McHenry County Blog

Yesterday, McHenry County Blog ran a story about Crystal Lake’s Chemtool trying to obtain zoning for a new manufacturing plant and headquarters in Garden Prairie.

It would be a mega-change for tiny, unincorporated Garden Prairie.

It could bring a property tax base that might allow the area to incorporate, if it wished to do so.

I talked to Jim Athans, who used to live in my neighborhood, about why he was moving out of McHenry County.

After all, he started his company on April 1, 1963.

It’s 45 years old today.

That’s a long time ago.

And it has continued growing.

“We need to build a new facility,” Athans told me.

“We’re not looking for tax breaks, TIF districts,” he said. “We just need zoning.”

He needs space for a new headquarters, a new manufacturing plant, a research facility, and a distribution center.

Athans plans a campus-like facility.

He owns land in three potential locations:

• Garden Prairie next to Route 20,
• a Marengo-area location 1 mile west of the old Shady Lane Theater on Route 20, and
• Sharon, Wisconsin.

I got the impression that wherever he gets zoning first will snag Chemtool.

The part of the proposed McHenry County property which Athans owns is zoning for manufacturing. Another parcel, which he has not yet purchased, but for which he has a willing seller, is not.

While there have been no water pollution problems over the years—he has only solid waste—there have been frustrations with local governments. After winning 22 votes for the 1972 Ridgefield zoning, Crystal Lake took his company to court, eating up over a year.

A 1992 addition, with a construction manager sick, ended up with a county zoning citation for moving some black dirt to a low area. The suit still is not settled.

There was another addition in 1999.

Now, Chemtool is out of space.

I admit I was shocked when I learned that Chemtool might move from its hometown to Boone County.

What a coup it would be to have a facility with 500 employees anchoring Boone County's eastern border.

But, with local opposition, there still may be a chance to keep Chemtool in McHenry County.

There is obviously institutional antagonism among McHenry County’s zoning enforcers.

And, given the attitude of unhelpfulness of at least one of the persons involved—Sue Ehardt--I can certainly understand why Athans might be more than willing to move to another county.

But, I hope he doesn’t.

I hope the McHenry County Board can get its act together before the Boone County Board can act.

Labels: Boone County, Chemtool, Garden Prairie, Jim Athans, Marengo, McHenry County College