New 1st Street Parking Deck Named after Former Mayor of St. Charles

The new parking deck on 1st Street, informally referred to as First Street Parking Garage-East, was officially named in honor of former Mayor of St. Charles Sue Klinkhamer at the Dec. 19 City Council meeting.

Klinkhamer served as Ward 1 Alderman from 1989-1997, and then was elected as the first female Mayor of St. Charles. Klinkhamer served as Mayor from 1997-2005. Planning for the First Street development got underway in 2002, according to a news release.

“The genesis of the First Street development originated during Mayor Sue Klinkhamer’s administration,” said Mayor Ray Rogina. “During her tenure and leadership, with support from the City Council and from a variety of St. Charles citizens, the foundation for creating a vibrant and strong pedestrian-friendly downtown environment was established. What we see today over a decade later is a result of the execution of that original vision and effort.”

The public Parking Garage, which is on the north east corner of 1st & Illinois streets, has 110 spaces, is part of Phase 3 of the 1st Street Development Project.