Latest news with #NapervilleCityCouncil
Chicago Tribune
16-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
New golf simulator business seeking Naperville OK to serve beer and wine
Golfers may soon have a new place to hit the greens in Naperville. Well, virtually. Clubhouse540, a new indoor golf business to be located at 1466 Chicago Ave., is one step closer to opening after passing through the Naperville Liquor Commission with ease last week. The business requested an increase in the number of Class M recreational liquor licenses so it can offer alcohol to patrons during virtual play. Commissioners unanimously endorsed the request. The matter is headed to the Naperville City Council for consideration at its meeting Tuesday night. Clubhouse540 is planning to take over a nearly 3,000-square-foot space formerly occupied by a similar golf simulator business, Score 18 Indoor Golf. The new venture would offer a five-bay golf simulator equipped with Full Swing technology, which is the official licensed simulator of the PGA Tour, according to general manager Tom Schaefer More than just overseeing the business' day-to-day operations, Schaefer is behind the concept. His partner is a longtime friend who, like him, has a passion for golf, Schaefer said. With Clubhouse540, they get to marry that with business, he said. Schaefer, a longtime Chicago resident, moved with his family to Naperville about 10 years ago. He and his wife have one son, a junior at Naperville Central High School, and triplet daughters, who are eighth-graders at Kennedy Junior High School. Schaefer spent most of his career in operations management but said he's been intrigued by the golf simulator business for years and started pursuing the idea in earnest about 10 months ago, he said. 'I was always interested (in golf). … I was never formally trained in the game, but I just had a love for it,' he said. Schaefer has played regularly since his early 20s, he said. In envisioning their business, Schaefer and his partner wanted to 'make our own cool little family place where everybody could hang out, have a good time and relax,' he said. They looked at franchises but ultimately decided they wanted to chart their own course rather than following someone else's formula, Schaefer said. Simulator technology will provide video and analytic feedback, per Clubhouse540's website. Certified 'pros' will be on hand for all ages and skill levels, the website said. The technology, however, lends itself to more than just golf, Schaefer said. It also includes a gaming module that will allow users to shoot baskets, kick soccer balls, play hockey or even throw dodge balls at zombies, he said. The business plans to offer snacks, soft drinks and — with the council's OK — beer and wine. According to municipal code, the number of Class M licenses, which allow recreational facilities such as golf courses, bowling alleys, indoor sports facilities and art studios to serve alcoholic beverages, is capped at 12. City code states that at least 60% of a Class M license holder's annual revenue must be from sources other than the sale of alcoholic drinks. The city is currently at its limit for Class M licensees, which include Bowlero, Pinot's Palette, Springbook Golf Course and Sure Shot Pickleball, among others. In recent months the council increased the Class M cap from 11 to 12 to allow Hawaii Fluid Art, a franchise studio chain offering lessons in acrylic paint pouring, to serve alcohol during classes. To pair with their drinks, food can be delivered from neighboring restaurants for Clubhouse540 patrons, Schaefer said. The business' proposed hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. It should be open by July 1, Schaefer said. After Naperville, he and his partner plan to open a second location in Greenville, South Carolina, and then more where they see demographic need, he said. Names will correspond with their locations. Clubhouse540, for instance, is named after the Zip code of its address, 60540. For now, Schaefer says they're seeing 'a lot of positive energy' for their Naperville debut. 'We're just excited to be bringing this to Naperville,' he said, 'and we really hope that Naperville is excited about what we deliver.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DuPage County Board District 5 incumbents Sadia Covert, Dawn DeSart to seek reelection
Two Democrats who have represented Naperville on the DuPage County Board for the past seven years will be vying to keep their seats in next year's midterm elections. Sadia Covert and Dawn DeSart have confirmed that they will be running for reelection in District 5. Covert will be seeking a four-year term while DeSart will be running for a two-year term. District 5 comprises most of Naperville and sections of Aurora in DuPage. Covert's and DeSart's intentions to run come in the wake of Naperville City Councilman Ian Holzhauer announcing last week that he will be challenging Covert for the four-year District 5 seat as a Democrat. Holzhauer was just elected to a second term on Naperville City Council. He announced his bid for county board hours after being inaugurated. 'We work hard for our seats,' Covert said in a call last week. 'We paved the way and we have to fight. We always have to fight to retain our seats. This is my first primary on the county board, so it's very different for me. … All I do know is that women have to stand tall and strong.' Covert was first elected to the board in 2018. A Naperville resident for more than a decade and a half, Covert is a licensed attorney and one of the founding partners of Covert Marrero Covert LLP. She initially ran for county board to expand the body's representation, she said. Before Covert was elected, 'there were absolutely zero South Asian and Muslim Americans on the board,' she said. Asked what she would do with a third term, Covert listed off several priorities. She wants to focus on continuing to ensure community members have access to housing and basic necessities, she said. She'd also said she'd like to see through ongoing work to preserve cultural diversity and cultural heritage in the DuPage County Historical Museum in Wheaton. As chair of the Technology Committee, Covert is also interested in exploring how artificial intelligence can be integrated into the board's work, a project that has already started, she said. 