Pingree Grove breaks ground on new municipal center

Pingree Grove village officials Monday broke ground on a new municipal center that will include village hall and public works.

The current village hall is housed in two double-wide trailers, an accommodation that was supposed to be temporary but lasted more than a decade, Village President Steve Wiedmeyer said.

The village has allocated $4.1 million to the project, including $3 million in 20-year municipal bonds and $1.1 million from developer D.R. Horton, whose donation was stipulated in the latest development annexation agreement, Wiedmeyer said.

The 27,000-square-foot municipal center will be built on village-owned land along Reinking Road north of Water Street, about a half-mile north of the current village hall at 14N042 Reinking Road.

The building will include administrative offices, a village board meeting room and a large garage for public works equipment, which currently is housed in a rented warehouse in Elgin just outside Pingree Grove, Wiedmeyer said.