The property is zoned for some industrial use, though CNH mostly used the property as a research park, meaning it was never a high-trafficked area and most of the workers left in the evening. In short, while it was industrial, it looked and operated like a business park rather than a factory site.

Earlier this year, the real estate development firm Bridge Industrial submitted a zoning proposal for a mixed-use development to include residential and industrial development among other things.

The update, as part of the regular Monday board meeting, was not a voting item meaning it did not require trustees to approve the consideration, but trustees and Mayor Gary Grasso all seemed to support the move, intended to shore up any doubts about the sort of facility the Village will allow at the 110-acre facility.

CNH, formerly International Harvester, announced plans to sell its property in 2022, leaving one of the largest corporate footprints in the village empty. Since that time, many residents who live near the space on Veterans Boulevard have expressed concerns the site could be developed into a loud, busy manufacturing hub and negatively affect the quality of life and home values. However, Grasso has pointed out any development must be met with board approval and community input and again, village officials welcomed residential input on this phase of the project as well.

Community Development Director Janine Farrell said she expects the planning commission’s process to welcome community input as to what would constitute a manufacturing district and clear up whatever hasn’t been defined or listed as allowed and prohibited uses.

“If something is not defined … then it shall be considered a prohibited use,” said Grasso. “If we do forget to list something … it shall be prohibited.”

Farrell added that anything not considered could always get later consideration.

One resident, Mary Bradley, said she hopes the site doesn’t allow truck traffic all night long.

“If there’s any way or any statement you can make opposing any warehouses that require major trucking traffic,” Bradley suggested, adding she hoped the area would remain light industrial. “I just really am concerned about adding warehouses that could be heavy industrial and should be included in a commercial area.”

“I’m still concerned about traffic, particularly along County Line Road,” she said. “I really hope we can find a way to protect our claim that Burr Ridge is a special place.”

Grasso thanked Bradley for her input on the matter and assured her the Village would consider her recommendations and concerns.

“We’re going through a very extensive process and what’s before the board right now is part of that. I think I can speak for the village that nobody wants a truck terminal,” said Grasso. “I don’t think anyone wants 24/7 truck traffic either and that’s something that we’ll look at very, very closely. … Do please be confident that the board understands many of the claims you’re making as does the planning commission.”

Finally, Grasso reminded Bradley and others there would be time for more community input as any proposals became clearer. In the meantime, residents — and anyone else — can get updates on the progress of the property and proposed developments by signing up for email updates on the Village’s website.

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.

The events typically draw hundreds every Thursday evening for music, relaxed picnics, opportunities to see neighbors, and, this year, a marketplace and some food tents. For the first time, concert-goers could buy a cold beer or glass of wine, fresh-made barbecue sandwiches, a lemon ice, or a slice of pizza if they didn’t feel like bringing a cooler.

Still, at least at this summer’s inauguration, the biggest draw was the music, with ‘70s cover band Libido Funk Circus taking the stage.

“This is such a good band,” said Bonnie Wydra. Wydra, and her husband Tom, said they’re regular outdoor concertgoers from Tinley Park and they spend their summer visiting a variety of shows in the region, but this band, and the Burr Ridge scene, were among their favorites. They’d been to Burr Ridge’s Concerts on the Green in the past and they were happy to have the additional food and drink options and hope Village organizers add more to the mix.

“One of the venues we go to has a margarita truck and that’s always got a line,” Bonnie laughed.

“It would be great to have a food truck or a couple even,” added Tom.

Claire Nass, the village’s management analyst who organized this year’s schedule, said adding more to the mix is all part of the process—and that need inspired this year’s growth.

“We found that our patrons wanted more activity during the concerts, so we wanted to support our chamber of commerce and that’s why they’re here selling alcohol and that’s why we supported our artisan’s market,” she said. “But we would like to expand it into Taste of Burr Ridge and into Deck the Green and into our other events, and we want to support more of our local business.”

She said the food anchors are Stix and Stones, the popular pizza place at the Village Square, and Arthur’s Barbecue, an Illinois-based barbecue sauce and rub purveyor that also offers pit-smoked meats at events.

“They will be with us every Thursday and our artisans will be rotating in and out,” Nass said.

