Geneva neighbors object to removing Sam Hill Park for new police station

Sam Hill Park, a city-owned property next to the public works building, will be the site of a new police station if voters approve a $59.4 million public safety referendum on the March 17 primary ballot.

Neighbors in the 42-home Dover Ridge subdivision object.

“All the neighbors are upset,” resident Rob Humphreys said. “He was a legacy in that neighborhood.”

The park was renamed in 2022 in honor of Hill, the late city alderman, Geneva Park District commissioner and longtime community volunteer.

Humphreys said the city should explore other places to build a police station.

“There’s a lot of history in this neighborhood because Sam and Carolyn Hill founded this neighborhood,” Humphreys said.

Fifth Ward Alderpersons Mark Reinecke and Jeff Palmquist met with him and about 25 neighbors a couple of weeks ago.

“Mark and I were happy to meet with the neighbors and answer questions,” Palmquist said. “The Facilities Master Plan did explore quite a few different sites, but this was the one that emerged as the preferred site.”

Among those in attendance was Carolyn Hill, Sam’s widow, who now lives in Batavia.

“It was a very emotional meeting,” Humphreys said. “She made a comment to the alderman, ‘What do I tell my children and grandchildren about Sam Hill Park demolished for a police department?’”

Humphreys said the response was, “‘We’ll just move the sign.’”

“Not good enough,” he added. “It was a slap in the face to the widower.”

Carolyn Hill agreed.

“Yes it was,” she said. “He (Sam Hill) was very pro-Geneva — city or parks — but I’m not sure he would have said, ‘Put the sign somewhere else.’”

Geneva Park District Board President Jay Moffat said negotiations have already started about finding land to replace the park’s ball fields if the referendum passes.

“Yes, we the park district are concerned, but we believe we have a good cooperative arrangement with the city moving forward to find additional space to put the ball fields,” Moffat said. “It would be unfortunate to lose the ball fields, but it’s the reality of what is in the better interest of the entire population of Geneva.”

Most people don’t know the site as Sam Hill Park, Moffat said. The 17-acre park is noted on the park district’s website as South Street Athletic Fields.

As to where the Sam Hill Park name would move, Moffat said the district could memorialize him at another location.

“We will definitely have something named after Sam Hill,” Moffat said. “Sam Hill was a true statesman in the community, a rare thing in these days.”