Northwest suburban mayors list at 2015 accomplishments

From new places to eat, shop and play, to the celebration of a historic milestone, the return of a major employer and multimillion dollar projects to reduce flooding and make our communities safer, a lot happened in the Northwest suburbs in 2015 that residents and leaders can look back on with pride.

We asked mayors and village presidents what community accomplishments this year stand out for them. Here's how they replied:

Thomas Hayes, Arlington Heights

A busy and productive 2015 was capped by the completion of a very successful first year for our new Village Manager Randy Recklaus, and a new refuse collection contract that will result in cost savings for our residents, less wear and tear on our roads, and continued high-quality service. In terms of major accomplishments, I could not be more excited about the positive direction of the "new" Metropolis Performing Arts Centre resulting from the hard work and commitment of many individuals. From the new executive director, to the new governing board of directors of dedicated citizens, and an exciting new 2015/2016 season of high quality shows, I am confident that the Metropolis will become an even greater asset to the village of Arlington Heights that is proud to call it our own.

Karen Darch, Barrington

Barrington was pleased to welcome the new Barrington Village Center project with its new shops and restaurants in the heart of our downtown. At the same time and right next door, the renovation of the historic Robertson House now known as Barrington's White House, was opened as a new community and cultural center. Both were terrific additions to the village which, under the leadership of a hardworking Sesquicentennial Committee, celebrated Barrington's 150th anniversary with many festive and fun events throughout the year.

Martin J. McLaughlin, Barrington Hills

I am proud that we were able to lower the tax levy for the taxpayers of Barrington Hills for the second year in a row while increasing services. We were able to accomplish this by successfully operating our local government like a business. In 2015, we reduced spending by implementing spending reforms and initiating employee contributions for health care coverage; we increased safety by decreasing response times thanks to the consolidation of our 911 center; we improved our roads by increasing the amount of road repairs; and we normalized labor relations by agreeing to a new 3-year contract with our police union.

Kevin Wallace, Bartlett

The village of Bartlett provided some significant tax relief to its residents in two ways. First, with the reduction of our tax levy, the total decrease is $174,334 or 1.85 percent from last year and essentially leaving the tax levy flat. The tax levied by the village of Bartlett has been the same or lower for the past six years. Last year we reduced it by $150,000 and the year before that $550,000. Secondly, we approved a $700,000 combined reduction of the gas and electricity utility taxes that will go into effect in 2016.

Beverly Sussman, Buffalo Grove

We continue to invest in our major infrastructure with several new street, water and sewer projects completed in 2015. We made significant progress in preparing our first economic development strategic plan with a cross section of members from the community on the steering committee. In 2015, we were very fortunate to welcome several new businesses into our community, including: Flex, Countyline Tavern, PDI Medical and Maple Cafe, to name a few.

Matt Bogusz, Des Plaines

Over the last three years, Des Plaines has worked tirelessly to put people back to work in our local economy. Slashing red tape and proactively seeking development has filled 1.5 million square feet of vacant commercial space, creating over 2,700 new job opportunities. Additionally, we saw a boom in local private construction investment - $145 million in 2014/15, or a 141 percent increase vs. 2012/13. Our momentum is significant, generating deals poised to break ground in 2016, including a 73,000-square-foot Mariano's at Mount Prospect and Golf roads and several new residential developments planned to add 657 new families to our community. Our message is simple: Des Plaines is open for business.

Craig Johnson, Elk Grove Village

After nearly eight years, Elk Grove Village began construction on the long-awaited Busse Dam Modification project in August. For the first time in Illinois history, two counties joined together on a project to bring flood relief to over a million people and thousands of businesses along the Salt Creek Watershed in both Cook and DuPage counties. Flooding from Salt Creek has cost our region millions of dollars in property damage as well as lost commerce and social impacts. Disruptions from flooding, including closures of critical intersections, have left people unable to access their homes, schools and places of work. It is anticipated that this project will be completed by the end of 2015.

Rod Craig, Hanover Park

In 2015, Hanover Park had several accomplishments we are most proud of. These include the success of our Education and WorkNet initiatives in collaboration with Harper and Elgin Community Colleges, WorkNet, the village of Hanover Park and our state Rep. Fred Crespo. Also of great value is our fire department receiving an ISO Protection Class Rating of 2. This places the department in the top 2 percent of all U.S. fire departments. Finally, the continued efforts of our police department to support our Community Policing efforts raising the trust and competency of policing in Hanover Park.

Bill McLeod, Hoffman Estates

In cooperation with IDOT and the Illinois tollway, the construction of a full I-90 interchange at Barrington Road continued in 2015. The village is looking forward to its completion next year and is very excited about inclusion of Pace "Park 'n Ride" and "Kiss 'n Ride" facilities to complement the new I-90 Express Bus Service scheduled to begin in late 2016 or early 2017. Additionally, late this year, the Chicago Bulls announced that Sears Centre Arena will be home to Bulls' NBA Development League team, commencing its inaugural season in November 2016.

