Former Elk Grove Village Trustee Patton Feichter is being remembered as a longtime public servant and lifelong educator whose advocacy and involvement spanned continents
who was on the village board for 27 years until his retirement to Venice
Funeral services are scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m
Arlington Heights Road in Elk Grove Village
Mayor Craig Johnson ordered flags in front of municipal buildings to be flown at half-staff from sunrise Friday to sunrise Tuesday
“Pat Feichter served Elk Grove Village in a professional and distinguished manner for 33 years,” Johnson said
“He was a steady hand on our village board whose knowledge and leadership helped make our community strong.”
Feichter was appointed to Elk Grove Village’s plan commission in 1989 during a busy time of growth in the village
After the death of longtime Trustee Ronald Chernick
Feichter was selected to fill his seat on the village board in August 1996
and went on to be elected to six consecutive 4-year terms
A longtime political science teacher at Maine South High School in Park Ridge
Feichter was a booster of civics education and efforts to promote cross-cultural understanding and exchanges
He started a program for students to compete in front of judges on their knowledge of American constitutional rights
his Maine South constitution team won a national championship in Washington
A year later he helped forge a Sister Cities partnership between Elk Grove Village and Termini Imerese
Feichter led the effort to ink a friendship agreement with Pernik
taking two trips there to meet governmental leaders
visit historical sites and attend a cultural festival
“The more we understand each other in the world and not fight with each other and know people in different cultures
I think the chances of wars and hostility between people is lessened,” Feichter said at the time
Feichter was involved in a slew of local and regional organizations
He was one-time president of the Community Character Coalition of Elk Grove
caring and citizenship to youth through community events and service opportunities
he was a liaison to the Friends of Cycling in Elk Grove Village
and worked to extend pedestrian paths throughout town
A task force on which he served released a village bicycle plan in 2021
Feichter was a major proponent of recycling
often encouraging residents to do so during his village board meeting reports as chair of the recycling and waste committee
He also was the village’s representative on the Meet Chicago Northwest regional tourism board
Feichter stepped down from the village board in February 2023
saying he and his wife Anne had been contemplating a move to Florida for some time and decided to retire to focus on his health and family
Steve Schmidt’s first visit to Italy was in 2002 as part of a delegation of Elk Grove Village leaders to Termini Imerese
a town on the north coast of Sicily east of the city of Palermo
“But once I got there I fell in love with Italy and Sicily and they had to drag me back to the plane.”
So it isn’t much of a surprise that after the trip Schmidt began volunteering his time with Elk Grove Italian Sister Cities
he was named the group’s president and has been working ever since to ensure other Americans can make the same journey
Elk Grove Village and Termini Imerese became sister cities in 2000 thanks to the efforts of Giovanni Gullo
an Elk Grove Village businessman who was raised near Termini Imerese and saw how similar the two municipalities are
Termini Imerese is a town of around 35,000 people with an important seaport and large industrial area
Elk Grove Village has around 33,000 residents
is near the busy O’Hare Airport and has the largest contiguous business park in America
Gullo remains the group’s executive director and chairman
The cornerstone of EGISC is the student exchange program
a group of Italian students from Gregorio Ugdulena State High School in Termini Imerese arrive for a few weeks in November
staying with Elk Grove High School families
“They live here and get to celebrate Thanksgiving with their American families,” Schmidt says
a group of American students fly to Sicily and spend time with Italian families
We’ve had many students who sign up for Italian classes as High School Freshmen knowing they had a chance to go to Italy through the program as Seniors,” Schmidt says
“We’ve had families with multiple students go through the program as well.”
The organization holds annual fundraising to cover the cost of activities like the welcome reception and farewell celebrations
But he says costs are kept low because the students stay with host families and are responsible for buying their own airfare
The organization also hosts annual tourism trips for adults
a group that could grow to as large as 50 people will spend 10 days in Sicily and four days in Tuscany
there will be another exchange of delegates from Elk Grove Village and Termini Imerese
Schmidt says the Americans will visit Italy over the summer and the Italians will visit America in October
Schmidt says the hope is that the Termini Imerese delegates will get to participate in the Chicago Columbus Day parade
Schmidt says the lifelong friendships that have resulted from the sister city programs has been one of the most important outcomes
“We know from the past that students have gone back to visit their friends they made on their exchange trip,” he says
“We’re establishing lifelong friendships here and allowing students to meet someone from halfway around the world.”
