Proposed Marine Dollar General deal close to finalizing, new trustee sworn in

At far left, new trustee Lauren Johnson is being sworn in by Marine Village Clerk Amber Kapp. At right is Mayor Darren Apken (Bruce Darnell photo)

By Bruce Darnell • During their Feb. 18 meeting, the Marine Board of Trustees discussed some finer details on the project to get a Dollar General on Route 143 on the village’s western edge and filled an empty board seat. Lauren Johnson, a resident of Marine for two years, was sworn in near the end of the meeting. 

Mayor Darren Apken said Johnson had been attending meetings in the last few months after showing interest in joining and recommended her appointment until the next election.

Johnson said she’s excited to begin working and her main goal as a trustee was to see the village prosper.

Before Johnson joined the board, they discussed the Dollar General project with civil engineer Matt Adas, who works for Arc Design Resources. Adas said Dollar General was hoping to close on the property within a week or two. Afterward, their job would be to prepare the site for construction.

Adas said they were in talks with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to make sure everything was going to be handled properly. Adas also said they likely wouldn’t be able to construct a sidewalk between the property and Grandview Senior Residences as the slope would be too steep, although he said they’d look for a possible solution.

The board discussed expanding the 35 mph speed zone on Route 143 beyond where the Dollar General would be built. Currently, when entering Marine from the west, the speed limit lowers to 35 mph near the entrance to Grandview Senior Residences. This proposed change would extend it out of village limits to better handle traffic and possibly introduce a 45 mph zone to gradually slow traffic entering Marine.

After the Dollar General discussion, they moved on to zoning regulation involving a new Airbnb. They talked about possibly utilizing a hotel-motel tax to collect income from the property and other short-term rentals in the village.

Finally, the board discussed business permit fees. Village Clerk Amber Kapp said over the last few years, Marine hasn’t been collecting a $10 annual fee from local businesses. Kapp said going forward they intend to do this for all businesses, whether in-person or online, since it will bring additional income and it will help them keep track of any businesses that are still operational in the village.

The next village board meeting is scheduled for March 4 at 6 p.m.