'Being in the midst of things, it's important to have the same people working on these initiatives and just seeing them through,' Covert said. Covert also said she was surprised to hear about Holzhauer's bid for board. 'He didn't even have the courtesy to give me a call to let me know,' she said. The county's 18-person board is divided into six districts, with three seats apiece. Alongside Covert and DeSart, District 5 is also represented by Saba Haider, of Aurora, who was elected to the board last fall after unseating former Naperville City Council member Patty Gustin. Her term continues through 2028. Seats are elected separately. When more than one candidate from a party vies for a seat, there's a primary election to decide who gets the nomination. Covert emphasized that she wants to focus on her own race. 'We work very well together as a board,' she said. 'I'm just happy to serve. It's been an honor to serve all my constituents.' DeSart, who has likewise sat on the board since 2018, said in an email Monday that she 'never considered not running for my seat.' 'I've accomplished so much through my work on the board that I feel compelled to continue the work,' she said. A graduate of Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, DeSart is former reporter for NBC-TV Channel 5 in Chicago. She continues to work as a journalist in the radio broadcast industry, she said. DeSart first moved to Naperville in 1980 with her family. She later moved to Aurora in 2016. Prior to serving on the board, DeSart was a member of the Indian Prairie District 204 School Board from 2009 to 2013. To her, the biggest issue facing the county right is 'all of the federal government's cuts to the food insecure, to heating grants, to homelessness,' DeSart said. 'It's going to be up to the county to help those most in need,' she said. Asked if there are any initiatives or issues she hopes to focus on should she be reelected, DeSart said, 'Food insecurity is number one, and the need will only get greater.' It's a subject that's addressed at almost every meeting of the board's Human Services Committee, of which she's a member, she said. She added that working 'with our state legislators has never been more important.' DeSart serves as chair of the board's Legislative Committee, which advises and provides recommendations to the board relating to state and federal legislation, according to the county's website. 'There are many initiatives I'd still like to accomplish,' she said. tkenny@
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Offer to extend contract with electricity provider still open to Naperville despite deadline passing
The advertised deadline for Naperville to decide whether it wants to keep getting energy from the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency has come and gone. But a contract extension has yet to go to Naperville City Council for a vote. The city's Electric Utility Director Brian Groth says the option is still on the table. 'We are just past the deadline date that was provided but the offer has not been closed,' Groth said. For more than a year, Naperville has been gearing up to decide if it will retain IMEA as its electricity provider past 2035, when the city's current contract with the agency is due to expire. Citing the need for long-term planning, IMEA gave Naperville — along with the agency's other 31 members — until April 30 to opt into a contract extension out to 2055. In the weeks leading up to the deadline, the city held several discussions on the matter. A vocal segment of the community is opposed to continuing with IMEA because of its reliance on coal to generate energy, a pollution generating source of power. Naperville's Public Utilities Advisory Board in late February received a presentation from IMEA staff. A week later, the board heard from Philadelphia-based consultant Customized Energy Solutions, which presented an overview of the different ways — as well as their associated risks and benefits — that Naperville could power its electric grid in years to come. The board received another two presentations pertinent to the city's contract renewal at a special meeting on April 8, one concerning the legal and market constraints Naperville's electric utility operates under and one from the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force (NEST). After hearing both, the board narrowly recommended that the city stay on with IMEA. The recommendation, though, has yet to go to council, which holds the final decision-making authority on the matter. The earliest the recommendation could have been on the council's agenda was May 6. Rather, staff — as part of a larger presentation on near-term projects, goals and priorities for the city — briefly mentioned PUAB's recommendation and said that they continue to research options as well as engage with stakeholders on the issue. Staff anticipates bringing this discussion to the council in July or August, said Marcie Schatz, assistant to the city manager. Meanwhile, discussions on where IMEA's contact extension offer stands for all members that have yet to renew are also ongoing. At an IMEA Board of Directors meeting last month, agency staff recommended that the open offer period for a new contract be extended until Aug. 21, according to a public memorandum from Groth to Naperville City Manager Doug Krieger. The memo, released May 1, said that 27 of IMEA's 32 members had so far signed a contract renewal. Following agency staff's recommendation, a 'lengthy discussion between IMEA board members ensued,' the memo said. Members discussed terminating the open offer period, while others suggested applying a progressive premium structure to communities that do not sign up for a new contact at this time, per the memo. Ultimately, a motion was made to draw out the offer period to August but further discussion was tabled to the board's June meeting. Agency staff were asked to begin preparing a resolution to extend the existing contract offer. Asked about the implications of IMEA board discussions on council, Groth said last week, 'I believe that the conversation in Naperville is a separate conversation from the IMEA board. 