Business & Tech

The Hub Faces Closure Over County Permit

The nonprofit youth hangout spot will close this summer as the director looks at the daunting task of raising enough money for a special use permit.

Popular youth hangout spot closed this week, but its director hopes the doors are shut just temporarily while he decides how to move forward.

Director Dan Stinnett said that Will County recently told him he needed to apply for a special use permit to continue operating in the current location, which is in an industrial area off Schoolhouse Road.

The only problem, though, is that the permit fee is $3,750 and the deadline to apply for it is July 14. For this nonprofit—which struggles to makes ends meet as it is and sometimes even lets kids into concerts for free if they don't have money—that's a tall task.

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"I don’t know how feasible it’s going to be," he said. "I don't know if it'll be beyond the range of what we’re able to afford or if any people from the community are going to step up and help out.

According to The New Lenox Patriot, Will County officials said The Hub isn't permitted in the I-1 Industrial District and would need a special use permit to bring the use of the building into compliance. The county received a complaint about The Hub, but Stinnett said officials wouldn't tell him what it was about.

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Stinnett admitted to being "quite green" on issues such as zoning when he founded The Hub a few years ago, so the need for this permit is just being brought to his attention now. And while he's happy to bring the building into any compliance necessary, he's not sure he can afford the permit without help from the community.

"What I resist is governmental fees for an organization that exists to serve the county and the population of young adults," he said.

Tentatively, The Hub will be closed through mid-August. Stinnett said he hopes to settle things with the county, and that the time off will allow him to think about re-focusing the efforts of The Hub, which at its core aims to provide a safe place for teens to hang out.

"I personally just need to step back from our organization and consider where we’re at and what we’ve done so far and re-evaluate it for future growth and planning," Stinnett said. "It falls at a nice time in summer when there’s already a lot of things for kids to do, but I hate closing down to not give them this option."

Residents interested in making donations to The Hub can go to www.lwhub.org or call Stinnett at 815-717-8002.


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