The artisan’s market takes advantage of the newly-developed walking space at the Village Center, which had been a street. Nass said the vendors tend to be craftspeople who offer boutique specialty products not typically found in stores.

Still, the backbone of the event is the social draw, with most of the crowd on the grassy lawn on camp chairs, coolers, and charcuterie board nearby, surrounded by friends or family.

“I just wanted to hang out with the community, because this really brings the community together,” said Brad Pavone, an LA transplant relatively new to Burr Ridge attending his inaugural concert event.

This year is a good year to get into the tradition, Nass said, with each event offering more different attractions than the last concert. This summer, the Village is planning a centennial celebration of Route 66 at the June 27 concert event that could be among the largest this season.

“We will have Uncle Sam, the stilt walker, jugglers, and the band Mr. Blotto,” Nass said. “It’s a pretty big deal band for this kind of venue.”

Mr. Blotto, out of Chicago, has been around since the 1990s and they are a jam band specializing in Southern rock, country rock, and the like. With bigger bands, Nass said the aim is to attract their fans to Burr Ridge — possibly for the first time — to put the village on the map as a destination for food, shopping, and family fun, in addition to continuing to provide quality entertainment to the community and longtime supporters. Given, Nass said, that the first event brought out chairs and picnic setups hours before the band hit its first chords, she believes the series will hit its mark.

“We’re really excited to have this summer concert market and were pleased were able to offer this to the community,” she said.

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.

With bands including Beyond the Blonde — the Midwest’s only Lady Gaga and P!nk tribute act — kids’ activities, throngs of families and friends spread across the lawn, food trucks, beer and beverage tents and a slew of other community group tents, the evening seemed closer to a longtime tradition rather than an event in its second year.

But, with a little something for everyone, the celebration’s sophomore effort, organized by the villages of Homewood and Flossmoor, and the Homewood-Flossmoor Park District, shined bright, bringing out locals who said they were thrilled to have an excuse to get out, enjoy a cool summer evening and show their support of LGBTQ folks.

Carlie and Sam Rummel, with their dog Hughbert, said they moved to the Homewood area several years ago and said Pride events are an important means to ensure everyone feels welcome and a part of the town.

“It’s important for the community to show up and show support,” said Sam, who said the fest seemed to have grown in the last year. “We love seeing all the folks from the neighborhood. And Hughbert loves it.”

That the event brings together such traditionally conservative groups, notably Scouting America, which just last month changed its name from Boy Scouts of America though it had admitted girls for years, speaks to ongoing efforts of inclusion.

Until 2013, the Scouts had forbidden LGBTQ members from joining the ranks and some troops had kicked out boys over the issue. But Friday, Troop 41, specifically created to foster inclusivity, had its tent set up in front of a food truck and next to the Flossmoor Community Church, another community organization that focuses on inclusivity.

“Troop 41 was founded to be a safe troop in March, to provide nonbinary Scouts and Scouts that identify as LGBTQ a safe space to continue scouting,” said Jason Daihl, the scoutmaster for the Mokena-based troop.

Their tent gave away stickers and provided beads for children to decorate bracelets and attracted a line of interested people, as did the church tent next door.

“Why not,” said Dawn Pirani Brumfield, one of the pastors at the church. Pirani Brumfield said she’s a queer minister and though relatively new at that church, has been a pastor for 28 years.

“We support the event because we believe in diversity and we’re open and affirming,” she explained. “We love everybody in this church.”

And, of course, the event drew the hometown people like Shelly Marks, who just enjoy a nice summer music event on a green lawn surrounded by friends. Marks and her crew were settled in lawn chairs with an ice chest and a broad spread of sliced cheeses, grapes and other snacks.

“We are professional festival-goers,” Marks admitted.

But, she said, she particularly liked Pride Fest.

“I love anything in Homewood that brings Homewood together,” Marks said, decked out in a rainbow cowboy hat and strings of costume pearls. “It’s great to see the community come out and support this.”

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

Village Trustee Irene Avitia said that given the high number of veterans in Franklin Park—and families of veterans who died while serving—she’s happy the village does something to honor their service and their lives.

