ESO points to need to repair Civic Center Plaza in Elgin

After patrons complained about navigating uneven pavement in the dark last weekend, Elgin Symphony Orchestra officials are prodding the city to fix Civic Center Plaza, a project estimated at $1.5 million or more.

The pavers of Civic Center Plaza, located between city hall and the Hemmens Cultural Center where ESO performs, have been in disrepair for a long time, ESO CEO David Bearden said.

However, conditions were especially treacherous last weekend because streetlights were off and there were large pools of standing water, he said.

"As you go through this whole winter cycle of thaw and freeze you get more and more (poor conditions)," Bearden said. "That's not just for symphony goers, but for everybody who walks through there - at any time of day or night."

Mayor David Kaptain said he received an email earlier this week from ESO board chairwoman Karen Schock asking whether the city plans to make the necessary repairs. Several patrons complained Saturday and Sunday, Schock said in her email.

"Several patrons have already slipped and fallen on loose and missing sections of this walkway," Schock wrote.

Kaptain said he was particularly concerned about the lights being off. "That's not acceptable," Kaptain said. "The lights should be on for people."

City Manager Sean Stegall said that was due to an isolated electrical failure underneath the concrete. It's been fixed but it might happen again due to the poor conditions, he said.

Many pavers at Civic Center Plaza are partially tipped or even broken, Kaptain said. "It's bad," he said.

"I walk through there. My wife and I go to the symphony. It's not good."

The condition of Civic Center Plaza was part of budget discussions late last year, when Stegall told city council members they could consider financing repairs through road bonds sometime this year.

Fixing Civic Center Plaza by replacing concrete, lighting, rails and more would cost $1.5 million at a minimum, up to about $4 million for enhancements consistent with the city's comprehensive plan for downtown, Stegall said. "Then the Great Recession hit and it was put on hold," he said.

However, the city's financial outlook is in limbo because of Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposals to make cuts to state income tax and other sources of local revenues - which could amount to a loss of about $6 million for Elgin - while freezing property taxes, Stegall said.

Further complicating matters is the future of the Hemmens Cultural Center, Kaptain said. A task force has been examining that and is expected to present its findings to the city council sometime this spring.

The city council will decide whether to perform work - if any - at the Hemmens, which in turn could disrupt any new improvements at Civic Center Plaza, Kaptain said.