The 7-4 vote against adding a fifth allowed license in effect killed the chance for a license for Paradise Tattoo House, which was looking to locate along High Street in the 1st Ward.

But Mayor Richard Irvin, who supported the new tattoo parlor, promised owner Brandon Rodriguez he would help him find a new location in the city.

Irvin, who grew up in the 1st Ward, recalled his days “walking up and down High Street” and patronizing some of its businesses.

“This is a legitimate business that deserves an opportunity,” Irvin said.

The business would be owned by Rodriguez, whose supporters portrayed as a well-known tattoo artist who wanted to open his own business. He was seeking to open in a building along High Street near the Jack Hill High Street Bridge, in a former barber shop building whose owner was willing to modify the building for Rodriguez.

Rodriguez said he intended to use his new business to not only support his family, but to provide for the youth of the city.

“This is not just about me trying to build something for myself, but doing something for the community,” he said.

Other family members and friends said the store would be safe and have a friendly environment, and that Rodriguez was trying to start a business from scratch.

“More and more tattoos have become commonplace,” said one supporter, who said through social media, people across the country ask Rodriguez to do work for them. “He’s a tattoo artist.”

But the crux of the argument against Rodriguez locating along High Street hinged on whether the area in question is more of a residential one.

Ald. Emmanuel Llamas, 1st Ward, praised Rodriguez for his life story, and said he wanted Rodriguez in the 1st Ward.

“But that physical location is a residential area,” he said. “I’m voting no because of that. Tattoos have come a long way, and if you can find another location, I would support it.”

Several other aldermen supported Llamas’ position because they felt as the representative from the 1st Ward, his wishes should be upheld.

“I do feel like the petitioner has the best intent in mind,” Ald. Patty Smith, 8th Ward, said. “But the ward alderman would know his ward better than anyone else. I feel I have to support him.”

Joining Llamas and Smith in voting against the new license were Alds. Juany Garza, 2nd Ward; Ted Mesiacos, 3rd Ward; William Donnell, 4th Ward; Michael Saville, 6th Ward; and Shweta Baid, 10th Ward.

Voting for the new license were Alds. Carl Franco, 5th Ward; Brandon Tolliver, 7th Ward; Edward Bugg, 9th Ward; and John Laesch, at-large.

Franco said because the city recently revamped the tattoo ordinance, and because Rodriguez had complied with everything in the new ordinance, it could be “discriminatory” not to allow him in under the new regulations.

Laesch, as the alderman at large, attended a recent 1st Ward meeting at which he said feelings about the parlor were mixed from residents in Pigeon Hill, the section of the 1st Ward in which the parlor would have located.

The tattoo ordinance was revised about a year-and-a-half ago, at which time the city allowed four licenses. The vote this week was whether or not to expand that to five licenses to accommodate Paradise; it was not a specific vote on the tattoo parlor itself.

slord@tribpub.com

RiverEdge Park, at 360 N. Broadway in the city’s downtown, is Aurora’s outdoor entertainment venue along the Fox River and hosts a variety of events, including this weekend’s Blues on the Fox festival on Friday and Saturday.

Aldermen on the City Council’s Infrastructure and Technology Committee this week recommended a change order with Chicago-based Ratio Architects, LLC of $440,200. The change order would add onto the original contract for the RiverEdge work, approved last September, of $946,850, making the entire project for engineering the changes at about $1.4 million.

The reason for the change is that the project has gotten bigger than first thought, according to Jason Bauer, Public Works assistant director.

For instance, changes made to the backstage area, known in parlance as “back-of-house” changes, have grown from about 7,000 square feet to about 24,000 square feet.

Those changes would be new dressing rooms and storage. It would make the park more attractive for acts that might want to play the venue, officials said.

Other changes contemplated in the overall project include improved and expanded seating and viewing areas, additional restrooms, entry-gate enhancements, improved storage and improved access to purchase refreshments.

Those changes – known as “front-of-house” considerations – are to make the park more enjoyable and safer for patrons, officials said.

