Village missing in forest preserve buy

Now that news is out about the imminent $5.7 million acquisition by the Lake County Forest Preserve District of land in Long Grove, there is no shortage of happy talk, promises and platitudes from county and village officials.

But facts about the package are difficult to come by.

That's due to the fact that there has been no public process or outreach, there is no firm plan and now residents have been invited to scramble and devote years to sorting things out with the county. Where is my village?

The LCFPD has no specific plans for the property, which will extend the already vast Heron Creek Forest Preserve, at Old McHenry Road and Route 22 in unincorporated Lake County, to the rural and residential, hilly and hazardous village-owned Cuba Road, where an entrance, parking lot and maintenance buildings will likely be constructed.

The village heard no specific plans either, yet supported the acquisition.

Will the public forest preserve become a nature preserve, an Independence Grove, or something in between?

Already there are divergent views among local stakeholders about how the property should be developed and the squeaky wheel will get the grease. Where is my village?

The 96-acre acquisition includes the roughly 38-acre Salem Lake -- about two-thirds of it, that is. The remaining third is owned by Long Grove residents whose homes border it and who have given TLC and dollars toward its maintenance in partnership with good neighbor CF Industries, the company that is selling the property to the LCFPD.

Now, the lake quality and homeowner property values could be in serious jeopardy. Where is my village?

Another issue being downplayed is that the LCFPD acquisition does not include the CF Industries building and surrounding property that is zoned "office."

The LCFPD is buying parcels that are zoned for three-acre home sites.

The LCFPD looked at the massive building but couldn't come up with a use or with funds to demolish it, even if they wanted to acquire it.

Therefore, another corporation can still come in, leaving us all with an office complex in the middle of a forest preserve. Where is my village?

This acquisition is a win for the county, but the village of Long Grove has lost its way.

Susan Klein

Long Grove