BATAVIA – Batavia Mayor Jeff Schielke is voicing concerns that a proposed Ravinia-style concert venue could cause noise problems for residents living in the Batavia Highlands subdivision.



As proposed, the venue would be nestled in the Fabyan Woods, just east of Route 25 and northwest of the old county jail.



The venue would be patterned after the 4,500-seat Ravinia in Highland Park.



During Monday’s Batavia City Council meeting, Schielke voiced worries that the facility is facing the subdivision.



Schielke said he would rather see the facility turned to the east instead of, “Highlands residents hearing every word that is spoken on the stage.”



Schielke and Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns are among those on a task force that is studying how to redevelop the former jail and adjacent 700-acre campus.



Kane County Board member Mike Donahue, R-Geneva, chairs the task force.



Donahue said the plan is far from being set in stone.



“It could be reworked so the concert venue faces another location,” Donahue said. “We want to get as much public input as possible.”



To that end, a series of public presentations about the proposal are being planned, including a presentation to the Batavia City Council at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20 in the Batavia Government Center, 100 N. Island Ave.



Donahue said the task force wants to get public comment on the plan before it moves forward.



“The last thing we want to do is put out a plan that people don’t support,” he said.



The proposed concert venue also would have to fit in with the surrounding trees in Fabyan Woods, Donahue said.



“Nobody wants to take down a bunch of mature oak trees,” he said.



The plan also includes a hotel and resort center, a mountain biking facility and a site that could support national-level cross country meets.



Donahue said representatives from the USA Track and Field organization already are talking about scheduling events at the site in 2013.



A financial analysis would have to be done before the plan moves forward, Donahue said.



“Each enterprise in the plan needs to stand on its own,” he said. “They have to pay for themselves. We don’t want taxpayers paying for them.”