Leaders hopeful about future

CRYSTAL LAKE – Community leaders were brimming with buoyancy for 2009 at the annual State of the Community luncheon Thursday despite a global recession and continuing economic uncertainties.

Leaders from Crystal Lake, Lakewood and Prairie Grove spoke at the event hosted by the Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce. The three speakers looked back on the successes of 2008 and ahead toward opportunities for their municipalities in 2009.

“I’m not only optimistic, but I have the data to show that there is a cause for my optimism,” Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley said. “We had a pretty decent year.”

Shepley said the city was taking a proactive approach to filling commercial vacancies along Route 14. He touted the success of recent downtown improvements. The mayor offered further praise for the work of the chamber and the city’s budget.

Shepley used the bulk of his time at the lectern to discuss the much-anticipated Vulcan Lakes Recreation Area. The city plans a $10 million to $16 million construction project to turn Vulcan Lakes into a paradise for      swimmers, anglers and beach lovers. The lakes, now owned by the city, are former gravel pits northwest of Rakow and Pingree roads.

After showing a computerized video presentation of what Vulcan Lakes Recreation Area would look like once it is completed in the summer of 2010, Shepley encouraged local businesses and developers to bid on the project.

“We can make this a local economic stimulus package,” he said. “If we can get local bidders to leverage their proximity to the project, we can create jobs that will keep people working and further bolster the economy.”


Lakewood


Carole Robertson, finance director and treasurer for Lakewood, expressed similar confidence for the village of about 3,500 located southwest of Crystal Lake.

“The state of the village is strong indeed and stable,” she said. 

Lakewood’s acclaimed wastewater treatment plant also went online last year. Robertson said the plant had been nominated for a prestigious award from the American Public Works Association for its environmental features and will serve as a training site for the Environmental Protection Agency.

Despite a building slowdown, Robertson said, the village’s housing market remained strong, with the average price of a new home in Lakewood standing at more than $800,000.

She said the village’s fiscal policy “has and will serve us well in these difficult economic times.”


Prairie Grove


Prairie Grove is in its “best state of fiscal health in years, if not ever,” Village Administrator Jeannine Smith said.

The village is in the process of making significant changes, which have included the restructuring of its police department.

Smith also touched on the village’s annexation of more than 100 acres of land in the past two years, increased sales-tax revenues, and the relocation of boat dealer Chicago MasterCraft to Prairie Grove.

Looking forward, Smith said, the village is working on plans for a Metra train station, revising an unpopular Route 176 Corridor Plan, and creating the village’s first park.

“Next year will be a challenge,” she said, “a challenge this administration is willing to meet.”