'Remain hopeful': Schaumburg mayor praises community's resilience in annual address
Schaumburg Mayor Tom Dailly's State of the Village address Tuesday had to be delivered via Zoom, but spoke to the resilience and adaptability the village and business community have demonstrated to be well positioned for a recovery in 2021.
"Despite the obstacles that we faced, as you can see, Schaumburg had many things to celebrate," Dailly said. "We're also finding out that we can - and will - get through these trying times. And I believe we will emerge even stronger."
Despite the pandemic, Schaumburg saw enough economic development during 2020 that it was named Municipality of the Year by RE Journals, Dailly said.
Among the new restaurants that opened during the year were Andy's Frozen Custard, Green Joe Coffee, Jersey Mike's and Perry's Steakhouse and Grille. Other new businesses included the relocated Barnes & Noble, MISUMI, Shoe Carnival, Sunnyside and the Amazon Fresh grocery store.
Progress was made at the Veridian development on the former Motorola Solutions campus, and preparations are ongoing for a new entertainment district across Meacham Road, near the Renaissance Hotel and Schaumburg Convention Center.
Work in 2020 paved the way for 2021 openings of Costco Logistics' Midwest facility off McConnor Parkway, which will bring more than 200 jobs to Schaumburg; expansion of Costco's retail store in Woodfield Village Green; the groundbreaking for the 373-unit Algonquin at Plum Grove apartment complex near Veridian; Blue Martini Lounge in the former RAM Brewery; Shabu-You Japanese restaurant at Golf and Meacham; and the Peppa Pig World of Play indoor play center in the former Rainforest Cafe space at Woodfield Mall.
Dailly said he is on a task force looking for ways to safely enable indoor dining and increase capacity for events. And he hopes enough is known about a recovery from the pandemic in the next couple months to determine whether Schaumburg's 50th Septemberfest can be held over Labor Day weekend.
He also thanked the Schaumburg Business Association, hosts of the annual State of the Village event, for the role it has played in keeping economic growth alive, and congratulated the organization on its 20th anniversary this year.
Other members of the community also weighed in on how their agencies fared in 2020.
Schaumburg Park District Executive Director Tony LaFrenere said the agency strove to provide what services it could during the pandemic, despite a $7 million revenue loss it caused. The Schaumburg Golf Club had a particularly good year, he noted, with the outdoor and socially distanced recreation it provided.
Dave Parulo, president of the Meet Chicago Northwest visitors bureau, said the hospitality industry is excited about the potential for pent-up demand being met this year, even if larger conventions will likely lag.
Dailly said everyone's enthusiasm points the way to a brighter future.
"I, for one, will be grateful when we can meet again at Septemberfest, enjoy performances at our Prairie Center for the Arts, and enjoy Boomers baseball at the newly named Wintrust Field," he said. "If there is one thing I can leave you with today, it is this - remain hopeful."