Lake Co. board member facing same foe

Democrat Terry Wilke is taking a second stab at unseating incumbent Republican Bob Powers for a Lake County Board seat that largely covers the Round Lake area.

Issues in the race include whether the county's forest preserve district should construct an upscale public golf course on the shuttered Fort Sheridan and transportation.

Wilke, 43, of Round Lake Beach, lost to Powers in the November 2004 election for the Lake County Board District 16 position. Powers, 63, has held the county board seat since 2002. The district includes Round Lake Heights and portions of Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Park and Hainesville, as well as unincorporated Avon Township.

Powers and Wilke offered different answers about the Fort Sheridan golf course in a recent interview at the Daily Herald.

The Army turned over 258 acres from Fort Sheridan's original links, located near Highland Park and Lake Forest, to the forest district more than 10 years ago. The agreement required a golf course in perpetuity there.

But nothing has been built since the original 18-hole layout was torn up in 2003. It's estimated the new course would cost $20 million, above the initial $15 million projection.

Although the Army hasn't pressed for the course to be built, county board members are expected to discuss the issue again in their dual roles as forest preserve commissioners after Tuesday's election.

Powers said he "never really supported" the Fort Sheridan golf course plan. He said if the Army doesn't allow the forest district to change the deal, a 9-hole course should be built instead of 18 holes.

"The amount of money involved is way too much," Powers said.

Wilke suggested placing the issue on a future ballot to let voters decide. He also said residents in the Fort Sheridan area should pay for the course - even though funding for any forest preserve district project comes from all of Lake County, not just those living a chip shot away.

"We ought to keep our promises," said Wilke, who acknowledged he didn't know terms of the county's agreement with the Army.

On transportation, Powers said county tax money should be used to help resolve what he called the bottlenecked intersection of Rollins Road, Hainesville Road and Route 83. Wilke said he'd like to see widening of routes 45 and 83.

•Daily Herald staff writer Russell Lissau contributed to this report.