Glen Ellyn's Ackerman Park grows slowly, but quite surely

Ackerman Park keeps getting bigger and bigger.

The Glen Ellyn Park District last week spent $350,000 to purchase a 15,000-square-foot parcel at 917 Lenox Road.

That land eventually will be added to neighboring Ackerman Park. All together, referendum-approved dollars have helped increase the size of the park by about 3 acres.

Last year, parks officials spent more than $1.1 million acquiring three parcels along Lenox Road in order to expand Ackerman Park. All the properties bordered the park.

"The whole east side of the street is now owned by the park district," said Cory Atwell, the park district's executive director.

Most of the structures on the properties at 931 Lenox and 927 Lenox were slated to be torn down this week. A garage was expected to remain for storage.

Atwell said the land acquisitions meet the criteria from the November 2006 referendum.

"It's exactly what the district was hoping for," he said.

The houses on the two remaining properties are expected to be taken down. However, it hasn't been decided when the demolition will happen.

Officials don't intend to rent out the houses for income.

The current park board plan is to use for recreation. Future boards would determine exactly what recreation uses would be established.

Residents gave the park district approval in November 2006 to borrow $11.9 million to spend on projects, $2.5 million of which was designated for land acquisition. Officials plan to buy more land with the remaining $1 million.

Ackerman Park is about 67 acres and is designated as a recreational park. The district started to buy land for the park in 1966. By 1973, it had purchased 57 acres. Small parcels have been acquired since.