'My goal has always been to bring all of the options to council with … as much (information) as we can for all of the options so that (members) can be educated and make a decision going forward,' he said. For NEST, which has been an official Naperville advisory body since 2019, IMEA isn't and won't be an option 'until they actually have a plan to transition off of coal,' NEST Co-chair Cathy Clarkin said in a call Monday. IMEA, whose current energy portfolio is largely reliant on non-renewable sources, has put forward ambitious plans to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. That plan has earned skepticism from local experts, NEST included. At last week's council meeting, NEST representatives urged the city during the public comment portion of the meeting to do two things as it charts a path forward for Naperville's electricity grid: commit to pursuing a comprehensive, publicly inclusive and transparent energy selection process and complete a carbon action plan. 'We continue to advocate for the process that we've shared multiple times,' Clarkin echoed this week. 'We think that's really the best approach.' tkenny@
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
DuPage County Board District 5 incumbents Sadia Covert, Dawn DeSart to seek reelection
Two Democrats who have represented Naperville on the DuPage County Board for the past seven years will be vying to keep their seats in next year's midterm elections. Sadia Covert and Dawn DeSart have confirmed that they will be running for reelection in District 5. Covert will be seeking a four-year term while DeSart will be running for a two-year term. District 5 comprises most of Naperville and sections of Aurora in DuPage. Covert's and DeSart's intentions to run come in the wake of Naperville City Councilman Ian Holzhauer announcing last week that he will be challenging Covert for the four-year District 5 seat as a Democrat. Holzhauer was just elected to a second term on Naperville City Council. He announced his bid for county board hours after being inaugurated. 'We work hard for our seats,' Covert said in a call last week. 'We paved the way and we have to fight. We always have to fight to retain our seats. This is my first primary on the county board, so it's very different for me. … All I do know is that women have to stand tall and strong.' Covert was first elected to the board in 2018. A Naperville resident for more than a decade and a half, Covert is a licensed attorney and one of the founding partners of Covert Marrero Covert LLP. She initially ran for county board to expand the body's representation, she said. Before Covert was elected, 'there were absolutely zero South Asian and Muslim Americans on the board,' she said. Asked what she would do with a third term, Covert listed off several priorities. She wants to focus on continuing to ensure community members have access to housing and basic necessities, she said. She'd also said she'd like to see through ongoing work to preserve cultural diversity and cultural heritage in the DuPage County Historical Museum in Wheaton. As chair of the Technology Committee, Covert is also interested in exploring how artificial intelligence can be integrated into the board's work, a project that has already started, she said. 'Being in the midst of things, it's important to have the same people working on these initiatives and just seeing them through,' Covert said. Covert also said she was surprised to hear about Holzhauer's bid for board. 'He didn't even have the courtesy to give me a call to let me know,' she said. The county's 18-person board is divided into six districts, with three seats apiece. Alongside Covert and DeSart, District 5 is also represented by Saba Haider, of Aurora, who was elected to the board last fall after unseating former Naperville City Council member Patty Gustin. Her term continues through 2028. Seats are elected separately. When more than one candidate from a party vies for a seat, there's a primary election to decide who gets the nomination. Covert emphasized that she wants to focus on her own race. 'We work very well together as a board,' she said. 'I'm just happy to serve. It's been an honor to serve all my constituents.' DeSart, who has likewise sat on the board since 2018, said in an email Monday that she 'never considered not running for my seat.' 'I've accomplished so much through my work on the board that I feel compelled to continue the work,' she said. A graduate of Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, DeSart is former reporter for NBC-TV Channel 5 in Chicago. She continues to work as a journalist in the radio broadcast industry, she said. DeSart first moved to Naperville in 1980 with her family. She later moved to Aurora in 2016. Prior to serving on the board, DeSart was a member of the Indian Prairie District 204 School Board from 2009 to 2013. To her, the biggest issue facing the county right is 'all of the federal government's cuts to the food insecure, to heating grants, to homelessness,' DeSart said. 'It's going to be up to the county to help those most in need,' she said. Asked if there are any initiatives or issues she hopes to focus on should she be reelected, DeSart said, 'Food insecurity is number one, and the need will only get greater.' It's a subject that's addressed at almost every meeting of the board's Human Services Committee, of which she's a member, she said. She added that working 'with our state legislators has never been more important.' DeSart serves as chair of the board's Legislative Committee, which advises and provides recommendations to the board relating to state and federal legislation, according to the county's website. 'There are many initiatives I'd still like to accomplish,' she said.
