Fen's fate soon may be realized

The fate of 200 acres of property along Klein Road near West Chicago could be decided next week.

DuPage County Forest Preserve District board members Tuesday postponed a decision on whether to buy or condemn the land, which is known to some community groups as the Klein fen.

The delay came after two forest preserve commissioners were absent from Tuesday's meeting.

"It's such a significant issue, we shouldn't vote on it with 30 percent of our board missing," board President Dewey Pierotti said.

A decision about the property could be made Monday during a special meeting.

However, there could be another snag.

Pierotti said negotiations with the property's owner have reached "an impasse."

The land's asking price is reportedly in the $20 million range.

As a result, the district might not be in a position financially to purchase the entire 200-acre parcel, officials said.

Carol Biang of Friends of Klein Fen, a grassroots community group that supports the district buying the land, said she hadn't considered that possibility. She said the surrounding ecosystem would benefit more if all the land remained open space.

"We want what's good for the fen," said Biang, a chemical engineer, whose husband is a hydrogeologist.

"Hydrogeologically speaking, we believe the recharge zone needs to be as large as possible for the water," Biang said. "For the health of the fen, the bigger the recharge area, the better."

Biang will join other members of the group at a West Chicago plan commission meeting 7 tonight for a public hearing on the annexation of property, which would automatically rezone it into commercial lots.