advertisement

Cross-country course development for Settler's Hill targeted for fall

Kane County officials believe they've hit pay dirt on a plan that would see construction begin in September on a $3.88 million cross-country course for the former Settler's Hill landfill in Geneva.

A county board committee gave preliminary approval for a contract with Aurora-based Heartland Recycling LLC on Tuesday. The agreement would have the company pay to drop clean soil from area construction projects at the landfill. That clean soil would provide the dirt needed to craft the cross-country course on top of the existing landfill.

The deal clears a major hurdle to the project, one that may tip the scale toward profitability.

A 2015 feasibility study indicated the cross-country facility would lose up to $146,000 in the first 10 years of operation. But that study assumed the county would pay at least $250,000 to purchase the soil needed to build the course.

The pending deal would see Heartland Recycling pay the county $1.25 per cubic yard of clean soil it drops at the landfill. The cross-country track needs at least 250,000 cubic yards of clean soil. The site can take on up to 900,000 cubic yards of clean soil. That means the county can make $300,000 to $1.12 million off the deal.

A second factor pushing toward profitability will be a pending contract with the Chicago Area Track and Field Organizing Committee to manage and market the cross-country facility. The group would operate on a volunteer basis, at no cost.

County board member John Martin said every cross-country facility officials studied uses volunteer management with deep connections to the local track and field world. Forest preserve commissioners, who double as county board members, are set to approve that contract in late June.

Martin said once the clean fill contract is in place, he will be confident construction will begin this fall.

"It looks like the economics are going to support this project," he said. "This clean fill contract was important. I always believed we could get it done, but until you get people bidding on it, it's like waiting for Santa to come. You're sure he's going to come, but you want to see what happens Christmas morning."

The full county board and full forest preserve commission must approve both contracts before the process moves forward. Those final approvals should occur by August. Cross country meets could begin as soon as fall 2019.

The money to pay for the facility will come from accounts that accumulated cash from the former landfill operation. By law, that money can't be spent on anything other than the landfill's maintenance and future use.

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.