Lake Co. forest district inviting input on Ft. Sheridan golf course
With Lake County residents and officials still divided over the future of golf at the Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve, three options for a possible course will be on public display next week.
All three concepts call for nine-hole layouts, not the high-end, 18-hole course original proposed - and later shelved - by the Lake County Forest Preserve District board.
The options also include natural areas and access points that would allow nongolfers to enjoy the historic site, which is near Highland Park and overlooks Lake Michigan.
The plans can be viewed at an Aug. 26 open house at the Gorton Community Center, 400 E. Illinois Road in Lake Forest. Maps of the proposals will be available, and Lake County Forest Preserve District employees will be on hand to answer questions and take written comments from visitors.
Comments will be reviewed by the Fort Sheridan advisory committee, a group of elected officials and community members who've been meeting every two months since December 2009 to develop a plan for the preserve.
The group next will meet in September. Forest district officials hope the committee will make a recommendation to the forest board this fall, either at that meeting or in October or November.
The group could choose one of the three plans, craft a new plan using elements from the existing proposals or reject them completely, said Andy Kimmel, the forest district's deputy executive director.
Executive Director Tom Hahn would like the board to make a decision about Fort Sheridan's future within the next six months.
"Obviously this has been going on a long time, and we've invested a lot of time and effort in it," Hahn said.
An 18-hole course was part of the property when the forest district acquired it from the U.S. Army in the 1990s, and the agreement between the two agencies required a course to be maintained in perpetuity.
An upscale course was planned, which was an incentive to many of the homebuyers in the nearby Town of Fort Sheridan, and the old course was torn up in 2003. But the proposal was scrapped in 2004 after revised cost estimates came in much higher than originally proposed.
A legal battle between the forest district and the developers of the Town of Fort Sheridan created additional delays, and headaches.
Some Town of Fort Sheridan residents have insisted a golf course be built, and some still want a full 18-hole layout. Others have expressed a willingness to compromise for a smaller course.
Lake County forest district officials have been split on the issue as well. Some don't want to spend any public money on a golf course, while others say the district needs to honor its agreement with the Army.
"This has been very difficult," Hahn said of the extended planning process. "We would love to come to some conclusion and then move onto carrying out our forest preserve mission."
The open house will run from 5 to 7:30 p.m., and community members can attend at any time during the session.
If you're interested in the project but can't attend the open house, the golf options can be viewed online at lcfpd.org/fort. Additionally, comments can be sent via e-mail to fort@lcfpd.org.
To be part of the public record, e-mailed comments must include the author's full name and home address and either a phone number or e-mail address.