PROGRESS 2015: Village of South Elgin Has Big Plans and a Big Heart
- Editor’s Note: This is the fourth of Kane County Connects’ PROGRESS 2015 report, a series of articles highlighting Kane County communities’ top three development projects of the year.
The village of South Elgin is a community with big plans and a big heart.
Among the three major projects underway in this community of 22,000 residents — and emblematic of the village’s innovation and spirit — is SEBA Park, an all-inclusive playground that can be enjoyed by everyone, including children with sensory and physical or mental development challenges. SEBA Park is made possible in part through the South Elgin FUNdation, and there’s little doubt that fun is the operative word.
But South Elgin’s progress in 2015 isn’t all fun and philanthropy. Brass tacks infrastructure and facilities are taking place, as well, including construction of a new public works facility and the extension of Bowes Road.
Below is a summary of the village of South Elgin’s “Big 3 Projects” for 2015:
(1) Bowes Road Extension
The village obtained a grant to construct a 3,500-linear-foot section of roadway from IL Route 31 to the existing terminus of Bowes Road at the western boundary of South Elgin and Elgin limits.
The road will provide a new opportunity for motorists to travel east and west from Route 31 to McLean and Randall Roads. The roadway is currently under construction with completion scheduled for the fall of 2015. When complete, the extension will open up more than 75 acres of industrial land for development and redevelopment — and significantly reduce large truck traffic on Sundown Road.
(2) SEBA Park
After successfully applying for the Together We Play grant in September 2011, the FUNdation began the process of taking the open space at SEBA Park and developing/designing/raising funds for this one-of-a-kind play space. The play structure is all-inclusive. The space will unite children of all abilities while reducing barriers, raising awareness, promoting understanding, and building friendships.
SEBA Park creates a welcome park space that is inclusive of all ages, sensory and developmentally appropriate playground equipment free of barriers for visitors with physical and mental challenges. SEBA Park is scheduled to open up Aug. 8, 2015. The entire project will cost $1.3 million. Phase 1 will be completed in August for $819,000.
More information can be found on this page of the South Elgin website or on the South Elgin FUNdation Facebook page.
(3) New Public Works Facility
While SEBA Park has gotten a lot of deserved attention, the village of South Elgin apparently understands that all play and no public works can make Jack a dull boy.
Third on South Elgin’s “Big 3 Projects” for 2015 is the construction of a new public works facility.
A construction manager has been hired for a new facility, which will be built on approximately 13 acres at 1000 Bowes Road. The facility will consist of construction of about 50,000 square feet of total building and will include a 3,200-ton-capacity salt dome, a 2,000-square-foot covered storage area, an asphalt yard area, and a public/employee parking area.
The total project budget is about $7 million.
About the Village of South Elgin
South Elgin has always maintained the highest quality of life for its residents and is well-respected as a thriving, hardworking community. At present, its population of 21,985 good-natured residents enjoys all the fruits of the good life and embraces future development with open arms. From its modest beginnings in the 1800s to the explosion of development in the late 1990s, the village has always had something special that attracts people from all walks of life.
South Elgin is rich in history, culture, recreation and natural beauty. Long before Illinois’ early settlers moved into the region during the nineteenth century, the Fox River carved out a picturesque valley through northeastern Illinois. By 1835, the Fox River Valley was established and a small settlement emerged with a blacksmith shop, flour mills and a quarry that was known as Clintonville. In the mid-1880s the Clintonville Post Office changed its name to South Elgin and the area was incorporated as the Village of South Elgin on April 20, 1897. The Village slowly grew and evolved from a rural farming community and railroad depot, to a thriving modern community. Residents here enjoy the natural beauty of the Fox River, and live close to work and schools.
In 2007, Money Magazine ranked South Elgin as one of the Best Places to Live in the United States for economic opportunity, excellent schools, safe streets, things-to-do and a real sense of community. In 2011, the village was ranked in the CNN/Money’s Top 100 again for economic strength, great job opportunities, top schools and safe streets.
The village is located in Northeastern Illinois’ Kane County, approximately 40 miles northwest of Chicago. IL Route 31 and IL Route 25 extend south to St. Charles and north to Elgin and beyond. Residents use IL Route 19 and U.S. 20 (Lake Street) to reach destinations to the east and west. Driving the 4.6 mile Stearns Road Corridor is an amazing experience. The lush foliage, natural landscape, simple but beautiful river crossing and open pedestrian/bicycle trail celebrate the natural history of the corridor while providing a much needed transportation link connecting IL Route 25 at Dunham Road with McLean Boulevard and Randall Road to the west.
SOURCE: village of South Elgin website
