Lake forest preserve raises parking fees for concerts

In yet another sign of the still-struggling economy, Lake County Forest Preserve District officials will charge people $5 to park at Independence Grove’s otherwise free summer concerts this summer.

Motorists who arrive for the evening concerts at the Libertyville-area venue after 5 p.m. will have to pony up for parking, according to the proposal approved Thursday. People who bike or walk to the events will not have to pay for parking, nor will drivers who arrive before 5 p.m.

“Having the parking fee is better than reducing or eliminating the concerts,” said Mike Tully, the forest district’s director of operations and public safety.

The forest district board’s finance committee approved the plan following a discussion Thursday morning. It doesn’t require a vote from the full board.

The concerts have become increasingly popular since they launched in 2003. Nine were held in 2010, with acts including the Spoken Four, World Class Noise and the Illinois Brass Band.

The shows attracted 22,320 music lovers over the course of the 2010 series, Tully said. Although attendance varied at each show, about 800 cars parked at the preserve for each concert, Tully said in a memo to the finance committee.

The concerts have always been free to attend. District leaders have solicited corporate sponsorships to help defray the costs and subsidized staffing expenses needed for parking control, crowd control and related efforts, Tully said in his memo.

But as the concerts’ popularity has grown, so have staffing costs, he said.

Last years’ shows cost about $55,500, and the district received about $15,500 in corporate sponsorship, Tully said.

With home values — and the resulting tax revenue — dropping, the district can’t afford to continue to fully subsidize some activities, Tully said in his memo.

A parking fee will recoup some of the staffing costs, generating about $4,000 per concert, officials estimated. For the entire summer series, between $20,000 and $30,000 could be raised.

“We won’t quite break even with this, but it will help,” Tully said.

Eight shows will be held this year, with the acts to be announced. The concerts will remain free to attend.