Latest news with #Frankfort-based
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New owner plans to transform 68-acre property and horse training facility in Crete into men's rehabilitation center
At the end of 2023, after having successfully rehabbed two south west suburban homes into substance use disorder recovery centers through his nonprofit Second Story Foundation, Jim O'Connor said he faced questions of whether he sought to build a facility from scratch. 'I said, 'get me a horse farm and I'll think about it,'' O'Connor recalled. He just did that March 13, raising $1 million in private donations to acquire a 68-acre harness racing training and horse boarding facility on the corner of East Bemes Road and South Klemme Road in unincorporated Crete. O'Connor was hard at work Monday at the property, where cart-carrying horses could be seen trotting down a gravel road toward an 85-stall barn. 'I'm here four days a week, and actually working on the site probably 20 hours a week,' O'Connor said. O'Connor hails from Evanston, but said he fell in love with the south suburbs after entering alcohol abuse recovery in 2016. It took him losing his relationships — his family, friends and employer — to admit he was an alcoholic, O'Connor said. But once he did, he entered a 28-day, in-patient program in Hazel Crest that eventually led him to the horse farm that inspired him to buy the 2400 East Bemes property. He said he plans to flip the farm into a picturesque recovery center where up to 14 men can live and work for as long as they need. 'The work-based program was transformational,' O'Connor said. 'The amount of love that I've gotten from people in the recovery community … There's a lot of healthy people with not just lives of dedicated recovery, but full lives based around having made a change in their life.' On the day the ranch opens and whenever newcomers join the program, selected participants will immediately be told, 'welcome home, we love you,' O'Connor said. But before that can happen, O'Connor needs to raise funds to build the 7,000-square-foot lodge designed by the Frankfort-based Aspen Group, where residents will stay while they work toward financial, social and physiological independence. O'Connor envisions the lodge with a large commercial kitchen where his wife, Francie Byrne, will cook and serve two meals a day to residents, as well as a wraparound porch useful for group activities and individual counseling sessions. O'Connor, Byrne and a few other program leaders will live on the ranch in two staff homes. There are no houses for humans on the property, so these structures will be new. O'Connor is also looking to state, county and community block grants for the $3.5 million required to get the program on its feet. 'Money drives the timeline,' O'Connor said. 'If the grants line up, we could be building next fall to open this time next year. If the money takes longer, then it takes longer, but we're pretty much shovel ready.' The Second Story Foundation recently received $88,000 from the Will County Community Mental Health Board toward a community service partnership with the Recovery Community Center of Joliet. It will allow people within Will County Problem Solving Courts satisfy community service requirements by working on the ranch. The service event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 8 and will include a barbecue lunch and live country music. O'Connor said the foundation has begun the property zoning process through Will County and is grateful for bipartisan support for the ranch's development. Unlike many other rehabilitation facilities that accept insurance and out of pocket payments, Second Story Ranch treatment will be free of cost to those who qualify. O'Connor said the program application process involves extensive background checks and interviews to determine its best candidates. 'When you live a life of severe substance use disorder, getting caught up in the legal system and breaking the law is kind of part of it,' O'Connor said. 'We just want to know what the story is.' Those with long histories of violent crime will not qualify for the program, O'Connor said. Residents are expected to work on the farm for six to 10 months, the typical phase before they are ready to seek jobs outside the ranch. O'Connor and other program staff will provide connections and support as they transition to a job, and eventually residence, in the broader community. 'In the first phase of the program, we're just working on healing, making human connections, repairing spiritually and building the work ethic,' O'Connor said. 'Once you're working on the outside in phase 2 of our program, now we're working on financial planning, building credit scores back.' 'We're also working on the work life stressors that come from having to enter the workforce where maybe not all the employers or colleagues you work with are as compassionate to your journey as we might be,' he said. 