The changes would increase capacity of the park by about 2,500 people for all events. Right now, capacity for a festival event is about 7,300, and for concert events 6,500.

Bauer said the goal is to begin the backstage building as soon as this year’s season ends.

The project was originally budgeted for $7 million in one budget year, and more in a second budget year. The changes will take both 2024 and 2025 construction seasons to do.

“We’re really excited about it,” Bauer said.

The full City Council will look at the contract change at the Committee of the Whole meeting next week.

slord@tribpub.com

Metra’s board Wednesday approved creating a new Regional Day Pass that would allow riders unlimited trips for one day across the CTA, Metra and Pace. The measure still has to be approved by the CTA, Pace and the Regional Transportation Authority at meetings later this month, but if passed, the program would be tested for up to six months.

The move comes as the transit agencies are still looking to bring back riders from pandemic lows and adjust to changing demand, as riders commute less often to Loop offices and look to take buses and trains for other types of trips. It marks the latest attempt to adjust fares, following the creation of a monthly pass that can be used across the transit systems and Metra’s overhaul in February of its fare zones.

The pass would cost between $10 and $16 on weekdays depending on the length of the trip on Metra, where fares are based on the distance traveled. Weekend passes would be a flat $10. Reduced weekday fares would also be available.

The new pass is expected to be available for purchase this year, though the exact date will depend on when the Ventra vendor finishes development and testing. It would be available in the Ventra app, and valid until 3 a.m. the day after it’s first used.

The RTA said the pass prices come out to less than the cost of paying for both a CTA day pass and a Metra day pass. The RTA would reimburse the transit agencies up to $1 million for the difference in price.

The RTA said the ability to integrate fares across the systems, provide frequent service and maintain relatively low fares in the future will depend on getting additional funding from the state to fill a $730 million budget gap expected when federal COVID-19 relief funding starts running out in 2026.

“This agreement is a major step forward for integrating fare policies and products between the region’s transit agencies as we look toward a post-pandemic future of changing travel patterns and more inter-connectivity between agency services,” RTA officials said in the statement.

At 6 p.m. on Thursday, the city of Aurora and the Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board will host the Mr. and Miss Black Aurora Crowning Ceremony at Aurora University’s Crimi Auditorium, 1347 Prairie St. in Aurora, according to a press release from the city.

A competition of high school students, the ceremony will announce the king, queen, prince and princess of the Aurora Black Heritage Royal Court, according to the release. The ceremony will feature presentations from the students, performances from local youth groups and a keynote address from Fox 32 Chicago Anchor Anita Blanton, who was crowned Miss Hampton University 20 years ago in 2004, city officials said.

At 9 a.m. on Friday, nearly 150 members of Black fraternities and sororities will convene at Phillips Park at 1000 Ray Moses Drive in Aurora to provide food to 1,000 families ahead of the Juneteenth and Father’s Day Weekend, city officials said.

A collaboration between the city of Aurora; the Northern Illinois Food Bank; and the Aurora Divine 9 Alliance, a coalition of members of the nine historically Black fraternities and sororities, this is the fourth annual Juneteenth Food Distribution Drive-Thru that provides meal boxes, including meat and produce, on a first-come, first-served basis to 1,000 families.

At noon on Saturday, the city of Aurora and the Quad County African American Chamber of Commerce will cut the ribbon on a new addition to Aurora’s business landscape, the release stated.

Business owners Donna Jolly and Steven Evans have opened HaloHeat Sauna Studios at at 4040 Fox Valley Drive, a studio designed to enhance health, promote relaxation and foster a community of wellness enthusiasts, according to the release.

From 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the 23rd annual Juneteenth Freedom and Heritage Celebration will be hosted by African American Men of Unity, the city of Aurora and Aurora Township at Martin Luther King Park, 42 N. Farnsworth Ave. in Aurora.

The celebration will feature live music, educational activities, a talent show, basketball tournaments and more, officials said.

