Must Plum Library disrupt the lilacs?

I do favor library modernization but not if it means losing parkland open space. More, I am shocked at the plan's irreverent referral to specimens in Lombard's historic lilac collection as "existing vegetation to be removed or relocated."

On June 28, I expressed my concerns to Lombard Park District Commissioners regarding the proposed referendum.

Colonel Plum brought now rare lilacs from Europe when import/export regulation was lax and Lilacia became world-renowned, some calling Lombard's collection the finest in the Western Hemisphere. Authenticity of a collection is achieved, among other factors, through documentation and record keeping not unlike AKC registration distinguishes purebred dogs from mutts. e.g., a 1936 catalog lists the tree lilac near the deck; it is likely older but no older record exists to prove that. Authenticity of our collection fell to the wayside during World War II when Lombard Lilac League, which initiated the festivals and kept lilac records, was dissolved. Later, 181 of the Colonel's original lilacs were relocated to make way for the current library but no record was made of their new location.

The problem was due, in part, at a time when quantity was favored over quality. The park district's first horticulturist began restoration in the 1980s, and in 2009, Jerry Budd and I completed the first "mapping" - the correlation of plant identifying records with its geographic location - to preserve veracity of Lilacia's collection.

Neither open space nor preservation of our renowned lilac should be taken for granted. Relocation of nearly 40 lilacs requires 2,560 square feet of available space that does not exist within Lilacia Park. Surely, our library needs can be met without further encroaching into Lilacia Park or disturbing the lilac collection.

Marymae Meyer

Lombard