$4M land purchase for sports complex OK'd

WARREN TOWNSHIP -- It wasn't your typical election -- not only was it held on a Wednesday in October, but the eight official ballot boxes were garbage cans.

In the end, more than 500 residents lined up out the door and filled the school's auditorium to provide an answer: 294-196 in favor of the purchase.

The proposal centers on 50 acres of farmland land north of Stearns School Road at Mill Creek Drive. The site was formerly part of a 100-acre swath targeted for an 80-unit residential development in 2006, a project reportedly scuttled by the recession.

Conceptual drawings call for 30 acres of the parcel to be redeveloped with four baseball/softball fields, three football fields, two lacrosse fields and a 300-space parking lot.

Other amenities would include a playground, a concessions/restroom building, a walking/bicycle path with learning stations, and three detention ponds. Restoration of wetlands and woodlands would include preservation of a 17-acre stand of trees.

One opponent in attendance Wednesday, Ken Arnold of the Citizens for Responsible Government, said he feels the township is engaging in "a mad rush" to buy the property during a recession.

"(There have) been less than two weeks for citizens to get to know about this proposal," said Arnold, adding that he sees "a serious lack of full and due diligence" by township officials on such things as the total cost of developing a sports facility.

Township sports director Rick Dreyer said he believes a new facility would "provide even more opportunities" for children who participate in sports programs.

"We are maxed out and find it hard to provide (facilities) for our programs," Dreyer said. "As a community, we would be short-sighted not to look to the future."

Township officials stated that financing for the $3.99 million purchase -- about $80,000 per acre -- would not come from a tax increase. About $3.3 million would come from a 15-year loan through NorStates Bank, with the remainder covered by $700,000 set aside for land purchases. A $750,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is also being sought.

Additional details released Wednesday revealed that the would-be residential developer, The Inland Corp., paid $110,000 per acre for the property and offered it to the township for $90,000 per acre. The township reported that it originally offered Inland $72,000 per acre before the $80,000 figure was reached.

Supervisor Suzanne Simpson told the crowd at one point that "I can tell you with certainty that the property will be sold (to) another buyer" if voters rejected the deal.

Simpson also said it would cost about $4 million to build out the property, but "we will be doing that incrementally. If there's no money in the budget (for construction), nothing will go forward."

Simpson pledged more than once that there would be no lights, which had been a concern expressed by nearby residents.