Preckwinkle tours Arlington Heights museum, touts relief funds for suburbs

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle continued her tour of the Northwest suburbs Saturday, stopping at a farmers market and historical museum in Arlington Heights while touting COVID-19 relief funding for local towns.

The one-time social studies and history teacher was joined by Mayor Tom Hayes for a Saturday morning stroll on the grounds of the Arlington Heights Historical Museum, which hosts the weekly market from June through October.

Wearing masks, Preckwinkle and Hayes walked through the market of 34 vendors selling produce and homemade items before they got a tour of the museum from Administrator Dan Schoeneberg. The site at 110 W. Fremont St. includes the 1882 Victorian house of Frederick Müller and the 1906 soda pop factory.

The week before, Preckwinkle was in Schaumburg for a tour of that village's farmers market and the Trickster Cultural Center. Last Thursday, she joined Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly again for a news conference to encourage municipalities to seek their fair share of $429 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act funds the county received in late April. The county acts as a pass-through agency for the funds.

Local towns have until the end of the month to fill out a formal application with a list of expenses they want reimbursed. That could include costs for personal protective equipment, reconfiguring facilities to allow for social distancing, and staff time, Preckwinkle said.

Schaumburg received $556,442 in relief funds. Arlington Heights has applied for $589,733.

County officials are currently reviewing the application, in what is typically a three-week process, Preckwinkle said.