Grant Park Police Sgt. Alberto Castillo was named the village’s new police chief after an executive session at the April 20 board meeting.
Castillo succeeds Police Chief Carl Frey, who will retire as of April 30. Frey announced his retirement on March 3.
Castillo was awarded a Medal of Valor after rushing into a burning machine shed to save a female occupant in April 2025. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in February 2022.
“Working here has probably been one of the highlights of my police career,” Frey said.
The village board presented Frey with a plaque in recognition of his service to the community.
“I think you know, we’ve taken a lot of steps in the village in the years I’ve been here, and Al’s been right by my side the whole time,” Frey said of Castillo.
“We’ve talked about the process [and] if Al needs any help, — and again, I’m not leaving Earth — so, anything he needs, I’m here,” Frey said.
In other news, the village voted to retain Michael Santschi with Spesia and Taylor as the village’s attorney.
“This will be our 10th anniversary representing the village. We really appreciated the opportunity to work with you,” Santschi said, noting it was especially poignant as Grant Park was the first village he was assigned after obtaining his law license.
The board renewed all liquor, tobacco, and gaming licenses, as well as a license for a new sports bar that will be coming soon, across the street from village hall.
Also on the agenda was the reduction of the professional fee agreement. Trustee Gerry Morgan provided an overview.
The village charges a fee for any projects or developments that require zoning changes, because the village would need to hire the engineers to ensure what needs to happen is feasible, plus it also involves the attorney to ensure what they’re doing is legally appropriate.
Previously, taxpayers paid for the fee as the village absorbed the cost. The fee, set at $5,000, was deemed exorbitant for some small projects, and a reduction was discussed in August 2025.
As a result, the board enacted a scaled fee agreement based on the development’s size and type (indicating the scope of work and cost to be reviewed by engineering and legal), which required either a $5,000 or $3,250 deposit as part of the fee agreement.
“What we’re being asked to do is go back to paying part of the fees, or should the people who want to make the change be expected to pay all the fees?” Morgan asked.
Santschi chimed in and agreed with Morgan on the history provided, but provided further clarity about the action at the board meeting.
“The [2025] agreement also allows for the amount of the deposit to be modified by the board by a two-thirds vote. What the request is here today is just to reduce it to $3,000. And I think I gave Mr. Denton the $5,000 number, not the $3,250. So, this was a request reduced from $5,000 down to $3,000, not $3,250 down to $3,000. But in any event, it’s a reduction,” Santschi said.
The board could only approve with a supermajority vote, which is two-thirds of the board.
The fee reduction is for a specific developer for the Siwicki subdivision, and Santschi said that legal was comfortable the fees wouldn’t exceed $3,000, because the developer used the village’s engineering firm (Piggush), and they do not expect legal costs to exceed $3,000.
Trustee Jodi Wackerlin asked who would be responsible if the fees exceeded $3,000.
Morgan explained the developer would have to pay for it. The board voted unanimously to approve the reduced fee for the subdivision. A plan commission meeting will be held, but no public hearing is required, Santschi said.
Clerk Scott Dillman advised the board his neighbor, an electrician, had looked at the village hall to check everything out. The electrician recommended everything in one office be put on the same circuit and outdated outlets be replaced. Dillman also had the electrician look at approximately six other projects, from the gazebo to light poles.
“Just so you’re aware that’s an ongoing process. So, he’ll be coming back to work on the village hall here sometime and kind of doing it on an after-hours type of thing there to save some money,” Dillman said.
The downtown streetscape project is well underway, Mayor Ben Detloff reported. He said some neighbors had asked when it would be completed, which he said would be a long time, but he would keep everyone apprised.
The board approved an automatic transfer to ESI for the phone system. It required the board to approve the year’s worth of payments, as they wouldn’t be on the bills to be paid each month.
In other news, the board approved the draft Fiscal Year 2027 revenues and expenditure budget, which Morgan explained at the meeting. The budget will be on display for 30 days, and a public hearing will be held at the June 15 meeting before there’s a final vote to adopt.