OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Oswego Village Board Approves Harrison Street Square Concept and Dog Park Special Use Permit – June 24, 2025

Village Board & Commissions — Tuesday, June 24, 2025
BodyOswego, Illinois
SessionVillage Board & Commissions
DateTuesday, June 24, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 55:25

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

And this evening we have uh police chief Jason Bassin, who's going to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:04

So if you'd all please rise and join Police Chief Bastin in the pledge.

0:12

Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:30

Thank you, sir.

0:32

Roll call, please.

0:34

President Kaufman.

0:35

Here.

0:35

Trustee Cooper.

0:36

Here.

0:37

Trustee Hughes.

0:38

Here.

0:38

Trustee Coneg.

0:40

Here.

0:40

Trustee McCarthy Lang.

0:42

Here.

0:43

Trustee Novi.

0:44

Here.

0:45

Trustee Torres.

0:46

Here.

0:48

All right.

0:49

First up, we have some oaths of office this evening.

0:52

So if I can have the Chief and Officer Trevor Hawk, excuse me, join me down front.

1:15

We're here tonight to uh swear in two new officers.

1:18

This is always exciting.

1:19

Um as usual, we have uh some of our police commissioners here.

1:23

We have Commissioner Kerry Neesman, and this is Commissioner Burnett's first swearing in.

1:28

Hopefully the first of many more to come, because uh Ron, who's here tonight was on the board for ten years.

1:35

So you got ten more years to still do before you can come off.

1:40

Um Trevor is joined here tonight by his mother Kimberley, his father David, and his fiancee McKenzie.

1:46

He's 25 years old.

1:48

He recently uh relocated to the area.

1:51

He attended Faith Christian School in Dixon, Illinois, and he also attended Socks College and Aurora University, where he studied criminal justice.

1:59

Um he's recently worked as an assistant manager at a nearby business.

2:03

Some of his uh hobbies and activities.

2:06

Trevor has made two mission trips, one to Vanderwagon, New Mexico.

2:12

Vanderwagen, that sounds like a German CUV of some sort, but it's a town.

2:17

All right.

2:18

And the other is to Belize City in Belize.

2:21

He uh works as a youth leader working closely with kids.

2:24

He played basketball and football in college.

2:26

Um he doesn't know this yet, but he just made center for the PD basketball team.

2:32

Someone tells Sergeant Meritzig he's now moved to power forward.

2:36

Um and golf is your new your new uh pastime, correct?

2:41

But you're not giving up on basketball.

2:43

All right.

2:44

And uh Trevor is going to be badge number ninety-five.

2:47

So President Kaufman, if you'd like to swear him in.

3:11

Having been hired to the position of patrol officer.

3:14

Having been hired in the village of Oswego.

3:19

In the counties of Kendall and Will.

3:28

That I will support the Constitution of the United States.

3:34

And the Constitution of the State of Illinois.

3:37

And that I will faithfully discharge the duties of faithfully of the Office of Patrol Officer.

6:02

All right.

6:03

Up next, we have Nicole Quiroga.

6:06

Nicole is here tonight with her daughter Alani.

6:09

Where's Alani at?

6:11

Hi, Alani.

6:16

And her godmom Martha, and then half the room is also filled with her family and friends.

6:26

She attended West Aurora High School, and her pride and joy in life is her beautiful daughter, Alani.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████29%
Land Use Planning██████████████████████████26%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Business Awards████████8%
Personnel Matters██████6%
Arts And Culture██████6%
Public Safety████4%
Community Engagement███3%
Affordable Housing███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Oswego Village Board Meeting – June 24, 2025

The Oswego Village Board held its regular meeting on June 24, 2025, at 7:00 PM at Oswego Village Hall (100 Parkers Mill, Oswego, Illinois). President Kaufman presided, and Trustees Cooper, Hughes, Koenig, McCarthy Lang, Novi, and Torres were present. Police Chief Jason Bassin led the Pledge of Allegiance. The board administered oaths to two new patrol officers, recognized a summer artist and the June Business of the Month, approved the consent agenda and bill list, approved two downtown development items, and later moved into closed session. No staff reports or old business items were presented.

Oaths, Appointments, and Recognitions

  • President Kaufman administered the Oath of Office to Patrol Officer Trevor S. Hauck (badge number 95) and Patrol Officer Nicole A. Quiroga.
  • The board recognized Jenna Butler for the Village Hall Art Exhibit on display June 6 through August 14, 2025.
  • The board recognized Prairie Pals, a preschool and child care program operating under the Oswego Christian Foundation, as the June 2025 Business of the Month.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the June 10, 2025 Committee of the Whole and Regular Village Board minutes.
  • Authorized the release of certain closed session minutes.
  • Adopted amendments to the Oswego Municipal Code covering Title 1 Chapter 19, Title 3 Chapters 2, 7, 19, 31, and 35, and Appendix A.
  • Approved reducing project surety bond #OHHNSU0836986 to $265,111.58 for earthwork for the Piper Glen Subdivision.
  • Amended Appendix A water tap-on fees.
  • Amended Section 6.09 submittal requirements and OSW-R-1 construction details in the Subdivision and Development Control Regulations.
  • Executed a contract with Schroeder Asphalt Services, Inc. for the Main Street ADA ramp and Harrison Street parking lot improvement project in the amount of $283,950.25.
  • Authorized Task Order No. 25-2 with Strand Associates, Inc. for the Booster Station Generator Project in the amount of $63,000.00.
  • Adopted Title 10 Unified Development Ordinance text amendments to Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 13.
  • Approved the June 24, 2025 bill list in the amount of $1,024,197.83.
  • The consent agenda was approved unanimously, and the bill list was approved unanimously by a separate roll-call vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • The public forum was opened and closed with no members of the public addressing the board.

