VILLA PARK : Plan to Move Civic Center Abandoned

The City Council has abandoned a proposal to move the civic center to a new site in a residential area, a plan that led to a contentious debate in this normally tranquil city.

After a short public hearing Tuesday, the council voted 3 to 1 against moving the city offices to a new site at the corner of Center Drive and Villa Park Road. In opposing the move, council members cited the results of a citizens’ advisory committee survey that showed 90% of 950 respondents were opposed.

The move would have provided enough space to triple the size of the existing civic center, but many residents criticized the plan as an attempt to build a “Taj Mahal.”

Although Mayor John Frackelton said he accepted the advisory committee’s recommendation, he added that he would vote to drop consideration of the new site “with a heavy heart.”

Only Councilman Harold H. Saldarini voted to save the proposal, saying afterward that he thought the council had “missed a golden opportunity” to move the offices and library to the only other viable site in the city.

Still, some residents are angry that consideration of the new site was not dropped earlier.

“They’ve known for months that the citizens are not in favor of the massive things they’re proposing. But they continued to prolong this agony,” said resident Don Ebrite.

City officials have said that some form of expansion is necessary to relieve crowding at the current offices and to add a conference room and library space. The council will now pursue plans to expand the city’s offices in the Villa Park Shopping Center.

Although most residents agree the civic center offices are too crowded, they are divided on how much additional space is enough.