8 McHenry businesses set to fix up facades with city grants

A total of eight McHenry businesses will share about $88,000 in grants to fix up the outside of their buildings, part of a revamped city program to help them fund beautification projects.

Those approvals did not come without controversy. At the Aug. 5 McHenry City Council meeting, the grants were approved by a 4-3 vote with 2nd Ward Alderman Andrew Glab, 4th Ward Alderwoman Chris Bassi, and 6th Ward Alderman Michael Koch voting against approval.

The three who voted against the package, which combined all eight grant approvals into one vote, said they did not like that the final package gave some businesses more funding than that strictly outlined by program rules.

The Fox Hole Pizza and Pub at 3308 W. Elm St., the Law Office of Denise Kuzniewski at 3922 W. Main St., Rita’s Italian Ice and Frozen Custard at 3319 W. Elm St. and owner of the building at 1218 N. Green St., which houses the Team Bremer Realty Group and other businesses, received grants that went beyond some of those rules.

“If these are the rules, then stick to the rules,” Koch said. “Leave money open for other businesses to apply for the facade grant.”

Those rules were approved by the council in April, when the it voted unanimously to reduce the total grant amount available to each business, made the grant a 50% match instead of a dollar-for-dollar match, prohibited “sweat equity” as a participating match and added a filing period to apply for the program. The caveat, Director of Public Development Doug Martin said, is that the council can chose how to make the grants at its own discretion.

In his report to the council, Martin noted why the committee, which included 5th Ward Alderman Andy Davis, Deputy Clerk Monte Johnson, and Police Officer Ashley O’Herron, suggested those four locations receive additional funding.

The law office on Main Street is next door to To Steki Restaurant and backs up against the Walgreens at West Elm Street and Route 31. “Part of the request at this location, however, is the replacement of the dumpster enclosure,” according to Martin’s report. “The committee felt this item should be included as a reimbursable expense because it could be seen from the Walgreens parking lot and is visible from To Steki Restaurant to the east.”

That consideration increased the facade funding from $5,000 to $11,108.59. “This is a grant request that is really what the program is all about, taking and improving an historic downtown building and enhancing its appearance and aesthetic value to the surrounding neighborhood, and the applicant did a phenomenal job of this on the south of the building,” according to Martin’s report.

Similarly, the building at 1218 N. Green St., owned by Dan Abelas, is set to receive $15,000, which is $5,000 more than it would be eligible for by a strict lineal feet measure.

”The committee felt this project was worthy of a closer look by the City Council due to the extensive improvements that are being done to the Green Street side of the building,” Martin wrote.

For the Fox Hole, the facade committee took into consideration that although only a small vestibule for the business is seen from the street, the restaurant takes up the entirety of the basement under Riverside House. “Including this additional frontage would allow them to replace the sign on top of the small structure on Riverside Drive, therefore the recommendation is to fund the grant at the 50% match or $7,773.50 as opposed to $5,000,” Martin wrote.

Rita’s Italian Ice’s was approved for $15,000 as owner Cathy Levatino has spent $78,300 to replace a broken cement driveway on the west side of the building and other exterior renovations done as part of the overall renovation. The restaurant, which opened in late summer 2023, previously received a $10,000 grant from the city for equipment and a property tax rebate for rehabbing an empty building.

“Rita’s already got a grant from us,” Glab argued. “They are not eligible.”

The other locations receiving facade grants are:

• LazyChimp.com Inc., 3111 W. Elm St., $15,0000

• McHenry Dental, 1311 N. Green St., $10,000

• To Steki Restaurant, 3918 W. Main St., $5,000

• Ryn Salons, 4921 W. Elm St., $8702.50