Powder River Park is getting a new look, with the city of Elgin ready to invest more than $590,000 in new playground equipment, pathways, a shaded structure, game tables and a basketball court.
Next year, “you will see more and more parks created and, more importantly, we are doing what is necessary to maintain the parks that have been in existence for 15, 20 or 30 years,” City Manager Rick Kozal told the Elgin City Council at its meeting Wednesday.
Improving and building new parks falls under one of the goals in the city’s new strategic plan, which prioritizes what’s important for the city and focuses on such things as ensuring a connected and engaged community, creating financially sustainable infrastructure, offering diverse housing and livable neighborhoods, and championing environmental stewardship.
Kozal outlined some initiatives that could end up in the 2025 budget should the council agree with the proposals.
“It’s a litmus test,” Kozal said of the initiatives discussed Wednesday. “We do want to make sure the path we are taking is consistent with the council.”
A more formal presentation will be presented when the council considers during the 2025 budget later this year, he said.
Information Technology Services Chief Aaron Cosentino said one thing the city is planning are improvements to community engagement through its website portal and app.
“We have noticed the performance is less than stellar on those front ends because those sites are public facing,” he said. “We want residents to have the best possible experience, be fast on load, and we want people not to have problems where things are not showing up.”
Cosentino’s department also is looking at AI technology to help improve roads. For example, they are planning to install software on city vehicles that will detect potholes and create work orders to fix them, he said.
“The communities using this have seen tremendous results,” Cosentino said.
In terms of housing, Kozal said they want to improve Elgin’s housing stock diversity and create livable neighborhoods. That will require finding ways to attract developers who will build market rate housing, which is needed, he said.
City officials also updated elected officials on ongoing efforts to deal with Elgin’s homeless population, which numbers about 100.
“This city council has been a leader in the metropolitan area in addressing (the issue),” Kozal said, by coming up with short- and long-term solutions.
Last year, the city allocated $1 million toward funding a homeless initiative, but officials found that was “only a starting point of what we’re trying to achieve,” he said.
Elgin will be releasing a request for proposals to find an organization or company to provide staffing for a 24/7 permanent shelter, Kozal said. No details on where the shelter would be located were released.
“There’s a recognition that the people in supportive housing need assistance,” Kozal said. “We are still continuing to look, as other municipalities are, at removing ad hoc sheltering that exists in the city.”
It won’t be inexpensive, he said.
Councilwoman Tish Powell said she believes homelessness is a regional issue and the city should find county, state or federal funding to help with the cost. “We shouldn’t have to shoulder the burden of this all by ourselves,” she said.
Mayor Dave Kaptain said the city is talking with Elgin Township officials about providing assistance for a permanent shelter, but it’s preliminary.
Other initiatives under discussion include the lead service line replacement program, engineering studies on the Fox River dam, replacement of the Kimball Street and Chicago Street bridges, and extending the downtown Tax Increment Financing District, which expires at the end of 2025.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.