Butler Lake compromise possible

Towering sunflowers and other plants fronting the Butler Lake lagoon are a haven for birds and other wildlife, but Libertyville officials are considering whether the plantings are a bit too much of a good thing.

No official decisions have been made but village trustees appear to favor a compromise that could open a portion of the lagoon shoreline for viewing by visitors or motorists passing on Lake Street.

“We have to find a balance,” said Trustee Drew Cullum, who chairs the village board's parks and recreation committee.

Opening two or three areas along the shoreline, changing the seed mix to lower growing plants or installing signs to identify the plantings were possibilities considered Tuesday by the committee.

Native plantings around the shoreline of the lagoon, which is on the north side of Lake Street, were part of a $3.5 million dredging and shoreline stabilization project focusing on Butler Lake on the south side of the street.

The project, approved in 2005 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, initially produced a barren look around the waterways.

Plantings since have become well established, which became a concern in September for Valerie Carlson whose backyard faces the lagoon and Butler Lake Park.

She contended that plants as tall as nine feet have gobbled up the shoreline and shielded a “charming retreat” from view. At the time, she asked village leaders if anything could be done.

In an update Tuesday, Village Administrator Kevin Bowens said he has not received the manual from the Army Corps that outlines the specifications for operations and maintenance.

Conversations with the agency show potential actions are limited, he added. If plantings were removed from one area, for example, they would need to be replaced elsewhere in the project limit.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as far as the project is concerned,” he said, alluding to supporters of the native plantings.

Those include Carlson's neighbors, Joan and James Sayre, who said they are nature photographers.

“Do not change it. We've lived here for 33 years in that house and we absolutely love it. It is so much nicer now,” Joan Sayre told the committee.

Public Works Director John Heinz said controlling the height of the plants is challenging.

“It's not like planting a garden. It's a little more complex,” he said.

Trustee Nick Proepper, a member of the committee, said some of the native plantings look “incongruous” in the park setting.

“I'd like to walk the whole thing. I don't like the fact you can't see the lagoon,” he said.

Bowens said installing signs could be discussed during upcoming budget discussions. He said the village also will work with the company that maintains the shoreline plantings regarding possible changes.

Carlson, who spent considerable time restoring the sunken garden in Butler Park, agreed a compromise was needed but thought the discussions have been fair.

“They gave it a lot of thought,” she said Wednesday of village officials. “I'm very impressed, actually.”