Cemetery could hold key to Naperville fields debate
Several residents are asking the Naperville Cemetery Association to help squash a debate over whether downtown land should be used for garden plots or athletic fields.
They say with land leased from the cemetery, Naperville school and park officials may have enough room for both athletic and garden programs without moving them to new locations.
The cemetery, however, has rejected the idea in the past, saying it needs the land for its own purposes.
The discussion centers on Naperville Central High School, which faces a shortage of athletic fields because of its small campus and the growing number of state-sanctioned sports. In 2009, it expects to lose the 4.7 acres it has leased from Naperville Cemetery.
School and park officials have come up with four options for creating additional field space for Central. The most widely discussed is moving some of the city's West Street garden plots to the south side of town and using that space for athletics.
The proposal has been hailed by athletes' parents because their children wouldn't have to be bused.
Gardeners, however, have panned it, citing concerns about soil quality and added driving time at other locations.
Mary Lou Wehrli, a former park commissioner, and Joe McElroy, a member of the plan commission, appeared before the city council Tuesday asking that the cemetery continue to lease the land to Naperville Central and perhaps use property on the city's south side for additional burial plots.
Wehrli said the city's founders intended the cemetery at Washington Street and Hillside Road to be convenient, yet not too close to residents. The community has grown dramatically since then and the cemetery is now in the center of town.
"I think the whole community today in 2008 would concur the 4.7 acres of cemetery property used by Naperville Central High School students should continue to be used for the living," Wehrli said.
Naperville Unit District 203 Superintendent Alan Leis said Wednesday retaining the cemetery land would help solve the school's football field shortage but likely wouldn't take care of all its lacrosse needs.
"It would certainly change the nature of the discussion but in all the discussions I've had with the cemetery they've made it very clear with me they needed that land and they certainly have a legitimate right to it and we've acted based on that information," he said.
Cemetery trustees have voted down two other proposals to move to other parts of town and Mayor George Pradel, a member of the board, said dealing with equipment and operations in multiple locations can be disruptive.
Pradel said he is keeping an open mind, though, and will take the request to the rest of the cemetery board, then report back to the city council.
"We just have to look into it and see how much land is affected and we'll see what our future use for the land is and if we could squeeze some more time in there," he said.