Berthold's Garden Center in Elk Grove to make way for public works building
Berthold's Floral, Gift and Garden Center in Elk Grove Village, which has been in operation since 1948, will close in coming weeks to make way for a new headquarters for the village's public works department, the village announced Friday.
Elk Grove Village has reached an agreement to acquire 8.6 acres at 434 E. Devon Ave., the village announced in a news release.
"While we are extremely excited about what this site holds for the future of Elk Grove Village Public Works, I would be remiss not to mention how sad we will be with the loss of the Berthold's Gift and Garden Center," Mayor Craig Johnson said in the news release, asking village residents to make a last visit before the business disappears.
The garden center will be closing June 30 and the flower and gift shop July 31, he said.
The new building will replace an outdated facility built in 1960 on 3.7 acres at 600 Landmeier Road. The building has served has served as village hall, police station, courthouse and fire station. But it is undersized for its current use, the interior is functionally obsolete, its pie shape is inefficient and its proximity to single-family residential homes makes operations difficult, according to the news release.
It is anticipated that construction will begin early this fall with occupancy in early 2019. While the building is still in the design phase, it will consist of approximately 20,000 square feet of office space for 65 employees and nearly 70,000 square feet of garage, shop and storage area for the
village's 110 pieces of equipment. It will also be home to a 2,500-ton salt barn and a fueling station, which will also be used by the Northwest Suburban Municipal Joint Action Water Agency.
The final terms of the agreement will be made available at the June 20 village board meeting.
The project is a component of the Elk Grove 2025 reinvestment program, which also includes spending $6.6 million to renovate the public works garage at 1635 Biesterfield Road.
The village has an agreement with Elk Grove Township to take over the Landmeier Road building in exchange for property the township owns at 711 Chelmsford. The village is negotiating the sale of the Chelmsford property to help offset the purchase price of the Devon Avenue property.