Longtime Resident Donates Property With Agricultural Significance To Village

OSWEGO, IL — A longtime resident donated a property with agricultural significance to the Village of Oswego.

Bradford N. Smith donated a parcel of land spanning 0.1556 acres at 76 Van Buren St. The property contains six structures, including a feed mill, grain elevators and a storage building, none of which are in use. The Village Board approved a resolution to accept the donation at its regular meeting on Tuesday.

A 2009 historical survey commissioned by the village listed the structures as "historically significant for its association with Oswego's agricultural history." The properties are valued at about $80,000, according to village documents.

"As the property is historic and because it has limited development potential due to the narrow size, Mr. Smith offered to donate the property to the Village for public use," reads a memo from Village Administrator Dan Di Santo.

The Village recently painted murals on two of the silos, making them "more of an iconic part of the downtown."

"By owning the property the Village can secure the structures and determine their future use," Di Santo wrote in the memo.