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Hoffman Estates mayor highlights Pace Park-n-Ride, road improvements in annual address

Coming off a year that saw the opening of the Trumpf Smart Factory along the Jane Addams Tollway and a long-awaited Ace Hardware store, Hoffman Estates is now looking forward to the completion of tollway-related improvements this year, including a Pace bus Park-n-Ride near the Barrington Road interchange.

The facility was among the developments highlighted Wednesday by Mayor Bill McLeod during the annual State of the Village breakfast with the Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the Sears Centre Arena.

The increase of activity and bookings at the village's 11,000-seat arena since it became home to the Chicago Bulls' G League team, the Windy City Bulls, was no small part of the positive changes Hoffman Estates experienced in 2017, McLeod said.

As he spoke Wednesday, the arena was being prepared for an upcoming USA Gymnastics show, after having served as the secret rehearsal site for pop star Lorde's North American tour, General Manager Ben Gibbs said.

Accompanying the opening of the Park-n-Ride should be a general improvement of Central Road, including a bike path connecting it with a nearby trail network.

"It'll be worth it when it's done," McLeod assured attendees.

While the proposed Plum Farms subdivision at the northwest corner of routes 59 and 72 is stalled by a lawsuit, village officials are hopeful about requests for redevelopment proposals recently sent out by the owner of the former AT&T campus, McLeod said.

One of the best signs for business in the village is the recovery of the housing market, he added.

"It's been a long time since we've been building houses in town," McLeod said. "That's a very good sign the economy is getting better."

One home that's received a lot of attention is the 118-year-old Bergman farmhouse at the northwest corner of Algonquin and Ela roads, on the edge of a new subdivision being built on its former fields. After much searching, a developer was found to renovate the house and add a garage, without a single penny of taxpayer money being spent.

"We're very pleased this is going to be saved," McLeod said.

In answer to a question about video gambling, the mayor said the village received $368,500 last year from 100 machines at 21 locations. Though the revenue is welcome, the main reason for allowing gambling is helping businesses that struggled through the recession, he said.

Among the challenges still ahead are filling the vacant Sports Authority building on Hoffman Boulevard and getting the tax money expected from the state in a timely manner - and with fewer added fees, McLeod said.

"The exciting thing about being mayor is that you never know what's going to happen," he said. "Some things are good, some things are bad.

  Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod shares a laugh with Anne Miskewitch, deputy director of the Schaumburg Township District Library, during the annual State of the Village breakfast sponsored by the Hoffman Estates Chamber of Commerce and held at the Sears Centre. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
  Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod said the village has high hopes for redevelopment proposals being sought for the former AT&T campus along the Jane Addams Tollway. It was one of several topics he discussed Wednesday during the annual State of the Village breakfast. Mark Welsh/mwelsh@dailyherald.com
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