The Park District of La Grange has been awarded a grant of $400,000 from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) program, Dean Bissias, the Park District's executive director, said today.
The money will be used to construct several new amenities in Gordon Park including a picnic area, splash pad and soccer field.
Bissias said he learned of the award at last month's conference of the Illinois Association of Park Districts.
An OSLAD grant must be matched with funds from other sources and must be spent within three years of the award, he said.
The Park District in 2007 announced plans to pay for its redevelopment of Gordon Park with $4.6 million in cash and other considerations it expected to receive from the sale of 2.82 acres of the park to developer Atlantic Realty Partners (ARP).
The developer in turn intended to incorporate the park acreage into its redevelopment of the former Rich Port YMCA site, a major mixed-use residential and commercial project known as La Grange Place.
But sale of the acreage has been blocked by legal action taken by residents who are opposed to the loss of parkland.
Bissias said use of the OSLAD money is not constrained by the ongoing lawsuits. He hopes that work on the redevelopment of the park will begin later this year.
While $400,000 won't come close to paying for all the amenities included in its master plan for Gordon Park, it enables the Park District to begin work on some key amenities, Bissias said.
When asked how the construction of amenities could proceed without first laying down fill dirt the district hoped to obtain from ARP in order to raise the level of the park and improve drainage, Bissias said that clean fill was available from other sources.
La Grange police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred Feb. 16 at the 7-Eleven convenience store at 201 W Hillgrove Ave.
A man described as Hispanic, six feet tall with a slender build and wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and dark pants entered the store at 11:56 p.m. last Wednesday night, according to Police Investigator Dave Rohlicek. The man produced a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded money from a clerk, who was alone in the store at the time.
The man then fled north on foot along Ashland Ave with a small, undisclosed amount of cash, Rohlicek said.
The clerk was not injured, he said.
Anyone with information regarding the robbery is asked to call the La Grange police at 708-579-2334.
The Cari Lyn Cook Memorial Family Fund is the beneficiary of tonight's 13th Annual Cops and Kids Charity Basketball Game at the Gurrie Middle School gymnasium,
1001 Spring Ave., La Grange.
Police officers from the La Grange, Countryside, and Hodgkins police
departments will compete against the school's basketball team.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the game begins at 6:30 p.m. A prize raffle will be held and snacks will be available.
Park District of La Grange Board President Tim Kelpsas last week apologized to the La Grange Citizens Council for attacks on the organization made by his supporters during last year's Park District election.
"If I have offended you, or anyone in this room, I apologize," Kelpsas told Council Member Rob Pierson, who raised the issue Feb. 10 during a question-and-answer session following a presentation by Kelpsas and Executive Director Dean Bissias regarding the role and operations of the Park District.
Citizens Council Member Rob Pierson told Tim Kelpsas that attacks on the group last year by his supporters were offensive and unwarranted.
Pierson recalled letters published in local newspapers and other communications accusing the Citizens Council of deliberately withholding an endorsement of Kelpsas' re-election bid because of undue influence from its then-chairman, Orlando Coryell, who at the time was actively suing the Park District to prevent the sale of a portion of Gordon Park to developer Atlantic Realty Partners (ARP).
Watch the video at the end of this story to witness the entire exchange between Kelpsas, Pierson and other Citizens Council members.
"It came as a shock to see the blowback from people whom I would view as friendly to the [Park District] commissioners, to see a concerted effort made by some of those people to paint the Citizens Council in a negative light simply because you weren't slated," Pierson told Kelpsas. "That's how it was perceived by a lot of people in this room. The reason you weren't slated is because Orlando had this ongoing feud with the Park District board. You just need to know that was not the case."
Pierson said the lawsuit was never discussed in any of the Council meetings leading up to and including its slating session.
Pierson added that he personally supported the Park District's efforts to sell land from Gordon Park. "I'm definitely not an Orlando apologist," he said, drawing a chuckle from Kelpsas.
Kelpsas acknowledged that some of the people who made the accusations against the Council were affiliated with the Park District and its successful effort to convince district voters in Nov. 2008 to approve by a margin of 55 to 45 perent a referendum authorizing the sale of 2.82 acres of Gordon Park.
Coryell's lawsuit blocked sale of the land to ARP when Cook County Circuit Court Judge Leroy Martin Jr. voided the required public auction that followed the referendum, ruling that ARP, and its La Grange Place redevelopment project proposed for the former Rich Port YMCA site, had been given preferential treatment by the Park District and the Village of La Grange.
