New contenders for Olympic equestrian site
The Lakewood Forest Preserve near Wauconda could be replaced as the location for equestrian events if Chicago wins the bid for the 2016 Olympics.
Chicago 2016, the group making the pitch for the city against several international cities, is considering alternate sites, including the Raven Glen forest preserve near Antioch and two facilities offered by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County.
Raven Glen, along Route 45 near Route 173, was reviewed in the early days of the search, but Lakewood was revealed as the proposed site by Olympic backers in a special public session last January.
Lake County elected officials were ecstatic the county could possibly host an Olympic event. But the $12.5 million plan for Lakewood drew opposition from some residents and environmental groups who feared the preserve would be damaged.
Raven Glen re-emerged after Abbott Laboratories offered the use of a sizable portion of its 500-acre holdings immediately east of Route 45.
The potential change was made known in a recent letter to the board from Doug Arnot, senior vice president of games operations for Chicago 2016.
"The combination of this land with the Raven Glen Preserve could result in a dynamic site not only for the Games, but also, if approved, a wonderful legacy equestrian facility could remain at Raven Glen," the letter said.
"This intriguing possibility is being evaluated."
Tom Hahn, executive director of the Lake County forest preserves, said Raven Glen has "excellent opportunities" for equestrian uses. It also has better transportation links than Lakewood as it is close to the Tri-State Tollway and other major state routes.
"If the Abbott property can be used effectively … it would be a dynamite site."
Changing the location would require a vote by the forest board. Olympic officials are expected to address the board sometime before the end of the year.
Arnot also mentioned that the DuPage County forest preserves invited the group to consider an unnamed site, which he said "appears to offer very good potential" as an equestrian venue.
Brent Manning, executive director in DuPage, said the district is "steeped in equestrian facilities," including the Danada Equestrian Center in Wheaton.
"If we can help in any way, shape or form to bring the Olympics to our area, we want to do that," he said.
The other possibility is St. James Farm in Winfield. The district took possession of the property on both sides of Butterfield Road July 1. The southern portion of the site is farmland and the district is in the process of creating a master plan for the site.
Chicago 2016 officials have toured the facilities, Manning said, and have asked for more detailed information such as the number of stables and paddocks and other logistics.
Chicago 2016 is constantly tweaking all 28 potential Olympic sites. The so-called bid book, a 500-page detailed outline of the plans, is due to the International Olympic Committee by Feb. 12, 2009. A "mini bid-book" is due Jan. 14, according to Patrick Sandusky, a Chicago 2016 spokesman.
"We continue to look at ways to refine our plan, enhance it and make it better," he said.
Opponents to the Lakewood site contend the venue should not be on public land.
"We welcome it (Olympics) in Lake County but our organization still firmly, positively believes that it should not be on forest preserve land," said Sheilah Watson, head of the Preserve Lakewood group.