The Herald-News • Sunday, August 23, 2015
|GETTING STARTED
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Joliet commits millions to courthouse By LAUREN LEONE–CROSS lleonecross@shawmedia.com JOLIET – Will County got a financial leg up in building a new courthouse Friday when the city of Joliet announced its pledge of more than $10 million over a 20-year period as an incentive for the county to stay downtown. County leaders this year asked the city to be a financial partner in the major capital project. City and county officials said Friday during a joint news conference that the city would contribute $500,000 annually over two decades and waive $2.3 million in building permit fees as part of a tentative deal between the local government bodies. County officials have pegged the First Midwest Bank site at Ottawa and Jefferson streets, which the county bought last year, as a potential location for a new
courthouse. A groundbreaking is expected in 2018 with a two- to three-year timeline for completion. The new building is expected to cost between $150 million and $175 million. Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk said he and county leaders worked closely to reach a compromise that would help keep the courthouse in the downtown area. “I’m happy to say the new courthouse is going to be built here in downtown Joliet. It’s going to serve as an anchor in Joliet going forward,” O’Dekirk said. Joliet councilman John Gerl, who led negotiations for the city, said he believes Joliet will fit the $500,000-a-year payments into the city’s operating budget. Gerl is the finance director for the Forest Preserve District of Will County. “We see this as an investment,” he said.
‘Slowing down the wheels of justice’
Conversations surrounding a new county courthouse picked up over the past year, because of the county’s growing population, coupled with a lack of sufficient space and security in the existing facility, built in 1969. The county’s population was 250,000 when the courthouse was built, said County Board member Ragan Freitag, R-Wilmington, who is also an attorney. Now, its population is close to 700,000, with the courthouse seeing about 800,000 annual visitors. The county has experienced “significant growth” in the past 46 years, Freitag said, and has become “ground zero for those growing pains.” “As an attorney, I regularly work in this courthouse. I see firsthand how the lack of necessary space and modern security are slowing down the wheels of justice,” she said.
County Chief Judge Richard Schoenstedt said the monetary partnership is a “very important step” in financing the construction of a safe, secure and efficient courthouse that serves current and future needs. The county board plans to sell bonds this fall to help pay for a new courthouse. County Board Speaker Jim Moustis, R-Frankfort, said county officials may use a mix of revenue sources to help pay back the bonds over time, including an RTA sales tax and courthouse parking lot revenues. Other potential funding sources include about $1.5 million annually from a recently enacted court user fee and another $2.4 million from a property tax increase dedicated for capital improvements approved during last year’s budget cycle. Now, the city’s contribution will help, too, Moustis
said. “This is the No. 1 priority for us. And it should be the No. 1 priority for the people,” he said. The courthouse will be built with existing county funds without raising county taxes, Moustis said. County Executive Larry Walsh Sr. a day earlier cautioned against shifting RTA tax revenue away from the county’s road-and-bridge projects. On Friday, Walsh said he plans to work closely with all county leaders to find creative revenue sources to pay for upcoming capital projects. Moustis on Friday said there is “plenty of money” for roads and bridges, noting there’s $100 million – or about three years’ worth of transportation projects – in reserves. “Public safety is just as important. This is truly a public safety issue,” Moustis said.
Park board plans interim Gearing up for the start of prep football replacement for Egizio By BOB OKON bokon@shawmedia.com JOLIET – The Joliet Park District board on Monday is set to name an interim executive director with Dominic Egizio on leave. Park district officials have not commented on why Egizio no longer is on the job. But sources said Egizio went on leave after the park board met in closed session at a special meeting Tuesday and discussed threatened litigation involving a park district employee. Park board President Glen Marcum on Friday would not discuss how long Egizio is expected to be on leave or why the board has decided to appoint an interim executive director. “It’s personnel,” Marcum said. Matt Pehle, the finance director for the park district, is listed on the agenda for the
Monday meeting as Egizio’s interim replacement. The board meets at 5 p.m. for its regular monthly meeting in Conference Room A at the Presence Saint Joseph Inwood Athletic Club, 3000 W. Jefferson St. Marcum said Pehle’s appointment depends on the park board’s approval. But he said Pehle is one of the top administrators at the park district and should be able to fill the post. “It’s an interim spot,” Marcum said. “He’s our financial guy. He’s very involved in the decision making.” Pehle did not return a phone call for comment. Park district employees said they have been instructed not to discuss Egizio’s absence. At least some employees said they received a memo Thursday morning informing them that Egizio was on a leave of absence for personal reasons and questions
should be referred to Brad Staab, superintendent of communications. Staab, when asked Thursday whether Egizio was on leave, issued a statement by email that stated: “The Joliet Park District respects the privacy of its employees and does not speak public on matters regarding its personnel.” Marcum also declined to comment on whether Egizio is on leave. But the first item on the agenda for Monday is the approval of administrative leave for the executive director. Park operations have continued as normal in Egizio’s absence, Marcum said. The last time Egizio was known to be working was Tuesday. “We have very strong superintendents who all manage their different departments,” he said. “They’ve been there for years. The park district hasn’t missed a beat.”
Like many of you, we at your local newspaper are gearing up for the start of prep football season. Going to Friday night games, sitting under the lights and cheering on your favorite team is a traditional way to build community pride. And it’s certainly evident in Will and Grundy counties. We have previews planned for many of the local teams that will start playing this week. For those readers who get the Joliet-based Herald-News, you will see local teams featured starting in Sunday’s sports section, and then a few more each day through the early part of the week. For our readers who get our Morris-based publication, check out Thursday’s edition for a special section inserted that will include previews on the Grundy County-area teams. And once the season starts, we will have complete
VIEWS Kate Schott coverage of prep football. Check out our websites late Friday nights/early Saturday mornings for scores, highlights from games, photo galleries and videos from each week’s games. Get our Sunday edition – either in print or online – for more complete coverage of sports action from the weekend. As always, let us know what you think of the coverage. Thank you for reading The Herald-News.
• Kate Schott is editor of The Herald-News, the Morris Herald-News and Herald Life. She can be reached at kschott@shawmedia.com or 815-280-4119. Follow her on Twitter @Kate_Schott78.