But Kelpsas denied that his re-election campaign organization was responsible for the actions of those individuals attacking Coryell and the Council.
"[We] did not organize anybody to detract from the integrity of this organization," Kelpsas said. "As a matter of fact, I received multiple phone calls from lots of influential people in the village that specifically asked me not to.
"I was specifically counseled by a number of people not to hurt this organization, and I personally never did," Kelpsas said. "At least, I don't think I did."
Another Council member in attendance, Tim O'Connell, defended Kelpsas. "I think it's a pretty easy leap for the people who made those accusations, with the leader of the Citizens Council leading the litigation,'" he said. "I can see both sides of the story. It wasn't just the Park District firing the ammo there, I don't think."
"I wasn't firing any ammo," Kelpsas insisted. "I think Orlando acted as a great lightning rod for that controversy ... once it came out that he was suing the Park District, and was also chairman of the slating body that was going to pick candidates."
But Kelpsas also empathized with Pierson's concerns, noting that "it makes me crazy when the public ... crafts an assumption and then runs with it."
Kelpsas said that during the park-sale referendum campaign in 2008, some residents attacked him for supporting ARP's redevelopment plans, wrongly believing that housing in the project would be marketed to tenants they considered undesirable.
"There were people who ran up to me and asked, 'How could you have voted for that? I don't want people moving in that I don't like,'" Kelpsas recalled. "[They] crafted asssumptions that offended me greatly, that were very racist.
"The rumors that start don't make me very happy at all because I would rather have people basing their judgments and the way they execute their values on the veracity of the situation," Kelpsas said.
"So again, my apologies," he said. "I never fired any ammo in that direction."
UPDATED 02/17: The Park District of La Grange Tuesday night was awarded $508,000 by the Lyons Township board from a $10 million park bond issue approved by voters in 2004.
The money will be used for improvements to Denning Park, including the clearing and removal of a structure, site grading and excavation, site drainage, paths and walks, and construction of a parking lot.
The award was one of 15 announced by the board, totaling $4.2 million worth of recreational projects throughout the township, following nearly two years of study and presentations.
Altogether, 22 park districts, municipalities and non-profit groups submitted requests for funding.
“The board tried to take projects
that were itemized fully enough and get each township resident a
tangible park improvement in his or her community or as close as
possible,” said Tom Garrette, township board member and chairman of its finance
committee
Garrette said that seven projects not addressed Tuesday night had not been denied, only that additional details and discussions were required before the board could make funding decisions.
He said a special session of the board may be called for that purpose before its regular March 9 meeting, and that the board hopes to award all of the funds by its April 6 meeting.
The Denning Park award is a partial approval of a $1.893 million request for improvements to the park submitted by the Park District in Oct. 2008.
Click here to view a copy of the Park District's application, including a rendering of its master plan for Denning Park. The items approved for funding by the township are A through E on page 6.
La Grange Village President Elizabeth Asperger Monday night said she opposes a proposal to create a public safety commission because she does not believe that resident volunteers who would serve on it are qualified to evaluate policies developed by the village board and staff.
"We are, of course, always appreciative of our residents' willingness to assist the village," Asperger said. "But I don't believe that we are in a position to rely upon resident volunteers to assess matters related to police activity, fire activity or traffic and pedestrian safety."
Asperger expressed her views in response to an inquiry at Monday's village board meeting from Trustee Michael Horvath, who wanted to know why trustees had not been given a formal opportunity to publicly discuss and possibly take action on the commission he proposed.
Horvath raised the issue during the portion of the board meeting reserved for comment by any trustee on any topic.
Watch videos below this story to witness the whole conversation.
Horvath first suggested the idea of a public safety commission last summer as La Grange officials were considering pedestrian safety improvements along 47th St and other village thoroughfares following the death last May of Cari Cook, a 29-year-old mother from Countryside who was struck and killed by a SUV while crossing 47th St with her two small children.
Asperger, who as president controls what issues and items are put on the village board's meeting agendas, said Monday that her opposition to the creating the commission grew out of discussions she had with Village Manager Robert Pilipiszyn and various department heads.
"The village board and our staff are best suited to define the goals and objectives related to public safety," Asperger said. "We are fortunate to have a very professional staff with significant depth of experience and expertise to carry out the village's charge with respect to public safety mandates. Obviously, our staff has a thorough command of the many issues that impact decisions relating to public safety matters, from infrastructure to budget issues."
