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Prospect Heights, Wheeling leaders tout economic development

Prospect Heights Mayor Nick Helmer and Wheeling Village President Dean Argiris touted economic development accomplishments and government consolidation efforts as they addressed about 150 people at a State of the Community breakfast Wednesday morning at Chevy Chase Country Clubng.

The leaders also stressed the importance of working not only within in their municipalities, but also as neighboring communities and as part of the state of Illinois.

"We really enjoy working together with Wheeling," Helmer said. "And we enjoy each other's company and sharing each other's ideas and future thoughts that we want to put to work."

Argiris quoted Henry Ford, saying, "Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success."

Helmer said 2015 was a "marquee year" for Prospect Heights with 35 miles of rebuilt roads completed in the city.

New construction on restaurants, assisted-living facilities and the 14,000-square-foot Bridge Church marked progress on the economic development front, Helmer said.

Bridge Church could bring "more people coming to our city to shop," Helmer said.

And in a cost-saving and consolidation measure, Prospect Heights absorbed responsibility for the dissolved Old Town Sanitary District.

Looking forward, Helmer said he hopes to work on developing a downtown area for Prospect Heights.

As Helmer turned the microphone over to Argiris to recap the state of Wheeling, he applauded Argiris as "the guy that really got me interested in politics."

More than 40 new businesses came to Wheeling in 2015, Argiris said, and the village issued permits for nearly $70 million worth of construction projects in the past year. That is "exceeding over a $29 million increase over 2014," he added.

And the vacancy rate in Wheeling's industrial sector remains low at less than 6 percent. That "will shrink even further" when Richelieu Foods moves into a 115,000-square-foot facility on Palatine Road.

Following the statewide initiative to consolidate local government, Wheeling started providing police dispatch for the city of Des Plaines.

The deal "serves as an example of a well-considered and effective consolidation of government services," Argiris said.

Argiris also applauded the village's effort to expand Wheeling's global reach as a group of about 30 Wheeling delegates took a trip to South Korea in the fall to learn about business and local governing bodies.

Wheeling's Korean Cultural Center funded the trip, and members of the center were recognized during Wednesday's breakfast.

The village continues to make stormwater management a priority, Argiris said, and will be able to fund future stormwater improvements, which are intended decrease flooding, through the village's new stormwater utility fee.

Argiris also noted the $4 million grant the village received to help relocate residents of the Fox Point Mobile Home Community that faced severe flooding over the years.

Looking forward to 2016, Argiris said residents can count on road improvements to the Dundee Road and McHenry Road intersection and the Dundee Road and Community Boulevard intersection.

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  Prospect Heights Mayor Nick Helmer and Wheeling Village President Dean Argiris both applauded their communities Wednesday for progress in economic development. Erin Hegarty/ ehegarty@dailyherald.com
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