Grayslake prevails in lawsuit over trucking terminal

A Lake County judge has dismissed a 2½-year-old lawsuit filed by Mundelein that challenged neighboring Grayslake's approval of a regional trucking terminal.

Noise and environmental concerns were raised by several Mundelein residents living near the Grayslake border when they objected to the Saia Inc. terminal northwest of Midlothian and Winchester roads. The village followed with a lawsuit against Grayslake.

Saia, which also was named in the suit, began operating the terminal in early 2016.

Grayslake Mayor Rhett Taylor said the court ruled in his village's favor Tuesday.

"I'm glad its over," Taylor said. "It's an opportunity to bring business to Lake County, to bring jobs to central Lake County. We followed all of the requisite state laws and village requirements and county procedures, (and) intergovernmental procedures with the North Shore Sanitary District."

Grayslake village board members annexed and zoned 33 acres for the $14 million, 100-dock terminal and a repair and maintenance facility in August 2014 - steps that were repeated at Saia's request in 2015 to address any possible defects in the process.

Mundelein, joined by eight residents, filed suit in October 2014.

In part, the complaint alleged the 24-hour trucking terminal will diminish property values because of noise, added traffic, diesel emissions and light pollution. It also challenged the validity of Grayslake's annexation and zoning.

Mundelein Mayor Steve Lentz said he's "very disappointed" in Judge Luis Berrones' decision from the trial, which began April 18 and ended with the dismissal before Grayslake or Saia needed to present a defense.

"Once this facility gets fully operational, its impact on nearby neighborhoods will be far more profound," Lentz said Wednesday. "At this point, we plan to meet as a (village) board and discuss with our attorneys the options for moving forward."

Attorney Robert Pickrell, who represented Grayslake in the case, said Saia could have been forced to close if the lawsuit went against the village and company.

"For Saia, there was that risk," Pickrell said. "It took guts for them to (open)."

Saia had 58 employees at the Grayslake terminal when it opened in 2016, company officials said. The number is projected to double at full operation.

Jeannie S. Jump, a spokeswoman for Georgia-based Saia, said the company always has been confident the Grayslake terminal was properly zoned and permitted.

"We are very pleased to finally have the matter resolved in a satisfactory manner," Jump added.

Terminals in Bloomington, Teutopolis and Burr Ridge in Illinois are among 147 operated by Saia in 34 states.