Photo by Joe Boyle
No plans for development are currently being considered for the old Sabre Room site at 8900 W. 95th St. in Hickory Hills.
By Joe Boyle
Hickory Hills Mayor Mike Howley said that the Ricky Rockets Fuel Center will be operating soon in the city.
But any future plans for development of the old Sabre Room is still in limbo.
The mayor said that demolition of the old Drive Time building on the site of the former Lexington House property at 7717 W. 95th St. has begun to make way for Ricky Rockets. The Lexington House closed in 2015.
"Ricky Rockets Fuel Center will be moving forward with the construction of a fuel center, car wash and a separate retail plaza just east of the 95th Street Produce store," Howley said. "We remain optimistic that the adjacent retail center will have several desirable tenants to serve our community."
Howley was impressed with a Ricky Rockets Fuel Center located in Hoffman Estates and believes it will be a great addition for Hickory Hills. Howley said that "coming soon" banners will begin appearing along 95th Street regarding Ricky Rockets.
The Sabre Room was a popular fixture at 8900 W. 95th St. dating back to the 1960s. Legendary performers Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope appeared at there. The spacious facility would hold banquets, New Year's Eve parties, weddings and other events.
But the Sabre Room was sold in 2016 and plans soon followed for mixed development. However, after the demolition of the Sabre Room, no agreement could be made on ideas for development up until this point.
Howley said that he recently received a call from the broker of the Sabre Room property. The mayor said the broker wanted to let the city know that for now there is no activity regarding the old Sabre Room property.
The mayor also mentioned that as of last Thursday, there were 113 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Hickory Hills with three related deaths.
Hickory Hills had no reports of looting or vandalism last week after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. No protests were held in Hickory Hills within the city boundaries following the incident, Howley said.
Sue Lehr, the director of the city's public works department, said that the department's Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) computer ceased operating recently. The system was based on a designated computer inside the Public Works office and the software package had not been updated in 10 years.
The system allows for monitoring, in the office and off-site, of the portable water stations and sanitary pump stations. It also alerts to alarms that needed to be addressed. Lehr said the system is essential for proactive responses rather than reactive. Before the breakdown, Public Works had investigated upgrading to an off-site hosted Cloud version of the SCADA.
Ald. Scott Zimmerman (4th) moved to approve the purchase of a new SCADA Cloud base system and software update with a cost of $24,000. The rest of the board approved the request.
Lehr also mentioned that the Public Works fuel site controller also worked off the computer that ceased working. The fuel system controller worked through this computer by a hyper terminal data transfer system that had become antiquated, Lehr said. The controller allows the city to issue fuel cards, manage accounts, run reports for information, and to create invoices.
To purchase a new fuel site controller and software, the amount will be about $8,000, Lehr said. Zimmerman requested to approve a fuel site controller and software for $8,044. The board unanimously approved the request.
The mayor also applauded the Class of 2020 from Stagg High School. Each student individually walked across an outdoor stage when their names were announced. Families of each graduate could attend in one vehicle to watch the graduating senior walk across the stage, Howley said.
The mayor's son was one of the graduates this year at Stagg.
"I cannot say enough good things about how the Stagg High School administration and teachers went over and above to make this day special under very difficult circumstances," Howley said. "Everything was so well organized and the teachers lined the driveway to cheer each graduate as they drove off with their family."
The mayor also congratulated the members of the graduating classes at Conrady Junior High School and St. Patricia Elementary School.