So far two marriages have also emerged from the program
the bride and groom were both Americans who met while part of the exchange program
Schmidt has the program to thank for his own marriage to Cindy Aloisio-Schmidt
works for Giovanni Gullo’s company — the Gullo International Development Corporation – and is the treasurer of the Sister Cities organization
The couple got engaged in Sicily in 2010 and were married in 2013
Tags Cindy Aloisio-Schmidt Elk Grove Italian Sister Cities Steve Schmidt
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In a spectacle that had all the theatrics of professional wrestling
Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson accepted a challenge at a village board meeting this week to a summer slugfest
The battle royale involving the colorful seven-term mayor — a former high school wrestling coach — will be part of a series of matches in the ring at this summer’s Elk Grove Rotary Fest
The preview to the kayfabe — resembling more of a smack talking fight weigh-in than a staid municipal government meeting — took place Tuesday night at village hall. To view all the hype in its entirety, visit egtv6.cablecast.tv/CablecastPublicSite/show/1592
Johnson agreed to get involved in the tag team event — and had to be physically held back — when two unknown wrestlers interrupted the presentation of Justin James
the Holmes Junior High School physical education teacher and wrestling coach who is organizing the 2 p.m
After James announced the match card for the free
the two fighters took the mic at the public comment podium to challenge James to one more match to be added to the lineup
telling them public comment is at the end of the meeting
“He’s nothing but old man Craig hanging onto some wrestling memories from the 1800s,” replied one of the wrestlers
When the grappler approached the village board dais
and the police chief stepped in to escort the two challengers from the board room
Soon to begin an unprecedented eighth term in office
Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson on Thursday touted the benefits of data center developments to the town — the self-proclaimed “data center capital of the Midwest” — because of what they mean for local government coffers
Elk Grove has 14 of the computer storage sites currently operating
Johnson said during his annual state of the village address Thursday afternoon
“They are a piggy bank that’s bursting at the seams to help local governments,” Johnson told attendees of the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Belvedere Banquets
Yet they give millions of dollars for each location in property taxes.”
Each site has few employees and requires almost no police or fire services from the village
The proposed redevelopment of a portion of WGN radio’s 102-acre transmitter site on Rohlwing Road into a four-building data center campus with ancillary electrical substation will mean $4 million in annual property
It’ll mean another $4 million in property taxes for Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 and $3.25 million for Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54
proposed by radio station owner Nexstar Media Group in 2022
has faced delays as ComEd works to extend more power to the site
Microsoft continues construction on a portion of the sprawling former Busse farm — now
the Elk Grove Technology Park — between Oakton Street and Higgins Road
construction is underway on a second building
and plans have been submitted to village hall for a third building
Johnson said the tech giant chose Elk Grove for its location near O’Hare International Airport
The longtime mayor was unopposed in the April 1 election
Though he flirted with running for higher office in the past
Johnson on Thursday also unveiled a new facade improvement grant program for businesses located in tax increment financing districts
The village will match property owners’ investments — up to $150,000 per location — for exterior building upgrades
The village board has agreed to launch the program with $1 million in seed money
Johnson will present his state of the village address on Thursday
at the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce luncheon
This year’s address will highlight the village’s success as a top-tier community
including its growing role as a premier hub for data centers and innovation
Johnson will also share the village’s achievements
including record-breaking private construction activity
Johnson also will unveil a new program for the business community
designed to further enhance Elk Grove Village's appeal as a leading destination for business and development
contact the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce at (630) 773-2944 or visit www.theGOA.com
Elk Grove Village plans to annex the historic final resting place of a number of notable locals — including the only two known Revolutionary War veterans interred in Cook County — while launching a fundraising campaign to fix faded and sunken graves and make other upgrades
Elk Grove Cemetery — a 38,000-square-foot graveyard tucked in between Arlington Heights Road
the Jane Addams Tollway and a Nicor gas pipeline — is a relic of pre-suburban sprawl
when pioneers arrived from the east and found expansive land to till
it’s a who’s who of Northwest suburban history
Names on tombstones match those of nearby streets like Busse and Cosman
Military veterans — including those from the Civil War
too — are buried next to former fire chiefs and police constables
But about half the 800 plots are still available
Mayor Craig Johnson — who bought plots for himself and his wife a couple years ago — has been talking almost as long with Elk Grove Township Supervisor George Busse and the private cemetery’s board of directors about incorporating the less-than-an-acre site
It’s just a stone’s throw across the tollway on-ramp from the limits of Elk Grove Village
whose public works trucks already plow snow from the cemetery’s driveway and parking lot
“What’s amazing about this is how many people don’t even know the cemetery’s there
yet they drive by it every single day,” Johnson said
“This is a little gem that we need to make sure people are aware of.”
