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Record of Proceedings

Special Economic Development Commission Meeting - February 11, 2026

Village Board & Commissions — Wednesday, February 11, 2026
BodyOswego, Illinois
SessionVillage Board & Commissions
DateWednesday, February 11, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 55:34

Original source
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0:05

I'd like to call the meeting, this the Special Economic Development Commission meeting to order on February 11, 2026 at 6 o'clock PM.

0:13

Roll call, please.

0:16

All right.

0:17

Chairman Dave Barrens.

0:19

All right.

0:20

Rafael Obafemi.

0:24

Sorry, I'm getting a little feedback here.

0:28

Terry Anderson.

0:30

Kerry Hansen.

0:31

Here.

0:32

Laura Witt.

0:33

Ken Holmstrom.

0:34

Here.

0:35

Bill Helgison absence.

0:37

Angie Hibbon absence, also present.

0:39

Brady Travis, Kushan Bonella, and Kevin Lady.

0:43

Thank you.

0:43

We have a quorum.

0:45

Me too.

0:47

Andy Clemens.

0:49

Here.

0:49

Thank you.

0:53

Got it.

0:55

For our new members.

0:57

This is a thing for civic or a civic lesson for the day.

1:02

It's a special meeting because the other one got canceled.

1:05

So you have to publish your meetings in advance, and then if you change it, you have to call a special meeting, even though they're all meeting.

1:13

The other difference in the special meeting that's important to know for the Open Meetings Act is on a special meeting, you can only talk about the things that are on the agenda.

1:22

That's it.

1:23

On a regular meeting during open discussion or new business, you can bring up anything you want to talk about in a regular meeting.

1:31

At a special meeting, you can only talk about what's on the agenda.

1:36

So that that's a disadvantage of doing a special special meeting that you can only be very now.

1:43

In our case it's not going to matter because everything's covered, but it's just something you gotta know when you get into these special special meetings, or you'd be in potential violations of the Open Meetings Act, which obviously nobody wants to do.

1:56

So there's that.

1:58

With that, uh we have the minutes of October 1st, 2025.

2:02

Did anybody have any changes or questions to those minutes?

2:06

No.

2:07

Hearing none, with that, I'll entertain a motion to approve the minutes as presented.

2:11

I'll make that motion.

2:13

Moving to second, roll call, please.

2:17

Chairman Barrens?

2:18

Yes.

2:19

Rafael Bufemi?

2:20

Yes.

2:20

Terry Anderson.

2:22

Yes.

2:22

Kerry Hansen.

2:23

I will abstain as I was absent from the meeting.

2:27

Laura Witt?

2:28

Yes.

2:29

Ken Holmstrom?

2:30

Yes.

2:30

And Andy Clemens.

2:31

Yes.

2:32

Motion's approved.

2:35

New business, 2026 EDC Initiatives.

2:39

Yes, before we get into that, I just wanted to provide a friendly reminder that when you're not speaking, just hit the microscor microphone off to the so it's blue, and then when you are speaking, make sure it's red.

2:51

So that way people at home and people afterwards can hear you.

2:55

So yes, I wanted to take this uh opportunity since it's been a little while since we last uh met to discuss um you know some upcoming initiatives for the commission this year and how it relates to the economic development department's goals for 2026.

3:11

Um a big goal for this year will be launching this uh BRE survey.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Business Awards████████████████████20%
Business Retention█████████████████17%
Public Engagement████████8%
Procedural██████6%
Transportation Safety███3%
Data Center Development██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Special Economic Development Commission Meeting - February 11, 2026

The Special Economic Development Commission (EDC) met on February 11, 2026, at 6:00 PM at Village Hall, 100 Parkers Mill, Oswego, Illinois. The meeting covered 2026 initiatives, a financial incentive request, an open house recap, a conference recap, business retention and expansion (BRE) survey plans, and Business of the Month nominations. All votes were unanimous unless noted.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes of the October 1, 2025 EDC meeting were approved unanimously, with Commissioner Kerry Hansen abstaining (she was absent from that meeting).

New Business

  • 2026 EDC Initiatives: Economic Development Director Kevin Lady outlined goals including launching a comprehensive BRE survey, focusing on small business development (coordinating with Waubonsee Community College, SBDC, SCORE, library, schools, and Chamber), hosting another open house, expanding the business concierge program, continuing downtown development, and emphasizing economic diversification (reducing reliance on retail sales tax and attracting industrial development).
  • Financial Incentive Request: A sales tax sharing agreement was previously approved for the Prairie Market East Shopping Center (between PetSmart and Aldi) to build a 25,000 sq ft retail pad. The incentive is up to $1.5 million over multiple years to bridge a financial gap due to high construction, labor, and borrowing costs. The developer will still need major PUD amendment and permits. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about how sales tax sharing works (a refund of state-shared sales tax, not property tax) and noted the village has used similar incentives for past projects like Meyer, Longhorn Steakhouse, Dairy Barn, and Duncan.
  • EDC Open House Recap: The open house attracted over 50 attendees and generated leads for potential new businesses. Planning committee members Laura Witt and Angie Hibbon were thanked. The event helped dispel rumors (e.g., about unwanted restaurant types) and provided face-to-face information. A future open house may focus on small business development.
  • Illinois RE Journal Chicago Forecast Recap: Members Brady Travis and Terry Anderson attended the January event. The new breakout session format was praised. Networking was productive; Oswego’s presentation highlighted retail and residential growth. Panelists noted a renewed excitement in retail and challenges with data centers (power infrastructure).

