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Officials approve breaks
IN TRANSITION
DeKalb County gives 3M a tax abatement By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Max Baran (right) and Joe Johnson (left) of Fowler Services move chunks of concrete into a skid steer while working May 28 at the Evergreen Village property in Sycamore. The concrete was from the slabs that the trailers rested on in the park, which is now vacant and cleared of trailers.
After reconstruction, the former Evergreen Village site could be transfered to a possible owner next year By BRETT ROWLAND browland@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – This week’s heavy rains served as a reminder of why the former Evergreen Village Mobile Home Park wasn’t a safe place to live. Located in a floodplain adjacent to Kishwaukee River, parts of the former mobile park, 955 E. State St., Sycamore, were quickly inundated as the water level rose. “If people were still living there, the rain would have been a serious concern,” said Paul Miller, DeKalb County’s Planning, Zoning and Building director. “It’s an immense relief for everyone that it’s no longer a concern. This is exactly why this project was needed.” As cleanup continues at the former Evergreen Village mobile home park, the site’s potential as a future picnic spot is getting brighter. Once all of the work is completed, the property could be transferred to the DeKalb County Forest Preserve District. But that likely won’t happen until 2016, DeKalb County Forest Preserve Superintendent Terry Hannan said. “Preliminary plans for the 59acre site may include a parking area, trailhead, picnic area, fishing pond, hiking and cross-country ski trails, and floodplain prairie habitat restoration,” Hannan said in an email to the Daily Chronicle. There also is a possibility to connect the Great Western
Water swells the banks of the south branch of the Kishwaukee River on Wednesday in a view on East State Street in Sycamore looking north along the former Evergreen Village property after the river rose overnight from Monday’s rain. DeKalb County bought the 58.62 acre parcel which was Evergreen Village trailer park in 2014 and within the year relocated the residents and took strides to return the flood-prone property into green space. Trail west to the former mobile home park, he said. Before definite plans and cost projections can be made, the cleanup work must be completed and a land-use assessment would be needed. DeKalb County got $7.1 million in state and federal emergency management grants to buy the property, relocate about 400 residents and return the area to open space. The project was initially expected to be finished by May 1, but some remediation work still remains to be done. The 123 mobile homes have
been demolished and some of the interior roadways have been removed, and so has the the site’s waste-water treatment plant. Septic tanks have been dug up and wells have been capped, said DeKalb County Assistant Planner Rebecca Von Drasek said. “This site will definitely be better off than it was,” she said. Miller said that while work continues at the site, it should be substantially completed before the end of the summer. “Given the complexity, the project has gone extremely well,”
he said. County officials are still in the early stages of planning for the future of the site, which is in a flood plain. One of the requirements of the grant is that the land must be left as open space once the remediation is completed. That means it won’t be developed, but it could be used for passive recreation, such as hiking. “The restored site along with Sycamore Park and the Great Western Trail,” Hannan said, “will be a beautiful entrance into Sycamore.”
SYCAMORE – Amid accusations that the whole process was done deceptively, the DeKalb County Board on Wednesday approved a fiveyear property tax abatement for the new 3M building that will keep jobs in the area, but not bring in new ones. The 3M expansion, originally known as Project Black Bear, will retain 250 to 300 jobs in the area and close the two current 3M plants. However, it was earlier assumed that Project Black Bear would bring a new Fortune 100 company to Voice your opinion Park 88, as well as new jobs. Do you think 3M “Look at the overall package. It is a good deal should get property tax for the county,” County breaks for Project Black Board Vice Chairman Bear? Vote now at Tracy Jones said during Daily-Chronicle.com the meeting. “You have to look at the entire aspect of what could be and losing jobs is not what we want.” District 4’s board member Joe Bassett was the only board member who voted against the abatement, because he believes “our economic development strategy should be more focused on small or medium-sized enterprises, on entrepreneurship and building companies that way.” “You take a million square-foot facility, you produce a bunch of people that really aren’t high-skilled [workers], people working forklifts, things like that,” Bassett said. “Are these jobs that are really the kind of jobs that are going to let people buy homes, become constructive taxpayers in the community? I don’t know. I think it’s just a fool’s errand.” The tax abatement now goes before the DeKalb City Council at the July 13 meeting. During public comment, DeKalb resident Dewayne Brown proposed a new name for the project: “Project Deceptive Practices.” “I think this was very deceptive on how this was presented to us,” he told the board. “I, as many other members of the public, thought this was a new Fortune 100 company, which just basically wants to expand in a different warehouse in the same area.” DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Paul Borek defended the county, and maintained that nobody knew the name of the company under Project Black Bear, not even city and county officials. “Companies of all size necessarily maintain confidentiality in the early stages of project,” Borek said. “They can’t afford for their competition to know prematurely. Many companies absolutely do not want to concern or trouble their employees while deliberations and discussions are occurring prior to a firm direction being set.” Some county board members defended Borek and the process. “I share some of the public’s disappointment,”
See DeKALB, page A4
Amtrak unsure whether Rauner will cut state funding The ASSOCIATED PRESS SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Bruce Rauner has said that he wants to reduce Amtrak train service in the state starting July 1, but the Illinois Department of Transportation hasn’t informed the national rail line about any cuts to its state aid, according to an Amtrak spokesman. Company spokesman Marc
Magliari said Tuesday that Amtrak still is accepting bookings for current levels of service. Rauner announced a new round of cuts to state programs Friday as he continues to negotiate with Democratic leaders in the Illinois Legislature, namely Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, over the state budget. After the Friday announce-
ment, it remains unclear how the governor could cut the state budget if it isn’t in place by the start of the new fiscal year beginning on July 1. Gov. Bruce Rauner said Rauner in a spending proposal outline in February that he wanted to
reduce Amtrak’s subsidy by 40 percent, which would result in reduced train service to Carbondale, Mattoon, Normal, Quincy and other stops along the 3 lines connecting downstate Illinois to Chicago, The Bloomington Pantagraph reported. Lawmakers and university town officials have expressed concerns that cuts to state funding for Amtrak would
hurt students, businesses and tourism. The proposed budget outline approved by the Democratic-controlled House and Senate keeps the rail company’s subsidy at its current level of $42 million. Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman Guy Tridgell said in an emailed statement Wednesday that the agency was waiting for Amtrak
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WHERE IT’S AT
Playing the sax
Best community
Water worries
DeKalb High alum making a name as a jazz musician / C1
DeKalb begins $50K development plan in an effort to win contest / A3
Recent floods causing problems for DeKalb, Sycamore parks / A3
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to provide “detailed cost and revenue projections for each route in order to make decisions about the frequency and level of service that the state can afford in anticipation of the Madigan-Cullerton budget.” Amtrak plans to continue operating under its current schedule until it hears otherwise. “We don’t anticipate any July 1 change,” Magliari said.
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