Carpentersville mayor eyes former school for village hall

There's a 15,000-square-foot office block on the east side of Carpentersville that Village President Ed Ritter says the village could purchase and convert into a more spacious village hall complex.

Ritter mentioned the idea at a recent village board meeting and trustees are set to discuss the option at the March 3 board meeting.

"We have been looking at ways to increase space," Ritter said this week. "We thought about unfinished space in the new public works building that we could use for some village offices. Then I thought maybe we have some existing space within the village and I thought about the Larkin (school)."

Ritter said the village could purchase the building for about $1.2 million.

Problem is, the building at 20 S. Grove Ave. - known as the old Larkin School - is not for sale.

Tom Roeser, the property owner and President of Otto Engineering, said the building is not on the market. Roeser purchased the building from Elgin's Larkin Center in 2002 and renovated the building into office spaces. The property is about 80 percent occupied.

"There is no need to sell it unless it would be good for the city," Roeser said. "If, however, that building is good for the city, I have a nicer space over at 11 W. Main."

Tenants in the renovated building include Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley, a medical records firm and a telemarketer.

Under Ritter's proposal, the building would house the village manager's office, as well as the community development, economic development, finance and engineering departments. The relocation would then enable the police department to expand into the vacated space at the current village hall at 1200 L.W. Besinger Drive.

The idea stemmed from the village's discussions regarding office space at the planned public works facility on Tamarac Drive. Trustees have considered building a shell that could be converted into usable office space later should the village's community development and engineering departments relocate from village hall.

But the plan tacked on an additional $600,000 to the $12 million budget that trustees vowed to meet.

"Rather than spend $600,000 or so for space within the public works building that would only accommodate two other departments, it seems more prudent to spend a little more and have the entire village hall under one roof instead of in two different places," Ritter said.

The cramped confines of the Besinger Drive locale have forced the police department to take over meeting rooms and administrative areas. Some offices were also moved into trailers.

Some trustees said that even if the building were for sale, they would oppose the idea because the village is struggling with a projected $1 million shortfall in the coming budget year.

"If we were in a better position, I would say it is not a bad idea," Trustee Patricia Schultz said. "I would rather use space and renovate it than bond out for a new building. But I don't see how we can do it. We already have a $1 million gap."