Have you been waiting to hear what the Salem Lakes Economic Development Committee will do?
Turns out the committee wants to hear from you before it decides its future goals.
The new committee of village officials and community stakeholders decided at a meeting Monday to gather public opinion about economic development in the village before deciding its goals.
“”I think it is very important to have the public input,” said Ross Swartz, a member of the village Plan Commission and an alternate to the committee.
Committee member Brian Filiatreault said “We shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. I think that’s the safe way.”
“I think we’re really just at the infancy stage,” said Jeff Albrecht, a member of the Plan Commission and vice chairman of the committee, who attended the meeting Monday via phone.
Getting public opinion on development could help head off misunderstandings about what the committee is about, Swatrz said.
“They get in their head that we’re going to try to be Gurnee … that’s not what we’re trying to accomplish,” Swartz said.
To gather that public opinion, the committee decided to create a questionnaire or survey that will be distributed to the community through various methods, available on the village website and distributed through local media.
Topics discussed Monday to be covered in a draft version of the survey included:
- What kind of development would residents like to see in the village?
- Should downtown areas like Silver Lake, Salem and Wilmot be revitalized?
- What kind of development would be good for the Highway 50 and Highway 83 corridors?
- What type of development seen elsewhere would be good for Salem Lakes?
- What types of recreational facilities should be developed?
The committee also set March 15 for a two Public Engagement Sessions to be held at Salem Lakes Village Hall. One session will be from 9 a.m. to noon and a second from 1 to 4 p.m.
Those sessions will be to gather public opinion on development issues.
The committee will meet next on April 7 at 5 p.m. Plans are for the committee to meet monthly, going forward.
Members of the Salem Lakes Economic Development Committee are: Chair Rita Bucur (who also is the village president) , Peter Poli (who also is a village trustee), Sharon Pomaville and Albrecht, Swartz and Filiatreault.
