By Tony Scott
The City of Yorkville closed on the sale of the former Kendall County Jail on Tuesday, City Attorney Kathleen Field Orr announced to the City Council Tuesday evening.
The council voted in favor of buying the former jail from the county in March, using a combination of $96,000 from the Illinois Department of Transportation and $64,000 from a grant by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. In that decision, Aldermen George Gilson Jr. and Rose Spears cast the lone “no” votes.
The city had an agreement with IDOT dating back to 2000 that requires IDOT to pay for parking spaces lost following the future widening of Route 47 through town. The area just north of the jail building will be constructed as a parking lot.
The jail building, built in 1893 and located at the northeast corner of Madison Street and South Main Street, was used as the county jail until the opening of the Public Safety Center on John Street in Yorkville in 1992.
Mayor Valerie Burd’s plans for the jail include using it as a local history museum. She said local developer Harold Oliver has committed to organizing a committee of volunteers to help renovate the building.
“I had a meeting Friday with Harold Oliver and he has a list of some 25 people who are interested in being on the committee,” she told the council Tuesday.
Burd said Oliver wants to clean up the building before it undergoes any renovation.
“He told me his first actions are to start the cleanup and get a dumpster there,” she said. “He’s still fully committed to going ahead and getting this all done for free for the city. He says he can’t wait to get started.”
Burd said she also wants to set up a commission to oversee this project and other museum sites or public buildings in the city. That issue will be on the agenda for the council’s administration committee, she said.