Can Economic Development be the Driver to Unite for the Common Good? Cornell Hudson January 01, 2009 | Crete Record A majority of the December 22 Crete Village Board meeting was consumed by an issue involving Crete, Sauk Village and TCB Development of Tinley Park. Crete Marketplace is the 100-acre site between Illinois Route 394 on the west, Steger Road on the north, Richton Road on the south and Volbrecht Road on the east. In the early part of land acquisition and infrastructure build-out of this parcel, a small error on the plot maps was missed. This small error is starting to become a large error. There is a four-acre parcel at the corner of Steger Road and Volbrecht Road that is within the boundaries of Sauk Village. So, now the plot thickens: - TCB Development wants to sell this parcel to Gas City of Frankfort for a gas station, car wash and convenience store; - Crete wants to annex this parcel into Crete (real estate taxes, water and sewer revenue and sales taxes; - Sauk Village wants to keep the property (real estate taxes and sales taxes); - Crete has provided water and sewer service to the property; - Sauk Village has not provided water and sewer service to this property, and the water service to its last subdivision on the north side of Steger Road is weak at best and would need major work to add this property to its pipeline; - Crete is in Will County; - Sauk Village is in Cook County; - Thorn Creek Basin Sanitary District treats the waste from Crete, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District treats waste from Sauk Village and it would be a major undertaking to extend across Steger Road; - The two waste treatment districts have traditionally been county specific. There is a Circle K Shell gas station, car wash and convenience store on the southwest corner of Steger Road and Illinois Route 394 that is in Crete, and Crete gets the real estate tax, sales tax and water revenue. A new Gas City facility will take business away from Circle K and Crete could lose that revenue to Sauk Village. These current economic times has every municipality concerned about gaining and losing revenue. The sale of this parcel to Gas City by TCB Development is so important to TCB that it has threatened to halt anymore Crete Marketplace development if the sale does not happen. The Crete Village Board wants to bring all the stakeholders (Crete, Sauk Village, TCB and Gas City) to the table to try and work out an equitable, win-win solution for all. If that fails, it appears certain that litigation would be the next step. So, hopefully community-minded people with a penchant for prudent business decisions will prevail. It is likely that the last has not been heard on this. In other December 22 village board matters: Holland Manufacturing is proposing a 9.1 acre wetlands project. This project has grown from a private walking trail for employees to a community trail system for the entire village. Crete Park District will assume this project, which would also be a great resource for the school district. The TIF Board recommends approval of funds towards this project. Commonwealth Edison has also agreed to participate in this endeavor that gives them access to power line easements. The Saint James Long Term Care/Assisted Living Facility has been sold to a for profit company. This means additional revenue for taxing bodies because the property will be placed on the tax rolls. Bill Satek from Crete Energy Ventures, LLC, presented checks to the School District for $5,000, Crete Fire Department Training Budget for $5,000, Crete Park District for $2,000 and to the Crete Library for $1,000. Their facility has been on line about 100 hours this year (during periods of extreme cold or heat). Crete officials have done an excellent job of negotiating donations that are tied to development and TIF projects. Planning Commission member Steve Pearson reported on a conference he attended that covered lighting issues. He spoke about light pollution, energy savings and health issues research. Other communities are starting to look at this issue and the Crete Planning Commission will be looking at this, also. Chuck's Place received a favorable recommendation from the TIF Advisory Board for remodeling funds. Also recommended were TIF funds for the Burrville Road water main. TMV Towing received a favorable recommendation to address drainage and retention issues. Firefighters Jacob Draille and Charles Krug were recognized for graduating from the Prairie State College Firefighter II classes. Trustee Robert Gaines reported on the recent meeting of the Intergovernmental Risk Management Agency (IRMF). IRMF is a collaboration of about 70 communities that share workmen's compensation insurance. Trustees noted the issue where the IRMF used the Hay Group (Fortune 500 consultant firm) to evaluate the IRMF Chief Executive Officer for a cost of $60,000 and recommended the CEO get a $6,800 raise. Trustee Mark Wiater thanked Police, Fire, Public Works and ESDA for their assistance during the recent spell of bad weather. Trustee David Wallace reported on the Police Department roof problems. Phil Hameister, superintendent of Public Works, will go after the 20-year warranty. Mayor Einhorn noted the recent decrease in revenue from Motor Fuel Tax and Telecommunications Tax. The village board proclaimed January, 2009, as South Suburban PADS Awareness Month. _

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