Late in December, a Madison Village councilman took time to reflect on some 2017 highlights and look ahead to what 2018 has in store for the town of roughly 3,150 residents.
“Things are well out here in Madison Village,” Councilman Mark Vest wrote in a Dec. 28 email exchange.
Looking back on a prominent piece of progress in 2017, Vest cited the addition of some new lodging options soon to stand near the Interstate 90/Route 528 interchange.
“Development at the freeway ... has begun with the construction of the new Holiday Inn and with the future construction of Hampton Inn soon to follow,” he writes. “We are looking forward to seeing more interest at that location in the near future.”
Madison Village officials in August broke ground on the Holiday Inn project, an 81-room lodging facility.
The future site of Holiday Inn Express and Suites, 181 Water Tower Drive, will encompass 4 acres, at least two of which will be occupied by the hotel, itself, according to the plan at hand.
“This has been in the works for at least three years and three months,” Madison Village Administrator Dwayne Bailey said in a phone interview Aug. 30. “A couple weeks after I started (working as the village administrator) I got a call from one of the principals (involved in the hotel development) and it’s been something we’ve been working on ever since.”
Bailey said the 82-room Hampton Inn project, to be located just east of the Holiday Inn, was approved for construction by the Planning Commission last fall.
“They were to begin construction by now, however the weather has probably pushed that back to spring,” he said. “We will have a groundbreaking ceremony when they are ready to start construction. Owners are The Vineyard Hotel group and they have partnered with Emerald hospitality group for this project.”
Another development in the same part of the village that has received attention from around the country also looks like it’s moving ahead, rather than being taken down, Vest said.
“The water tower seems to be going in a positive direction and looks to be saved with the participation of the Lake County Visitors Bureau and the Lake County commissioners,” Vest confirmed.
As far as village infrastructure goes, he said two standouts include addressing sewer rates and service, along with a new way to prioritize and complete road maintenance projects.
“We have started a road resurfacing program. With many roads in need of repair, we have created a road matrix to evaluate the roads most in need and priority as to their repair,” he said. “There (also) seems to (be) relief on the horizon in regards to water and sewer rates due to the recently approved contract with (Lake County Department of Utilities) soon to be implemented.”
Lastly, Vest highlighted the two newest members of Village Council chosen by voters in the Nov. 7 General Election.
“Finally, the people have elected (two) new councilmen, Mr. (Harold O. ‘Jay’) Adams and Mr. Bob Lee, to represent them and council, (which) is looking forward to working with them, as well as moving forward and making even greater strides in the future,” Vest states.