Algonquin's Future Face Lift

The village of Algonquin has a wish list to add to the aesthetic appeal of the community, and it is called the Algonquin Beautification Plan.  

Senior Community Planner Katie Parkhurst said it is not a scheduled to-do list, but rather a framework by which the village will continue to maintain and ideally add to its existing features. The plan envisions the efforts of volunteers, landscaping, public art, reduction of eyesores, and creation of new entryways.

“Basically the village took the opportunity to combine all of our programs that we already do that help make Algonquin distinctive and unique, and we added some additional items,” she said. “Algonquin always strives to be a unique community, so that when you’re driving down the road, you realize which town you are in.”

The idea is to create a sense of pride, she explained, adding that any upcoming improvements will be incorporated into the village’s scheme when budgeting is realistic.

“Since the economy is slow and budgets are tight, our first focus is maintaining all our enhancements we have today,” she said. “That means making sure the litter is picked up, making sure our private properties are keeping their sites looking appropriate as well.”

Maybe, in the next couple of years, medians will get more landscaping added.

Parkhurst said the village did not identify specific problem areas, because the village looked at the community as a whole and determined ways to improve the image of the overall community. Elements of the plan include entry features, downtown improvements like streetscapes and more landscaping, and removal of billboards.

“As time and budget allows, we would improve our existing entryways so people would know when they are coming in,” she said. “We would make them bigger, more impressive, long-lasting, to set the tone.”

While some medians in Algonquin have landscaping, Parkhurst said better design may improve the look even more throughout town.

As with the bike rack art program, which was a contest in which residents created a standard or signature bike rack, the village might have an entrance sign competition.

“For the entrance signs, we came up with ideas of what we’d like to see incorporated, but we don’t have a specific design. That may be another competition in the future, to put it out there to the public. We want to use earth-tone colors, native landscaping, and we want it to have a night appeal.”

The village most likely would hire a company to provide the actual construction and installation, she added.

The plan has been recommended by the village board as a policy guide and will be budgeted into the capital improvement plan when appropriate, Parkhurst said.

“But right now we’re really just going to be maintaining what we have,” she said. “We might also have volunteer days where people could pick a park or a neighborhood for removing litter, or where we could have adopt-a-plant areas. There will be opportunities for public involvement as we move forward, and there is certainly work the village can do. It’s a long-term (idea) from now into the future.”