Discussion Items

  • Harrison Street Square Concept Plan (Item J.1): Village staff presented a concept plan for the two-acre property at 174 S. Harrison Street, consisting of an existing industrial building and two vacant lots. The proposal includes multi-tenant commercial reuse of the building, a large central open recreation space, eight small boardwalk-style shops along the railroad side, three commercial pads for food trucks, and a proposed dog park/dog bar. Staff noted that Harrison Street streetscape improvements are currently in the capital improvement plan within the next five years, but staff is exploring accelerating that timeline and may bring it to the Committee of the Whole in July. Jeff Miller of Watermark Engineering and project representative Mike Cardamone answered trustee questions. They described the existing building as roughly 10,000 square feet with Mike Cardamone retaining about 20 percent, and possible future tenants including restaurants, a bakery, smaller office/retail space, and a dog bar. The outdoor area would be open and free-flowing, with the fenced, off-leash dog run on the south side and leashed dogs elsewhere. Several boardwalk shops would be seasonal, with two or three anchor shops open more year-round. The project representatives estimated the project cost at roughly $1.2 million to $1.4 million, and said the building could be occupied in the fourth quarter of 2025 with the outdoor yard and tenant area coming in the third or fourth quarter of 2026. Trustees expressed strong support for the concept, praising its walkability, the activation of the southern end of downtown, and the potential for an Italian restaurant; the next step is Planning and Zoning Commission review for preliminary and final PUD approval. The board unanimously approved the concept plan.
  • Dog Park Special Use Permit (Item J.2): Village staff requested approval of a special use permit for outdoor recreation use to allow a dog park at 174 S. Harrison Street, associated with the applicant, Barkville Buddies. The business would include an indoor bar area and an outdoor fenced dog area. Outdoor recreation use requires a special use permit in the downtown district. The proposed dog park would be fully fenced with six-foot-tall aluminum fencing, limited to about 2,700 square feet, with an astroturf/grass surface and an overhead door connecting indoor and outdoor spaces; dogs would not be in the play area without their owners present. The Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the request on June 5, 2025. The board unanimously approved the ordinance granting the special use permit.

Trustee and President Reports

  • Trustees welcomed the new officers, congratulated Prairie Pals and Jenna Butler, and highlighted upcoming events including the Venue 1012 concert, the July 4 holiday, a public safety cadets pork and chicken drive, and a run/walk/ruck event at Hudson Crossing Park.
  • President Kaufman congratulated the Oswego Panther softball team on winning the state championship, thanked the Park District for Prairie Fest, reminded residents of the July 4 fireworks at Prairie Point Park, and welcomed Taco Dolly and Crumble Cookie to downtown Oswego.

Closed Session

  • The board unanimously moved into closed session for pending and probable litigation; appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance, or dismissal of personnel; collective bargaining and salary schedule deliberations; and sale, lease, and/or acquisition of property.
  • No action was taken on closed session items after the board returned.

Key Outcomes

  • All consent agenda items and the bill list were approved unanimously.
  • The Harrison Street Square concept plan was approved unanimously and will proceed to PZC preliminary and final PUD review.
  • The dog park special use permit at 174 S. Harrison Street was approved unanimously.
  • The board entered closed session; no subsequent action items were reported.

Meeting Transcript

And this evening we have uh police chief Jason Bassin, who's going to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. So if you'd all please rise and join Police Chief Bastin in the pledge. Pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Thank you, sir. Roll call, please. President Kaufman. Here. Trustee Cooper. Here. Trustee Hughes. Here. Trustee Coneg. Here. Trustee McCarthy Lang. Here. Trustee Novi. Here. Trustee Torres. Here. All right. First up, we have some oaths of office this evening. So if I can have the Chief and Officer Trevor Hawk, excuse me, join me down front. We're here tonight to uh swear in two new officers. This is always exciting. Um as usual, we have uh some of our police commissioners here. We have Commissioner Kerry Neesman, and this is Commissioner Burnett's first swearing in. Hopefully the first of many more to come, because uh Ron, who's here tonight was on the board for ten years. So you got ten more years to still do before you can come off. Um Trevor is joined here tonight by his mother Kimberley, his father David, and his fiancee McKenzie. He's 25 years old. He recently uh relocated to the area. He attended Faith Christian School in Dixon, Illinois, and he also attended Socks College and Aurora University, where he studied criminal justice. Um he's recently worked as an assistant manager at a nearby business. Some of his uh hobbies and activities. Trevor has made two mission trips, one to Vanderwagon, New Mexico. Vanderwagen, that sounds like a German CUV of some sort, but it's a town. All right. And the other is to Belize City in Belize. He uh works as a youth leader working closely with kids. He played basketball and football in college. Um he doesn't know this yet, but he just made center for the PD basketball team. Someone tells Sergeant Meritzig he's now moved to power forward. Um and golf is your new your new uh pastime, correct? But you're not giving up on basketball. All right. And uh Trevor is going to be badge number ninety-five. So President Kaufman, if you'd like to swear him in. Having been hired to the position of patrol officer. Having been hired in the village of Oswego. In the counties of Kendall and Will.

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