Carpentersville ups weight limit for trucks

For the past few months, driving about one and a half blocks down a Carpentersville road has cost business owner Jim Jendruczek thousands of dollars in fines.

Jendruczek, president and managing partner of Trim-Rite Food Corp. - a meat supplier specializing in pork products - says he lost business because a village ordinance prohibited vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 73,280 pounds from using Commerce Parkway in the Spring Hill Center for Commerce, located off Route 31.

Since August, he has received about five tickets at between $1,500 and $1,800 apiece, Jendruczek said. Although the company has been at the location for seven years, Jendruczek said the police department only recently began issuing tickets.

"I can go 40 miles on a state road, but I can't go from my driveway to Route 31 without getting a ticket," Jendruczek said.

But trustees on Tuesday unanimously amended the ordinance to reflect a state ordinance allowing trucks up to 80,000 pounds.

The state ordinance does not go into effect until January 1, 2010, but trustees said amending the village ordinance is needed to protect local businesses.

"These are hard economic times and we need to do everything possible to make sure businesses flourish and thrive," Trustee Judy Sigwalt said. "If they flourish and thrive, the village will also."

Jendruczek told the board Tuesday that the situation was dire because some import and export companies refused to use his services until the situation with the village's ordinance was resolved. Trim-Rite is the largest employee in the center.

In a letter to the village board, Carl Swanson, the developer of Spring Hill Center for Commerce, wrote "... the current status of not being able to ship and receive trucks of 80,000 lbs will cause (Trim-Rite) to lose substantial income and operate at a loss that could force them to lay off employees."