Naperville parks vote may mean fewer garden plots

After months of contentious debate, it's possible fewer garden plots will be available for gardeners next spring in Naperville.

The park board will vote tonight on whether to allow athletic fields to be built on West Street before replacement garden plots are created on the city's south side.

Doing so could mean about 110 fewer plots are available next year.

Originally, the park district was going to construct new plots both at DuPage River Park off Royce Road and on the north side of the current West Street site to make up for those they would be losing.

Naperville Unit District 203 would then have room to build two athletic fields on part of the West Street site across from Naperville Central High School.

After months of public hearings and heated debate, park, school and city officials all approved the plan.

However, park commissioners now say they are concerned about the increased costs due in part to proposed amenities at DuPage River Park. They would also like more details about the site and alternate sites. Last month they rejected a construction contract by a 4-3 vote.

But current ordinances prohibit building the athletic fields before the park district creates new garden plots, potentially leaving District 203 in the lurch. The district is losing land, now used for sports fields, that belongs to the adjacent Naperville Cemetery. Meanwhile, the school's number of sports teams is increasing.

Park commissioners will vote tonight on whether to lift the prohibition so work on the athletic fields can get underway. Those fields weren't expected to be completed until 2011 but could actually be done next year if they get the green light.

Commissioners will also vote on a $99,582 contract to construct 114 new West Street plots.

Assuming those West Street plots are ready in spring 2010, that still leaves the park district at least 110 plots short of its current allotment.

Gardeners, many of whom did not want athletic fields built on the current plots to begin with, are now upset the new plots at DuPage River Park won't be in place first.

"Both those things went forward together and now an integral part of what that proposal was is being taken away," gardener Chuck Prock said.

Park district Executive Director Ray McGury said he has contingency plans in mind but did not want to go into detail until after the park board votes on the issue.

"The board will have to make the decision as to which way they want to go with this and we'll take that direction from them," he said.

He does not know when the DuPage River Park plots would return to the agenda.

The park board is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. today at the Riverwalk Community Center, 305 W. Jackson Ave.