though, will estimate the preliminary costs of each scenario at the board meeting.

"It's not going to be a detailed set of plans for each option," Breinig said.

The village's tentative budget does not set aside funds for such a project, either. The main operating fund is projected to generate a nearly $2.2 million surplus. Finance Director Jon Batek also anticipates the general fund will yield a $4.4 million surplus this year, money that will pay for capital projects, per village policy.

"It's a pretty significant size surplus based on where we've come from throughout the Great Recession," he said.

The two strongest-performing revenue sources? Sales tax and the village's share of the state income tax, Batek said. Carol Stream does not charge a property tax.

The budget calls for about a 6 percent increase in sales tax revenues.

"A lot of it is due to existing businesses," Batek said. "I'm seeing a lot of good reliable growth in a lot of the core businesses that are already here."

On the expense side, the village is ramping up for an "aggressive" to-do list for capital projects, including completing more than $4 million in roadwork, officials say.

Another highlight is hiring a consultant to plan a village website redesign. It's a "phased" project, Batek said, and the new website wouldn't go live until the 2017-18 fiscal year.

Overall, the $25.7 million general fund budget, which covers departments such as police and public works, will rise 3.5 percent over the 2015-16 adopted budget.

The village board is expected to adopt the spending plan April 18.