Over objections, DuPage forest district OKs garage at Blackwell

Despite continuing opposition from some residents, the DuPage County Forest Preserve District voted Tuesday to build a massive garage for its maintenance fleet in Blackwell Forest Preserve near Warrenville.

The $7.5 million, 29,000-square-foot garage with 16 bays is to be built near McKee Marsh off Mack Road. Right now, half the district's maintenance work on nearly 200 vehicles is done at an existing Blackwell facility. The rest is done at Churchill Woods Forest Preserve near Glen Ellyn.

The only board member who voted against the plan was District 6 Commissioner Roger Kotecki, who asked to postpone the vote.

“We need to consider the long-term operational costs and not just the initial cost,” Kotecki said, arguing against District 4 Commissioner Michael Formento, who said more delays will mean higher construction costs.

Several residents who live near the preserve also implored the board to wait, citing such concerns as potential flooding from building near McKee Marsh and a septic system that may be inadequate.

They also asked the board to consider acquiring the former Lucent property at the northwest corner of Naperville and Warrenville roads, because it is more accessible to major thoroughfares and already has water and sewer hookup available.

Shannon Burns, who ran against Kotecki in the November election this year, said residents agree the facility must be built somewhere. But as head of the community group opposing it, she argued another site must be found.

“Our concerns are genuine and, as I have said, based on fact,” she said. “Ignoring these concerns will add significantly to the cost of this project.”

Before the Nov. 2 election, board members vowed to consider other sites. They held a planning session a week after the election to discuss why at least five alternatives weren't viable, including two other areas within Blackwell, Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Darien and expanding the Churchill site.

Officials said each site had problems with either drainage into existing wetlands, threatening state-endangered plants and birds or traffic safety. They also considered buying a former car dealership for the district's maintenance needs, but said this alternative was too costly and many towns objected to seeing even a vacant property taken off the tax rolls.

“I have wrestled with this issue (and) have listened to concerns and even met with some neighbors,” said Formento. “But it's the old story: If we don't do it now, when are we going to do it?”

Tuesday's vote ends three years of debate about the project. The board also delayed building the facility nearly 10 years ago due to budget concerns, and the plan to build at Blackwell was launched in the early 1990s.

District officials said the Blackwell site was selected, in part, because the land has been used for similar purposes for roughly 30 years, and Blackwell is centrally located to where most forest preserve work is done.