District 88 superintendent outlines referendum details for village board

At the Thursday, Aug. 20, Lombard Village Board of Trustees meeting, District 88 Superintendent Dr. Jean Barbanente made a presentation to the board and village staff regarding a $118 million bond referendum that will be placed on the November ballot—which she said is needed to address facility needs for both Addison Trail and Willowbrook high schools, the two schools in that district.

She stated that she was there to present the information because “over 20 percent of the students come from Lombard.”

“Over the past year the board has been looking heavily at facility needs,” Barbanente said, with Willowbrook being built in 1959 and Addison Trail in 1966.

The proposed referendum bonds would focus on safety and security enhancements, code-required life-safety updates, ADA accessibility improvements, end-of-life infrastructure replacements, updates to Career and Technical Education (CTE) spaces, and updates to performing arts and athletics spaces, according to information supplied by the district.

“That is something the board has been deliberating about for many months,” Barbanente commented.

She emphasized that there would be “no net tax increase to the community” because bonds from the district’s 2007 referendum are being paid off after levy year 2026.

“We have a very detailed list on the website,” she mentioned, but also emphasized that “Our role is to just share facts … not to advocate in any way.”

Visit DuPage88.net/Proposal for more information.

In other business

• On a first-reading vote, the village board approved a proposal to create a text amendment to the “massage” ordinance in Lombard, which would include regulations such as removing dark-tinted windows and door lock buzzers, as well as “concealed rooms containing beds, advertisements for sexual services or other activities associated with unlawful conduct,” a memo from Director of Building Keith Steiskal states.

He explained the reason for the ordinance’s text amendment is that “The village has determined that massage establishments pose a substantial risk of being used to facilitate prostitution, human trafficking, sexual exploitation and other unlawful activities, therefore posing a substantial threat to the public health, safety and welfare of the village and its residents.”

The village’s Economic and Community Development Committee voted to recommend the proposed text amendment at its July 13 meeting.

Also involved in preparing a text amendment were the Community Development Department, the village manager’s office, the police and fire departments, and the village attorney, according to Steiskal.

• In a vote on second reading the board approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Village of Glen Ellyn and the Glenbard Wastewater Authority (GWA) for a proposed fire training tower that would be located at the Lombard Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) on Hill Avenue, just west of the East Branch of the DuPage River.

Currently, the proposed training tower is not currently approved for funding, “nor have plans been developed for the project,” Village Manager Nicole Aranas said in a memo. She said that Glen Ellyn is using the CSO facility for training, and the intergovernmental agreement would cover improvements to the maintenance facility and a future training tower.

Additionally, the Village of Lombard would continue to own the CSO facilities and the Village of Glen Ellyn would be “solely responsible for all costs associated with the design, construction permitting, operation, maintenance, repair and replacement of the facility and maintenance of the existing maintenance building,” Aranas noted, with Glen Ellyn receiving a commitment for a $50000 grant “to cover a portion of the project costs.”

Village staff and the village attorney reviewed the proposed agreement and recommended approval, she said.

• The board voted on second reading, to approve an economic incentive for $800,000 from the Lombard Park District to the Community Development Department for the development of the Lilacia Park property at 150 S. Park Ave.

Improvements would include more gathering spaces, a new children’s play area, and an outdoor classroom and event lawn. The development is slated to bring more visitors to Lombard—that would help support downtown shops and restaurants—and to special events such as Lilac Time and Holiday Lights.

• Requests for an Economic Incentive Agreement for D.R. Horton’s Lakepointe Townhomes, on the former Northern Seminary campus were tabled until the Sept. 3 board meeting, as were three ordinances approving a comprehensive plan amendment, map amendment and variations and approval of a final plat of subdivision.