The Manteno Village Board on Dec. 1 received a formal letter from the Manteno Community Fire Protection District saying the Goshen lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility at 333 S. Spruce has several unresolved fire-safety and compliance issues and that the district cannot support a certificate of occupancy until they are fixed.

The letter, signed by Fire Chief Richard Peterson and read into the record by the mayor, listed six specific concerns: the facility has not established the industrial fire brigade structure and training the district says Goshen promised; the facility’s emergency action plan (EAP) has not been finalized, submitted or approved; required sprinkler holding-tank inspection reports have not been provided; the public‑safety bi‑directional amplifier (BDA) system has not been verified; certificate‑of‑occupancy contingencies remain unresolved; and a proposed Station 3 partnership alternative has not been accepted by Goshen, the letter said.

"As of this date, these commitments remain unfulfilled," the letter states, and it asks the village to condition any future issuance or extension of a certificate of occupancy on execution and verification of a fire protection and safety compliance agreement or the approved implementation of the Station 3 partnership proposal. The district also requested a joint compliance meeting between the village, the fire district and Goshen leadership within 60 days and warned it may seek a tax-abatement compliance review and other legal options if deficiencies continue (35 ILCS 200/18/165(d)).

Trustee Geske asked for copies of the letter and proposed inviting Goshen leadership and the fire chief to the joint parks/general‑government committee meeting scheduled for Dec. 10. Board members agreed they could not wait and set a special meeting for Monday, Dec. 8 at 6:00 p.m. to address the issues more quickly. The mayor said she would provide copies of the letter to the board.

A member of the public, Sandy Chish, also raised concerns about Goshen and said in public comment that the company had received substantial state incentives and had been rejected in another state before selecting Illinois; her remarks were presented as citizen comment and were not disputed or confirmed during the meeting.

The board did not take formal action to withhold or revoke any certificate of occupancy at the Dec. 1 meeting; members directed staff to distribute the letter and to pursue a rapid committee meeting involving Goshen and the fire district.

What's next: trustees will meet in a special session on Dec. 8 at 6:00 p.m.; the board also plans the joint committee meeting on Dec. 10 where the fire district and Goshen representatives were requested to appear.