Itasca must weigh impact of rehab proposal
Without attempting to contact the village of Itasca, the Daily Herald published a story last week touting Haymarket Center's desire to buy the Holiday Inn-Itasca and convert it into a drug treatment facility. The article states, "No tax dollars would be involved," - a statement that is blatantly false.
Itasca schools, police, fire, village, park district, library and other taxing bodies receive approximately $250,000 annually from the Holiday Inn-Itasca. That revenue will be permanently lost if the property is converted to a not-for-profit use and removed from the tax rolls.
Perhaps a more concerning revelation was the fact that 60 elected officials, including Chairman Cronin, are endorsing or supporting this project before Haymarket has submitted any plans for review. At the behest of former Illinois Speaker Lee Daniels, who is now affiliated with Haymarket, a few village officials and I met with representatives from Haymarket, who indicated Haymarket's intention to acquire the property and sought information on the village's zoning and building processes. To date, Haymarket has not yet submitted any concrete plans for review, so it would be irresponsible for me or any village official to discuss the project.
As one of the smallest towns in DuPage County, Itasca has limited staff and resources. And as a non-home rule community, we have limited ability to raise revenue. We asked Haymarket to provide emergency response data from its current facilities in Chicago so that we can determine whether our community has the emergency resources necessary to service the facility. We have received no response yet.
As mayor of Itasca, I refuse to bow to political pressure. Instead, I promise to listen with an open mind not only to Haymarket, but also to "our neighbors, our family members, our friends, our co-workers" through a public and transparent process. Whatever the outcome, I hope that everyone involved will respect the democratic process moving forward.
Jeffery Pruyn, Mayor
Itasca