Village officials want to do $750,000 worth of other maintenance — it would be funded by private donations
they say — that would preserve the cemetery’s history and increase its visibility in the community
The proposed upgrades include repair of four or five dozen headstones
which would include resetting them in place and putting name plaques in front of the ones that aren’t legible anymore
Plans also call for installation of a large flagpole
The graveyard has also been plagued by flooding since the widening of Interstate 90
But the Illinois Tollway awarded a contract for regrading work to take place this May that should drain water away from the property
Johnson credited his interest in the cemetery preservation to Jane Gregga and Mary Arvidson
They are members of the local chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution
which places wreaths on the graves of veterans and first responders every December
They started coming to village board meetings at least five years ago to generate interest in the event and talk about the inhabitants who rest there
That includes Revolutionary War patriot Eli Skinner
who enlisted in the Massachusetts militia at 14
Skinner was given the task of playing the flute-like fife instrument as soldiers marched into battle
He didn't arrive in Elk Grove until the end of his life
settling in the area for its good farmland
and some records indicate his unit was under the command of George Washington at Long Island and White Plains
“It’s a historic place in the community,” said Johnson
The village is now getting paperwork together to begin the annexation process
The township and cemetery officials are on board
Plans are to rededicate the cemetery on July 4
“It’s a special feeling being there,” Johnson said
“You don’t realize you’re right in the middle of one of the busiest areas
Children scrambled for candy-filled Easter eggs Sunday morning at an egg hunt at Prince of Peace United Methodist Church in Elk Grove Village
Participants loaded their finds into baskets at the morning Easter event
The Easter bunny made an appearance and posed for photos
Elk Grove Village officials are selling a building purchased less than a year ago but deemed to be too small for storage of municipal vehicles and other large equipment
The village essentially is breaking even on the deal for the single-story
62-year-old brick industrial building at 1201 Busse Road
Village trustees last June inked a $2.7 million purchase with the intention of using the building for public works storage
The 1-acre property is right next to two village water tanks on the northeast corner of Busse Road and Touhy Avenue
trustees agreed to a sale for $3.06 million to Chicago Wheel Service
a wheel repair and refinishing company that plans to open a retail showroom there
the village has promised the company $300,000 in tax increment financing (TIF) funds
That money will come from the Busse-Elmhurst TIF district fund
which the village set up a decade ago to spur redevelopment in what is the nation’s largest business park
Property taxes generated above a set level across 917 acres have been funneled into the village-controlled fund since then
will have 61,000 square feet of space between its new building and current wholesale facility about a mile away at 1001 Morse Ave
The business has 70 employees and plans to hire more with the planned expansion
following the current 60-day inspection period
Renovations would start within three months of the closing
village officials shifted gears in January with the $5.65 million purchase of an old factory and one-time indoor tennis club just blocks away at 1650 Howard St
it’s three times the size of the 1201 Busse building and has an open floor plan
ATLANTA, March 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- T5 Data Centers (T5)
the data center industry's only Forever On capacity and integrated lifecycle services provider
announced the acquisition of their CHI V data center site in Elk Grove Village
This acquisition underscores T5's agility in finding high-quality data center assets in one of the country's most dynamic data center markets
The newly acquired property is situated in the heart of the Chicago data center market
boasting a prime location within a high-demand data center ecosystem
CHI V offers access to critical infrastructure and connectivity on seven acres currently zoned for data center use
Plans for the site's development include a new 220,000 sq
