Forest district throws wrench in Navistar's plans

In a move that could complicate Navistar's proposed takeover of the former Lucent Technologies campus in Lisle, DuPage County Forest Preserve commissioners might cancel a plan to sell district-owned property for the development.

But first, the district's attorney needs to determine whether that's legally possible.

"If we knew then what we know now, we wouldn't have entered into the agreement," forest preserve President Dewey Pierotti said Tuesday. "Based on the facts that we know, we've directed our attorney to see if there's any way for us to get out of the agreement."

Navistar is seeking Lisle's permission to acquire 89 acres along Warrenville Road and transform it into the company's headquarters. Public hearings on the project are expected to resume next month.

In the meantime, DuPage County and Lisle already have agreed to spend $1.5 million to buy forest preserve land behind the vacant Lucent campus. That three-acre parcel, which Alcatel-Lucent originally sold to the forest preserve, would be given to Navistar so it could gain control of roads on that land.

Forest preserve commissioners say they agreed to sell the land in September because they thought Navistar's move would bring white-collar jobs to the area.

They say they didn't know - until Lisle residents started complaining - that Navistar's plans include the installation of a 162,000-gallon, aboveground liquid storage and waste facility and a vehicle preparation station.

On Tuesday, the residents again voiced their concerns about safety and pollution. And operators of a new school for autistic children near the site said Navistar's plans could have a devastating effect on their school.

"We've heard all of the concerns of the people regarding the environmental issues," Pierotti said. "Those concerns are our concerns, and we certainly don't want to get into an agreement that's against our mission statement. If it's going to be detrimental to the health and welfare of the people around there, we don't want to be a party to it."

However, the residents didn't complain to forest preserve commissioners until after the intergovernmental agreement between Lisle, DuPage and the forest preserve was approved.

Lisle and county officials said they didn't know if the intergovernmental agreement could be rescinded at this point.

DuPage County Board member Grant Eckhoff said he hopes forest preserve commissioners speak to Navistar about the residents' concerns before making a decision.

"I think that they owe it to themselves to hear from Navistar," said Eckhoff, chairman of the board's economic development committee. "You want to hear both sides of every issue."

Lisle Mayor Joseph Broda said environmental issues will be addressed as part of the review process.

"I have confidence in the system that the EPA and the IEPA will not be issuing any permits to a facility to do anything if it was going to be a detriment to the surrounding area and the residents in the community," he said.

So Broda suggested the intergovernmental agreement could be revised to require that permits from those agencies be approved before the land deal is finalized.

Forest preserve Commissioner Mike Formento the district has requested a full environmental impact statement. Still, he would like to see the district's involvement canceled.

"I think it is appropriate for us to stand back from this thing right now and, if legally possible, step out of this intergovernmental agreement," Formento said.

Navistar spokesman Roy Wiley declined to comment on whether omitting the forest preserve parcel could jeopardize the project. He said only that Navistar has indicated from the beginning that it would like to have a contiguous piece of property.