Hopefully, winter solutions for summer problems at Hidden Lakes
A 70-acre development off East Cole Street north of Du Quoin that has the promise of being as upscale as the Fair Acres subdivision developed in the 1960s when P.R. Mallory Co. came to town, or Krone's Solitude Lane, and Davisville and Park Street Road developments still needs an infrastructure outlay, by some estimates, of $200,000.
Ten years in the making, the development is called Hidden Lakes, owned by chiropractor and former Mayor Dr. Jack Struck.
Dr. Struck began purchasing adjoining tracts of land from the David Pearl family, successor to lands owned by the Du Quoin Packing Co. until that operation closed in 1990 and a fire destroyed most of the plant itself in 1991.
There was a combination of farmland and pastures where the Du Quoin Packing Co. livestock once grazed.
The Philadelphia Baptist Church was built on Cole Street across from the IOOF cemetery. There was more interest along Cole Street, then interest in properties deeper into the development with longtime water superintendent Jeff Whitley building a beautiful new home just inside it. Then another beautiful home. Then another. Then another. Home values ranged from $150,000 to $300,000.
Dr. Struck spent months blading, filling, leveling, installing culverts for drainage and shaping the lands into large lots, many on water fronts.
"Build it, and they will come."
And, they did.
Miles of water lines have gone in with fire hydrants protecting the development. It has the look and feel of that great place which offers "one foot inside the city and one foot in the country."
At the time, much of the development was in the county, which according to longtime county engineer Doug Bishop, has a substantial subdivision development ordinance that requires 50-foot wide road right-of-ways, 11 inches of road base and three layers of oil and chip before the county will take over the roads.
Instead, Dr. Struck opted to annex the development into Du Quoin, whose requirements at the time were more modest. It was a private development and Dr. Struck said sales agreements promised no less and no more than water, use of the private roads, and access to the water where it borders some of the lots.
Since then, the city has adopted more substantial subdivision ordinances, but Dr. Struck believes that his private development is grandfathered in, which he hopes gives him some latitude in solving the road issues with homeowners.
Dr. Struck told the newspaper last week he wants to solve the road and mowing issues and says it accomplishes nothing to spend the money on certain legal battles instead of on the roads.
After the city issued a citation last summer for mowing violations, Dr. Struck met with city administrator Brad Myers, health office Ron Darnell and engineer Charles Rainwater.
Some of the acreage is assessed as farmland or pastureland in the office of assessment supervisor John Batteau and escapes mowing requirements. The men mentally mapped the areas that should be mowed, which will be reduced to writing over the winter months.
Engineering estimates indicate it could take a $200,000 investment to improve the roads to a point where the city will take them over. Some homeowners have rocked area in front of their homes.
By any measure, that's a lot of money.
Dr. Struck said a front-end Kubota mower and tractor-mounted bush hog will be used to mow properties at Hidden Lakes this summer.
He is using the winter months to find one or more solutions on the road issues. He indicated last week he wants his dream of a high quality residential development realized, but it will take time and patience--and a lot of money.