Updated 2/23/2021 6:44 PM
The St. Charles Unit District 303 school board has appointed Joseph Lackner to fill a seat vacated last month by the resignation of Michael Bryant.
Twenty-two people applied for the position, and seven finalists were interviewed by current board members at Monday s meeting. The board members discussed the interviews during closed session and notified the candidates of the decision on Tuesday.
Lackner, a management consultant with Ernst and Young, emerged from the pack and will be seated at the board s March 8 meeting. We are excited to have Mr. Lackner join the Community Unit School District 303 school board and believe that his professional experience and personal qualities will be a welcome addition, said School Board President Nick Manheim in a statement.
Updated 2/22/2021 6:02 PM
The exterior of the St. Charles Municipal Building will be getting a splash of color this summer.
Last week the city s aldermen approved the St. Charles Art Council s request for a fabric art installation on the blank, flat facade of the building facing Main Street at the northwest corner of Main and North Riverside Avenue. They also approved a request for $2,500 from the city to help pay for the project.
The installation was scheduled for last summer, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed it. The plan now is for the installation to be displayed from Aug. 20 through Sept. 8. We want this to make a big splash, said St. Charles Arts Council Director Kathy Hill. We don t want to put it up and have it be stagnant. We want people there enjoying it. It won t be the whole building but at least we ll be able to do that wall.
Navy veteran brings technical expertise to Geneva High School theater department
Navy veteran Jon Richert, a teacher at Geneva High School who runs the technical aspects of the theater department, works with students Tyler Wesely, from left, Noah Wade and Bernadette Baneck. Brian Hill | Staff Photographer
Jon Richert, seen here working with student Noah Wade, is a teacher at Geneva High School who runs the technical aspects of the theater department. He spent 10 years in the Navy. Brian Hill | Staff Photographer Batavia resident Jon Richert served in the Navy from 2000 to 2010. Courtesy Jon Richert Batavia resident Jon Richert spent the bulk of his 10-year Navy career on submarines.
Updated 2/19/2021 7:45 PM
In the midst of an $18.6 million project to build a new facility, St. Charles Public Library officials remain committed to maintaining the historic elements of the Carnegie building right next door.
Part of that commitment includes restoring the front doors of the city s first public library to their original look. Library officials received approval this week from the St. Charles Historic Preservation Commission to replace the wood panels of the doors with glass to be more consistent with the original structure.
While there was hope that the library might be able to use the original glass, the staff was unable to find it in storage. In addition, the new glass will be safer, be more efficient and adhere to city code.
Updated 2/18/2021 5:34 PM
The operators of the Zen Leaf marijuana dispensary in St. Charles are seeking to move from an office complex into a former jewelry store on Main Street.
A public hearing will be held before the March 2 St. Charles plan commission meeting to discuss the proposed move by Healthway Services of West Illinois LLC, which filed a petition with the city to move its Zen Leaf location into a shuttered Jared Jewelers building in the Main Street Commons shopping complex at the southeast corner of Main Street and Kirk Road.
The opening of the St. Charles Zen Leaf dispensary was approved in May of last year after a 6-4 city council vote. The location opened in an office complex at 3714 Illinois Ave., attracting complaints from tenants who said a marijuana dispensary was inappropriate for the St. Charles Commons complex.