Model railroad club not leaving Wauconda after all

The Lake County Model Railroad Club is staying put in downtown Wauconda.

Seven months after being told they might have to move, club members have announced they've negotiated a lease extension with their landlord that lets them stay through May 2025.

Relocating would have meant destroying the intricate layouts and roughly 2,000 feet of HO-scale track that fill the basement space at 107 S. Main St. The landscapes - made of plaster, plastic and wood, and secured to plywood platforms - were built to fit the 1,800-square-foot space and can't be cut into portable pieces.

And that bleak possibility left the fate of the 45-year-old club in jeopardy. Club members weren't sure if anyone would want to take the time - or spend the money - to create a new layout in a different space.

Club members even stopped adding elements to the displays, fearing the work would be wasted.

Member Trent Blasco said the new agreement provides "a great sense of relief" for the group.

"Members have begun to once again work on the layout, knowing we have a more secure future," said Blasco, of Buffalo Grove.

Wauconda Village Trustee Linda Starkey is thrilled the club is sticking around.

"The Lake County Model Railway Club displays are unique and historic to Wauconda," Starkey said. "They are one more reason to visit Wauconda and Main Street."

Formed in 1972, the 21-member club gathers beneath the Honey Hill Coffee Co. shop.

Miniature trains chug through layouts that feature the names of real places, including Wauconda, Palatine and Madison.

The space is open to the public every Friday night. Additionally, each spring and fall, the group hosts open houses that usually draw hundreds of railroad fans.

In January, however, landlord Dave Bunge told the club members they might have to move when the lease ends in March 2018 because another possible tenant was eyeing the space.

A Daily Herald story about the club's predicament led to increased community interest in the group.

"We had many residents visit with us, and (we) had our best turnout in years at our March open house," Blasco said.

Bunge subsequently offered to negotiate a new lease with the club.

He said he changed his mind because he realized it would be a "major undertaking" for the club to move.

Bunge said he also got a better understanding of the club's uniqueness and its importance to the community.

"I felt a loyalty to the club and their mission," he said.

In July, both sides tentatively agreed to a deal that calls for rent increases in each year of the contract. Papers haven't yet been signed.

To cover the rising rent, club dues will have to increase from $35 per month unless membership grows, representatives said. An amount hasn't been set.

"That is a topic for our September meeting," said club member Norm Kocol of Johnsburg.

Regardless of the dues amount, Kocol is happy with the lease agreement and the prospect of remaining on Lake Street for at least eight more years. The alternative wasn't good.

"It is my strong opinion that the club would not have survived a move," Kocol said.

Blasco said the group is committed to downtown Wauconda.

"We will continue to give the community a place where all are invited down every Friday night to enjoy our model railroad attraction," he said.