The Dirt Lawyer's Blog Archive

I've been meaning to write about this for a couple of weeks, but just plain forgot. Joe Nugent and Chris Curtis, two local real estate brokers, have teamed up to form Nugent Curtis Real Estate, LLC down here in Kankakee. Joe and Chris are both good guys whom I know a little through some deals and their reputation. (Full disclosure: Joe was also kind enough, shortly after he started out on his own a couple of years ago, to spend an evening with me and my wife and her partners looking at land, and, while we never bought anything, we were and are grateful for his courtesy and professionalism.) I think they'll be a good team, and I wish them well.

What does food have to do with dirt? Development, development, development, my friends. Let me say this right out of the box: I come not to bash Bolingbrook but to praise it. My parents moved to Bolingbrook when I was a little kid, and I consider it my hometown. And I still own property in Bolingbrook. I've written about this to some extent before so I will try not to bore you too much. Bolingbrook in the early 1970s was a small town in the middle of the world's largest cornfield. No stoplights, one grocery (Totura's, which is still in Lemont), no post office, one fast food restaurant (Mr. Quick), a 7-11 and, if I recall correctly, a Union 76 truck stop and three gas stations (Shell, Standard and Hauck Oil [now Speedway]). That was about it. The growth of Bolingbrook into a village of 75,000 has been a sight to see. And I have enjoyed the ride, even though the 70s and 80s were bumpy because of crowded schools, congestion and other growth-associated problems. It took about 2...

The other day, I wrote about Charlie Munger doing the right thing with a bookstore in Brentwood. Today is a project on a smaller scale, but I think it will have a great positive impact on my community. A team of investors is getting together to expand the local Hidden Cove Family Fun Park to include a 50,000 sf indoor sports facility . This will be a smash hit in this very sports-oriented, kid-friendly community. Of the four investors, I think I've met Greg Yates just once, at a golf outing. Nice guy. I have worked a little with Jeff Bennett and his firm here in town, and again, I like Jeff. Blair Minton and I have not worked together, but he is a neighbor and a friend and I think very highly of him. All in all? Good guys doing good work and virtually certain to make a nice return on their investment. Congratulations! P.S. Can't you add an indoor driving range? Please?