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Proposed site for Kane County morgue ignites tension

Kane County officials next week will discuss plans for the construction of a potential new coroners facility.

Despite all the seeming tension about the proposed location near the judicial center, and its impact on the adjacent residential neighborhood, there's already one solution everyone seems to agree on.

The debate about the need for a new morgue is more than a decade old. High-profile building and equipment failures at the existing coroner's office have abounded in recent years, ratcheting the need up the priority list.

Last summer, the coroner's office experienced a ventilation and storage space problem that resulted in the stench of rotting bodies permeating the county government complex. It was at that point that county board member Drew Frasz said the need was at an “emergency” level.

That was eight months ago. Coroner Rob Russell said he's still waiting for a new facility. He doesn't care where it's built.

“The existing building is an embarrassment,” he said. “My people don't even have locker rooms or the ability to take a shower after handling bodies in all kinds of conditions. We have to put individual heaters in each of the rooms when it's cold. There's no proper place for relatives to view their loved ones' remains. We have to do the right thing for my staff and the people of this county.”

With all the bad headlines about smells and unsanitary conditions, it only makes sense people might not want such a facility near where they live, said county board Chairman Chris Lauzen. And that's why he recently sent a letter to residents who live near the 25-acre site on the north side of Route 38, across the from the county's judicial center. That's the preferred site, so far, for the new facility.

Lauzen said the “highest priority” for capital spending in the county is the construction of a new coroners facility. But he's not interested in spending money on plans and blueprints without input from the neighboring property owners. The letter asks for that input.

“I think it's a great idea to build a new facility, but we should do it right,” Lauzen said. “When are we going to let the neighbors know? When it's over? Or the old trick of we've done all this work already so it's too late to do anything else? No. Let's be open about this process. Let's do it right, as inexpensively as possible, and let's put it in the proper place.”

For Frasz and fellow board member Mark Davoust, the site on the north side of Route 38 is the proper place. There's enough room to build a facility that could house vehicle maintenance for the sheriff, records storage, building maintenance staff and the coroner's facility.

All those are existing space needs, they say. And it's cheaper to address all of those now and in bulk to do it individually.

“This will be a state-of-the-art facility,” Frasz said. “It will be entirely enclosed. No one will see any bodies going in or out. There will be no smells. It will really be comparable to a funeral home.”

Davoust said he's sure people may have concerns about the coroner's office moving nearby, especially after reading what Davoust described as an “inflammatory” letter by Lauzen. Those concerns will be addressed, just like when the county moved to build the new jail at the nearby judicial center.

“Every time I had a chance to meet with people who had concerns during the jail discussion it went well,” Davoust said. “This is similar. We need to let them know and answer any questions. That project was the right thing to do then, and this is the right thing to do now.”

It might not be the only right thing. Both Frasz and Davoust agreed that the coroner's facility is such a high-priority need they would vote in support of a different site on the same side of Route 38 as the jail and judicial center. The county has additional land there that Lauzen has suggested as a better site. Frasz and Davoust also said, if money becomes an additional stumbling block, they'd support a project to build only a coroner's facility, leaving the other facility needs for later.

All those possibilities will be topics of discussion at a meeting set for 10 a.m. Feb. 13 at the county government center.

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