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A Lake County circuit judge ruled Wednesday that the Mineola Lounge in Fox Lake must close after business Sunday night due to numerous safety issues. Gilbert R. Boucher II/gboucher@dailyherald |
The historic Mineola Hotel will shut down indefinitely after the close of business late Sunday night, under a court settlement reached Wednesday.
In that settlement, the village of Fox Lake and Mineola owner Pete Jakstas agreed to close the 128-year-old wooden structure, known as the “Grand Lady of the Lakes,” due to structural safety concerns, village officials said.
“I just can't believe it has come to this,” he said shortly after the settlement was reached at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan. “With as active as I've been in the Fox Lake community, they shut me down.”
The court action comes nearly two weeks after Jakstas put the historic hotel up for a national online auction oneBay with a reserve starting bid of $2 million. No bids have been submitted in the auction set to end May 30.
On Wednesday, Jakstas said he elected to settle the court case filed against him by the village, rather than risk having a judge shut him down immediately.
By remaining open through the weekend, Jakstas said he has the opportunity to sell off the remaining inventory at the historic tavern.
“This is the last weekend the public will be able to see the inside of the Mineola,” he said.
Though the Mineola Lounge and restaurant remain open on the ground floor, the upper floors of the hotel have been closed since the early 1960s for safety reasons.
Jakstas and the village have been fighting in court since August 2011 over the structural integrity of the aging Mineola.
The battle officially started in May 2011 when Fox Lake building inspector Frank Urbina attempted to condemn the facility at 91 Cora Ave. Urbina said holes in the roof and years of age had left the four-story structure unstable.
However, Jakstas hired his own building inspector to examine the facility. That inspector ruled the Mineola was safe, forcing the village to reopen the building.
When the building reopened, the village gave Jakstas 90 days to start repairs or face another shutdown.
Jakstas has done some work, but not enough to appease the village. The village hired a Chicago attorney and filed the condemnation lawsuit.
Under the settlement reached before Wednesday's scheduled court hearing, Jakstas is allowed to sell the remaining stock in food and beverages at the Mineola, but must shutter the building for good after the doors are locked Sunday night.
On Monday at 9 a.m., the Mineola liquor license will be void, officials said. Jakstas will have until July 31 to remove any fixtures inside.
Also, Jakstas must maintain insurance on the property and secure the building to keep the public out. He must also obtain a demolition permit should the building be dismantled or scavenged.
“It was in our best interest to resolve this now and get the property closed,” Urbina said after the hearing. “We are giving him some time to get his things out and sell off his inventory, but then it needs to be closed down for the safety of people who go in there.”
Despite the condemnation, Jakstas has listed the historic building — made famous as a weekend retreat by Al Capone and other mobsters — along with his marina and a house on the property with an opening bid of $2 million on eBay.
Jakstas said he hopes putting the 17-acre lakefront property on eBay will generate bids from around the nation.
The building is listed under commercial real estate, and potential buyers must meet a higher reserve price or face having their bid rejected.
The Mineola was once listed as the oldest wooden structure in Illinois and was named to the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of Interior and Parks in 1979.
Article - Daily Hearld
After assessing the protests held thus far as a lead-up to the NATO Summit, “I think we’re off to a pretty good start,” Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said Wednesday....
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A variety of sport fish await anglers and angling has improved in recent years, especially for walleyes which have been heavily stocked since 1978. Northern Pike and Muskies in the trophy class also are occasionally caught here. As well as Largemouth and White Bass, Crappies, Bluegills, Channel Cat, Bullheads, Carp and Yellow Perch.
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TribLocal explored several wineries that make up the Northern Illinois Wine Trail.
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The Stratton Lock and Dam is the lifeblood of the Chain O' Lakes.
Its gates push water south when the Chain is too full, while holding water in when rain stops falling through the hot summer months.
But officials with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources say the gates are showing their age from natural erosion and use, and the boat lock is too small and antiquated to serve the 24,000 boats on the busy waterway.
