Trustees said last week that they have no objection to SBC/Ameritech putting a second-story addition on its switch facility downtown, provided the utility agrees not to let its employees park in the alley behind the building.
Ameritech officials plan to start construction this fall on a second story for the building on the northwest corner of York Road and Green Street. A side addition will hold stairs and an elevator. The second story will house computer equipment. Ameritech does not plan to add more employees at the facility, said village planner Michael Griffith. The addition is not expected to generate extra traffic.
Roofed walkways along York and Green will protect pedestrians during construction. Landscaping and a masonry wall will screen the facility’s service entrance from neighboring properties.
Ameritech will have to do a better job of maintaining its landscaping at the site, warned Village President John Geils.
“I can’t tell you how many times we’ve cleaned up the bushes at that corner,” he asserted. “I think this conditional-use permit should come with a maintenance contract that you take out to take care of your landscaping.”
The Village Board is scheduled to discuss the issue again Tuesday.
