New plan may sway Elburn board to let forest preserve facility move to town
Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the Elburn village board's first vote on the proposal.
A proposal for the Kane County Forest Preserve District to move its natural resources department to Elburn is coming back to life.
In its new form, the district would buy the 18-acre site at 1001 S. Main St. that formerly housed Patten Rental, then sell part of the land to a landscaping equipment company.
That could mollify the Elburn village board, which in July voted against the first plan to buy the site, which is on the east side of Route 47. Board members said they didn't like the idea of the commercial property coming off the property tax rolls, especially as the Kaneland school district would lose about $21,000 a year, and of losing the potential of having a sales tax paying business there. And some trustees felt the property was in a prime location for further commercial development, especially as the Elburn Station mixed-use development brings more people to town.
Half the land lies in Elburn's limits, so the village's approval is necessary.
Village President Dave Anderson Monday said he thought the new proposal was a good idea, and trustees William Grabarek, John Krukoff and Patricia Schuberg indicated they could support it. Trustee David Gualdoni said it was better, but that he was still on the fence about the idea. Trustee Jeff Walter was absent, and Trustee Ken Anderson did not discuss the matter at all because of a potential conflict of interest. Anderson works for Kane County's community development department. The county and the forest preserve district are separate governments, but the same people serve as county board members and forest preserve commissioners.
Under the new proposal, the forest preserve district would sell at least five acres on the south side of the property to Ralph Helm Inc.
The company has been in business since 1923, and has locations in Elgin and Crystal Lake.
Owner Ralph Helm said he would annex to Elburn. For its first year, it would use the Patten Rental buildings while its own store is built. He said he has been seeking a location in Elburn for several months. But the current Patten buildings are bigger than he needs, he said.
"That certainly does mitigate (the tax issue) and change things a lot," Schuberg said. "I'm happy to back your new proposal."
Patten Rental, which rented Caterpillar construction equipment, closed its Elburn outpost several years ago.
"I'm in love with that building," forest preserve district President Mike Kenyon told the village board Monday. "It would be a great building for the forest preserve."
Having the district contribute up to $100,000 toward the village getting a pedestrian bridge from Third Street to the Metra station parking lot would also be part of the deal.
The district's natural resources offices and workspace is housed on a former farmstead in the Aurora West Forest Preserve west of Aurora. Besides wanting more room, the district wants a location closer to the center of the district.
The natural resources department oversees planning and development for the district, conducts scientific research, evaluates land for acquisition, and manages land. It has a seed garden for native plants, a seed harvesting facility, and a nursery where the district grows trees and shrubs in pots.
"I think this is an opportunity for us to really do good for the village down the road," Anderson said.
Village and forest preserve district staff members will work on a formal intergovernmental agreement, including annexation of the southern nine acres, for the forest preserve commission and the village board to vote on at dates yet to be determined.