Parents urge Elgin council to investigate Lexington Inn after police calls near EMSA

Parents and residents urged the Elgin City Council on March 26 to evaluate the Lexington Inn for chronic-nuisance status and to take quicker action after repeated police calls and on-campus incidents near EMSA (Elgin Math and Science Academy).

Nicole Fournell, an Elgin parent and resident, said she logged 14 police calls to or near the Lexington Inn between March 1 and March 25, including reports of criminal trespassing, disorderly conduct and theft. “These are not rumors. These are calls logged by the police,” Fournell said, and asked the council to “formally evaluat[e] the Lexington Inn for a chronic nuisance property designation” under the city code chapter 10.44.

The concern was echoed by other EMSA parents. “When you first come onto our campus, our front playground is the first thing you see. Someone is running from the law onto our campus, getting arrested and apprehended by the police,” said Rebecca Baumann, an EMSA parent. Baumann said her 5-year-old was on the playground during one arrest and described a separate morning incident when a man emerged from the nearby woods “drinking a beer” at drop-off.

Other parents raised related worries about transparency and long-term plans. “If the extension is part of an effort to make the hotel a permanent site, I would be opposed to it,” said Dave Furnell, a parent who said he and other parents surveyed oppose a permanent shelter at that location. Marcia Rodriguez, another parent, asked who would pay for the planned extension, saying she understood the extension would cost about $425,000.

Speakers asked for clearer communications from city staff and the homeless-coordination team. “When I ask for information, when we're FOIAing this information, it's not transparent,” Baumann said. Several parents requested regular updates to parents and residents and asked the council to pursue abatement measures and fines where appropriate.

City staff and the city manager responded with implementation details about steps under way. The city manager said the city has purchased security cameras for the site and is awaiting an Internet connection from Comcast to stream footage to the police department; an initial plan to transmit video via a line-of-sight Wi‑Fi link failed because of tree cover. The manager said an order with Comcast is in place and the cameras will go live once the cable is installed. A parent in the audience offered to connect the city manager with a contractor if that could speed installation.

Council members acknowledged the parents’ concerns during the item and in later remarks. No formal action to change the Lexington contract or designation was taken at the meeting; parents and council members discussed next steps and asked staff for follow-up. The city manager said he would respond by email to parents who had outstanding questions and that staff had been out to the property and met with school administrators.

The public comments and staff replies underscored two distinct threads: parent requests for immediate safety measures and transparency, and separate procedural questions about whether the Lexington location might become a longer-term or permanent site. Parents said arrests and loitering around the property — including one arrest that police have reported as occurring on or near school property — made the Lexington location unsuitable for permanent placement in the neighborhood.

A number of EMSA parents and residents who spoke identified themselves and asked for concrete next steps, including expediting camera installation, pursuing chronic-nuisance enforcement under chapter 10.44 where applicable, and clarifying who in city government will make or approve any extension or permanent-site decision. The city manager said staff will continue communications and pledged to send a follow-up email to parents.