At 1 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18, Aurora’s newest downtown mural will be inaugurated with a meet the muralist and ribbon-cutting ceremony at the site of the mural, 31 S. Broadway in downtown Aurora.

Chicago-based artist Max Sansing has used his talents to give a nod to the historic Bluebird Records recording sessions of the 1930s at the Leland Hotel in downtown Aurora, according to the release. The mural features the likenesses of Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy, the “Queen of Blues” Koko Taylor, the “King of Blues” B.B. King, guitar wizard Tampa Red and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

From 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 19, the annual Juneteenth Youth Summit will bring together nearly 150 Black youth from the Aurora area for a morning of educational workshops at North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd. in Aurora.

With the theme, “A Different World,” a nod to the television sitcom about Black college life, the youth summit will feature workshops on college planning, financial preparation, interacting with the police and a conversation with Black superintendents of Aurora school districts, according to the release.

Then, at 1 p.m. that day, youth summit participants will merge with community members at the annual Aurora Juneteenth Flag-Raising Ceremony, named in honor of the late trailblazer Scheketa Hart-Burns, a longtime Aurora City Council member who passed away unexpectedly on June 19, 2023.

The flag-raising ceremony at One Aurora Plaza, 8 E. Galena Blvd. in downtown Aurora, will feature a presentation of the annual proclamation and heritage awards, guest speakers Maj. Gen. Rodney Boyd, commander of the Illinois National Guard and the first Black person to hold the post, and ABC 7 News Culture and Race Reporter Jasmine Minor; and entertainment from saxophonist Derek Tate, Dream Dance Academy and the award-winning 40+ Double Dutch Club, city  officials said.

For more on Aurora’s Juneteenth activities, go to www.aurora-il.org/Juneteenth2024

The commitment, hard work and perseverance has paid off.

Last week, the West Aurora graduate was one of 12 players named to the roster of the women’s volleyball team that will represent the United States this summer in the Paris Olympics.

A 6-foot-1 setter who has had a successful seven-year professional career overseas, the former Wisconsin standout realized a dream that dates back to grade school.

The news came via email from USA Volleyball.

Her first call was to her dad, Tony.

“It was pretty emotional,” he said of Wednesday’s announcement. “She couldn’t get the words out at first. She was shaken, and it took about a minute. And my emotions were all over the place.”

Players had a two-hour window to share the news with relatives and friends before they were expected at a congratulatory outing for the team in the Los Angeles area.

Emotions ran especially high for Carlini. Three years earlier, she didn’t make the U.S. team that went on to win the gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that were delayed until 2021 due to the pandemic.

Her college coach, Kelly Sheffield, was ecstatic when she reached him in an airport on a recruiting trip.

“She’s dreamed about this her whole life,” Sheffield said. “I remember meeting her and her family the first time at her house. I asked her what her most prized possession was, and she pointed straight up at an Olympic flag fastened to the ceiling above her bed.

“When I asked why, she said, ‘Every day when I wake up, I say to myself, ‘This is what you’re working toward. And every night, I look up at it and think about how that’s the dream.’”

Retired teacher Sue Ludwig, who coached Carlini at Jewel Middle School, learned the news through a social media private message from a member of the family.

“It was kind of upsetting Lauren wasn’t on the team for the last Olympics,” Ludwig said.

Carlini had several years of club volleyball under her belt when she arrived at Jewel in sixth grade and worked with teammates who had never played before.

“She was doing things my eighth graders were trying to do,” Ludwig said. “She was so good working with teammates. Her patience was amazing.”

By the time Carlini reached eighth grade, games would be packed with fans wanting to see the team play, according to Ludwig.

A four-year varsity player, Carlini led West Aurora to a program-record 32 wins as a senior when the Blackhawks won the conference title and their first regional in 15 years before losing to eventual Class 4A state champion Benet.

Carlini was named the 2012 Gatorade Player of the Year and also ranked as the top volleyball recruit in the country for her class.