facility to support high-density cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) applications
The facility will offer 36 MW of critical IT capacity
ensuring a robust and reliable infrastructure to meet the growing demand for these applications
"We have completed the necessary steps to secure utility power with ComEd and will begin construction shortly to meet the growing demand from our customers
This capacity will be delivered at a critical time
as available data center space in this key market is limited," said David Horowitz
Senior Vice President Head of Leasing at T5 Data Centers
The acquisition of CHI V represents an exciting expansion in a core growth market for T5 Data Centers and its customers
showcasing T5's ability to identify a high-quality data center site and to execute the transaction quickly
CHI V is the newest among four other regional data center sites located in Grayslake
"This development will mark T5's fourth project in the O'Hare submarket in recent years
We have made substantial investments in both capital and dedicated resources to build strong
strategic relationships with trusted suppliers and partners in Illinois
This project will be a valuable complement to our 1.2 GW large-scale campus currently underway in Grayslake," says Pete Marin
For more information about T5 Data Centers, visit www.t5datacenters.com
Artificial Intelligence
Computer & Electronics
Telecommunications Industry
Corporate Expansion
Do not sell or share my personal information:
Continues multi-tenant strategy in critical infill markets
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Brennan Investment Group
a private real estate investment firm that acquires
and operates industrial facilities throughout the United States
has announced the recapitalization of the Regent O'Hare industrial portfolio located in Elk Grove Village
Illinois. The portfolio is strategically positioned in the heart of the O'Hare submarket
located along the Busse industrial corridor and just three miles from O'Hare International Airport
The portfolio is comprised of five multi-tenant
Class-B industrial buildings and has a current occupancy of 92%. The portfolio's multiple buildings and varying suite sizes provide tremendous optionality for existing tenants in park and prospective tenants seeking space within the O'Hare submarket
Brennan will continue to operate the portfolio
as it has done since its original acquisition in October 2020
This includes continuing with capital upgrades
"We are excited to retain these irreplaceable assets along one of the most concentrated corridors in the Chicago industrial market," said Dan Smith
Vice President at Brennan Investment Group
"Consistent and growing demand from both industrial and data center users continues to bolster the O'Hare submarket
We remain committed to delivering high-quality industrial spaces which will allow us to continue to drive value within the portfolio over our hold period."
"The O'Hare market is the backbone of our Chicago portfolio and continues to show its resilience
especially within smaller buildings and suites," said Jack Brennan
Managing Principal for the Midwest region at Brennan Investment Group
"This portfolio has performed exceptionally well as the surrounding area has evolved and we look forward to the opportunity to continue to implement our business plan in the coming years to create additional value for our investors." Brennan's Midwest portfolio has grown to 30 million square feet
About Brennan Investment GroupBrennan Investment Group
a Chicago-based private real estate investment firm
and operates industrial properties in select major metropolitan markets throughout the United States
Brennan Investment Group has acquired or developed $6.5 billion in industrial real estate in 30 states
The company's current portfolio spans 29 states and encompasses approximately 57 million square feet
Brennan Investment Group co-invests with private and institutional capital to achieve outstanding risk-adjusted returns
The company has 18 regional offices throughout the United States
and the firm's management team is among the most accomplished in its industry
having invested in over 5,000 properties covering more than 60 cities throughout the United States
For more information on Brennan Investment Group
CONTACT: Ursula Walendzewicz, [email protected]
Brennan Investment Group ("Brennan")
and operates industrial facilities throughout..
