It’s makeover time at Glencoe’s village hall.
Earlier this month, crews started renovating sections of the building in downtown Glencoe. Specifically, the public safety department’s dormitory and locker room will get a facelift coinciding with upgrades at the council chambers.
Assistant Village Manager Ben Wiberg noted sections of the public safety building now being improved have not been enhanced since 1956 and the council chambers last received an upgrade in 1992.
“These facilities have not undergone substantial improvements in several decades and are now inadequate for current and future staff,” Wiberg said at the October village board meeting.
At that meeting, Glencoe’s Village Board unanimously approved a contract not to exceed $1.62 million for construction costs.
Additional costs will come with the purchase of new furniture, Wiberg said. Those costs have yet to be determined.
In the first part of the project, improved, individual bunk rooms and private changing areas will be installed for the public safety department; village officials said the existing conditions are poor. Completion is tentatively scheduled by next April.
The village of Glencoe’s website says that in 1954 the village combined the police and fire departments into one single, cross-trained department.
A main goal of the second phase of the project is replacement of outdated equipment in the council chambers as village officials improve the audio and visual technology for meeting broadcasts. They also seek more ways to use the space for both internal and public meetings.
Completion of the second phase is expected in June 2025, according to Wiberg. “The Village Board is not feathering its nest here,” Village President Howard Roin said. “Our council chambers have not been improved for a long, long time.”
With the council chambers temporarily unavailable, many village meetings are being held at the Park District’s Takiff Center.
Park District Executive Director Lisa Sheppard wrote in an e-mail that as long as the meetings are held within normal operating hours, the village will not be assessed a fee.
Family Service of Glencoe, the village’s social services agency, will continue to operate at the village hall.