“We have a lot of veterans, so it’s important to recognize their contributions,” she said, prior to the ceremony at the Veterans Memorial. “The community comes out and they like to remember our vets and those we lost.”

Mayor Barrett Pedersen, the featured speaker, pointed out the sacrifice of the service members who died in action.

“We honor all those who made it possible for us to live in freedom,” Pedersen said.  “It is their service, it is their sacrifice that has preserved the freedoms we cherish today.”

At the Veterans Memorial, the names of dozens and men and women who live or lived in Franklin Park and served in the military are memorialized there, and Pedersen said they made the world a better place for their service.

“We must pledge together to become a community and a county worthy of heroism,” he said. “We thank all those who have served and we thank their families. We thank them for their courage and their dignity.”

The mayor also mentioned the men and women who went missing during their service.

“We honor their sacrifice and we want their families to know it was not in vain,” he said.

Jean Wesolowski told of being in grade school when her brother went down in an airplane off the coast of San Francisco while he was in the service. His body has never been recovered and she said she’s never gotten over it.

“I cry about it,” she said. “I’ll be 90 years old and I’ll still cry about it.”

Wesolowski was decked out in a red, white and blue ensemble and said she never misses a Memorial Day ceremony in the village. She’s lived in Franklin Park for 66 years, she said.

The ceremony was organized by the local American Legion post.

“We are able to raise families, have careers and live good lives because of the men and women who never came home. May they all rest in peace,” said Commander Kendal Bishop.

Jesse Wright is a freelancer.

Since then, the creek has eroded its new banks and risks flooding a nearby neighborhood.

“The Buffalo Creek streambank, located south of Bristol Trails Park along Stanton Road, is experiencing severe erosion from significant rainfall events with existing timber retaining walls collapsing and the loss of property imminent if the streambank is not stabilized,” said Trustee Marc Spacone said at the May 20 Village Board meeting, reading the resolution.

The project had been planned for years but because of costs, had been on hold. However, Public Works Director Mike Brown said local and state agencies recently awarded the village a grant that will cover most of the cost. So, with that, work is set to begin this year.

Brown addressed the board and reminded them of the severe rain storm of 2013 that created the need for bank stabilization in the first place.

“It was one of the worst rain events I’ve seen in Lake Zurich,” Brown said. “I’ve watched this stream bank move, which is rare. That storm picked this stream bank up and moved it.”

He said over the years the village worked with state and federal agencies in developing a plan to stabilize the creek to prevent severe flooding, but the cost had proven too great until the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Lake County Stormwater Commission agreed to fund the project to near completion.

He told the board the state wanted a “shovel-ready” project that wouldn’t take long to get started and, and with years in the planning, the Buffalo Creek project was nothing if not ready to go.

“They’re going to fund this thing at 90% – maybe more – but it looks like it’ll be a 90%/10% buy-in,” Brown said.

He said it makes financial sense for the village to spend what it needs to now rather than wait on a better deal.

“It’s never cheaper than it is today, and lo and behold it seems to have worked out,” Brown said. “It pays to have it ready to go.”

The village sought bids in March to do the work and, out of six proposals, awarded the contract to Waukengan-based ILM Environments.

As part of the project, flora will be removed from 1,400 feet of streambank and it will be replaced with native species.

Jesse Wright is a freelancer.

Founded in 1947, the small church fell victim two years ago to Renew my Church, a Catholic consolidation process meant to pare down churches with declining membership rolls.

When the church announced the merger in 2022, many of St. Bernadette’s parishioners were disappointed. Some had grown up going to that church, but despite entreaties to remain open and a petition to save the neighborhood church, the move marched forward.

Now, after the final Mass at 10:30 a.m. June 30, 9343 S. Francisco Ave, those parishioners will say goodbye to their familiar altar and the church’s cross and its leadership will migrate to the Queen of Martyrs Church building in the newly formed St. Gianna Parish.

Father Benedykt Pazden said the last two years have been hard for some members, but tempers have cooled even among those who didn’t get what they wanted.

“The two-year transition time I asked the cardinal for were very helpful, in that it allowed people time to accept this very difficult decision for the cardinal to close St. Bernadette’s and merge with Queen of Martyrs,” Pazden said. “Actually, it helped tremendously unite the parish community in a physical way.”

