Dear Friends and Neighbors,

A great deal has happened in the world since we last met in February.  We hope that you have remained safe and healthy during these challenging times.  Although the pandemic has imposed restrictions on all of us, we have continued to work with officials from the Village of Glencoe and the Park District as well as with our civil engineer, our contractor and the house movers on the relocation and restoration of the Wright-designed Cottage.  We would like to update you on the progress that has been made and report on the changes you will see coming to the park in the next few weeks.
As many of you know, our contractor worked in March and early April at the 239 Franklin Road site to prepare the Cottage for the move.  This work consisted primarily of removing the garage, the porte cochere and the back bedrooms to reduce the size of the Cottage to its original footprint.  Work was additionally done to shore up the interior to protect the structure during the move.
Over the past several months, we have also submitted documentation and permit applications to the Village for (1) the Cottage relocation; (2) the architectural restoration following the move; and (3) the civil engineering and drainage remediation work needed for the park.  Those plans have been thoroughly reviewed and discussed with both Village and Park District officials, and we anticipate that all three permits will be issued next week.  If you have specific questions about the approved plans, please contact the Village Engineer James Tigue at jtigue@villageofglencoe.org.
As a result, work will now commence on Park 7n itself.  During the week of June 29th, you will see workers begin to stake out the final location of the Cottage.  Enclosed with this letter for your reference is a site plan delineating the approved Cottage site and the required drainage improvements.  During this same week, you should expect to see the installation of construction fencing.  To minimize disruption to the area, all the workers on the project will park their vehicles south of the park on Old Green Bay Road.
Weather permitting, actual excavation and concrete work will begin the week of July 13th.  That concrete work will involve the pouring of the footings, foundation, and crawlspace for the relocated Cottage.  GHS will not be putting in a basement.  That same week, you will also see final preparations being made to the Cottage at the 239 Franklin Road site.
If the weather holds and there are no further emergency COVID-19 restrictions by state or local officials, the Cottage will be relocated during the week of July 20th.  The actual move should take less than a day.  We will, of course, provide you with advance notice of the exact timing and will be working closely with the Village, the Park District and Public Safety to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to protect both the people and property in the area during this unique and exciting event.
On a final note, there have been some additional questions raised about whether GHS has the funding to complete this project.  GHS has addressed this topic on numerous occasions and will state, again, unequivocally that we have in hand the funds necessary to relocate and renovate the Cottage pursuant to the terms of the Lease.  Park District Executive Director Lisa Sheppard has confirmed that GHS has fully complied with the terms of the Lease and provided the Park District with proof of the required escrow to cover those costs.  That Escrow Account is being administered by former Village Manager Paul Harlow. A recent Glencoe News article about a Village Board meeting discussion may have been the source of these additional questions.  At that meeting, GHS sought to clarify the scope of in-kind work that the Village had agreed to provide so that GHS could properly allocate the existing funding to budgeted items.  The fact that GHS continues to discuss funding with the Village and others should not be misinterpreted as a lack of funding for the project.  As we move forward, you will see continued fundraising efforts by the GHS for our regular programs and for the Cottage.  Again, please do not misinterpret these efforts.  Fund raising is a normal part of the operation of all not-for-profits and organizations that administer even the largest endowments.  GHS is no different.  That does not mean that we lack the funds to complete this project.  Quite the contrary, it means that we are responsibly doing our job.
We look forward to continuing to work with all our community and construction partners to preserve this valuable architectural and historical asset as well as to remediate the recurring water issues which have afflicted the park.  If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us at info@glencoehistory.org.  We will do our best to get back to you as quickly as possible but given the fact that our offices are currently closed due to the pandemic, we thank you, in advance, for your patience.  We hope that you remain safe and healthy in these difficult times.
Sincerely,
The Glencoe Historical Society