Infrastructure key concern among Algonquin trustee candidates

Candidates for the Algonquin Village Board want well-paved roads, bike paths and pickleball courts.

Both incumbents and first-time candidates said maintaining infrastructure throughout the village was a key priority during a Daily Herald Editorial Board interview attended by the Northwest Herald.

Four of the five candidates running for Village Board this year – incumbents John Spella, Brian Dianis and Maggie Auger and newcomer Deniz Namik – participated in the interview on Monday. Challenger George Nwogu did not attend.

Several of the incumbents cited roadwork as being a crucial priority; Spella noted the village has over 160 miles of roads that need to be maintained.

While all candidates praised the state of the community and the village staff for their work, they agreed that steady growth also necessitated constant updating of infrastructure.

“We have so many miles in poorer condition,” Dianis said. “If we wait too long and let them deteriorate too much, it becomes a more critical problem and suddenly we’re dealing with large expenditures now. We want to manage that over a period of time so it’s not a big hit [to the budget].”

A similar situation calls for updating the village’s parks system, where equipment that is now several decades old is in need of repair, Dianis said.

Algonquin has partnered with Hitchcock Design Group for updates to both Presidential Park and Towne Park. Improvements to Towne Park, including a new playground, are estimated to cost over $4 million.

Getting the community and stakeholders involved in the park planning process is very important to the Village Board, Auger said, so they can assess how desired projects fit into the budget.

“We want to understand what residents would like and then see what we can really afford, including with grants,” Auger said. “It’s a balancing act.”

Restriping old tennis courts and converting them for pickleball is an example of efficiently renovating existing spaces, rather than building out new ones and costing taxpayers, Spella said.

First-time candidate Deniz Namik agreed with the incumbents about roads and parks, but she also felt it should be a priority for the village to increase bike and pedestrian connections throughout the city, such as the Fox River and Prairie Trail system that connects the village on either side of the river just below Main Street.

“We should keep in mind families with children and teenagers,” Namik said. “They want to hang out after school with friends. We want to make sure that Algonquin is accessible for people to commute and travel, and is a place where families and people want to go.”

Village staff and elected officials could also do better to communicate with residents about roadwork and other projects, Namik said.

“I think what the village is doing right now is great,” Namik said, “but we need to go out and talk to residents more. It shows we care. We want residents to know what’s happening, so they are not just driving through construction sites for months and months. We shouldn’t expect them to constantly look at the website.”

The Village Board takes into account pedestrian and bike accessibility when approving projects, Spella said, noting that potential renovations to Algonquin Commons include public spaces.

But Spella agreed with Namik that bike paths should be a priority and said he’d like to see the village work with other municipalities to coordinate on trail systems within the Fox River valley.

The village could also be reviewing its comprehensive plan later this year, Auger said, which would allow for public involvement and feedback on broad infrastructure goals for the future.

The village recently completed a roundabout at North Main Street and Cary-Algonquin Road, and is currently working on downtown streetscape and riverwalk improvements, as well as updates to several village parks.

Several incumbents also expressed enthusiasm for the North Point industrial campus, which they said will bring in new businesses.

Although he did not attend the Daily Herald interview, Nwogu answered a questionnaire, in which he said he would like to see more development on the village’s east side.

“The east side remains underdeveloped compared to other areas of the village,” Nwogu said in the questionnaire, adding that the “long-overdue” Longmeadow Parkway project opening could help encourage growth there.

The election takes place April 4.