To increase open space in the village, the Community Park District of La Grange Park is seeking to acquire .86 acres in the northwest section of the Village.
The property, 1150 Meadowcrest Road, is currently owned by the Village Church, which has operated at the site since 1961.
“This is going to be our first purchase of property since the 1970s,” Park District board president Robert Corte said recently. “Being a landlocked community, this type of opportunity doesn’t come about very often.”
Indeed, the last new public park in La Grange Park opened in 1978 with the addition of Hanesworth Park.
The existing church property already features an expansive green space with mature trees and includes the church building.
Corte said that the Park District had conducted a survey and held a public meeting, both of which drew “overwhelming” support from residents in favor of making the parcel a park. The public meeting had over 60 residents.
“Right now that property is almost used like a park,” Corte said. “Everybody in the neighborhood says ‘We walk our dogs there, we take our kids there and play’ and the church has maintained such a beautiful piece of property with beautiful trees; it would be a shame if it went any other way.”’
The Park District is applying for a Land Water Conservation Fund Grant through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNF) which, while administered through the IDNF, is funded through the federal government.
The grant would be a matching grant, with the Village needing to come up with half of the purchase price of the property.
The Village is also required to make a fair market bid to the church, based on obtaining two commercial appraisals, which came in at $640,000 and $685,000, respectively.
The IDNR will determine what a fair offering price to the church should be, based on the appraisals submitted by the park district.
Park District Executive Director Jessica Cannaday talked about the application process, noting the district had met the Friday, March 22 deadline for applying.
“We’re hoping to have a grant approval by September,” she said, acknowledging the possibility of being turned down. But being turned down for the grant would not mean plans to buy the property were dead.
Cannaday said that while paid programming was operating well and they do have some capital available, ultimately the Board would have to decide on any additional expenditure for the property.
She noted that the church leaders approached the Park District when it decided to sell and were being patient about the grant process.
“They’re showing a willingness to wait to see how this goes for us,” Cannaday said.
She stressed that the purchase would help the district meet goals it had set for total park district acreage.
The national standard calls for 10 acres of parkland for every 1,000 residents. While a landlocked La Grange can’t meet that goal, acquiring the church property would bring the district’s acreage up to the 2 acres per 1,000 the park district board set as its goal.
“The acquisition of this property would get us to that standard for the first time since it was adopted,’ Cannaday said.
Moreover, making the property a park would provide open space to the west end of the village that it currently lacks.
“It would be the only passive park west of the International Harbor Belt tracks,” Cannaday said. “If you want to go and enjoy a nice, quiet park, you would have to cross the tracks to get there. This provides a nice respite area for everybody.”
For further information on the Park District’s plans to buy the church property, visit its website: communityparkdistrict.org
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
