Streetscape project could cause Frida exhibit headaches in Glen Ellyn
Glen Ellyn officials have spent at least two years planning for downtown revitalization efforts, but there are still unanswered questions about the timing of the streetscape project.
Trustees could decide next month whether to move ahead with the multimillion-dollar project in May by first replacing underground utilities serving restaurants and shops in the south end of the downtown. The below-ground infrastructure improvements would launch a multiyear effort to bolster the central business district with reconfigured parking, new sidewalks, trees, lighting, and midblock crosswalks.
The downside of breaking ground this spring: Construction headaches and street closures would coincide with the scheduled opening of the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the College of DuPage in June, a year later than originally planned because of the pandemic.
But the exhibit itself is now a question mark, with some village trustees expecting the community college to postpone the show again until COVID-19 restrictions are in the rearview mirror and scores of Frida fans could flock to the Glen Ellyn campus and downtown restaurants at full capacity.
"I think the biggest unknown that we have that we're all considering as a large influence is the Frida Kahlo event," Trustee Craig Pryde said.
Even if the Kahlo exhibit premieres in June, Pryde said he doesn't have a "high degree of confidence" that the event would go on as intended. Before the delay, the blockbuster exhibit of Kahlo artwork was expected to bring international visitors and Metra traffic to the downtown core.
"I'm not saying people won't come if it occurs," Pryde said. "I don't expect the demand to be what it once was anticipated."
College of DuPage leaders continue to monitor COVID-19 developments from the Centers for Disease Control and the Illinois Department of Public Health, a school statement said Monday.
"We take the health and safety of our students and community members very seriously," the statement read. "While McAninch Arts Center staff is preparing for the exhibition with additional social distancing and occupancy limitations in place, we will continue to consult state and local health officials in relation to the anticipated summer opening of 'Frida Kahlo: Timeless.'"
Glen Ellyn Trustee Mark Senak also is predicting COD will likely move the exhibit to 2022. Last week, he said he wanted guidance from the school and more input from downtown business owners before making a decision about starting a major construction project just outside their storefronts.
"This summer is really the best time to do it if we didn't have the Frida exhibit as an unknown variable in that discussion," Senak said.
Some trustees say the summer is an ideal time to begin the first stage of the streetscape work because downtown foot traffic hasn't returned to pre-pandemic levels.
That phase would focus on sections of Main Street from Hillside Avenue to the train tracks and on Duane Street from Prospect to Forest avenues. The initial goal is to complete utility, streetscape and road improvements in just one construction cycle.
"I think we're going to get favorable pricing right now, and if we can get favorable pricing on a third of our project, that saves the village a tremendous amount of money," Pryde said.
Village officials also are working to coordinate with the developers of the Apex 400 apartment building now under construction at Main and Hillside. The area in front of the apartment complex would not be ready for the new streetscape until next year, officials say.
Trustee Kelli Christiansen called on her fellow board members to come to a decision.
"I am ready to say, 'Let's go,'" she said. "Let's get this done. Let's make the downtown as useful and beautiful as possible using taxpayer dollars in the wisest sense possible and make this a village for the next two generations."