Old Business

  • 2026 Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) Survey: Director Kevin Lady presented a draft survey combining past instruments and input from a subcommittee. The survey will be distributed via email and mail to as many businesses as possible (using certificates of occupancy and old business registration lists). Commissioner Laura Witt noted the survey seemed COVID-centric; Director Lady clarified that the detailed interview form is an internal guide and COVID questions are no longer asked. Commissioner Terry Anderson suggested an open-ended question, which will be added. No formal motion was needed.
  • Business Retention & Expansion Visits: No visits were completed during the holiday season. Director Lady will resume scheduling with existing and new targets.
  • 2026 Business of the Month Award Nominations: For February, ServeBank (on Orchard Road) was approved to be recognized at the next meeting (possibly early March if agenda materials are delayed). Alpha Cleaners is set for March. New nominations were discussed and put to a vote:
    • 113 Main
    • LPS Paving (Stone Hill)
    • Demont Guitars
    • Beery Heating & Cooling
    • Air Dynamics Heating & Cooling
    • SurfPro (opened 2010) A motion to nominate all pending eligibility passed unanimously. The order of recognition may consider seasonal relevance (e.g., heating companies in fall/winter).

Reports

  • Economic Development Director Report: Director Kevin Lady provided updates:
    • Ninth EDC member expected to be appointed soon.
    • Duncan coffee shop (drive-thru only) opened earlier in February.
    • Travel Bug (travel agency) soft-opened in the former Denny's Trains location downtown.
    • Benderson grocery store project is on schedule for completion later in 2026.
    • Home Goods on Route 34 expected to start construction later in 2026.
    • Dutch Bros coffee (drive-thru) received Plan Commission approval; will go before Village Board next. Location: corner of Route 34 and Ogden Falls Boulevard (first commercial use on that side).
    • Coldstone Creamery reapplied for a permit and will locate next to Pokebros on Route 34, potentially opening before summer.
    • Bay 54 (upscale cocktail lounge) targeting mid- to late-March grand opening.
    • Harrison Street Square (converted industrial to retail) ongoing; boardwalk shops to start construction later in 2026. The village will improve streetscape (lighting, parking) on Harrison Street.
    • Reserve at Hudson Crossing Building #2 ahead of schedule, potentially welcoming residents by late spring.
    • Downtown lighting improvements are in the Capital Improvement Plan (2027/2028), but could be accelerated with new investments.
  • EDC Members Report: Chairman Dave Barrens noted the village hosted a legislative breakfast two weeks ago with seven of eight state representatives attending. All local taxing bodies presented priorities (e.g., Wolf Road funding). He also attended the grand opening of the remodeled Kendall County building, which was completed under budget and on time. Commissioner Kerry Hansen suggested conducting retention visits with businesses that opened within the last 12 months to gather fresh feedback.

Public Comments

  • No members of the public spoke during Public Forum.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes Approved: Unanimously (1 abstention).
  • Business of the Month Nominations: Unanimous approval for all six nominated businesses, pending eligibility. ServeBank will be recognized in February (or early March), Alpha Cleaners in March; remaining nominees to be scheduled.
  • BRE Survey: Finalized with addition of an open-ended question; will be distributed broadly.
  • Incentive Request: Already approved; project moving to permitting.
  • Future Events: Another open house planned, likely focused on small business development.
  • Next Steps: Staff to conduct BRE visits and coordinate Business of the Month calendar.
  • Adjournment: Motion passed unanimously; meeting ended at approximately 7:30 PM.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call the meeting, this the Special Economic Development Commission meeting to order on February 11, 2026 at 6 o'clock PM. Roll call, please. All right. Chairman Dave Barrens. All right. Rafael Obafemi. Sorry, I'm getting a little feedback here. Terry Anderson. Kerry Hansen. Here. Laura Witt. Ken Holmstrom. Here. Bill Helgison absence. Angie Hibbon absence, also present. Brady Travis, Kushan Bonella, and Kevin Lady. Thank you. We have a quorum. Me too. Andy Clemens. Here. Thank you. Got it. For our new members. This is a thing for civic or a civic lesson for the day. It's a special meeting because the other one got canceled. So you have to publish your meetings in advance, and then if you change it, you have to call a special meeting, even though they're all meeting. The other difference in the special meeting that's important to know for the Open Meetings Act is on a special meeting, you can only talk about the things that are on the agenda. That's it. On a regular meeting during open discussion or new business, you can bring up anything you want to talk about in a regular meeting. At a special meeting, you can only talk about what's on the agenda. So that that's a disadvantage of doing a special special meeting that you can only be very now. In our case it's not going to matter because everything's covered, but it's just something you gotta know when you get into these special special meetings, or you'd be in potential violations of the Open Meetings Act, which obviously nobody wants to do. So there's that. With that, uh we have the minutes of October 1st, 2025. Did anybody have any changes or questions to those minutes? No. Hearing none, with that, I'll entertain a motion to approve the minutes as presented. I'll make that motion. Moving to second, roll call, please. Chairman Barrens? Yes. Rafael Bufemi? Yes. Terry Anderson. Yes. Kerry Hansen. I will abstain as I was absent from the meeting. Laura Witt? Yes.

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