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Dear Johnsburg Residents and Business Owners,
Despite previous communications regarding the status of the ongoing litigation involving the Pistakee Yacht Club and the Village, I am disheartened to learn that misinformation continues to circulate concerning the events surrounding this matter.
At a recent board meeting, some residents expressed concerns based on the mistaken belief that the Village initiated the litigation against the Yacht Club, intending to shut down the Yacht Club and Sailing School, and take ownership of their property. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Village has consistently expressed its support for both organizations and appreciation for their longstanding contributions to our community.
The litigation, which was initiated by the Pistakee Yacht Club, stems from complaints received regarding code violations on a vacant parcel of land the Yacht Club owns within a residential neighborhood. Contrary to assertions made by certain Yacht Club members, those complaints were submitted by individuals who were neither employed by nor affiliated with the Village.
During the Village's investigation, it was observed that the property had become overgrown with weeds and grass and was littered with junk and debris. In addition, numerous boats were being stored on the property, several of which appeared to be in a dilapidated condition. Further investigation revealed that the Yacht Club was using the parcel for open boat storage and charging fees for that service. Self-storage for third parties is not a use permitted under the property's zoning designation.
The Village notified the Yacht Club of these violations and, over the course of more than three years, made extensive good-faith efforts to work collaboratively with the organization to clean up the property and resolve the matter amicably. Unfortunately, it became apparent that the Yacht Club was not interested in pursuing a resolution and instead chose to pursue litigation, having filed four separate complaints against the Village, each of which had been dismissed by the court.
Although representatives of the Yacht Club acknowledged that junk and inoperable boats were being stored on the property and made efforts to improve conditions, they maintained that they were authorized to charge fees for unlimited open boat storage based on a variance granted by McHenry County in 1970. They pursued litigation on that basis and filed their first complaint against the Village in the fall of 2023. The court dismissed that complaint and ruled that the 1970 county variance did not authorize the open storage of boats on the property.
Following that ruling, the Yacht Club asserted that an annexation agreement permitted the open storage of boats and trailers on the parcel. However, no such agreement exists, and the Yacht Club was unable to produce documentation supporting that claim. They subsequently stated that a verbal agreement authorized the activity, a claim which is also unsupported.
Residents attending the recent board meeting questioned why the Village has not worked with the Yacht Club to resolve the matter. The Village made repeated attempts to reach an amicable solution dating back to the initial complaints in 2023.
Several months into the litigation, the Village again extended an olive branch in an effort to resolve the dispute. Following multiple meetings and several drafts and revisions of a settlement proposal developed jointly with Yacht Club representatives, it appeared by the summer of 2024 that the matter would finally be settled. That proposal provided consideration of the Yacht Club’s needs, but required the Yacht Club to maintain its property and provide a landscape buffer around the perimeter of the property in places where landscape wasn’t already present.
Regrettably, the Yacht Club withdrew from the agreed-upon terms and filed another complaint in August 2024, which was dismissed by the court in December 2024. Undeterred, the Yacht Club filed yet another complaint in January 2025; that matter was dismissed in May 2025. Thereafter, the Yacht Club filed a counterclaim in November 2025, which was also dismissed in March 2026.
Late last fall, the Yacht Club was once again approached by a representative of the Village in an effort to reach a resolution, but the Yacht Club immediately rejected those efforts.
While the Village has been completely reasonable in its repeated attempts to resolve this matter amicably, some Yacht Club members have instead engaged in intimidation, confrontation and actions that have unnecessarily escalated the dispute, including the circulation of misinformation and innuendo in an effort to garner public support. Social media has further complicated the issue by amplifying inaccurate and misleading claims.
Most recently, a Facebook post alleged that the Village has spent between $100,000 and $300,000 in legal fees related to this matter. This statement is false. To date, the Village has incurred approximately $20,000 in legal expenses, nearly $6,000 of which were attributable to meetings and the preparation and revision of a settlement proposal intended to resolve the dispute.
The Village has a responsibility to enforce its ordinances and protect all residents from the adverse impacts associated with the improper use of property. Unfortunately, the Yacht Club's unwillingness to reach a mutually acceptable resolution has resulted in this matter proceeding to trial.
Respectfully,
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