Antioch again delays proposed Veterans Memorial site decision: ‘They keep moving the goalposts’

Two motions that would have effectively moved the location of a proposed Veterans Memorial from a wetlands site were tabled Wednesday by the Antioch Village Board.

The 30-minute meeting was not without confusion, as certain stipulations set at a June meeting were met.

“The reason for tabling the motions was to give enough time for boring samples to be made and find out what type of foundation is there, or needed,” said Jim Moran, the assistant village administrator. “We can also evaluate and assess its viability by acquiring all the data necessary for board members to make an informed decision.”

At a June 22 meeting, trustees argued about the merits of a move from the previously selected site, the William E. Brooks Conservancy. A wetlands parcel, the 50-by-30-foot, oval-shaped project would be placed 11 feet from Sequoit Creek, a navigable state waterway.

They made a condition of raising $15,000 for a feasibility study on the potential move. The amount was raised, along with an accompanying letter of intent that was submitted by Trustee Ed Macek, five days later. McHenry’s HR Green, which also does village work, has offered to complete engineering studies at no cost.

“The purpose of coming back to this was to confirm the third-party funds for the feasibility study were obtained,” Mayor Scott Gartner said at the meeting. “The in-kind services have begun to come in; land surveys are already underway, the topography work; they did begin to sketch out a concept plan for us, not a final design.

“If the motion (to table) is approved, we will spend the hard dollars for soil borings and ground penetrating radar,” he said. “It would be done within two weeks. I suggest we come back … at that time, we would have a final design, and know the exact construction costs. We could set a time frame to break ground thereafter.”

The project was first discussed nearly a decade ago, and gained traction in 2023. Forwarded by the Antioch Veterans Memorial Committee, which initially included members of Antioch VFW Post 4551 and Antioch American Legion Post 748, it splintered over disagreement on the wetlands site.

It has also led to heated discussions and divided several board members on the issue since then. The contentious June 22 meeting featured a trustee walking out, verbal broadsides on former members of the veterans committee, and eventually making stipulations for funding and engineering.

Gartner led Wednesday’s direction for “a status quo and to continue due diligence” vote in tabling the motions until the Aug. 26 meeting. Both sites will potentially be open for a determination at that time.

“If they want to kick the can farther down the road, fine,” Macek said afterward. “Ninety-five percent of the work has been done on this site, except soil borings and sonar. The money that was requested was raised. They keep moving the goalposts.”

Gartner said there is a solution for all parties involved.

“Over the next 30-45 days, we expect to receive cost estimates and additional feasibility information for an alternative site, located near the tank at Toft and Orchard,” he said. “At that time, I expect the board to make a final decision on the memorial’s location. I expect a vote to begin the planning process for breaking ground.”