Pazden said Queen of the Martyrs community has been hospitable and, as it’s only about five minutes away, he’s seen parishioners testing the waters, getting used to a new spiritual home. But, of course, any move can be bittersweet, so on June 30, the community will also get a chance to say goodbye to the old place.

“We’re getting ready for it and we’re going to give people some way of saying goodbye to the church,” he said. “Maybe they can kiss the altar or say goodbye to the worship space.”

The church’s leadership also will perform a ceremony to transfers the space from a holy, sacred site into regular piece of real estate.

“We’re inviting parishioners and formers parishioners and the deacons and the priests who have ministered to us, we will have a relegation to transfer it to civil use,” Pazden said.

It’s not clear what is to become of the church and its parking lot, but OSF HealthCare, the Catholic group that operates Little Company of Mary Medical Center next door, will likely buy the property. If that happens, Pazden seemed optimistic the land would be put to good use.

“They’re interested in acquiring the property and keeping it for a different purpose than for a church, but there’s not talk of taking it down, but nothing is confirmed, so I don’t know how much I can say,” Padzen said.

He’s heard the space could be used as a community center or for some other need, but he’s hopeful parishioners who are longtime members will be able to see the old, familiar space and visit it. He said the sale of the property to a Catholic hospital is, in its way, poetic. That’s where the land came from decades ago.

“You know, when Father Morgan O’Brien, he was a founding pastor, he asked the cardinal at the time to start a new parish, he lived in a room at the hospital,” Pazden said.

O’Brien bought the land from the hospital, so for it to return to its original owners would be poetic, and he said it’s a needed space as the hospital looks to expand services.

In any event, the parking lot won’t change too much. Last month, the Evergreen Park Village Board voted to ban multistory parking garages, so neighbors need not worry about much increased traffic.

Pazden said he’s hopeful looking forward. Now that two years have passed since the initial announcement, all that’s left is the big move, which will be something of a production with local firefighters and police vehicles overseeing the cross’ move to Queen of Martyr. Pazden said he hopes the people will follow, and he is optimistic here, too.

“We’re hoping and praying everything goes well and we want to build community and bring more people into our church and a relationship with Jesus, and don’t lose sight of what’s important,” Pazden said.

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

Even after the eighth grade class graduates each year at the middle school, the district encourages the students to remain close, to remember their class. To this end, the school hosts a goodbye celebration when they graduate and then again, four years later, as they graduate high school.

The ceremonies help renew and strengthen friendships as a community bond, panthers until the end, officials said.

The homecoming tradition began in 2015 and it’s become something of a fun district tradition, said Homewood Elementary District 153 Superintendent Scott McAlister.

“It’s actually something we’ve done in previous years,” he explained. “We’d invite back students graduating high school back for a final farewell.”

The tradition continued until 2020, the year COVID-19 erupted, isolation was mandated and social events, like the school’s homecoming, were canceled. For these students, McAlister noted, the whole end of their middle school years was met by a hard new reality classes became online only. Suddenly, school friends were separated, and they would remain so for the rest of the year.

Because graduation canceled and the usual end-of-the-year ceremonies nixed, the class of 2020 didn’t get a send-off. So, district officials took extra care to make this year’s homecoming happen. On May 24, the students and staff made it happen.

McAlister said the high school seniors appeared more eager than most to make up lost time. The 2020 graduating class included about 100 students, and he said the homecoming turnout was great — a sign of its importance.

“It was probably the biggest turnout in all the years we’ve done these,” McAlister said. “Partially I think because they had their middle school experience cut short and were able to see their teachers.”

McAlister said this group of students was not the last to be affected by COVID-19. The class the following year met online as well, and the year after that was mostly masked. He said these emotional class reunions will continue.

“No doubt, we’re going to see this for a handful of years,” he said.

But the 2020 class was the test run, the students who could show whether emergency plans worked, how well they worked and where any blind spots lay and they made it.

McAlister said their resiliency showed as this year, four years on, the students were graduating high school, the same as anyone else who came before them, some bound for higher education and some the workforce.

