South Elgin trail ahead of schedule

A section of a South Elgin trail along the Fox River is proceeding ahead of schedule and will include some new amenities, such as a bike repair station.

Village leaders recently approved an additional $7,723 worth of work on the project, bringing the cost to realign and stabilize the trail to $483,640.

Officials initially had hoped for an Oct. 4 completion date but Jim Reuter, director of the village's parks and recreation department, said crews could finish by Sept. 18 or 25 at the latest.

One new item is a station where cyclists may elevate their bike on two poles and use a variety of tools - attached by steel cords to the work station - to fix it.

"If you're having problems with your bike as you're headed through town, you can hang it on there and make repairs," Reuter said.

Before the project, users of the Fox River Trail south of the State Street bridge and west of the river had to ride or walk through a parking lot near the village's municipal annex.

The plan contains small plaza south of State Street where it meets Water Street. Instead of running north and south, the path weaves clockwise around the annex and re-connects near SEBA Park.

Benches, native plants and educational kiosks will flank the path where it bends around the building.

Reuter said on Tuesday that work crews made huge strides in laying bricks and repairing asphalt that was ripped up.

"Today was a huge transformation day," he said.

The village won a $100,000 state grant and secured $85,000 grant from the Kane County Forest Preserve District to help pay for the project.

"It looks really nice," Trustee Scott Richmond said.

The village tentatively has planned a grand opening celebration for Oct. 24.