Everything seemed to come easy as she became Wisconsin’s first four-time all-conference player in the Big Ten and a four-time All-American, the last three first team, under Sheffield’s tutelage.

Her senior year in college, she won the Sullivan Award for the best amateur athlete in any sport.

Now 29, she has played three pro seasons in Italy, three in Turkey and one in Russia but plans to play professionally at home.

She has signed on with League One Volleyball as one of the founding athletes for LOVB Madison, an entry in the new women’s league that plans its inaugural season in January 2025.

“The first time around and being the last person cut was hard,” Sheffield said of the Olympics. “It’s like a sledgehammer to the head, but she didn’t give up on herself. She continued to work. She chose the harder path. The easier path would have been to throw her hands up and say, ‘That’s it.’

“It’s never a straight line for even the most successful people. It’s not easy for anybody.”

This week, Carlini and the U.S. team are in Fukuoka, Japan, competing in the third week of the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Nations League, an annual tournament featuring the top 16 teams in the world that finishes June 20-23 in Thailand. It impacts world rankings that determine the final six teams to qualify for the Olympics.

“This is her goal, what’s driven her,” her dad said. ”She’ll always be Lauren Carlini, Olympian.”

Hopefully, there will be more to come for Lauren, whose family already has flights booked to France.

Many of us will be watching.

That’s the message staff wants to get out after announcing at a meeting last month that a pilot program will be rolled out this year in hopes of slowing down some e-bike riders on the trail system.

The program will consist of using digital speed signs along the trails, similar to those used for monitoring cars on roads around the area.

The initiative is said to be focusing on Class E-3 bikes which can reach speeds of nearly 30 mph. Currently, Class E-2 and E-1 bikes are the only classes of bikes that are allowed on Kane County-maintained trails.

Kane County Forest Preserve District Director of Community Affairs Laurie Metanchuk late last month stressed that there isn’t a big crackdown on bikers planned nor has there been a change in policy.

“The facts are that we have always limited speeds on our trails to 15 mph and that hasn’t changed,” Metanchuk said. “We allow Class 1 and 2 e-bikes on the trails but not Class 3 because they are too fast.”

The genesis of the pilot program came after a number of elected officials urged that some reminders be made “to make sure people are following the speed limits.”

“We’ve been getting pushed by some officials to make sure people are following the speed rule on the trails,” Metanchuk said. “What we are going to do is put two electronic signs out along the trails and just encourage people to follow the speed limit. It’s not like we have some large initiative and plan to go out and arrest people for going too fast – that’s not at all what this is.”

Metanchuk added that “people have to remember that these trails are multi-purpose” and don’t just belong to bikers.

“There are walkers, people with strollers, joggers and also equestrians as well as cyclists, and so with all those uses we’ve always been very clear that our speed limit is 15 mph,” she said. “Share the trail and be polite. We want to put out the (speed) boards just as a reminder.”

Metanchuk said there are no speed issues concerning regular bicycles.

“This is about people with e-bikes that are going above the posted speed limit,” she said.

Metanchuk said the district is still in the process of obtaining the signs.

“The digital speed signs have been budgeted, but they won’t be purchased until our new fiscal year takes effect July 1. Our goal is to have signs that are moveable and that show people how fast they’re riding,” she said late last month. “If the signs provide additional data, our police would use that to determine when to move signs and whether areas may require additional enforcement. But, again, we want people to continue to enjoy riding along the trail systems, but do so at safe speeds for everyone.”

Mike Farrell, founder and co-owner of Prairie Path Cycles in Batavia, said as an avid cyclist himself, “I see people speeding all the time on the paths and absolutely support what the Forest Preserve is hoping to do.”

“Frankly, I’d wish they would come up with some printed literature or a pamphlet and we’d post it right in the store,” he said. “In terms of our sales – the Class 3 bikes, if I sell 100 e-bikes, maybe five of them are Class 3. We always explain that to customers and say this bike is technically not legal on just about any bike path in the area. The problem is no one is monitoring it, and it sounds like that’s about to change. It needs to happen for sure.”