The superintendent said so far as the district’s been able to track, these students avoided the worst impacts of COVID learning, and he congratulated them for overcoming those obstacles.

“I mentioned to them there’s a lot of discussion of the impact COVID had in terms of earnings and social and emotional health, but as I mentioned to these kids, COVID didn’t have a huge impact on their progress in school,” he said.

McAlister said students had a chance to grab a microphone and tell their friends, teachers and administrators their post-high school plans and how much their time at James Hart meant, along with the theme of overcoming challenges and succeeding despite the difficult circumstances.

“I think the tone was the idea of resiliency,” McAlister said. “These kids were able to overcome something none of us had to when we were their age. It was a great day for everyone.”

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.

When the students were freshmen, rather than fill the halls of the South Campus, the COVID-19 pandemic moved students and teachers online to virtual study and ended the normal welcoming traditions of high school. But to hear the graduate speakers tell it at Wednesday’s ceremony, the class was none the worse for wear.

“We have built a forever community,” said Keira Petrusha, the class president. “A community that will always be here with open arms for years to come.”

Jill Grech, the president of the board of education, said it seemed to her the class seemed eager to make up for lost time after the campuses opened up.

“The minute these halls opened and the classes, games, and clubs came back you embraced your LT-ness with a grace that was humbling,” Grech said. “We know it was hard. It was extra hard for some of you. but you did it, and you’re here.”

Unity and a sense of community have long been important to LTHS students and graduates, who regularly return for homecomings and reunions. Jack Micaletti, the student council president, urged his classmates to rely on that connection going forward.

“Always remember that no matter where we are we will always be bonded by this amazing LT community,” he said.

But in the immediate future, the majority of students face the job market, college and university classrooms, the military and other new, unfamiliar pathways. Superintendent Brian Waterman expressed confidence in their ability to navigate the unknown.

“I am so excited to see what you accomplish when you leave Lyons Township High School,” Waterman said. “My hope for you is the lessons you learn will help you navigate an ever-changing society one that requires strength and kindness. … My hope is that you carve a path with passion and drive and helps you accomplish all you were meant to do.”

And, Grech said, the district wished them something arguably more meaningful than professional or social success but personal satisfaction.

“I do bestow my deepest hope that once you leave LT, you find not just a happy life but a fulfilling life,” she said.

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.

Special use permits are specific zoning variants that grant owners carve-outs from usual zoning requirements, usually for minor upgrades or use requests.

The Village Board met Monday to finally resolve the issue pending for several meetings while Mayor Gary Grasso met with representatives for the owners over years of unresolved maintenance issues at the Square. Those issues include big fixes for big problems, including roof and sewer repairs, for a center that’s home to restaurants and other popular destinations but also myriad health and safety violations the mayor has alleged the owners have neglected to rectify.

Grasso said the Garber family owns the Square and while the patriarch of the family remains the owner, a younger Garber, Michael, will take control of Patti’s and become the face of the family’s interest in the Square.

“We’ve been less than happy with how the Garbers have kept County Line Square,” said Grasso. “We’ve been very open and vocal about it.”

Grasso said — and has said in the past — the family would get citations from the Village about needed repairs and ignore them, forcing the village to repeatedly take the family to court. However, Grasso said he’s seeing progress with Michael agreeing to make all necessary repairs to satisfy village codes.

“The good news is, there seems to be major changes in some of the facilities the most recent of which is the replacement of the roof over Capri,” said Grasso. Moreover, the mayor said the younger Graber has promised the family will no longer fight code enforcers to court.

“He has given me his promise that things will change, and there will not be such an adversarial process between them and our code enforcement team all the time,” Grasso told the Board.

The mayor noted that he’d heard promises in the past that came to nothing, but he pointed to a fruitful meeting earlier Monday in which Michael and the mayor exchanged phone numbers as an assurance the relationship would improve. Even so, Grasso urged the board not to grant permanent permission to Patti’s for its request and asked them instead to approve a one- or two-year provisional permit. If, at the end of that time, the family had proved itself willing to work with the Village, Grasso said the Village could revisit the matter then.

In the meantime, he said village code enforcers would “keep an eye on the progress.”

