In his more than three decades running his construction business in Algonquin, Bud Ihrke said, working with the village has been virtually hassle-free.
“And I get a lot of building permits from them,” he said.
So when he heard an 1850s-era smokehouse–donated to the village and placed behind Historic Village Hall–needed a new roof, Ihrke volunteered to replace it free of charge.
With help from his two sons, Ihrke worked in 80-degree weather last Thursday and Friday to reconstruct the roof, which had begun to sprout weeds from rotted shingles, in time for the annual Founders Day celebration this week.
Ihrke also will replace the door of the smokehouse, which stood behind the historic James Phillip house, 114 S. Main St., until the owner demolished the house earlier this summer.
