MP Village Board now meeting in refurbished quarters

By Bob Balgemann

Reporter

MACHESNEY PARK – It’s been talked about for a couple of years and now it has happened.

The Machesney Park Village Board and administrative staff members will meet Monday night, in their newly remodeled quarters at village hall.

The adjacent conference room, used for meetings, celebrations and other events, also got a facelift.

Village Administrator Tim Savage said the two-room project cost about $125,000. “Included in that is all furnishings, audience seating, board chairs and tables,” he said. “The room features high-efficiency lighting and it is now ADA compliant.”

In the past, anyone who wanted to approach the area where the board and staff sat had to take one step up. That prohibited access by anyone confined to a wheelchair and violated a provision of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Now that hurdle has been eliminated.

The meeting room’s painted block walls have been replaced by drywall and a drop ceiling. There’s also new carpeting.

To help visitors better follow what trustees and Mayor Jerry D. Bolin are talking about, large screens have been affixed to either side of the room.

That allows visual access for residents, from the comfort of the new chairs, to graphics and other material being discussed by those officials.

“We do these things infrequently, so we wanted to do it right,” the administrator said.

The estimated cost originally was $180,000.

“So we went back to the drawing board” and made some changes that allowed the same quality of work for a lower cost.

Improvements were done by village employees in concert with tradesmen who were paid the prevailing wage, a requirement of state law for public projects.

Another of those infrequent improvements was relocating the public works department from village hall to space in the newly acquired J.C. Penney Outlet store, at the south end of the now called Machesney Park Towne Center on North Second Street.

Originally estimated to cost $7,000, improvements to the 10,000-square-foot area took $3,500. Work was finished last fall, and Savage said public works employees are happy with their new location.

Meanwhile, village officials continue to market the 110,000-square-foot area of the former Machesney Park Mall. Plans still call for retailers to occupy 40,000 square feet in front of the building, with office space being leased in t he remaining area in back.

Practice Velocity, which purchased the former Kohl’s building in back of the complex, has sufficient space for offices, and he said it won’t be taking any of that available room.

The village was on target to purchase the building for $900,000, but received a $120,000 credit at closing last year because glue holding down the tile in that area had asbestos in it.

The original vote to buy the structure was approved in a 5-2 vote Jan. 5, 2015, with trustees James Kidd and Aaron Wilson dissenting. The asking price was $1.2 million.

Courtesy photos

This photo shows the village board meeting room prior to its remodeling.

The newly renovated village board meeting room has a more contemporary, user-friendly appearance.