'It's our job to be strong enough to know how to handle it.' Joey Mayer knows firsthand the value of getting to developing financial independence while maintaining a recovery focused community. The 27-year-old said he's been sober just over two years and met O'Connor while a participant at the Pathway to Sobriety program at The Center, a Palos Park's religious nonprofit organization. O'Connor also found sobriety at The Center and came back to direct the program before launching the foundation. Mayer recently moved from the Second Story Foundation's transitional home in Orland Hills to the Alsip location, where he lives with three other men in alcohol abuse recovery. While living there, Mayer works at the 9 Acres Equestrian Center stables while receiving free case management, financial planning and counseling. 'This is my first time ever having my name on a lease,' Mayer said Tuesday. 'This is like a new stepping stone for me to get adapted and acclimated to life down the road when I go to get my own home.' Mayer said he supports the ranch model of recovery, which he believes will help others escape the isolation and dependence that is commonly developed in emergency rehab programs. 'A guy who leaves rehab and doesn't follow up on programs goes back to the same environment where he was, whether that's a basement or his room,' Mayer said. 'So I think the job and responsibility straight out of rehab is very helpful … And not only that, it gives them that breath of fresh air.' ostevens@
Chicago Tribune
29-04-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
New owner plans to transform 68-acre property and horse training facility in Crete into men's rehabilitation center
At the end of 2023, after having successfully rehabbed two south west suburban homes into substance use disorder recovery centers through his nonprofit Second Story Foundation, Jim O'Connor said he faced questions of whether he sought to build a facility from scratch. 'I said, 'get me a horse farm and I'll think about it,'' O'Connor recalled. He just did that March 13, raising $1 million in private donations to acquire a 68-acre harness racing training and horse boarding facility on the corner of East Bemes Road and South Klemme Road in unincorporated Crete. O'Connor was hard at work Monday at the property, where cart-carrying horses could be seen trotting down a gravel road toward an 85-stall barn. 'I'm here four days a week, and actually working on the site probably 20 hours a week,' O'Connor said. O'Connor hails from Evanston, but said he fell in love with the south suburbs after entering alcohol abuse recovery in 2016. It took him losing his relationships — his family, friends and employer — to admit he was an alcoholic, O'Connor said. But once he did, he entered a 28-day, in-patient program in Hazel Crest that eventually led him to the horse farm that inspired him to buy the 2400 East Bemes property. He said he plans to flip the farm into a picturesque recovery center where up to 14 men can live and work for as long as they need. 'The work-based program was transformational,' O'Connor said. 'The amount of love that I've gotten from people in the recovery community … There's a lot of healthy people with not just lives of dedicated recovery, but full lives based around having made a change in their life.' On the day the ranch opens and whenever newcomers join the program, selected participants will immediately be told, 'welcome home, we love you,' O'Connor said. But before that can happen, O'Connor needs to raise funds to build the 7,000-square-foot lodge designed by the Frankfort-based Aspen Group, where residents will stay while they work toward financial, social and physiological independence. O'Connor envisions the lodge with a large commercial kitchen where his wife, Francie Byrne, will cook and serve two meals a day to residents, as well as a wraparound porch useful for group activities and individual counseling sessions. O'Connor, Byrne and a few other program leaders will live on the ranch in two staff homes. There are no houses for humans on the property, so these structures will be new. O'Connor is also looking to state, county and community block grants for the $3.5 million required to get the program on its feet. 'Money drives the timeline,' O'Connor said. 'If the grants line up, we could be building next fall to open this time next year. If the money takes longer, then it takes longer, but we're pretty much shovel ready.' The Second Story Foundation recently received $88,000 from the Will County Community Mental Health Board toward a community service partnership with the Recovery Community Center of Joliet. It will allow people within Will County Problem Solving Courts satisfy community service requirements by working on the ranch. The service event is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 8 and will include a barbecue lunch and live country music. O'Connor said the foundation has begun the property zoning process through Will County and is grateful for bipartisan support for the ranch's development. Unlike many other rehabilitation facilities that accept insurance and out of pocket payments, Second Story Ranch treatment will be free of cost to those who qualify. O'Connor said the program application process involves extensive background checks and interviews to determine its best candidates. 'When you live a life of severe substance use disorder, getting caught up in the legal system and breaking the law is kind of part of it,' O'Connor said. 'We just want to know what the story is.' Those with long histories of violent crime will not qualify for the program, O'Connor said. Residents are expected to work on the farm for six to 10 months, the typical phase before they are ready to seek jobs outside the ranch. O'Connor and other program staff will provide connections and support as they transition to a job, and eventually residence, in the broader community. 