Volunteer group awaits contract for Kane County track

The volunteer group offering to run a proposed cross-country course for the Kane County Forest Preserve District has yet to see a contract, but that may come soon now that engineering needed for officials to OK the project began this week.

County and forest preserve district officials met with engineers Wednesday to launch another $180,000 of work on the project, which is expected to provide the final pieces of information officials need before deciding to move ahead or abandon the proposed future use of the former Settler's Hill landfill in Geneva.

County board member John Martin said the engineers estimated the work will take about a year, including a review by the Illinois EPA about six months in.

"Nobody felt that there was any undue concern at this point in time," Martin said. "It's a pretty passive project. They are not building any structures; they are just putting dirt on (the landfill)."

Martin said the engineering will trigger new conversations with the volunteer group that has offered to run the cross-country course. Several county officials have publicly said the financials for the track probably don't make sense unless volunteers run it.

The volunteer group, which has about 40 members, has ties to the local cross-country world and has been involved in organizing cross-country events. That experience is expected to draw events to the Settler's Hill track. The group has pitched a plan to run the facility at a far cheaper cost than hiring a full-time management team. The complete numbers have not yet been made public.

Skip Stolley of the Chicago Area Track & Field Organizing Committee said he and the rest of the volunteers are probably more invested than anyone in seeing the track come to life. It was his group that pitched the plan to the county task force exploring future uses for the landfill.

"We think it would be a great way to return that area to public use, in addition to the competitions that would be held there," Stolley said. "It would be an outstanding walking, hiking and fitness trail on that property. And it would not have a lot of impact on the landfill."

Stolley said his group has been part of at least 30 meetings with the county and forest preserve district. Besides the idea for the track, Stolley said they've discussed only the ongoing costs to the forest preserve district. They haven't seen a draft of a contract to lock in their involvement running the facility.

"At some point we need to have a commitment if our involvement in all this is going to continue," Stolley said. "But we haven't discussed any dates or deadlines. We remain convinced that we can do this project at a cost that's going to be affordable, and with a load of expertise that would be very difficult to find anywhere else."

Stolley said he expects it will be the fall of 2019 before the new track is ready to host the first meet.