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Offer to extend contract with electricity provider still open to Naperville despite deadline passing
The advertised deadline for Naperville to decide whether it wants to keep getting energy from the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency has come and gone. But a contract extension has yet to go to Naperville City Council for a vote. The city's Electric Utility Director Brian Groth says the option is still on the table. 'We are just past the deadline date that was provided but the offer has not been closed,' Groth said. For more than a year, Naperville has been gearing up to decide if it will retain IMEA as its electricity provider past 2035, when the city's current contract with the agency is due to expire. Citing the need for long-term planning, IMEA gave Naperville — along with the agency's other 31 members — until April 30 to opt into a contract extension out to 2055. In the weeks leading up to the deadline, the city held several discussions on the matter. A vocal segment of the community is opposed to continuing with IMEA because of its reliance on coal to generate energy, a pollution generating source of power. Naperville's Public Utilities Advisory Board in late February received a presentation from IMEA staff. A week later, the board heard from Philadelphia-based consultant Customized Energy Solutions, which presented an overview of the different ways — as well as their associated risks and benefits — that Naperville could power its electric grid in years to come. The board received another two presentations pertinent to the city's contract renewal at a special meeting on April 8, one concerning the legal and market constraints Naperville's electric utility operates under and one from the Naperville Environment and Sustainability Task Force (NEST). After hearing both, the board narrowly recommended that the city stay on with IMEA. The recommendation, though, has yet to go to council, which holds the final decision-making authority on the matter. The earliest the recommendation could have been on the council's agenda was May 6. Rather, staff — as part of a larger presentation on near-term projects, goals and priorities for the city — briefly mentioned PUAB's recommendation and said that they continue to research options as well as engage with stakeholders on the issue. Staff anticipates bringing this discussion to the council in July or August, said Marcie Schatz, assistant to the city manager. Meanwhile, discussions on where IMEA's contact extension offer stands for all members that have yet to renew are also ongoing. At an IMEA Board of Directors meeting last month, agency staff recommended that the open offer period for a new contract be extended until Aug. 21, according to a public memorandum from Groth to Naperville City Manager Doug Krieger. The memo, released May 1, said that 27 of IMEA's 32 members had so far signed a contract renewal. Following agency staff's recommendation, a 'lengthy discussion between IMEA board members ensued,' the memo said. Members discussed terminating the open offer period, while others suggested applying a progressive premium structure to communities that do not sign up for a new contact at this time, per the memo. Ultimately, a motion was made to draw out the offer period to August but further discussion was tabled to the board's June meeting. Agency staff were asked to begin preparing a resolution to extend the existing contract offer. Asked about the implications of IMEA board discussions on council, Groth said last week, 'I believe that the conversation in Naperville is a separate conversation from the IMEA board. 'My goal has always been to bring all of the options to council with … as much (information) as we can for all of the options so that (members) can be educated and make a decision going forward,' he said. For NEST, which has been an official Naperville advisory body since 2019, IMEA isn't and won't be an option 'until they actually have a plan to transition off of coal,' NEST Co-chair Cathy Clarkin said in a call Monday. IMEA, whose current energy portfolio is largely reliant on non-renewable sources, has put forward ambitious plans to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. That plan has earned skepticism from local experts, NEST included. At last week's council meeting, NEST representatives urged the city during the public comment portion of the meeting to do two things as it charts a path forward for Naperville's electricity grid: commit to pursuing a comprehensive, publicly inclusive and transparent energy selection process and complete a carbon action plan. 'We continue to advocate for the process that we've shared multiple times,' Clarkin echoed this week. 'We think that's really the best approach.'
