Naperville parks officials explain absence

Four Naperville Park District commissioners blamed scheduling conflicts for their absence from Wednesday night's special board meeting and say no one consulted them when setting the date.

Only three of seven elected board members showed up to vote on whether to purchase six acres between the ponds in the Hobson West neighborhood, one short of the quorum necessary to conduct a legal meeting.

The issue is a long-standing one for the district, which owns the nine acres that make up two ponds between Plainfield-Naperville Road and West Street. Residents have been pushing for it to purchase the land in between to create a 15-acre park.

The park board is divided on the issue, at least partially because of the cost.

Crestview Builders, which owns the site, wants $4.1 million for the land while the park board is offering $2.5 million.

The two sides had made Wednesday the deadline to reach a deal, prompting the special meeting for the board to vote.

Commissioners Suzanne Hart, Ron Ory and Andrew Schaffner attended, as did about two dozen residents. All three of those commissioners support the proposed purchase if they can reach a compromise on price.

President Kristen Jungles and commissioners Charlie Brown, Marie Todd and Mary Wright were not there.

Todd opposes the purchase. Jungles has said Crestview's asking price is too high and there are other priorities. Brown has said he wouldn't want to spend more than the $2.5 million offer on the table. Wright has refused to publicly discuss the matter until the board votes on it.

Jungles said she told the board before the meeting date was even finalized that she would not be able to attend if it was Wednesday. She said she had an obligation to be at a meeting of the Naperville Unit District 203 superintendent advisory committee, which was discussing its Tuesday referendum.

"Board members were aware I was not going to be at the meeting last night," she said Thursday. "To escalate it to more than it was -- a prior commitment -- is inappropriate."

Wright and Todd said no one checked with them to see if they could make it, either.

Wright said she was "previously engaged" but would not go into detail.

"It was a special meeting, it wasn't a regular board meeting," she said. "It's not our usual Thursday night park board meeting. I was not asked if I could attend."

Todd said she was able to attend a park district forum earlier in the evening, but then had to return to her job.

"It would have been common courtesy for the commissioners having the meeting to make sure everyone could attend," she said. "It was an important meeting and it would have been appropriate for everyone to be there."

Brown was out of town at the time of the meeting. He could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Schaffner said he scheduled the meeting more than a week ago.

"Other commissioners knew we were going to do it," he said. "Did we clear it with all their schedules? No."

Crestview officials said they will continue to negotiate with the park district despite the blown deadline.

The park board is expected to discuss the Hobson West issue at its next meeting at 7 p.m. Feb. 14 at the municipal center, 400 S. Eagle St.