For the past decade, what used to be the grand structure of Bon Vivant Country Club sat unused.

The large clubhouse of what was known as one of the premiere golf courses in the state of Illinois stood empty along Career Center Road.

The facility was the idea of the late local banker Merlin Karlock.

“The 18-hole ‘Championship’ course at the Bon Vivant Country Club facility in Bourbonnais, Illinois features 7,498 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72,” according to a review on golflink.com.

The course, which opened in 1980, was designed by Ray Didier, who designed several courses in northern Illinois.

The Bon Vivant Country Club North Course first opened in 1997. The course was designed by David Esler.

Bon Vivant closed in 2008.

With the passage of an ordinance last week by trustees of the village of Bourbonnais, about 18 acres were annexed into the village during the April 6 meeting.

Travis Meils, owner of Alpha Elite Ventures, LLC, purchased the property, which at the time was governed by Kankakee County. They granted a zoning variance for general commercial use for a banquet center and restaurant in September 2025.

The village did not object to the rezoning request.

According to village documents, Alpha Elite Ventures will host weddings and other large gatherings.

In the minutes from the Feb. 25 Bourbonnais Planning Commission and Board of Zone Appeals, Meils testified that he bought the property to improve it and have weddings and other private events.

Meils said he has been in the event planning business for over 20 years and coordinates over 1,000 events a year.

“We’ve been working on that for a long, long time,” Mayor Jeff Keast said.

“They’re going to be a wedding venue, between 300 and 400 people at events there. They’re talking about a restaurant,” Keast said. “It’s a great addition to the village, and quite frankly, it’s a new chapter for the village of Bourbonnais.”

The village is looking to make a Tax Increment Financing district of Career Center that will include the banquet facility and Kankakee Area Career Center, which also was annexed at last week’s meeting.

The two are located across from one another. Being contiguous allows for the creation of the TIF, Keast said.

The village will annually provide $5,000 or 15% of the TIF increment, whichever is higher, Bourbonnais Administrator Mike Van Mill said.