Pingree Grove vying to get ECC public safety training facility

Pingree Grove officials are letting it be known that they want a piece of Elgin Community College's recently approved $178 referendum.

But in the form of the public safety training facility that the school plans to build for $15 million in one of the 33 communities it serves.

"There's interest in other communities to, but I'm glad the word is getting out there," said Sharon Konny, the school's vice president for business and finance.

That won't stop Pingree Grove leaders from making a hard pitch for the project.

"We understand that they're sending out a request for proposals, but we feel we're well situated with the state routes of 47, 72 and 20," said Village President Wyman "Clint" Carey. "We're right by the tollway and we have a piece of property that we feel could suit the project well."

That land, known as the Harrison property, is near the Pingree Grove Forest Preserve on Route 20 by Route 47.

The village hired a company to do a study that assessed the 60-acre parcel's economic potential.

While the study ruled the property out as a good place for commercial development, it graded its use for light industrial as average, Carey said.

Pingree Grove is hopeful the ECC facility would draw other businesses to the area - the village only expects $77,000 in sales tax the next fiscal year, said Village Manager Scott Hartman.

"The ECC campus would undoubtedly be an asset to the Pingree Grove community; it would have a regional draw to Pingree Grove," Hartman said.

Over at ECC, officials are in the midst of determining what the facility would include, Konny said.

Once the school sets that criteria and sends requests for proposals to each of the towns it serves, Pingree Grove officials would determine whether the Harrison property, or another piece of land, would be the best fit, Carey said.

The school won't issue the bonds until June, 30 days after the county certifies the results at the end of the month, Konny said.

School leaders will use the remaining money from the referendum to: build a $60 million health career center and a $26 million new library, remodel the student resource center and use the balance to pay for road, parking lot and other improvements.