Good afternoon, Antioch!
First of all, please continue to pray for and support Huntley and his family. It has been incredible to watch the community rally to support this family during such a terrifying and difficult time. The Antioch Police Department and the Illinois Department of Labor continue to investigate what may have caused Sunday’s incident. As you may have seen in the news, the Antioch Police Department has now taken possession of the Moby Dick ride as part of its criminal investigation. The police department will continue to provide updates on its investigation as they arise. If you haven’t already, please consider a donation to the GoFundMe page that is set up to support Huntley and his family: https://www.gofundme.com/f/wrhnpr-huntley
Next Friday is a big day for the Village of Antioch. We’ve been waiting for the groundbreaking of the new park at Main and Orchard for years! Next Friday (July 28th) is the groundbreaking ceremony for the park development at the village-owned property at Main and Orchard. (Formerly known as the Pittman Property). When completed, this redevelopment project will be a beautiful and fun destination for residents and visitors to our community.
The park will be about 3.5 acres (the entire redevelopment project is roughly 4.5 acres) and will include a centerpiece of the exposed Sequoit Creek that runs through the heart of the park, a gazebo/performance space in the park, an inclusive playground, and a splash pad. Additionally, the park will have a concession area and bathroom facilities.
One of the things that I’m most excited about is the fact that we’re able to redevelop this long-blighted piece of property into a beautiful attraction without burdening property taxpayers in the village. The winning bid for the redevelopment project was approximately $12.5 million. This will be paid for by; $1.9 million from American Recovery Plan Act funding (ARPA), $2.75 million from a Stormwater Management Commission grant, and the remainder by Alternate Revenue Source General Obligation Bonds. These bonds will be repaid by Business District sales tax revenue. This means there will be nothing paid for the project out of the Village’s general fund.
The Daily Herald and Lake County Journal ran a story about the park’s development and groundbreaking. You can read the story, here: https://www.dailyherald.com/news/20230714/a-milestone-project-work-begins-on-park-development-in-downtown-antioch
The groundbreaking ceremony starts next Friday at 11 a.m. Everyone is invited! For more information on the groundbreaking, visit: https://fb.me/e/15GG7EgXx
Finally, I hope to see you at next Thursday’s Farmers Market and It’s Thursday concert! The Antioch Farmers Market is every Thursday this summer at the corner of Main and Orchard from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Then, we’ll be on island time for next week’s concert at the bandshell! We’re featuring a fun band I saw perform last summer, award-winning roots, rock reggae band, Unity The Band. They are great! Bring your flip-flops and beachballs and join us for a beach party!
Scott J. Gartner
#antiochil #antiochmayorsupdate #antiochmayorsmessage
Upcoming Village Events:
July 27, 2023, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. – Farmers Market (Main and Orchard)
July 27, 2023, 7 p.m. – It’s Thursday concert series with Unity The Band
July 28, 2023, 11 a.m. – Downtown open space redevelopment groundbreaking ceremony
July 30, 2023, 11:30 a.m. – Antioch Lions Club Chicken BBQ, Pig Roast, & Auction – Williams Park