a leading private real estate investment firm specializing in the acquisition
Commercial Real Estate
Real Estate
Banking & Financial Services
Restructuring & Recapitalization
2025 at 11:05 am CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The restaurant is located at 1400 Busse Road in Elk Grove Village
IL — One person is in custody following a Saturday afternoon robbery at a Taco Bell in Elk Grove Village
Police sent out a community alert at 2:52 p.m
following the incident at the 1400 Busse Road location
A second suspect — described as a black male
blue pants with white stripes — has left the immediate area
The restaurant stayed open for business while crime scene technicians worked at the scene
There are no reported injuries and all roads were reopened
Patrol officers and our K-9 Unit searched the area and are confident the situation is safe
Police said anyone who sees suspicious activity should call 911
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Elk Grove Village is paying $4.5 million for property with a still-operating Staples office supplies store and a shuttered Aldi grocery store
with an eye toward possible redevelopment into a skating rink there
The 9.7-acre property at 610-620 Meacham Road is encumbered by a Dec
2019 reciprocal easement agreement that prevents the village’s intended use of the property as a skating rink
according to the purchase and sale agreement inked by the mayor and village trustees
The closing is contingent on village officials getting an amendment to that agreement
which was between the property owner and neighboring Home Depot
or the village otherwise getting approval from Home Depot to allow the proposed skating rink use
Village officials have 60 days to get that approval
who previously explored bringing a rink to town
would only say the municipality is buying the building to control the redevelopment process and “get the best use” for the site
We’d rather drive the bus than ride the bus,” Johnson said
“That building has always been pretty much vacant
Aldi moved down the block to 905 Meacham Road in 2018
village officials will contact Staples to negotiate a lease termination while a 60-day inspection period takes place for environmental and engineering tests
A closing with the four limited liability companies selling the property is scheduled 30 days after that
Among the first municipalities in Illinois to prohibit stores from selling THC products
Elk Grove Village has now added kratom to its list of banned substances
Following the village’s initial March 2023 ban on the sale of products containing THC — the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana — other municipalities have followed with bans of their own
another herbal product with stimulant-like effects
It’s an addictive item,” said Mayor Craig Johnson
The Food and Drug Administration has not approved any prescription or over-the-counter drug products containing kratom or its two main chemical components — mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine
The federal agency “continues to warn consumers not to use kratom because of the risk of serious adverse events
seizures and substance use disorder,” according to its website
But advocates have spoken of its use in dealing with severe chronic pain and managing addiction to other drugs
Local mayors including Johnson have asked state lawmakers to address the issue
but legislation regulating hemp sales fell short in January
but failed to get a vote in the House amid lobbying by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson
Following approval by the Elk Grove Village Board this week
the kratom ban — which applies to 30 licensed tobacco sellers in town — takes effect Feb
2025 at 12:03 pm CT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The Elk Grove Village Police Department sent out a traffic alert at around 8:30 a.m
IL — Motorists and residents were being asked to avoid the area of Arlington Heights Road and Clearmont Dive Friday morning for a traffic crash investigation
The Elk Grove Police Department sent out a traffic alert at around 8:30 a.m.
later in the day saying the roadway had reopened
Elk Grove Village officials are scheduled to close on a $5.65 million purchase of an old factory and one-time indoor tennis club that will be used to store municipal vehicles and other large equipment
The 71,000-square-foot brick building on the northwest corner of Busse Road and Howard Street is seen as ideal to fit public works department trucks
will also be used as extra storage space for municipal operations
“We’re getting more and more equipment,” Mayor Craig Johnson said
“We’ve got so many different items that we use for public events and other things that we really don’t have enough space to store it.”
the building housed a tennis club until the 1980s
and was the longtime home of Mid America Tile until Louisville Tile took over in 2022
The village board last June inked a $2.7 million purchase of a smaller building just blocks away at 1201 Busse Road
with the intention of using it for public works storage
But then the old tennis club building — three times the size and with an open floor plan — came on the market
“This is better than the other building,” Johnson said
The village is now selling the first building and expects to make a profit on the deal
Elk Grove currently houses most of its municipal fleet at two public works buildings: the James Paul Petri Public Works Facility
Devon Ave.; and the west side facility at 1635 Biesterfield Road
Elk Grove Village police said Monday they’ve identified several persons of interest in the shooting of a man outside a home early Sunday
Eisenmenger said videos retrieved from doorbell cameras on the 500 block of Dogwood Trail
and other cameras have proved invaluable in helping police identify the persons of interest
Investigators have also identified a dark-colored sedan that may have been involved in the shooting
The investigation “is still very active and ongoing,” Eisenmenger said
Patrol officers found a man with a bullet wound to the head on the 1200 block of Aspen Lane — about a block away from the driveway of a home where the shooting was reported at about 4:15 a.m
The man received first aid at the scene and then was taken to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge
where police said he is stable and recovering
Police said an unoccupied Toyota Camry belonging to an acquaintance of the shooting victim was struck with bullets in the driveway
A single-family home across the street also was hit
Authorities said they believe the shooting was an isolated event
and there is no further threat to the community.