New businesses, projects on the way in Algonquin, Lake in the Hills

New businesses, park restorations and the completion of a new police station are in store for Algonquin and Lake in the Hills residents next year.

The Algonquin/Lake in the Hills Chamber of Commerce also announced the revival of its nonprofit foundation during its annual membership breakfast last Friday.

Lake in the Hills Village President Raymond Bogdanowski and Algonquin Village President Debby Sosine spoke about their towns’ accomplishments and goals at the meeting.

Among the biggest projects Lake in the Hills is working on is the new police station next to village hall at 600 Harvest Gate, scheduled to open in late 2025. Announced at last year’s chamber breakfast, the village broke ground on the project in April and it is expected to be completed next fall, Bogdanowski said.

“The state-of-the-art facility will complement our village hall in a campus that is focused on service, delivering and servicing our community,” he said.

The 40,000-square-foot facility will have a multipurpose training room, offices, garage and indoor storage. Officials said the new building, which is expected to cost $22 million, will not increase residents’ taxes.

Once the current police station, at 1115 Crystal Lake Road, is vacant, village officials hope to use the area to develop a centralized hub.

“Maybe that’s our opportunity to have that downtown area that we’ve always envisioned in Lake in the Hills,” Bogdanowski said. “The way Lake in the Hills is laid out, we don’t really have that.”

Both villages touted new businesses coming in the next year including an additional Starbucks on Algonquin Road and Jack in the Box replacing the shuttered Arby’s on Randall Road. Restaurants Lazy Dog, First Watch and Chipotle are expected to open early next year in Algonquin and more businesses are coming to Algonquin Commons, Sosine said.

Renovations to Algonquin’s Presidential and Towne parks are expected to be completed by spring, Sosine said. The village plans to bring back its popular summer concerts to Towne Park with the new band shell and work on Woodscreek restoration to prevent flooding and restore wildlife.

Both village presidents are up for reelection and Bogdanowski and Sosine plan to run again. Candidate filing for the positions opened Tuesday and Sosine was among the first to submit nominating petitions.

The chamber also announced the Algonquin/Lake in the Hills Chamber Foundation was brought back last month after being defunct for about seven years, chamber Executive Director Greg Urban said.

Starting with almost $10,000 in the account, the nonprofit aims to support local businesses through education, financial assistance and community engagement.

“That was one of my goals when I came in is having a charitable foundation that is in partnership with the chamber, can do so much for the community and I felt like it was a very valuable thing to bring back,” he said.

The foundation launched the Alert Fund with hopes to keep businesses open and back on their feet after emergencies. The program can provide up to $1,000 within one day for local businesses that experience disasters including vandalism, burglary, fire and other natural disaster damage. Any local business in the 60102 and 60156 ZIP codes can apply, even those that are not chamber members, Urban said.

The Entrepreneur Academy will provide scholarships to business owners and employees for retraining, attending conferences and expanding skills.