By Jeff Vorva

When Beecher officials had to downgrade some of their plans for a new police station because of cost, Police Chief Terry Lemming wasn’t sure what to think. When he saw the blueprints, he was a little worried.

“We all thought it was going to look really small,” he said at the September 23 village board meeting. “I was like ‘what the heck?’’’

But now that it’s taking form, he thinks it’s going to be a heck of a building.

“All-in-all, it’s looking really good,” Lemming said. “Now that the walls are up, it really looks nice. It’s very acceptable. We’re going to be OK. I really like it.”

The building, which is at 250 W. Church Road, is projected to be finished by April.

Weather wise, there should not be many problems. Lemming said that things are running ahead of time and, if the roof is built in October, the winter elements should not hinder the rest of the project.

But the chief warned there are other variables that could cause a delay, including the availability of contractors.

“This is not a big job for contractors,” he said. “They are not going to jump at our building when they have a bigger job.

“But they have been jumping at our building. They are there all the time, and I couldn’t be happier with their performance so far.”

U-Haul a go

Despite concerns expressed during a previous board meeting, the board voted 3-1 to grant an ordinance for a special use permit to allow a U-Haul rental business at 759 W. Indiana Avenue.

Todd Kraus, Erik Gardner, and Brian Diachenko voted for it and Joe Tieri against it, with Roger Stacey and David Weissbohn absent.

While there was no discussion on September 23, in a past meeting, Tieri said he had seen trucks already parked in the area even before the ordinance was granted and cars parked in the back lot.

Tieri also said that the petitioner, Vic Reato, told the board at the August 12 meeting the closest U-Haul business open was in Park Forest. Tieri said there are closer U-Hauls, and Reato “was not as truthful” in his proposal.

Kraus was not happy with seeing a U-Haul truck parked at the property before the ordinance was approved.

Meeting date changed

Because of the Columbus Day holiday, the next board  meeting will be held Tuesday, October 15.