'In the first phase of the program, we're just working on healing, making human connections, repairing spiritually and building the work ethic,' O'Connor said. 'Once you're working on the outside in phase 2 of our program, now we're working on financial planning, building credit scores back.' 'We're also working on the work life stressors that come from having to enter the workforce where maybe not all the employers or colleagues you work with are as compassionate to your journey as we might be,' he said. 'It's our job to be strong enough to know how to handle it.' Joey Mayer knows firsthand the value of getting to developing financial independence while maintaining a recovery focused community. The 27-year-old said he's been sober just over two years and met O'Connor while a participant at the Pathway to Sobriety program at The Center, a Palos Park's religious nonprofit organization. O'Connor also found sobriety at The Center and came back to direct the program before launching the foundation. Mayer recently moved from the Second Story Foundation's transitional home in Orland Hills to the Alsip location, where he lives with three other men in alcohol abuse recovery. While living there, Mayer works at the 9 Acres Equestrian Center stables while receiving free case management, financial planning and counseling. 'This is my first time ever having my name on a lease,' Mayer said Tuesday. 'This is like a new stepping stone for me to get adapted and acclimated to life down the road when I go to get my own home.' Mayer said he supports the ranch model of recovery, which he believes will help others escape the isolation and dependence that is commonly developed in emergency rehab programs. 'A guy who leaves rehab and doesn't follow up on programs goes back to the same environment where he was, whether that's a basement or his room,' Mayer said. 'So I think the job and responsibility straight out of rehab is very helpful … And not only that, it gives them that breath of fresh air.'
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Buffalo Trace Distillery begins flooding cleanup, expects to open modified retail space
With historic flood waters receded, an iconic Kentucky bourbon brand is starting to work its way back to normal. Buffalo Trace Distillery has started the clean-up process at its Frankfort campus after near record-breaking widespread flooding covered the area. The Kentucky River crested at 48.27 feet on April 7, just shy of the record 48.5 feet. The Frankfort-based spirits brand is inspecting its campus, assessing damage to buildings and impacts on its bourbon barrels, the company said April 12. "I am grateful for the excellent preparation work that our teams completed in advance of the flood, which mitigated the extent of the damage we might otherwise have sustained," Jake Wenz, Sazerac & Buffalo Trace Distillery CEO and president, said in a statement. "We are confident we will be back up and running shortly." More: Looking for a Kentucky Derby-themed bourbon? Here are 3 new releases to try this month As for visiting the campus — where bourbon, rye and vodka are made — the distillery center will be closed at least through April 13, though the company intends to open with modifications early next week. The visitor center, which had flooding on its first floor, is closed for repairs. Meanwhile, a modified retail hub will open in the Freehouse Building, where visitors check-in, located adjacent to the visitor parking lot. This space will be made accessible via an email reservation system and offered first to those who had tours interrupted by the flooding. Distillery workers, along with engineers and professional cleaners, are assessing damage to the campus and planning for repairs. A tally of damage is not yet available. On April 10, the company started on what's expected to be a multi-week effort to inspect its barrels touched by the flooding using "a very involved process." Buffalo Trace said it has successfully recovered barrels that were affected by flood waters in prior floods and anticipates doing the same this year. The company said it's not expecting a "meaningful" loss of barrels. More: Let's Talk Derby with Kathryn & Kirby: How to make a mint julep for the Kentucky Derby 'A lot of heart and soul goes into every product we make, which is why our team is dedicated to testing with heavy scrutiny each barrel possibly affected by flood waters to ensure there are no issues,' said Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Distillery master distiller, in a release. 'We have never, nor will we ever, compromise on the quality or safety of the whiskey we make.' The company resumed shipping of its finished product as of April 11 and anticipates resuming bottling operations in the coming week. Reach growth and development reporter Matthew Glowicki at mglowicki@ or 502-582-4000. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Buffalo Trace Distillery to open modified retail space after flooding
Chicago Tribune
13-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Economic development, growth key issues for Frankfort mayoral, trustee candidates
