Clean out those closets, donate to new Goodwill store

Cleaning out closets, basements and garages is a real chore. But it's only the first part of the job. Getting rid of the pile can also be a challenge as you sometimes have to step around it for weeks as you wait for a charitable organization to pick it up.

Soon Carpentersville area residents can take matters into their own hands as construction of the new Goodwill Industries Retail Store is well underway at 7777 Miller Road, right next to Woodman's grocery store.

According to Ed Cage, senior planner for the village of Carpentersville, the village board approved the construction of the store last October. The 19,100-square-foot facility is expected to be completed this summer.

"It will include a drop-off area for donations on the north side of the building. There will be sort of a canopy where you can pull through in your car rather than park and take your things in, in case the weather is bad," said Cage.

What makes the construction somewhat unique in the village is that it is the first development to go through the planned unit development (PUD) process, a new village ordinance that was implemented in early 2007, as well as the new design standards and guidelines that were approved last summer.

"The PUD outlines the development process, for example, the public hearing process and the process for accepting. The design guidelines were meant to go along with that so that when you have someone going through the PUD process they also have to comply with the design guidelines. They kind of go hand in hand. They are separate ordinances, but they are supposed to work together," said Cage.

The Goodwill Retail Store will have a brick and stone exterior with canopies and the air conditioning and mechanical units will be screened.

"I wrote the ordinance to get a higher quality building in the community and this is the first one, so I'm eagerly awaiting to see if it looks the way we hope it looks," said Cage.

The PUD and design guidelines are typically meant for new businesses and large scale development. It does allow exceptions for some small developments.

"The most important reason for having the PUD ordinance is to raise the standards and the quality of new developments. It also simplifies the process - makes it more straightforward. It's a more efficient process for both the village and for the developer. But I think the key with the PUD ordinance is that the village and the developer both have to want to go through that process and the developer has to work closely with the village. Goodwill is a great example because they did everything that they needed to do and they worked very well with the village. This will be a good example of the PUD ordinance in effect," said Cage.

According to their Web site, 83 percent of Goodwill total revenues are used to fund education, career services and other critical community programs to people with disadvantages such as welfare dependency, homelessness, and lack of education or work experience, as well as those with physical, mental and emotional disabilities.

Last year, local Goodwills collectively provided employment and training services to more than 1.1 million individuals. Goodwill also generates income helping businesses fill gaps caused by labor shortages, time constraints and limited space or equipment. They train and employ contract workers to fill outsourced needs for document management, assembly, mailing, custodial work, groundskeeping and more.

So if your closets are bursting or you can't get your car in the garage, round up the clothes and household goods that still have life in them, and drop them off at the new Goodwill Retail Store.

If you have any news about your club, school, church, business, neighbor, or even yourself, contact Kirstin Finneran by cell at (312) 518-4993 or email at kirstinfinneran@comcast.net.