Cook County renaming woods after former commissioner Carl Hansen

As a Cook County commissioner, Carl Hansen worked to stop the creation of a landfill on northwest suburban land that today stands as a forest preserve.

On Thursday, a county woods near the land Hansen worked to protect will be renamed in his honor.

County officials and family members will gather at Shoe Factory Road Woods near Hoffman Estates Thursday morning to formally rededicate the site as "Carl R. Hansen Woods."

Hansen died in February at the age of 83, and his successor on the county board, Commissioner Tim Schneider, came up with this idea to honor Hansen's dedication to the forest preserve.

"In my mind it was to memorialize Carl at his passing," Schneider said Wednesday.

Hansen spent many years working to prevent the creation of a landfill that would have wiped out about 600 acres at the Poplar Creek Forest Preserve, which stretches between Hoffman Estates and Elgin. Hansen recalled the successful effort as one of his greatest achievements.

Shoe Factory Road Woods was chosen for renaming partly because it is so close to the area that Hansen worked to protect, Schneider said.

"We will be dedicating it in memory of (Hansen) for his service for 32 years as a county commissioner," Schneider said.

Hansen, a Republican from Mt. Prospect, was seen as a watchdog and a tireless worker during a tenure that stands as the second-longest of anyone on the Cook County Board.

The renaming will take place at 11 a.m. at the pavilion on the west side of Route 59, between Golf Road and Higgins Road. Attendees will then walk to a sign at the woods' entrance bearing the new name.