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Manteno board approves larger signs for Goshen site amid safety concerns and public scrutiny
Summary
The Village Board approved variances allowing two larger, higher building signs for the Goshen facility at 333 Spruce Street after public comments raised safety and environmental concerns. Trustees debated safety, transparency and whether more public tours and oversight are needed.
The Village of Manteno on June 16 voted to grant sign variances that allow two larger, illuminated signs on the industrial building at 333 Spruce Street, the facility commonly referred to in public comment as the Goshen site, after residents and trustees debated safety and transparency concerns.
Residents raised potential hazards from large-scale battery and energy storage operations during public participation, saying the village should weigh evacuation and first-responder impacts. Anne Gates, a Manteno resident, told the board she fears “the vastness of the territory that would have to be evacuated” if a thermal runaway or similar incident occurred, and described prior incidents she said were instructive. Paul Motel, chairman of the plan commission, and trustees discussed the sign variances during the planning and board meetings.
The board’s discussion focused on how the village’s zoning code treats industrial…
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