Partial settlement OK'd in DuPage golf course fire

DuPage County Forest Preserve commissioners agreed Tuesday to a partial settlement with the district's insurance carrier over the loss and displacement of the contents inside the Oak Meadows Golf Course clubhouse that was destroyed in a February fire.

The district will receive $425,000 to cover some losses as well as the cost of storing displaced items salvaged from the blaze that Addison fire officials say was sparked by a lightning strike.

"We did well," said Mike Palazzetti, forest district deputy director of operations. "We believe it was a fair negotiation."

The 86-year-old structure, which included a fully operational restaurant-style kitchen, was destroyed.

Forest preserve officials said commissioners have yet to decide what to do with the items salvaged from the blaze. They might be able to use some things, but other items may be sold at auction.

Commissioners said they expect to reach an agreement with the district's insurance carrier over the cost of the clubhouse and loss of business in the near future. The district lost thousands of dollars in potential rental revenue at the clubhouse, which was often used to host weddings, large parties and other events.

"I believe the fact that we've settled on property is a good sign we're close to finalizing the rest," Palazzetti said.

Palazzetti said a settlement has to be reached on the cost of replacing or repairing what's left of the clubhouse before a determination can be reached on how much revenue they lost as a result of the building being out of commission.

Most of the Saturdays in 2009 were already booked for weddings when the fire broke out. Brent Manning, the district's executive director, said the district moved some of those events to other district facilities when they could. But district officials also worked with other venues to find wedding parties a new reception hall.

Golf operations at the Addison course have continued despite the absence of a clubhouse.

Before the fire, the district commissioned a study to determine whether the clubhouse at Oak Meadows should be rebuilt, then estimated to cost about $6.5 million; Palazzetti said it would cost more than that today. Instead the district opted for a series of cosmetic improvements.

It took nearly five hours for more than 100 firefighters from 26 agencies to fully extinguish the blaze that destroyed the building. Forest preserve police first responded to the building after a burglar alarm went off at 7:01 p.m. Feb. 26. Fire officials believe the burglar alarm was tripped by the lightning strike to the roof.

Because the burglar alarm sounded and not the fire alarm, the officer had to wait for backup to enter about a half-hour after the alarm was tripped. Upon entering, the officers reported nothing unusual and found no signs of a break-in, but about 20 minutes into their search one of the officers smelled smoke and reported the fire.

Arson investigators said the fire spread through the building's roof and raged virtually undetected because of the many layers of roofing that had been added over the years. The investigators also determined through a check with the National Weather Service that a lightning strike occurred in the area of the clubhouse at about 7 p.m. the night the fire broke out.