Virtual meeting set on pending Lakeshore Preserve acquisition
Lake County Forest Preserve District officials will discuss the pending gift of a 77-acre property that includes a mile of Lake Michigan shoreline, during a virtual meeting Monday.
A Zoom session will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. to provide an update and answer questions about the acquisition of Openlands Lakeshore Preserve, which features lakefront frontage, restored ravines, bluffs, trails and overlooks.
Openlands, a nonprofit conservation organization and land trust, acquired the site in phases in 2007 and 2010. The forest preserve district will accept the property at no cost as caretaker in perpetuity.
Commissioners accepted Openlands' offer June 14 and are in a 60-day due diligence period before the closing.
The property connects along the shoreline and is intended to become part of the 250-acre Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve to the north in Highland Park. Both properties once were part of the Fort Sheridan Army base that opened in 1889 and operated for about a century.
Openlands restored the property, created trails and installed bridges and staircases that allow visitors to reach ravines, bluffs and a portion of the beach. Besides the land, Openlands also will turn over about $1.3 million for long-term preservation and property management.
The scenic spot has been closed since April 2021 after a grenade and two flares were found. They have been addressed, but the forest preserve plans its own safety analysis before reopening.
Commissioner Paul Frank of Highland Park requested the virtual session. He said public interest is "extremely high" and people want to know plans for the property and when it will reopen.
"As a unit of government, I think it's essential that we make affirmative efforts to engage the community on areas of interest," he said.
Forest preserve Executive Director Ty Kovach and Rebekah Snyder, director of community engagement and partnerships, will provide an update and answer questions.
"We're still targeting a Labor Day opening. We hope we can hold to that," Kovach said.
Register at lcfpd.org/calendar/openlands-info for the Zoom session. Registration closes at midnight Monday. Email askaneducator@lcfpd.org with questions.