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Village Hall 70 E. Main Street Lake Zurich, IL 60047 847-438-5141 LakeZurich.org
Offices are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
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Upcoming Village Meetings
Village Board
Monday, March 18, 2019
Village Hall 7:00 pm
Fire & Police Commission
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Police Station 5:00 pm
Community & Police Advisory Commission
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Police Station 6:30 pm
Planning & Zoning Commission
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
Village Hall 7:00 pm
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Village Officials
Village President
Tom Poynton
Trustees
Jim Beaudoin
Jonathan Sprawka
John Shaw
Marc Spacone
Greg Weider
Mary Beth Euker
Village Clerk
Kathleen Johnson
Village Manager
Ray Keller
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Lake Zurich Set to Memorialize Kuechmann Park with Arboretum Status
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Volunteers and Village Officials Join Forces to Highlight Local Natural Gem
On the first day of spring, March 20, 2019 at 9:00 am, Village officials and community volunteers will host a neighborhood public gathering to announce a transformation effort that will rebrand the park into "Kuechmann Arboretum."
The new conservation arboretum will focus on preserving the old-growth oak trees and the importance of removing invasive species and planting pollinators.
The Village's arboretum project will direct resources into the underutilized 7.8 acre public park to rebrand the space as a certified conservation arboretum, with a focus on three objectives: oak preservation, invasive species removal, and the importance of pollinators.
The Village will work with community volunteers and non-profit organizations to rehabilitate an abandoned walking trail, remove invasive buckthorn and huckleberry, install pollinator vegetation, picnic tables, and benches, while developing three interpretive learning kiosk stations along the trail.
Kuechmann Park has been largely neglected for many years, but is in the midst of a multi-pronged rejuvenation effort. Local volunteers have spent hundreds of hours working to remove invasives over the past few years. The Village has demolished an abandoned farmhouse on the property and a wild flower area is being planned.
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Who Was Kuechmann Park Named After?
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| Park Dedication Ceremony - circa 1989 |
Former Mayor Alton Kuechmann
Village Patriarch With Long Legacy
Alton "Tony" Kuechmann served as Lake Zurich Mayor from 1954 to 1957 but his participation in the Lake Zurich community spans decades. He was the Village's 11th mayor.
The Village named the park after him in 1989, while Mr.
Kuechmann was still alive to enjoy the honor (he passed away at age 91 on August 14, 1996 at Good Shepherd Hospital).
Mr. Kuechmann is remembered as an active walker, supporter of environmental causes, father of the Plan Commission, protector of the Police Pension Fund, and founder Lake Zurich's first waste water treatment plant.
Mr.
Kuechmann's service as Mayor was at a time when subdivisions were just beginning to make their mark on the Village. It was a slow time in the Village's history, but still a stepping stone for future development.
In 1950, Lake Zurich had two grocery stores and two gas stations. The post office was a rented building on Main Street and the library was maintained by the local Lions Club. There were 850 residents in Lake Zurich (today there are about 20,000).
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| Former Mayor Kuechmann circa 1994 |
Some facts about Mayor Kuechmann's Lake Zurich legacy...
*Born in Yarmouth, Iowa in 1905.
*Moved to Lake Zurich in 1950 from Chicago's south side. There were 850 people in Lake Zurich in 1950.
*Well-known for his 41 years as an organist at St. Peter United Church of Christ in Lake Zurich.
*Started his own business, A.M. Kuechmann, Inc., which originally sold office furniture, equipment, and storage products.
*Approved one of the first subdivisions, Zurich Highlands, during his term as Mayor.
*President of the Lake County Tuberculosis Association (later became the American Heart Association).
*Chairman of the Lake Zurich Police Pension Board. He started the Police Pension Fund in 1967 with $2,600 and stepped down in 1994, when the fund had increased to $2.7 million.
*Established the Plan Commission. Required curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and water/sewer hookups for all new developments.
*Responsible for building the first waste water treatment plant at the north end of the village.
*Brought in a volunteer police department of 20 citizens.
*Buried in Lake Zurich Cemetery across the street from Lake Zurich High School.
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