On those occasions when expertise for a specific issue is not found among the staff, the decision is often made to search out and contract a consultant with the required knowledge and experience to conduct studies and then render opinions and recommendations for the village board and staff to evaluate, Asperger said.
She noted that the village had hired a consultant to conduct studies of traffic flow and origin along 47th St and make recommendations following last year's tragic accident.
Asperger acknowledged that input from residents has value, but also its place and purpose. She recalled a community meeting held in the gymnasium at Seventh Ave School two weeks after Cook's death, which was attended by more than 200 citizens, and where everyone was offered an opportunity to stand at a microphone and share their thoughts and feelings.
"I think we very consistently encourage our residents at any time to communicate with us their thoughts, their desires, their concerns, and their recommendations for improvements," Asperger said. "I certainly have no desire to stifle that. Quite the opposite, I encourage it at every turn.
"But I am concerned with charging a group of volunteers to make what sound more like evaluations of policy decisions and directions in the public safety arena across the board," she said. "Because they are very complex issues that are community wide in nature and really require an understanding of all of the pieces that contribute to a policy making decision, which quite frankly we [the village board] are charged with, and I know we work hard at."
However, Asperger said she could envision an additional role for residents in helping to identify and develop mechanisms and programs to better communicate existing public safety issues and mandates to various audiences throughout the village. She gave as an example the need to communicate school safety policies "with respect to pick up and drop off times and the like."
Asperger also expressed concern that the village staff, already recognized as operating under a heavy workload, would be further stressed by the needs and demands of a newly created commission.
In his rebuttal, Horvath said that resident volunteers should not be viewed as a drain on staff but rather as a resource that both supplements and complements existing resources.
"We've heard many, many times that our staff can't do certain things relative to information gathering," Horvath said. "A perfect example was getting information about crosswalk improvements on 47th St. If properly chartered, [a public safety commission] would be a great idea to gather input and communicate information as you described it.
"I
think we are in agreement there," Horvath continued. "I think we are
probably a little bit misaligned on the value of the input coming from
our residents. I think that input—that sounding board—is very valuable for public safety."
As to the qualifications required of resident volunteers in evaluating policies and directives, Horvath said, "I don't think the expertise is any different. I think people understand intuitively what a safe community is. It's broader than traffic. It's neighborhood watch. It's other types of things that I think would be very valuable for our community to formalize. And I also think it sends a message to the public that public safety is important."
Horvath noted that trustees earlier that night approved the
creation of a public arts commission, which will be filled by the
existing members of the design review commission.
Public safety, Horvath said, "is just as important as economic development or public art or design review."
Horvath encouraged his fellow trustees to support creation of a public safety commission and to "communicate your thoughts with Liz."
But not one of them used the occasion of Monday's discussion to do so.
UPDATED 02/18:The Park District still has received no applications for the vacancy on its board, but continues to get inquiries, Dean Bissias, its executive director said today.
Two weeks after Rob Metzger resigned his seat on the Park District of La Grange board of commissioners, no one has yet filed an application seeking to be appointed to fill the remaining year in Metzger's term, Park Board President Tim Kelpsas told the La Grange Citizens Council Wednesday night.
But there have been some inquiries, Dean Bissias, the Park District's executive director, reminded him.
"That's good, I was worried maybe nobody wanted the job," Kelpsas responded with a chuckle.
There may be some truth in his statement.
Metzger's replacement would immediately become a participant in a legal battle over the Park District's plans to sell a portion of Gordon Park to developer Atlantic Realty Partners. The litigation has consumed more than $400,000 in district funds over the past three years. No immediate resolution is in sight. Last week, Steve Paczolt, the Park District's treasurer, said $1.3 million was needed to replenish its capital reserves.
Kelpsas said his goal is to have at least five applicants.
"If we don't ... then what do I do?" Kelpsas wondered aloud. "Do I help to suggest [candidates]?"
That action of last resort has serious drawbacks, he said.
"If I pick someone specifically—or if any board member picks someone specifically—then we get chastised for trying to forward our own agenda rather than the people's agenda."
After the Citizens Council meeting concluded, Bissias said that while no applications had been submitted, he had received inquiries from a half-dozen interested residents.
The board's intention is to appoint a successor to Metzger at its regular meeting March 18, Bissias said.
The deadline for submitting an application is March 1, he said. Additional information is available on the Park District website, pdlg.org.