Kevin Richardson,Lake Barrington

Lake Barrington passed a zero increase tax levy for the coming year, reflecting our success in both promoting our businesses and our prudent stewardship of taxpayers' dollars. We also completed several key road and drainage projects of importance to our residents and we dedicated a right of way to Citizens for Conservation for wildlife habitat and open space preservation. The former Lake Barrington Field House was bought by Canlan Ice Sports, a publicly-traded company that operates 17 sports and ice hockey facilities across North America. The new owners are actively integrating the new Canlan Sportsplex Lake Barrington into our community. The highly successful launch of Pepper Park Coffee was enhanced by the equally successful opening of the new "Pepper Park After Dark" Wine Bar. This paralleled the 8,000-square-foot expansion of the Pepper Park Business Center which includes RSVP Rental Services as well as Wild Asparagus Catering. In addition, the Horseshoe Grill was reopened and Battle House Laser Tag found a new home in our Pepper Road Business Park.

Arlene Juracek, Mount Prospect

For Mount Prospect, 2015 was a year of leadership transition at the village manager level. We are most proud of our staff, who proved themselves more than capable of accomplishing major projects such as the Isabella Sewer Improvement project and working down a 10-mile backlog of street resurfacing created by recessionary cutbacks. At the same time, our board was conducting a successful search for a new village manager. We also were successful in receiving a Federal SAFER grant, so that we can restore Fire Engine 13 to service in our downtown station, improving response times to our residents. Under new leadership and with backlogs eliminated, the village is now well-poised to face the challenges of 2016, with an action plan to implement the strategic plan adopted by the board.

Jim Schwantz, Palatine

In 2015, the village of Palatine's Operating Budget & Capital Investment Plan was fully funded with no new fees or taxes. 2015 marked the fourth consecutive year of a decrease in the village's property tax levy, resulting in a levy that was $100,412 less than in 2014, and a combined total levy reduction of over $300,000 during the past four years.

Nick Helmer, Prospect Heights

We continue to rebrand our identity with signage and massive streetscape improvements throughout the city. Our streets are fully repaired and repaved and we now have a fully staffed, fully equipped police department. Much time was spent to develop and operate with a very solvent budget and strong reserve factors. Union contracts were successfully negotiated and our economic development projects led the way to new revenue. Construction began on a 100-unit assisted-living complex, a 700-storage-unit facility, and a new full-service grocery with a fresh meat market opened their doors. The "walk to school" sidewalk program and the acquisition of the Old Town Sanitary District were completed. We reached an agreement with Chase Bank to construct their new facility. Important too is the fact that we have a great working relationship with our immediate neighbors in Wheeling, Mount Prospect and Palatine. Prospect Heights continues to be a fun place to live, work and play.

Tom Rooney, Rolling Meadows

With lots of business activity going on in Rolling Meadows, our number one item for 2015 was AJ Gallagher coming back home to Rolling Meadows. Anybody driving within sight of Golf Road for miles around can see the terrific scope of the "rehab" of their once and future home.

Bradley Stephens, Rosemont

We are most proud of the success of our recent developments and the transportation projects that have been completed and are nearing completion, namely the Balmoral Road connection to O'Hare and the imminent opening of the (southbound) Mannheim connection to Balmoral.

Al Larson, Schaumburg

While Schaumburg continues to attract additional restaurants - Punch Bowl Social and Kinfork, to name just a few - Woodfield remains strong, along with Streets of Woodfield and Woodfield Village Green all boasting 6 percent vacancy rates or less. Hotels continue to be drawn to Schaumburg. Five more will be added, bringing the total to 30. But there's more to Schaumburg besides development. The village has established a bluebird trail with four pairs of homes, saving some for tree swallows. This year at Schaumburg's Environmental Fair a Boy Scout will be helping build up to 30 wren houses for adoption.

Dean Argiris, Wheeling

Of the many remarkable events of 2015, by far the most memorable for me was our October exchange delegation to Korea with congressman Bob Dold sponsored by the Korean Cultural Center of Chicago, which we anticipate will bring benefits to Wheeling and the region for many years to come. That said, the accomplishment I'm most proud of is the proactive effort that the village has made to secure a prosperous future for our community. Although this effort has taken many forms this year - including the construction of a new lift station to improve flood control, the creation of a villagewide stormwater utility, fostering new development at Northgate Crossing and the Whitley, the police department's recent reaccreditation with excellence, and the establishment of a permanent home at Chicago Executive Airport for our annual Independence Day celebration - each of these initiatives is a testament to our village board's willingness to act cooperatively and decisively to secure a bright future for Wheeling.