OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Economic Development Commission Meeting - April 1, 2026

Village Board & Commissions — Wednesday, April 1, 2026
BodyOswego, Illinois
SessionVillage Board & Commissions
DateWednesday, April 1, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 44:17

Transcript — Verbatim
0:25

Is that a fill or a bill?

0:27

Oh, that's me.

0:27

I'm here.

0:30

He's trouble.

0:35

Yes.

0:38

Andy Clemens?

0:39

Yes.

0:42

Yeah.

0:43

Yes, I'm here.

0:46

Absolutely.

0:48

Yes.

0:50

Rafael's absent.

0:51

Yep.

0:53

We have a quorum attached to what Kevin sent out was the minutes of February 11, 2026.

1:00

It was a special economic development commission meeting.

1:03

Any changes or corrections to those minutes that anybody saw?

1:08

Hearing none, I'll entertain a motion.

1:10

I'll motion to approve.

1:12

Move the second roll call, please.

1:19

Bill?

1:19

Yes.

1:21

Dave?

1:22

Yes.

1:22

Laura?

1:23

Yes.

1:23

Andy?

1:24

Yes.

1:29

Motion is approved.

1:31

Financial incentive requests.

1:35

So we've had just one since our last meeting.

1:38

It was for uh La Marimba.

1:40

Uh they were doing a pretty extensive renovation.

1:42

They were doing about 120,000 in improvements, uh, included a uh roof replacement, uh reconstruction of the front entrance, uh new facade.

1:54

Uh they were installing a new pergola in the rear of the property for um additional shade, uh, as well as uh the installation of a new garage door uh for the just general seating and things like that.

2:05

So they were seeking the full 40.

2:07

Uh the village board approved it, uh and so you likely have already seen some work being done over at La Marimba.

2:14

Uh so they'll be doing that over the next couple of weeks as uh additional uh contractors come in and do the work, but they're already well underway.

2:24

And they're closed while this is all going on.

2:28

Okay.

2:28

Yep, Angie's correct.

2:29

They are reopened.

2:30

Okay, good.

2:33

And there are uh several more that have either submitted an application or are intending to submit an application.

2:40

So my guess is we'll see some additional uh applications within the next two village board meetings.

2:52

Yep.

2:52

That would apply to the $5,000 minimum or maximum, excuse me.

3:00

Is that it for those, Kevin?

3:02

Yes, sir.

3:08

Yes, so as I mentioned at our um last EDC meeting, one of the key priorities of the economic development department and broader strategic plan is uh economic diversification.

3:21

Uh so finding alternative uh sources of revenue, uh not necessarily sources of revenue, but certain sources of uh employment and and different jobs and investment.

3:32

Um so we're we're targeting additional industrial development and opportunities.

3:37

And uh this was the first show that uh I had attended, it was out in Rosemont.

3:41

Uh a lot of site selectors and developers and um real estate investors just get together and and talk about different emerging trends and uh opportunities for future development.

3:53

So this was something I wanted to get on the the radar of the commission, uh similar as to what we do for retail development if you have any ideas or tenants that I should be reaching out to from a retail perspective.

4:05

Uh the same now applies for industrial.

4:07

If you think there's uh a good firm out there that would be interested in expanding, um someone I need to talk to in order to either develop uh a new site or um backfill an existing vacancy.

4:19

Fortunately, we don't have too much vacancy in our current industrial parks, but we do have some.

4:24

Um so it's just something to get on your radar and start thinking about.

4:27

Uh we know, of course, we're known for our our retail development um activity, but now we want to get more focus on industrial as well.

4:38

Any questions for Kevin on that?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Business Retention█████████████████████████████████████37%
Economic Development██████████████████████████26%
Business Awards███████████11%
Industrial Development████████8%
Personnel Matters███████7%
Data Center Development█████5%
Land Use Planning████4%
Public Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Economic Development Commission Meeting - April 1, 2026

The Economic Development Commission (EDC) of Oswego, Illinois, met on April 1, 2026, at 6:00 PM at Village Hall. The meeting was called to order with a quorum present (Commissioners Bill, Dave, Laura, Andy; Rafael absent). The commission approved the minutes from the February 11, 2026 Special EDC Meeting, received updates on financial incentives, industrial development priorities, business retention visits, and the Business of the Month program, and discussed upcoming projects and vacancies on the commission.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The commission unanimously approved the minutes of the February 11, 2026 Special Economic Development Commission Meeting. (Motion by Bill, second by Dave; roll call: Bill yes, Dave yes, Laura yes, Andy yes.)