Farrell also warned about collisions with e-bikes noting that “you’re looking at a bike that can weigh 55 to 75 pounds versus a road bike that might be 18 pounds.”

“If somebody gets run into with one of those e-bikes, they’re going to feel it,” he said.

Bruce Heidlauf, who owns Mill Race Cyclery in Geneva, said when it comes to speed limits on trails, he thinks “20 mph is more realistic given that Class 2 bikes can top out at that.”

David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.

The festival runs from 5 to 11 p.m. June 21 and 3 to 11 p.m. June 22 at Bicentennial Riverfront Park in Yorkville.

The Vandoliers, a Texas band that opened for Bowling for Soup and Less Than Jake on their European tour in February, performs at 8 p.m. June 21. They’re part of a lineup that includes Silverada, Elizabeth Cook, Rob Leines, Taylor Hunnicutt, Jason Eady, Midnight River Choir, John Till, Eli Howard and Greater Good, Tony Logue and the 184 and the Jeff Bearcat Bunch.

This is the festival’s 11th year, said organizer Boyd Ingemunson, owner of Rogue Barrister Records and the Law Office Pub and Music Hall in Yorkville. Last year was the first time the festival charged a ticket price. That was in part to attract bigger-named acts, he said.

The festival is curated in part by the band Silverada — formerly Mike and the Moonpies — who also headline each night.

“We’ve kind of raised the bar on the event to be more of the traditional festivals you’re seeing pop up,” Ingemunson said. “Especially with these Americana and outlaw country artists. With Sturgill Simpson and Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers, you’re seeing this huge movement of Americana and country artists. The reach of these artists now, it’s astounding to see. So the festival has kind of evolved to be more in line with what you’re seeing in music festivals in general.”

Fun fact — Sturgill Simpson played the very first Summer Solstice Festival and he’s since gone on to play “Austin City Limits” and win a Grammy award for Best Country Album in 2017.

The only way to compete with festivals is to raise ticket prices to pay the bands people want to see, Ingemunson said.

“That was a big leap last year to transition to that type of format,” he said. “The performances are better. Just the overall vibe of the festival is better. It’s more cohesive. This year, the bar has been raised even higher.”

He’s very excited to have nabbed Elizabeth Cook, who hosts a show called “Elizabeth Cook’s Apron Strings” on the Sirius XM radio station, Outlaw Country.

“She’s been on the Grand Ole Opry over 400 times, she’s been on the ‘Letterman’ show four times,” he said. “She’s so well-known within the industry and she’s a fantastic performer, too.”

It’s the same independent festival but ramped up with talent and a professional stage, he said.

“There’s a new part of the park called Riverfront Park East that both Summer Solstice and Oktoberfest utilizes. It’s just a beautiful area of the park right along the river,” he said. “It’s a beautiful setting.”

VIP ticket holders can attend exclusive after-shows at the Law Office Pub, he said, with host bands Memphis Kee June 21 and Drew Cooper June 22, he said.

“Last year, what we found is that the bands all migrated to hang out at the Law Office after the festival,” he said. “It seemed logical to have two of the bands that played last year host the after show and then have some collaborations and special guests, all at the Law Office in a very intimate environment.”

Food vendors at the music fest include Rosati’s Pizza, Grandma Rosie’s Sweet Treats, Alfie’s Barbecue and Freaky Fries.

Despite charging a ticket fee last year, he surprisingly received very little negative feedback.

“I knew going to a ticketed format we would see a drop-off in attendance and that was totally expected,” he said. “But the numbers were solid last year. I’m excited to see what the future holds as far as the inroads we’ve made bringing very high-quality music to Yorkville.

“The industry is very difficult to make a lot of inroads with competing with major festivals in Chicago and the Chicago music scene. But through the Law Office and all the bands we’ve met there, we’re starting to make inroads with bigger bands and if we can continue the progress, it feeds off itself with the success.”

Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.

