ECC converting golf course into a prairie

Elgin Community College is transforming a former nine-hole golf course into a prairie that could be used for environmental education classes.

Crews conducted a controlled burn last week on a 41-acre field of waist-high prairie weeds and thistles — remnants of turf grass from the western half of the Spartan Meadows Golf Course, just south of ECC's campus off McLean Boulevard. They will be planting seeds of native prairie grasses this week.

Once restored to its natural state, the site could be used by the college's biology classes for collecting insects and other specimens, said Ryan Callahan, ECC superintendent of grounds.

ECC bought the land from the city of Elgin for $8 million in December 2013. It was part of a total 112 acres ECC has purchased from the city over 10 years.

According to the college's facility master plan, the site was purchased for future expansion, said Sharon Konny, vice president of business and finance.

The portion of the property that fronts McLean Boulevard — about 19.5 acres — was rezoned from community facility district to planned neighborhood business district.

Elgin operated the Spartan Meadows Golf Course from 1971 until 2009. Before that, the site was a combination of a peat bog and partial farmland, said Mike Lehman, director of golf operations for the city.

The nine holes closest to Randall Road closed in 2004, while the city kept operating the remaining nine holes through 2009.

“In 2010, we vacated everything west of McLean (Boulevard), all of Spartan Meadows,” Lehman said.

The city removed a number of dead pine and ash trees, some killed off by the emerald ash borer, from the site.

“There's a ton of trees (still) on the property,” Callahan said. “Everything that is in existence we are keeping. We don't really intend on taking any more trees down at this time unless they are diseased or currently dead. For the time being, we are going to maintain the edges of the property.”

At least 50 feet of mowed grass will be maintained along Spartan Drive and McLean Boulevard, as well as along the housing subdivision to the south of the property.

“The internal part we are going to allow it to grow to a long-grass natural prairie ... letting nature take its course,” Callahan said. “First thing we've got to do is let it grow and get healthy. Once that happens we will be able to look at options for what potentially we can do with it.”