UPDATED 02/10/10:Di Nico's Pizzeria opens to the public today following a two-day open house for friends and downtown business neighbors. The video below offers highlights of Monday's ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Ever since Joe Piccione signed a lease last July on two adjoining downtown storefronts at 42-44 S La Grange Rd, and announced his plans to open Di Nico's Pizzeria, passersby daily have been asking him when his restaurant would open for business.
Joe Piccione, Di Nico's Pizzeria owner
Major renovation of the space, which had previously been occupied by a florist and a maternity fashion boutique, took longer than anyone, including Joe, anticipated.
But Di Nico's opening day, it appears, is almost and finally here.
Joe and his staff will welcome the general public beginning Wednesday, Feb. 10th, following a two-day "sneak preview" for neighboring business owners and their employees, village personnel, invited guests and friends.
Those festivities begin Monday at 11 a.m. when Village President Liz Asperger is scheduled to cut a ceremonial ribbon.
The La Grange village board of trustees last week agreed to extend its Gordon Park land swap agreement with the Park District of La Grange. The agreement to trade a village-owned parking lot abutting the park for a vacated stretch of Shawmut Ave, which is to be paved and improved to serve the redevelopment of the former Rich Port YMCA site under a plan approved by trustees in April 2008, was set to expire Dec. 31, and ownership of the properties revert, because developer Atlantic Realty Partners (ARP) has not yet begun construction on its major mixed-use project, known as La Grange Place.
Village trustees unanimously approved a one-year extension of the agreement, which already had been extended for 30 days by Village Manager Bob Pilipiszyn. They did so without any discussion by placing the item on their omnibus agenda, usually reserved for pro forma action on routine items such as monthly disbursements, thereby passing up an opportunity to share with its televised-meeting audience their views on the uncertain future of the Y site redevelopment resulting from a controversial legal battle over the sale of parkland to ARP for inclusion in its project and a decision in December by Y officials to terminate their sales agreement with the developer after ARP substantially reduced the dollar amount of its purchase offer to reflect the downsized project it now seeks to build given a significant downturn in the real estate market, and the nation's economy, since the original contract was signed three years ago.
Perhaps the village board's silence stems from the fact that trustees already had expressed their views on the matter during a weekend strategic planning retreat they attended Jan. 8-9 at the conference center operated by Adventist La Grange Memorial Hospital.
During a portion of the retreat in which more than two dozen short-term goals were identified and enumerated, trustees indicated they may take a far more proactive role regarding the Y site than had previously been publicly considered.
Watch the video below to see and hear that discussion.
Village staff is now preparing recommendations and action items related to all of the goals set at the planning retreat, Andrianna Peterson, assistant village manager, said last week.
The village board will consider those recommendations at a special public workshop to be held in the next four to six weeks, Village President Liz Asperger said at last week's regular meeting.
Explore all things Titanic at the La Grange Public Library during the month of February.
A display of artifacts related to the doomed ocean liner will be available for viewing on all three floors of the Library throughout the month, including an intricate model of what at the time of its sinking in April 1912 in the north Atlantic was the world's largest passenger steamship.
Denise Vanaria, Titanic historian
Also on exhibit are photos and stories of survivors, jewelry and shoes from the early 1900s, and a reproduction of the five-foot cherub lighting fixture that graced the Titanic's grand staircase.
There will, of course, also be several featured books available for check-out.
On Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m., Denise Vanaria, a
Titanic historian, will stage a dramatic portrayal as Mrs. Thomas
Andrews, the wife of one of the Titanic's designers. Through her
moving tale and authentic costume and jewelry, she will take her audience
back to when the Titanic was built and set sail on its
fateful maiden voyage. Space is limited for the program so registration
is strongly encouraged.
In addition, two movies will be showcased:
On Friday, February 19 at 1 p.m., the library's Classic Film Club will offer a free screening of A Night To Remember (1958) at the
library. This British docudrama captures the grandeur and terror of
Titanic's first and only voyage.
On Sunday, February 21 at 7 p.m., the
library partners with the La Grange Theater to show James Cameron's
epic film Titanic (1997), starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo
DiCaprio. This free
screening will also be attended by Titanic historian Denise Vanaria and
several others in full Edwardian dress. Moviegoers are encouraged to
dress in costume.
Registration is not required for either film, but space may be limited.
To register for the Feb. 23 program, or for more information on
Titanic Month at the La Grange Public Library, visit the Library's
website or phone (708) 352-0576.
