advertisement

Vernon Hills Park District sells one of its original facilities

The Vernon Hills Park District's to-do list got shorter last week with the sale of one of its original facilities — a onetime model home that, decades after it was built, finally will lodge a resident.

Park district trustees last spring authorized the sale of the building at 8 Greenvale Road, known as the Deerpath Center, as one of several short-term objectives in an ongoing strategic plan.

The structure, an original model for the Deerpath subdivision just south of Route 60. initially was given to a nearby church, which used it as a preschool. The park district bought it around 1980 for $60,000, said Jeff Fougerousse, executive director of the park district.

The home was renovated as office space for park executives, well before the Laschen and Sullivan community centers were added. Most recently, the district has held a music class for tots and cheerleading classes at mid-1970s-era home that abuts a small lake.

“It facilitated our needs at the time,” Fougerousse said.

But it was underutilized and considered surplus property that carried $15,000 to $20,000 in annual maintenance costs.

The building, originally listed for $99,000, was sold for $95,000 to Skokie resident Kelly Kinslow, who works less than a mile away at Medline Industries Inc., in Mundelein. The closing took place Friday.

“I'll be getting back about two hours every day,” in commuting time, said Kinslow, a first time single-family homebuyer.

Kinslow said she had been looking online for a three-bedroom, two-bath home in the area when she decided to broaden the search to include any home for sale.

“Legally, it comes up one-bedroom, zero bath. I thought somebody made a mistake with the listing. Then I saw the pictures inside and realized it wasn't a ‘residence' residence,” she said.

Kinslow admits most people may consider the home more of a hassle than a bargain.

“I need to install a full washroom, there's only two, one-half baths at the moment, and I have to install a kitchen,” she said. “I'm not put off by things that aren't perfect.”

Fougerousse said proceeds from the sale will be used for improvements at the district's Family Aquatic Center.

The sale was among several district objectives for 2011, the second year of a five-year plan.

Others that were met include more community wide special events, such as the first Rib Fest held last summer and a Recycle-O-Rama.

The district also is looking for land or a building to relocate its maintenance facility and has submitted a proposal to Hawthorn School District 73 for after school programs.

And under the “park pride” category, the district has developed a system to deal with volunteers, mainly for environmentally themed activities.

“We didn't really have anything in place,” Fougerousse said. “If someone would call we would shuffle them around. Now, if somebody calls we can appropriately respond.”

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.