Village Board lays over final decision on wedding venue until April 30

At a monthly meeting that focused on the conditions for an annexation request by the Hidden Creek Estates wedding venue, the Village Board of Roscoe could not decide on the details, but agreed to take up the question again at a special called meeting on Friday, April 30 at 6:30 p.m.

The board meeting was scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, but the public hearing that began at 6:00 p.m. didn't end until 9:00 p.m. Almost 75 community members attended the hearing virtually, plus Village Trustees Anthony Keene and Stacy Mallicoat. At the Roscoe Village Hall, Village President Mark Szula led the meeting, which was attended by Village Administrator Scott Sanders, Village Attorney Josef Kurlinkus, Village Public Works Supervisor Wade Kretsinger, Chief of Police Jamie Evans, and other city officials, including Village Trustees Carol Gustafson, Michael Dunn, Justin Plock, and Susan Petty.

Village Administrator Scott Sanders began by reading the final recommendations of the Zoning Board of Appeal, which had held an earlier public hearing on April 14. The proposed ordinances would place tight restrictions on Hidden Creek Estates. Then the venue owner Kerry Frank presented her case again. Next, opposition attorney James Hursh introduced three community members who argued against approving the annexation requests. Brad Lindmark, the Winnebago County Board Member whose District 4 includes the wedding venue, echoed their concerns.

Throughout the night, almost all the community commenters opposed the annexation request, and many urged that the Village Board add further conditions for the wedding venue's operations. And after public comment ended, that's just what Village Trustee Justin Plock proposed. For the next hour and a half, the trustees discussed what limits they should place on noise, attendance capacity, and hours of operation, generally exceeding what the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) had recommended. Kerry Frank and her attorney Chris Logli argued that even the ZBA's recommendations would make it hard for Hidden Creek Estates to turn a profit. The Roscoe Village Board, though sympathetic, continued to try to hone the conditions down to precise numbers. But by 10:30 p.m., they agreed with board member Carol Gustafson: "I don't want to approve anything [yet]. I want to see it all written down," when Village President Mark Szula proposed they lay over the issue until next week.

UPDATE: The April 30 special meeting was canceled pending a traffic study by Winnebago County. On May 11, Hidden Creek Estates withdrew their request for annexation.