Park Board Votes 6-1 to Change Ball Field for Garden Plot Plan

Posted at 6:21 PM on November 8, 2009

In a vote said in September to have been legally impossible, the Park District Board agreed 6-1 to convert the southern West St. garden plots to ball fields without constructing new garden plots as promised during the Community Engagement Process of 2008 and thought to have been mandated by the City Council in April. Despite statements made in September by the park district's legal council calling decoupling of the ball fields and new plots impossible without a "miracle" City Council vote, the park district subsequently discovered that no such language was actually included in the April ordinance. That ordinance was approved unanimously by the council, and allowed the park district at School District 203's request to amend their current lease of the West St. properties. It had been understood that the amendment limited changes to the lease to the conversion of the southern garden plots to ball fields only after replacement plots were available, but for some reason the final draft of the ordinance that was voted on did not contain that language.

The Park District has stated that they will now offer only 476 garden plots next year, a reduction of about 125 from this growing season, instead of the promised expansion to DuPage River park or perhaps elsewhere. The district has indicated they will pursue an expansion of the gardening program in the future, but no details have been made public, and no process exists to determine which West St. gardeners will get priority selection in the certain to sell out 2010 gardening season.

In his dissent, Commissioner Ron Ory publically called the process “an obfuscation", indicating the vote rendered meaningless promises previously made to the community.

The following (below) statement concerning the situation on West St. is from the district, and current as of early November.

“Construction of the West Street Garden Plots northern expansion and improvements project is underway. The project primarily includes site clearing, grading, drainage improvements, and water system installation in the northern plots. Overall, the project will result in approximately 476 garden plots and 4 ADA plots located in the northern portion of the West Street Garden Plots area.

A portion of the project includes the installation of 4 water spigots in the expansion areas of the northern plots. The 4 water spigots will be removed from the southern garden plots area in order for the equipment to be re-used within the northern plots. In addition, drainage improvements will be made to the northern garden plots which require the addition of topsoil. The topsoil that is needed will be removed from the southern garden plots for use within the northern gardening areas. Relocation of topsoil is expected within the next several weeks.”