Summer Solstice Indie Music Festival

When: 5-11 p.m. June 21 and 3-11 p.m. June 22

Where: Bicentennial Riverfront Park, 301 E. Hydraulic St, Yorkville

Tickets: $30-$150; children 14 and under free with parent

Information: 630-882-9559; solsticemusicfest.com

The Illinois High School Association announced Tuesday that its board approved a recommendation from the basketball advisory committee to require a 35-second shot clock in varsity boys and girls basketball games starting with the 2026-27 season.

“The IHSA has allowed the shot clock to be used in tournaments and shootouts the past two seasons, and the overwhelming feedback we have received from coaches is that it is time to embrace the shot clock in all varsity contests,” IHSA executive director Craig Anderson said in a news release. “We believe the two-season lead time will provide our schools with ample opportunity to install the shot clocks and get comfortable with them from both a coaching and game administration perspective.”

The IHSA also announced changes to the schedule for the state finals for both boys and girls basketball that will begin with the 2024-25 season.

The new schedule will feature semifinals in Class 1A, 2A and 3A on Thursday, with third-place games in those classes on Friday, along with Class 4A semifinals on Friday night.

Saturday’s schedule will include the 4A third-place game, followed by the championship games in all four classes.

The changes will allow for semifinal games to be played Thursday and Friday nights. The schedule the past three seasons drew criticism for having third-place games in primetime, often drawing small crowds.

In 2021-22, the IHSA switched from its longtime format with state games for 1A and 2A on one weekend and 3A and 4A on the next to a three-day tournament for all four classes.

“It’s been fairly unanimous in the Illinois high school basketball community that moving the state tournament to a single-weekend format has been a success,” Anderson said. “Our coaches believe this new schedule will provide an even better experience for all the student-athletes, coaches and fans.

“We look forward to seeing it play out when we celebrate America’s Original March Madness next winter.”

City officials are looking at plans for the new Broadway streetscape, the main drag through downtown.

Jason Bauer, Public Works assistant director, said this week the city could be ready to move forward with the project by the spring of 2025.

He told members of the City Council’s Infrastructure and Technology Committee that the city and the Illinois Department of Transportation have “been going back and forth” on designs for the remake of Broadway between Benton and New York streets.

“We’ve finally come to agreement with the metrics,” he said.

Broadway is also state Route 25, which is why IDOT must approve any design changes.

Aldermen on the Infrastructure and Technology Committee this week recommended a change order with HR Green to engineer the Broadway project. The change order is one the city already has with HR Green to engineer the change of Galena Boulevard and New York from one-way streets through downtown to two-way.

Public Works officials decided the two projects should be connected.

“We’ve expanded the Broadway streetscape project,” Bauer said.

Plans for the streetscape include removing all the sidewalks and replacing them by refiguring the street. On-street parking would be removed and the sidewalks expanded. They would include plantings and highlights at the intersections.

The roadway would remain two lanes in each direction, but with no parking and larger sidewalks, it would be safer, officials said.

The city received a $3 million grant for the Broadway project from the Rebuild Illinois Downtowns and Main Streets Capital Program that was designed to support commercial corridors that saw a slump during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some 50 commercial corridors and main streets across the state got money to put toward a makeover, part of more than $200 million in state and federal grants across Illinois.

The state originally allocated $50 million to the program in 2021, but because of a large number of applications, and eligible projects, state officials increased the funding.

Aurora has been moving toward redesign of the Broadway streetscape, and doing the underlying work necessary, since getting the grant in 2022.

Officials have been filling in all the remaining underground vaults under the sidewalks, and have initiated a downtown parking study earlier this year to look at how to replace parking lost on Broadway.

As it stands now, Bauer said about 20 parking spots would be lost along Broadway, but with additional parking lots, there would be a net gain in parking spots in the area.

In addition to recommending the change order to the HR Green contract, Infrastructure and Technology Committee members also this week recommended a $1.09 million contract for a sewer separation project along Broadway.

