Tax vote for open space up for review

By Marni Pyke Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted Tuesday, January 04, 2005


DuPage County Forest Preserve District leaders are debating whether to use the April 5 election to ask residents for money to buy more land.

The deadline to decide is Jan. 31 and so far, commissioners are divided on several issues.

Commissioner Roger Kotecki of Carol Stream favors acquiring property along waterways, such as the DuPage River and Salt Creek, to create contiguous parks that benefit hikers, wildlife and aid in flood control.

Commissioner Carl Schultz of Aurora agrees the time is now.

"If we're going to buy land, (we) can't wait 10 years to decide to do it," he said. "We need to put it before the people now."

In 1997 voters approved selling $75 million in bonds to buy land. Since then, property values in DuPage have skyrocketed. In 1997, there were 25,000 undeveloped acres in DuPage compared to fewer than 5,000 today.

Several commissioners have mentioned $60 million, saying that sum could buy the district 400 to 500 acres at about $200,000 per acre.

The district already owns about 25,000 acres.

Another point of debate is where to buy the land.

Land in developed areas, particularly eastern DuPage, is prohibitively expensive. But buying only cheaper tracts in western DuPage is not fair to people living elsewhere, says Commissioner Wallace Brown of Downers Grove.

"Very few people from Downers Grove go to Pratt's Wayne Woods (in Wayne)," he said. "The average person goes five to six miles maximum (to a preserve)."

Brown supports making land purchases equally among the six forest preserve districts.

But President Dewey Pierotti says that's just political. He's also afraid the forest preserve district can't afford to maintain new land.

"I'll back (a referendum) if ... the acquisition is based on the best interests of the forest preserve district," Pierotti said, adding he will veto proposals he considers imprudent.

Some officials, meanwhile, think it's too late for April.

"I suspect it's too late to get it on the April ballot and do a decent job," Commissioner Gwen Henry of Wheaton said. "We really need at some point to go and ask for additional dollars for land acquisition, but I don't think the time is right."

Leaders with The Conservation Foundation, an environmental organization in DuPage, Will, Kane and Kendall counties, share that point of view.

"There's no polling data that says ... the public will support it," foundation President Brook McDonald said. He said previous data indicates people once were willing to support a referendum, "but the economic times are a lot different."