Village Administrator Evan Walter told the Board that at present the family was caught up on its fines and seemed to be working toward compliance in some areas, although the family will face a court date in June and more fines could result from that.

Janine Farrell, the Village’s community development director, told the Board the Village has also requested the family reimburse Burr Ridge for the cost of the roofing inspector, though that request was made only last week.

Even so, Grasso said he recently heard of a sewage backup at one of the restaurants in County Line Square, and he’s already asked village staff to make sure the owners address the issue and repair the sewer in line with health code requirements. He said the outcome of all these requests will indicate whether the temporary special use permits should be extended next year.

“It’s a good test to see if the old ways will continue or if there’s a new sheriff in town and we won’t need to take them to court repeatedly.”

“I would support allowing this outdoor dining for a one-year period provided there’s progress,” explained Trustee Guy Franzese, who also expressed frustration at years of neglected upkeep.

Trustee Russ Smith asked Grasso if he planned to ask the board to grant every business owner a provisional special use permit to prove responsible ownership before granting anything long-term. Grasso said he would if the facts were the same and he said he had suggested provisional permits to other businesses until they addressed compliance issues. However, he pointed out, the issues at County Line Square were more than a few isolated incidents — and some haven’t been corrected in years.

“We’ve had to cite them repeatedly,” Grasso said. “The first letter we sent out was 35, 40 violations and that was two years ago, maybe more. Time flies,” Grasso said. Since then, the mayor said the village has spent an “inordinate amount of time” on pushing the Graber to family to get its buildings up to code.

“We’ve used up all our goodwill in the past and it’s been thrown in our face,” Grasso said.

In the end, the Board voted to approve a temporary one-year provisional special use permit with a promise to hold the property owners accountable for code violations.

Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.

Village trustees got an update on the move from Police Chief Steve Husak at the May 6 board meeting.

The combined center would be called LakeComm and it would be based in Libertyville, officials explained. The new facility would be the main center callers reach when they dial 911 and it would dispatch emergency services from that central location, servicing all communities in the area.

The center is intended to save money, though trustees aren’t entirely sold on the idea yet. Still, Husak said it made sense.

“It’s mutually beneficial for police and fire departments to consolidate,” Husak told trustees.

In 2022, the village of Lake Zurich entered into an intergovernmental agreement related to the move, and has pledged $50,000 toward planning for the combined center. The money to run the center is not expected to come from new taxes but from an existing telephone charge users pay. Its operation would be overseen by a board that would include local representatives, officials explained.

Husak said the project would be a win for everyone.

“There are a lot of benefits,” the police chief said.

Among the benefits Husak claims are: Reduced call transfers, better data sharing between agencies and operational savings through reduced overhead management costs and duplicate technological systems.

“To have a large center with 20 or 30 dispatchers on the floor is a great asset,” Husak said.

He also pointed out it would be designed to withstand all manner of disasters.

“It’s better than any facility in the whole county,” Husak said. “Ours is great, but this is weatherproof and it has hardened security.”

The trustees seemed generally supportive of the plan, though some expressed concern over the cost and the fate of the village’s existing emergency dispatch call center. So far, the projected cost of the combined center would come to $600,000 per year from local phone users compared with the current center costing about $800,000.

However, if the current local center were to remain open longer term, it could require a budget of its own, according to officials. Husak said the local center could also serve as a backup to the consolidated facility for unforeseen emergency situations.

Trustee Marc Spacone pointed out that if the old building is held on to, it would require staff to maintain it and keep it usable, which could be costly.

He said he also fears a switch could require a property tax increase.

“We were promised by [Lake Zurich] School District 95 that our property taxes wouldn’t go up and mine went up $900 after that referendum,” Spacone said. “I just want to be as transparent as humanly possible.”

Even so, Husak said a larger center could also create more jobs because it would require more operational manpower – adding another benefit.

“I hope it’s the same level of proficiency as we’ve got now,” said Mayor Tom Poynton.

Husak assured trustees that local police and other first responders would still be responsive to Lake Zurich. He said the only difference would be who’s answering the phones.

Another report on the issue is expected to come sometime later this summer, and from there the trustees could vote on joining LakeComm.

Jesse Wright is a freelancer.