“The structure is breaking down from years of wear, tear and age,” said John Palmeiri, lockmaster of the Stratton Lock and Dam in McHenry. “The life expectancy of both structures are past due.”
With millions of dollars in construction on the line, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will host an informal meeting Monday to review several ideas to update the dam and build a bigger lock. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at McHenry County College, 8900 Route in Crystal Lake.
Named after former Gov. William Stratton, the Stratton Lock and Dam is really two major pieces: the sluice gates or doors that control the flow of the river from the Chain and upper Fox River to the lower river, and the lock that allows boats to travel from one side of the dam to the other.
Officially, the dam was built in 1907, but not by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which currently owns it. The dam was donated to the IDNR in 1923 when it was just a spillway designed to hold back a certain amount of water from running downstream.
The gates were added in 1939 after major floods in November 1937 and July 1938 showed officials they needed to have the ability to release more water downstream to alleviate flooding.
Palmieri said the five sluice gates, located below a steel-and-concrete walkway on the western half of the river, are used to control the height of the river and the Chain above and below the dam.
The gates and how they are used to control flooding has been a point of controversy with boaters, residents and businesses on the lower river and the Chain for many years.
During large-scale floods since 1940, people on both sides of the dam have complained about how the doors — and a third hydraulic gate erected in 2002 — have released too much or too little water.
Depending on the plan approved by the IDNR, new gates could alleviate some of those problems, Palmieri said.
Meanwhile, the boat lock that was installed in 1960 as a way to allow boats to traverse from the lower river to the upper river and Chain, is not large enough to keep up with the size and number of boats on the popular waterway.
The lock operates like a “water elevator” to lift and drop boats between water levels on the lower and upper river, Palmieri said. If a boater wishes to get from the lower river to the upper river, the boat pulls into the lock and water rises slowly until it meets the height of the upper river. The reverse happens and water is released for a boat traveling in the opposite direction, he said.
Currently, only four boats can pass safely through the lock at one time, Palmieri said, while six could do so nearly a decade ago.
“Bottom line, the boats are much bigger now than they were a decade ago, and there are more larger boats on the river and Chain than ever before,” he said. “Ideally, we'd like to double the amount of boats going through right now.”
Ron Barker, the acting executive director of the Fox Waterway Agency in Fox Lake, said the average boat on the Chain is about 24 feet. The average boat size was 18 feet in the late 1990s, and even smaller when the lock was installed in 1960, he said.
Rita Lee, a water hydraulist from the IDNR, said the agency could rehab the current lock, expand the existing lock to double the number of boats able to pass through, or add a second lock.
However, Lee said, fixing the sluice gates will be more complex, and four options are under review.
The sluice gates could be rehabbed or the dam itself could be replaced to feature four larger gates instead of five medium-sized gates, she said.
Officials are also reviewing two alternate technology options — a crest-hinged gate that lowers and raises the gates from under the water, and an “over-under gate” in which the doors are raised out of the water instead or swinging open to let water through.
Lee said all the options will be sufficient to let water flow through the dam at current levels, though the newer technologies could increase the flow of the river and displace water downstream quicker.
“Whatever plan is decided, it will be pretty expensive,” she said. “But, we won't know how much exactly until after a plan is decided.”
The cost would be covered through capital improvement dollars from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, she said. The hope is to begin construction as soon as a final plan is determined.
The cost and time frame when the work is expected to be completed will be decided after Monday's meeting, Lee stated.
Article - Daily Herald
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
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Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers
Boat Sales - Boat Service - Boat Transport - Johnsburg
Dealer, Used, Avalon, Monterey, Trophy, Mercury, Lund, Bayliner, Bentley, Boat, Outboard Motor, Parts, Service, Financing.
Whether it's for your business or home, the quickest, most economical way to enhance a building's appearance is awnings over your windows, doors, and patios.
Newport Cove is an exclusive waterfront community on Bluff Lake, in unincorporated Antioch, Illinois.
Steaks, Seafood, Pasta, Burgers