That project would be one of the last below-ground projects before work on the streetscape could begin, officials said.

slord@tribpub.com

Calls to hotlines all across the state are on the rise, according to a recent report that indicated the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline recorded a 90% increase in calls, texts and messages since the pandemic, and a record high 17,972 contacts for requests for shelter in 2022, up 45% from the previous year.

Simply stated, says Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence, which runs the hotline, Illinois is not equipped to meet that need.

That includes shelters in the Fox Valley.

“In an ideal world we would have all these empty beds. The bottom line is, wow, we are busier than ever,” said Maranda, noting Mutual Ground hotline calls have seen an uptick of 25% in the last year.

Even more alarming, the Aurora shelter has turned away 30% more people than last year because the 28-bed shelter is filled to capacity.

“We are well beyond where we were last year,” Maranda said, looking out on a playground bustling with small children who often accompany the adults using those 28 beds.

“We want to expand,” she said, then quickly added, “No. Make that we need to expand.”

It’s writing that has been on the wall for a while now, which is why Mutual Ground is at the beginning of an $18 million capital development campaign. Thanks to what Maranda described as “legislative champions,” that goal is now down to $13 million, most of which would go toward rehabbing the shelter, which since 1997 has been located in the historic 32,000-square-foot Edna Smith Home on Oak Street in Aurora.

This construction project to the old mansion will not only provide much-needed infrastructure updates, it would add another 12 beds. While that may not sound like much, it is essential, she said, to “keep up with demand.”

Experts blame the pandemic for the initial uptick in calls for service, but the ongoing increase, Maranda believes, can be tied to more media exposure, particularly from domestic violence cases ending in death.

“It is out of the shadows now,” with more people understanding “the reality is that this can happen to anyone,” said Maranda. “We have to have a safe place for them to go. And right now there’s not much of that out there.”

Indeed. One major hurdle, say officials, is the lack of affordable housing. In fact, it’s the first thing Maureen Manning, executive director of Community Crisis Center in Elgin, pointed to when I asked her about the issue.

While each shelter is different, Elgin’s center allows residents to stay for up to two months, she said, which should be “plenty of time” to complete a service plan, get a job, get a paycheck and save for a downpayment.

“That’s not happening anymore,” Manning lamented. “Now there are no apartments available, certainly not affordable ones.”

And so, those in crisis end up going from shelter to shelter – if they can even find a bed – which affects the student mobility rate of school districts, she added.

Certainly it makes a challenging job all the more difficult these days for staff and volunteers at shelters, especially for those on the front lines. As Maranda pointed out, “The hardest job is to tell someone in crisis there is no room.”

That’s why Mutual Ground is counting on “generous donors and good grants” to meet its expansion goal, which would include finding a temporary space for residents while the current shelter is under renovation.

“I continue to be amazed at the amount of support from the Aurora community, including our legislators,” said the CEO, noting a much-needed diaper drive state Rep. Barbara Hernandez, D-Aurora, held a few months ago, and a low-profile Saturday that state Rep. Matt Hanson, D-Aurora, devoted to helping with landscaping around the grounds.

“He showed up at 10 in the morning and worked all day, with no fanfare, no one following him around taking pictures,” said Maranda. “He just loves Mutual Ground and knows its importance in our community.”

Both shelter leaders agree there is no easy answer.

“This is not going to clear up quickly,” predicted Manning, noting that the Community Crisis Center, which can handle 18 cases, has been looking for a permanent PADS facility for years, but has been unsuccessful because people don’t want a shelter in their neighborhood.

“What’s going on now is painful,” she said of the bed shortage, then asserted that hope can be found “in the people who do become successful.

“It will remain a struggle,” said Manning, “but when they can move out and move on, it is a wonderful thing.”

Likewise, Maranda tries to focus on the positive.

“Thinking about how many more survivors and children we can help gets me pumped every day,” she said. “There are a lot of big challenges. But we are going to do this with the help of very good people.”

dcrosby@tribpub.com