Discussion Items

  • Financial Incentive Request – La Marimba: Kevin reported that La Marimba, a local restaurant, sought the full 40% incentive (up to $5,000 maximum) for approximately $120,000 in improvements including a roof replacement, front entrance reconstruction, new facade, pergola, and garage door. The village board approved the request; work is underway and the restaurant has reopened after a temporary closure.
  • 2026 Connect Industrial Midwest Show Recap: Kevin attended the show in Rosemont, which focused on site selectors, developers, and real estate investors. The goal is to diversify Oswego’s economic base beyond retail by targeting industrial development. Kevin identified seven key available industrial sites, all small (none over 150–200 acres), suited for smaller-scale users rather than large manufacturers due to limited interstate access and power availability.
  • Industrial Development Opportunities: Kevin outlined a renewed emphasis on industrial recruitment, including working with agencies to develop a targeted strategy based on existing industrial users, their suppliers, competitors, and customers. Marketing materials are being assembled; currently, a GIS map of available sites is used. The commission discussed data centers—unlikely for Oswego due to power constraints—but potential residual service businesses near data centers in neighboring areas could be a future opportunity.
  • 2026 Business Retention & Expansion Survey: The survey is still in progress and is set to be distributed to all Oswego businesses (retail, industrial, service, financial institutions) by the end of April, using a hybrid of paper and online forms.
  • Business Retention & Expansion Visits: Since the last meeting, two visits were completed: Loch Cabania (newer ownership, visibility challenges, connected with SBDC and SCORE) and School of Rock (owner praised Oswego’s family-friendly atmosphere; she drives from Schaumburg; discussed performance space limitations due to landlord restrictions—village staff will connect her with venues like the fairgrounds, Prairie Fest, and other downtown locations). Upcoming visits include Midwest Milk (first industrial visit, scheduled for Monday, April 6 at 11 AM) and rescheduled Nori Sushi. Commissioners are encouraged to join visits; former executive assistant Pam Knox has been replaced by Kathy Schultz.
  • 2026 Business of the Month Award Nominations: The March Business of the Month was Beery Heat Heating & Cooling (featured next week). Discussions led to a new electronic nomination form for commissioners to submit and vote on nominations at their leisure. The commission agreed to use majority rule for approvals. Current nominations include Damont Guitars (still under discussion) and John Green Commercial (proposed by Commissioner Andy). Commissioners noted the need to eventually consider re-recognizing past winners as the list of highly involved businesses grows.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved February 11, 2026 special meeting minutes (unanimous).
  • Adopted a standardized electronic nomination form for Business of the Month, with majority rule for selection.
  • Encouraged commissioners to attend upcoming business retention visits, especially industrial ones.
  • Directed staff to connect School of Rock with local performance venues.
  • Noted vacancies on the EDC (Terry and one unfilled since Rochelle left); commissioners to submit recommendations.
  • Set May 1 deadline for commissioners to file their Statement of Economic Interest with Kendall County.

Meeting Transcript

Is that a fill or a bill? Oh, that's me. I'm here. He's trouble. Yes. Andy Clemens? Yes. Yeah. Yes, I'm here. Absolutely. Yes. Rafael's absent. Yep. We have a quorum attached to what Kevin sent out was the minutes of February 11, 2026. It was a special economic development commission meeting. Any changes or corrections to those minutes that anybody saw? Hearing none, I'll entertain a motion. I'll motion to approve. Move the second roll call, please. Bill? Yes. Dave? Yes. Laura? Yes. Andy? Yes. Motion is approved. Financial incentive requests. So we've had just one since our last meeting. It was for uh La Marimba. Uh they were doing a pretty extensive renovation. They were doing about 120,000 in improvements, uh, included a uh roof replacement, uh reconstruction of the front entrance, uh new facade. Uh they were installing a new pergola in the rear of the property for um additional shade, uh, as well as uh the installation of a new garage door uh for the just general seating and things like that. So they were seeking the full 40. Uh the village board approved it, uh and so you likely have already seen some work being done over at La Marimba. Uh so they'll be doing that over the next couple of weeks as uh additional uh contractors come in and do the work, but they're already well underway. And they're closed while this is all going on. Okay. Yep, Angie's correct. They are reopened. Okay, good. And there are uh several more that have either submitted an application or are intending to submit an application. So my guess is we'll see some additional uh applications within the next two village board meetings. Yep. That would apply to the $5,000 minimum or maximum, excuse me. Is that it for those, Kevin? Yes, sir. Yes, so as I mentioned at our um last EDC meeting, one of the key priorities of the economic development department and broader strategic plan is uh economic diversification. Uh so finding alternative uh sources of revenue, uh not necessarily sources of revenue, but certain sources of uh employment and and different jobs and investment.

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