Idea to house traffic court at Naperville's Safety Town draws critics

A DuPage County traffic court could open in a classroom building at Naperville's Safety Town in what Mayor Steve Chirico calls a "very preliminary" concept that needs vetting.

But the nonprofit group that runs Safety Town already is raising objections and has started an online petition against using the roughly 20-year-old building for a satellite court near Aurora and River roads.

The county's four traffic courts fell under scrutiny last year after DuPage Chief Judge Kathryn E. Creswell called for increased security.

"That's one of the reasons I think the county likes this spot, because it is located on the police department campus, so that adds another level of security," Chirico said of the Safety Town building.

The county approached Naperville about leasing a building for traffic court within the city, and officials discussed several sites, including vacant, private properties.

The Safety Town building would require "very minimal" retrofitting and would provide convenience for police officers and residents who now travel to the Wheaton field court, Chirico said.

He stressed the two sides have not discussed how to structure a lease and how much revenue the city could receive. Also unclear are the hours of court proceedings.

But the goal would be to schedule operations so the facility poses "very little, if any, impact on Safety Town," Chirico said.

The Naperville Junior Woman's Club inked a 20-year lease with the city to use the 2-acre site for Safety Town, a miniature replica of Naperville that opened in 1996.

Chirico said he was made aware during a study on the future of all city properties that the agreement with the club expired in May 2015. That same probe determined the Safety Town building is "one of our least utilized," Chirico said.

Heather Queen, vice president of the Safety Town Commission, said she learned the lease had expired when city and county officials toured the building Aug. 16. The group has started a petition on change.org that's garnered about 950 signatures.

About 1,600 incoming kindergartners and first-grade students are taught safety skills during a summer program held five days a week in June and July, Queen said. The rest of the year, police and firefighters teach students and scouting groups, among other events.

If traffic court was in session two days a week, Queen said the group would have to shorten the summer program to three days a week, could turn away kids and face a loss of income from fees. Queen said parents and neighbors also have expressed concerns and that's she frustrated by the level of communication from the city.

"We feel very much like we're on the receiving end of what they're working on right now," Queen said.

Should the county decide the building is a feasible option, Chirico said stakeholders would meet to iron out the details.

"We're working to try to preserve that partnership," he said.

Safety Town was dedicated to Naperville Mayor Emeritus George Pradel, who helped establish the site, and his late wife, Pat, in May 2015. Pradel could not be reached for comment Saturday.