Residents keep the pressure on Naperville parks

Several Naperville residents are pushing the park district to go to referendum in the fall in order to ask voters for the money to purchase the land between the ponds of Hobson West.

"The citizens of Naperville will answer your call," resident Marian Baran said at Thursday's park board meeting. "Please do not pass up this opportunity. Make this part of your legacy."

Commissioners did not take any action Thursday night and President Kristen Jungles said nothing has changed.

The board has just three weeks left to negotiate a price with Crestview Builders for the six acres of property between the ponds. The land is between Plainfield-Naperville Road and West Street in the Hobson West neighborhood.

The park district already owns the nine acres that make up the ponds, but residents have been pushing it for more than two years to purchase the additional land to create a 15-acre park.

"Please don't misunderstand the lack of a mob scene here as lack of interest in the subject of Hobson West," resident Doug Dallmer said, inviting the board to a picnic if the property ever becomes a park.

Crestview is asking for $4.1 million for the property. The park district has offered $2.5 million, citing the additional costs it will incur to create a recreational area.

Resident Rod Randall said the land would be a great addition to the park district and that he, too, would support a tax hike via a referendum to make the purchase possible.

"In the future, there would be many different activities, different types of programs that could be utilized on that property," Randall said. "It could be used by all citizens in Naperville, not just those that are nearby."

If the land is not sold to the park district, Crestview plans to build townhouses on it.

The city originally told Crestview it could not build on the land for a year while the park district decided what it wanted to do. That deadline expired earlier this month but both sides agreed to extend it to Jan. 30. Crestview has said that extension is final and city councilmen have already voted not to provide any further assistance to the park district in the matter.