:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/FPOOCN7WRNCAVL7VWM5GHXKX7A.JPG)
ELBURN – After navigating a difficult 2020, Elburn has several projects and developments on the horizon.
Chief among these could be boundary negotiations with neighboring townships in Sugar Grove, Campton Hills and Kaneville. The Elburn Village Board has spoken extensively on what those boundaries could look like – potentially Beith Road to the north and Main Street to the south, with the east and west stretches not yet concrete. The board would like to maintain Elburn’s “emerald necklace.”
Village President Jeff Walter and Village Administrator John Nevenhoven will continue dialogue with neighboring communities for a resolution to present to the board in the coming months.
“I think within a year [for a timeline] is very reasonable,” Walter said. “I’d say within probably six to eight months we can have something in front of the board. It just depends, I suppose, how the negotiations go. I think we’ve got a good idea what the board will accept. But we’ve got to go back and forth.
“Everybody likes the farm-community feel, the small-town feel,” Walter continued. “So we’ll be very careful where we end up with negotiations and what kind of land we leave between us with [Kane] County to keep us unincorporated. We want to have boundary agreements that make sense for our growth as well.”
Walter forecast that Elburn’s growth primarily would be on the north end of the village and potentially east and west on Route 38.
“South, it’s hard to say what will go on that way because there’s a couple of subdivisions along the way,” Walter said. “It’s not like they’re going to put a bunch of shopping centers in or something.”
Early last year, Walter put a brief moratorium on spending and hiring for the village, focusing on just operational spending.
“Now that we’ve relaxed that, well, we’re into winter so there’s not a lot we can do,” Walter said.
Walter talked about projects to keep an eye on, including street paving.
“Streetwise, we’re going to be redoing the whole Cambridge subdivision and Thryselius [Drive] will get paved back in that end of town, so they’ll get all new streets and everything back there,” Walter said.
Elburn also will break ground on the new Fox Pointe subdivision sometime in the spring.
Elburn Station Community Park is expected to open on time in April.
“It looks like they’re making really good progress,” Walter said.
Walter said the Parks Commission is asking for funding to redo the park at Elburn’s community center.
“Because we’ve done a lot on the south side, we’re focusing something on the north side,” Walter said. “I’m hopeful the board will approve a new park for that area. The equipment is getting kind of old. It’s time to upgrade it.”
Walter said the village is considering more walking paths.
“There’s an area at the south end of Blackberry Creek that we’re going to put a nature trail in,” Walter said.
A new Elburn police station may be another big development.
“We’ve got the land. We’ve got the drawing,” Walter said. “Now it’s time to figure out how to fund it and build it. And as we continue to grow, it’s definitely needed.”