Island Lake will keep plowing private road

Snow turned into a hot topic at the Island Lake village board meeting Thursday as a trustee sparred with the mayor over the plowing of a private road.

Trustee Don Saville, who previously objected to plowing Timber Trail, said he believed a poor precedent was being set by the village continuing to maintain the road, which lies in the village but is privately owned.

"If we're going to do private property, it's a very dangerous game we're playing," Saville said.

Timber Trail connects to Roberts Road in Island Lake, but an easement on it was granted to the sanitary district.

Trustees declined to bring the matter to a vote Thursday, instead going with the status quo of Island Lake plowing the road.

Mayor Tom Hyde said he thought cutting off snow plowing on the road after decades of village maintenance was cruel, especially right before expected snowfall.

"I think that's the worst kind of PR you can have," Hyde said. "I think that's just totally uncalled for."

The mayor also said he believed the issue was part of a problem Saville had with the entire sanitary district.

"I believe that there's a serious ax that's been grinding here," Hyde said, noting before Saville's election to the board he had expressed concerns with the district. "You actually sat out there in our audience and you demanded to be on our sanitary district."

Saville acknowledged having concerns but said there was no grudge involved in the plowing matter.

"I'm not going to defend my actions before I was a trustee here," Saville said. "We do not own the road."