More than 100 residents packed a Frankfort banquet hall Tuesday night to hear from Mayor Keith Ogle, his challenger Justin Ozinga, and four candidates vying for three trustee seats in the April 1 election. Ogle was elected in 2021 to succeed retiring Mayor Jim Holland, who served for 16 years. Ogle said he is seeking a second term because he wants to continue to grow Frankfort, while preserving the town's historic charm. 'We are not going to lower our standards,' Ogle said. 'And that's been consistent for the last couple decades. There's a reason people want to come to Frankfort. There's no shortage of people that want to live here. There's no shortage of people that want to build here.' Ozinga, a Frankfort businessman, said he is challenging Ogle largely because he disagrees with how the village manages development. 'A lot of times the trustees, or especially you, the residents, don't even hear about these projects because they're shut down or discouraged before it will be made public,' Ozinga said. Ogle was village clerk from 2013 to 2015 and village trustee from 2015 to 2021. He is president of a Frankfort-based technology company, he said. Ozinga, a Frankfort resident for more than 20 years, is president of Ozinga Brothers, one of the nation's oldest ready mix concrete providers that started in Evergreen Park in 1928, according to the company's website. Running for the three trustee seats are incumbents Michael Leddin, Daniel Rossi and Eugene Savaria seeking reelection and Todd Morgan, a trustee from 2001 to 2015 seeking to return after a 10-year absence; Candidates said they hope to develop vacant properties owned by the village, but said they are selective about what to build. Leddin said in the last four years the village has given out 130 business licenses, and Ogle mentioned that vacancy rates are low in the village. Frankfort has a targeted incentive program to encourage private investment in commercial areas and is seeking retail development, Ogle said, but he wants to be careful about how the town develops, especially in the downtown. 'If we screw it up, well, we're going to have a problem,' Ogle said. For Ogle, if developers follow the village's procedures, attend meetings in person and provide the necessary documentation, he is willing to collaborate with them. He pointed to the Chick-fil-A set to open this year on La Grange Road, noting owners didn't request any incentives and have been quick to complete construction. Ozinga said when he talks to developers, they tell him 'Frankfort is closed for business,' because the steps toward getting a proposal before the board are arduous and development is costly. Ozinga said trustees are often unaware of development proposals because they are denied without being brought before trustees. 'I think our economic development efforts need to be totally overhauled, I think we're totally missing the mark on it,' Ozinga said. 'I think our standards, you know, a lot of our communications and transparency with the residents need to be checked.' For Ozinga, the lack of affordable housing is a concern, as young adults and seniors looking to downsize have few smaller, more affordable home or apartment options. The village of about 21,000 residents has a median household income of over $153,000, according to the most recent census data. Several trustee candidates echoed the mayor's sentiments, saying the village should not relax its standards to attract development. 'My daughter can't afford to live in Frankfort, but I'm not going to lower the standards because of that. If you're talking about affordable housing, we are what we are,' Savaria said, to a round of applause. Ozinga clarified that while he doesn't want the village to stop pursuing quality developments, he believes the process can be improved to allow housing projects that benefit more than just the 'ultra wealthy.' Ozinga also believes the loss of the KidsWork Children's Museum was a significant blow to the village. After 16 years in Frankfort, the museum closed its doors and recently opened a larger location in New Lenox. Morgan said under previous administrations, the village had more citizen committees, but many have since been dismantled. 'We need that back,' he said. Ozinga said he believes citizen input is crucial and that he tried volunteering for the village's Economic Development Committee, but was turned down. He said Ogle encouraged him to run for mayor, a claim Ogle denied at the forum. 'I told him that that's exactly what I'll do, since they don't want me in any other part of this town to donate my time,' Ozinga said. If the village acquired additional funds, Ogle said his priorities would be repairing water mains and improving Old Plank Trail. Savaria said the village has allocated $2 million for the trail and is actively seeking grants. Candidates also aim to revitalize the water tower and would consider contributing funds toward a recreation center. State campaign finance disclosure reports show Ogle's campaign took in $500 in contributions, spent more than $3,000 and had $33,200 in debts during the October to December 2024 quarter. At the end of December, Ogle's campaign had $107,803 left to spend. Ozinga's campaign took in $80,674 in contributions and spent $5,142 during the October to December 2024 quarter. At the end of December, Ozinga's campaign had $80,973 left to spend. Early voting begins Monday.
