WIND POINT — The Wind Point Village Board of Trustees approved the 2026 budget on Thursday, which includes $4.2 million in debt financing for a new municipal building to replace the current facility, a house built in the 1970s.
Village Administrator Travis Wells said the existing building where village operations take place has multiple problems that have been known for years.
"It's not ADA compliant. It's structurally unsound," Wells said.
He said it's not secure for elections, there are issues with leaks and storage problems.
The issues aren't new. In 2010, the village board explored building a new facility and identified many similar problems. The board did not take action at that time.
"Should they have done that, we wouldn't be in the position that we are now," Village Trustee Linda Johnson said.
Current construction estimates from the construction manager, which the board approved on Thursday, are about $3.8 million. Wells said they're working to lower costs and decrease the size of the planned building.
They have also applied for a grant.
"This process is still very early on," Wells said.
Watch: Community hopes for transparency as Wind Point seeks to address outdated village office needs
Both Wells and Johnson said they do not expect costs to touch $4.2 million.
Some residents have expressed concerns about the potential cost, loss of green space and transparency in the decision-making process.
"Residents don't feel that we need a new building at all, or they do feel that the current building that we're in could just be renovated to address some of the issues," Johnson said. "Residents are concerned about the cost of the building and the size of the building for the size of the village."
"There is a push to build, but I'm not sure that they've looked at the other options as deeply," resident Debra Hall said.
Other options the village has agreed to continue pursuing include upgrading the current space, modifying the lighthouse, building on the current site, and renting another property within the village.
Most residents TMJ4 spoke with agree that something needs to be done.
"ADA compliance is important. The situation back there in that building is important. It needs help," Hall said.
Residents said there is a tension between the village moving forward with a construction manager and applying for a grant, while also saying they're still exploring other options.
"We will continue to talk to them and be in dialogue and make sure that it's transparent and make sure that there's input," Hall said.
Hall said after Thursday's meeting, she is optimistic about the process moving forward.
"I saw a very dedicated effort by many of the trustees to be transparent to look at these options," Hall said.
Village officials defended their process Friday and said they tried to increase community engagement during the budget process.
Some trustees also indicated that if they were to do this process again, they might approach things differently.
Residents who expressed concern with the process up to this point hope for better communication as the project continues to develop.
"I don't think it's intentional," Hall said, "but our perceptions are what we have."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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