Palatine to have coming-out party Saturday for its downtown streetscape improvements
Palatine is holding a coming-out party Saturday to showcase its downtown streetscape improvements.
The festivities run from 3 to 9 p.m. and feature several hours of music.
Workers were putting on the finishing touches this week, digging in the dirt of planter boxes, while new overhead lights went up.
Village Manager Reid Ottesen said the construction, which used about $4 million in tax increment financing funds, has yielded new landscaping and better lighting. The village also was able to make storm sewer improvements and replace lead service lines connected to buildings.
“We’ve totally redone Slade Street from Plum Grove (Road) all the way over to Towne Square Park,” Ottesen said.
The goal, he said, is to create an attractive environment to draw visitors to downtown Palatine.
Mayor Jim Schwantz echoed Ottesen’s remarks.
“We wanted to create some excitement, create some aesthetics down there,” he said, adding this was achieved with the overhead lighting, the bumpouts and the outdoor seating for some establishments.
Thanks to an agreement with the owner of the BMO building, the village has expanded downtown parking, Ottesen said.
Live music will be performed in the Firefighters Memorial parking lot at Slade and Brockway streets. The schedule includes:
• Goldmember Band, 3-4:30 p.m.
• Billy Elton, 5:15-6:45 p.m.
• Old School, 7:30-9 p.m.
During the event, village officials said, patrons will be allowed to carry out alcoholic beverages into the event area from the following participating establishments: JL's Pizza & Sports Bar; Schnell's Brauhaus; TJ O'Brien's Bar & Grill; Madcats; and Pizza Bella.
No outside coolers or pets are allowed at the event.
The work is the first of a three-phase series of planned improvements. Construction will resume next year on the intersection of Plum Grove and Palatine roads and some improvements on Bothwell and Brockway streets, south of Slade.
The third phase in 2028 will see improvements north of Towne Square Park.
szalusky@dailyherald.com