The Peotone Sportsmen’s Club’s lease for the village-owned parcel of the scenic property will soon be terminated, as village officials indicated at the board meeting on February 9 they will not renew the agreement when it expires next month.
What is commonly known and referred to as the Peotone Sportsmen’s Club property, at 29913 S. Harlem Avenue, is actually two parcels: one owned by the village and the other by the Peotone Sportsmen’s Club chapter of the Will County Sportsmen’s Clubs.
The village-owned parcel includes a fishing pond and pavilion/concession building, with a driveway potentially on the club’s parcel, according to overview maps on the Will County GIS.
The village previously had entered into a lease agreement with the Sportsmen’s Club for the village-owned part of the property. For years, the club successfully has maintained the property and operated the private club that promotes outdoor recreation, fishing, shooting, and other activities.
The status of the club and the property became fodder for gossip and news reports in recent years as the once-popular members-only sportsmen’s club allegedly turned away current, paying members and barred entry to the property and fishing pond with a no-trespassing sign and locked gate.
After farm animals, gardens, and an RV appeared on the property, rumors swirled of a squatter on the property, though it appears from village contact last summer that it is the club’s current president who is living on the premises.
As such, the board investigated its options and determined it would not renew the lease for the village-owned parcel, as the club was not operating in good faith.
The board discussed how they would handle the termination of the lease and what to do with the property following that action.
“We have to have a plan going forward because the time is running short on this,” Mayor Chris Vieaux advised the board.
“We gave them the 45-day notice on the fifth that they have to have all their property out of our side of it, out of the concession stand, and anything else that they have around that is not permanently fixed,” Vieaux explained.
Overall, the board favored keeping the village property, but what to do with it from there was still somewhat up in the air by the end of the meeting.
“We all have our ideas on what we can do with the sportsmen’s club,” Vieaux said before opening it up for discussion.
Vieaux indicated he wanted to have a plan in place, especially since the village would effectively be cutting off the sportsmen’s club from part of the property.
“I say get surveyed, fence it off, and shut off the power,” Trustee Nick Strba said.
Village Administrator Nick Palmer pushed back, indicating the sportsmen’s club had its own power, though they were not certain about the well and sewer lines.
Strba clarified he meant the village should disconnect power to the village-owned side so it could not be accessed illegally by the occupants of the sportsmen’s club property.
Board members engaged in a thoughtful discussion about the property and proposed options ranging from leasing it to someone new for an entirely new purpose to returning it to a sportsmen’s club under a different operator.
“We use the south end of that [property], public works uses it. We have our shooting for the police training part of that. So, I mean, to lose that property, we lose that,” Trustee Todd Sandberg said.
Sandberg added if they could find someone to use the property, the village should keep it.
Game On! Bar and Grill owner Vicki Moore indicated to board members an interest in the property, and the board agreed that she has a proven track record of success in the village.
Palmer advised the board that since it is a village asset, they may want to open it up to the public to see if there is anyone else interested in it.
Board members also expressed their discontent with the circumstances, expressing regret the relationship had turned sour with the current sportsmen’s club, as having a club previously was a great asset to the community. They hoped it could potentially become that again, or at the very least, another positive use.
No concrete decisions were made regarding the property’s future use.
As for how the termination of the lease agreement and subsequent handling will proceed, the village will first need to obtain a plat of survey to know exactly where the property lines are and where important property features, like the driveway, well, power, and sewer, are located and how they serve the two parcels.
The board wanted to make sure the village attorney was consulted so all actions taken would be lawful.
Previously, the board looked into what was going on with the property, the club, and the reports of a squatter.
A July 11, 2025, memo from Palmer shows the current club President as Robert Porter, Secretary/Treasurer Jody Porter, and Directors David Edmonds, Terry Lindemann, and Danny Latham.
Palmer’s July memo indicated the village has a fully executed lease agreement with the Peotone Sportsmen’s Club, which was signed in March 2021 and ends March 22, 2026, and paid in full on April 6, 2025. The agreement charged the tenant $10 per year, totaling $50 for the duration of the lease.
Additionally, Palmer’s memo included the club provided proof of current insurance, and that the Illinois Secretary of State provided a current registration of the club, active as a nonprofit named “Peotone Chapter of the Will County Sportsmen’s Club,” which was also current in its required reporting as of June 2025.
Over at least the past year, village residents took to social media to express dissatisfaction with the property’s condition, difficulty reaching the owner of record, allegations of lease violations and, perhaps most egregiously, alleged incidents in which paying club members were turned away.
Further, the fact the general club property was partly a village asset made some taxpaying residents upset they could not access the fishing pond.
As it stands, not renewing the lease is currently the strongest action the village can take against the sportsmen’s club at this time.
Outside of the sportsmen’s club brouhaha, Palmer advised the board they would have a visioning session just before the next board meeting, on February 23, as part of the work for the strategic plan. The village also released a survey to the public, soliciting residents’ input on what they want for Peotone’s future — another step in the strategic planning process.
Palmer also reported he and the mayor attended several legislative meetings and are working on economic development for the village.
Additionally, the village conducted a facility needs assessment and identified issues with the village hall and police station, particularly with the HVAC system. More information will be forthcoming after additional investigation is completed to determine the exact next steps.