Avon board working to address concerns about purchase of house

My name is Terry Wilke, and I have lived here in Avon Township most of my life, since 1977. I have served our community for over 12

years on the Lake County Board and the Forest Preserve Board, and I am proud of what we've accomplished, including this year when we enacted a bipartisan Lake County budget that does not increase the Lake County tax levy on homeowners for the first time in over 20 years.

I ran for township supervisor because I wanted to continue to give back to people in the Avon Township community. I grew up here, went to school here, and I run my business here. I love living in Round Lake and am proud of the caring community spirit that we show for each other. Our community, and our township, prides itself on lending a helping hand to residents in need.

One of our many initiatives is the Neighborhood Revitalization Program, in which we identify homes in a neighborhood that may be bringing down the values of other homes because of poor condition or abandoned status. Once we identify these homes, we rebuild them and enter them into a housing program that pays off any debt incurred during the rebuild and continues to fund the program into the future.

Our residents deserve opportunities to live in safe and well-maintained neighborhoods, we deserve that for our families and we all seek that for our property values. As part of our Neighborhood Revitalization Program, we discussed acquiring a home in May 2019 (which the minutes reflect). We found a great house that we were able to acquire for only one dollar. This home, which has sat neglected and abandoned since 2012, has been a blight on the neighborhood and an "attractive nuisance" to the youth in the community.

Our neighbors pledged to donate their time and labor to help fix up this house to make a home for a needy Avon Township family. The intention was to partner with the LCHA or a local nonprofit dedicated to rebuilding families and communities in Avon Township. Seniors, people with disability, veterans, and low-income residents would be eligible for this assistance.

Unfortunately, the acquisition process was complicated and after much discussion, the community supported an effort to transfer this house to a local nonprofit for renovation. I am confident that, in the end, this home will be an asset to the community and a place of comfort to a local family.

There have been questions asked about the process used to acquire this neglected and abandoned property for only one dollar. I can assure you that the board is working together to address these concerns. I am a firm believer in a fair, honest and transparent government. If any constituent has any questions about this program or any of our other community services, such as the Avon Cares Food Pantry, Emergency Assistance Fund, Medical Equipment Lending Closet, Ride Lake County program, share the warmth heating program, please don't hesitate to contact me. My door is always open to anyone from Avon Township. We are here to help.

Terry Wilke, a Democrat from Round Lake, is Avon Township supervisor and a member of the Lake County Board.