Hoffman Estates paying historian $30,000 to update village book
The cliffhanger ending of Hoffman Estates' 2009 history book is expected to be resolved during the village's 60th anniversary in 2019.
But the gap the sequel will fill is not just the last 10 years, but the past 28.
When Cheryl Lemus' "The Village of Hoffman Estates - An Atypical Suburb" was published during the village's 50th anniversary, there was only enough time for her to research and write up until the arrival of Sears' corporate headquarters in the early '90s.
As part of the village's 60th anniversary plans, trustees Monday approved a $30,000 contract for another credentialed historian, Marc Reynolds, to continue the narrative up to the present day and publish before the end of next year.
The money is coming from an escrow fund of donations for historical projects. It currently has just over $85,000 in it.
Mayor Bill McLeod said the objectivity of Lemus' book is one of its strengths, and village officials want Reynolds' follow-up to have the same freedom.
"We want a history of the community that people can refer to," he said.
The village contacted Lemus about her interest in continuing her prior work, but she said she did not have the time.
One of the questions yet to be answered is whether Reynolds' manuscript will take the form of a second volume or later chapters in the republication of the first book.
"Truthfully, that hasn't been addressed at all yet," said Village Trustee Karen Mills, who chairs the village's 60th Anniversary Commission.
Publication of the book might just be in time to tie into a community picnic being planned at the Sears Centre Arena for September 2019. The event could be outdoors or indoors, depending on the weather, Mills said.
Reynolds' manuscript is due to the village by July 15, 2019, to ensure it can be either published or self-published before the end of the year.