Trustees approve $20,000 facade grant for Smokes More for Less after May fire

The Village of Addison trustees on Sept. 15 approved a facade improvement grant and appearance-review for Smokes More for Less, 330 West Lake Street, authorizing up to $20,000 to help pay for exterior repairs following a major fire in May. The motion carried on a voice vote during the combined committee meeting and was included on the board consent agenda later that evening.

The grant covers exterior repairs and upgrades intended to make the building weatherproof and more visually compatible with the neighborhood. Village staff said the owner requested the maximum facade-grant amount of $20,000 to offset repair costs. A demolition permit was issued earlier the same day, staff said, and the owners were on hand to present plans.

Village staff member Mike introduced the item and described the damage and the grant request. Dan Wolfyle, the project architect and designer, said the masonry building “had some really good bones” despite the fire and described the proposed work: a charcoal-gray standing-seam metal roof replacing damaged shingles, cementitious Hardie board siding in arctic white/black/iron-gray, replacement doors and windows on most elevations, a new louvered screen wall to hide rooftop mechanicals, decorative exterior lighting, perimeter fencing, landscaping, parking-lot sealcoating and restriping, and a new accessible concrete walk from the handicap parking space to the building entrance. Project manager Dave Mishka and owners Marcy and John Kaslinke were present to answer questions.

Wolfyle estimated the exterior work could be completed in roughly four months if the project moves quickly, with the exterior enclosed before winter and interior work continuing thereafter; he said the owners hope to finish plantings and final paving by spring and possibly reopen in April or May. On fire-safety questions, the architect said the walls are concrete block and the project will add protective materials on the underside of roof trusses to meet the applicable hourly UL rating (fire-rating details were described by the project team but no specific code citation was provided in the meeting).

Trustees asked about materials and durability; Wolfyle described Hardie board as a cementitious siding with a rain screen and said it is “extremely weatherproof.” The committee voted in favor of the appearance-review and grant recommendation and the board approved the consent agenda later that night, moving the project forward.

The owners and project team said they are ready to proceed now that demolition permits have been issued. No estimated final project cost beyond the requested grant was provided at the meeting.