Politics & Government

Village Employees Could Move to Central School During Village Hall Renovations

The Village of Lemont is currently in discussions with Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A to utilize office space in the closed school this summer.

Employees in the could temporarily move their offices to the currently vacant this summer as Village Hall undergoes scheduled renovations.

During the Feb. 21 meeting of the  Board of Education, President Mike Aurelio announced that village officials expressed interest in utilizing the school,  due to budgetary constraints.

In November, village officials agreed to move forward this summer with necessary maintenance to Village Hall and the adjoining former police station, 418 Main St.

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The building, constructed in the late 1890s, was last renovated in 1991. Although a recent assessment showed no major issues with plumbing, HVAC, roofing or overall structure, deferred maintenance could cost the village hundreds of thousands of dollars in the next three to five years, village officials said.

Lemont trustees have already approved a $30,000 schematic design contract that includes improvements to the lobby, roof, windows and exterior doors, bathrooms and conference room. 

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The project is expected to begin in June and continue through October, creating the need for temporary office space, officials said.

Recently, District 113A administrators led village employees on a walkthrough of Central School, located at 410 McCarthy Road.

"They were pleased with the facility, and expressed a desire to be able to utilize the space this summer," Assistant Superintendent Mary Gricus said Tuesday.

Gricus said the two administrations are in the process of working out details for an intergovernmental agreement, including utilities and costs. 

In a phone interview Wednesday, Village Administrator Ben Wehmeier said Central School has both the space and accommodations necessary for village staff to conduct regular business this summer.

"One of the reasons we did the walkthrough is to make sure we'd be able to move our technologies and operations without any disruptions," he said. "Right now we are working out a lot of the details, like our ComEd account, for example."

Information on a lease or related costs was not immediately available.

Wehmeier said the village and District 113A would both need to formally approve an intergovernmental agreement before the move occurs.


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