Campton Township buys $7 million in open space

Campton Township officials are celebrating a $7 million land purchase that nearly completes the acquisition stage of ongoing efforts to preserve natural spaces.

The township this month bought 208 acres known as the Grey Willow Farm, a centrally located estate encompassing a variety of wetlands, oak savannas, creeks and other features along Burlington and Corron roads.

Township Supervisor John Kupar said officials were interested in the property for years before launching formal negotiations in November. The land was purchased March 1 from resident Lillian Fessenden using proceeds approved in a 2005 open space referendum, he said.

"This represents the crowning achievement of our open space program," Kupar said. "It's really something special."

Campton Township has been picking up open space on and off for years, thanks to voter-approved spending in 2001 and 2005. With the addition of Grey Willow Farm, the township now owns 1,334 acres of protected open space, according to Township Administrator Julia Glas.

Kupar said a committee likely would investigate how to make the best use of the latest addition, but he envisions public hiking paths and picnic areas, among other amenities.

"A lot of what we're looking at is passive uses, just a place where people can come and relax," he said. "We're going to take a deep breath and really understand what we should do with the property. We're going to get some input from the residents in the township and go forward."

According to Kupar, the land is complemented by rolling hills and open fields along Burlington Road and dense with hardwood trees to the north. Potential parking access would be along Corron, Burlington and Winchester roads.

Some work remains in the land-acquisition stage of the open space program, Kupar said, but buying Grey Willow Farm represented the bulk of what had yet to be done.

"With this purchase, we're close to completing the acquisition phase, then we'll be moving on to maintenance and development," he said.

Kupar said hundreds of local volunteers, as well as Kane County Board member Barb Wojnicki, have been instrumental in the program's success so far.

"We're really grateful," he said.