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Health & Fitness

Blast from the Past - Taxes with no services.

13 years ago...

Saying they have received conflicting reports on efforts to place a park in their subdivision, more than 50 current and future residents of the developing Peach Creek subdivision packed a recent Lisle Village Board meeting looking for answers.

"We're all neighbors and citizens, and we should help each other," said homeowner and group spokesperson Raj Nagarajan. "We will be paying a sizable amount of property and sales taxes and we want a place for our children to grow in a safe neighborhood. We are asking you to do whatever you need to do to get a park for us."

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Nagarajan co-wrote a letter sent to the village and the Lisle Park District with a long list of questions about the issue.

The group also took its concerns to a Park District board meeting.

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About 20 years ago, the village bought 4.35 acres on Fender Avenue, part of the former Peach Farm, to reserve for a public works storage facility.

Cambridge Homes of Libertyville has since bought the rest of the farmland for a 159-home Peach Creek subdivision, which does not include plans for a park.

During the last few years, the Park District has proposed several sites for a land swap with the village, which has rejected them because the parcels have been deemed inadequate.

To comply with the village's land-or-cash ordinance for new developments, Cambridge provided a contribution of about $200,000 to the Park District.

Although the district could use those funds and buy a site to exchange with the village, it has said the amount is inadequate to buy any land. The transaction came before trustees last year raised the fees developers must pay the Lisle Park District and local school districts in lieu of land donations, to $110,000 from $65,000 per acre.

The village had been negotiating with Metra to place the public works facility on a remnant parcel on Elm Street owned by the commuter rail system, but Metra officials now say the land is needed to comply with DuPage County storm-water management requirements.

Mayor Ron Ghilardi said the village has thoroughly examined its holdings and knows of no available site.

"If somebody has a parcel around 2 acres, we would be glad to hear about it," he said.

Trustee Judy Yuill believes the village should not be involved in the matter.

"We gave the money to the district," said Yuill. "I don't know what they did with it. But they should be the ones looking for the land. They should do the studies. Why should we have to do it? We are separate taxing bodies, and it's unfair to our taxpayers to use our funds."

But Trustee Luke Brandonisio said the village should work with its "sister agencies, especially those with limited arenas to raise funds."

Ghilardi disagreed, noting that while the village serves as the "conduit" of developers' fund for other agencies, "we have to assume in good faith that each is discharging their duties responsibly."

"The village shouldn't be subsidizing those districts just because we have more financial wherewithall or redirecting our funds for their use," he said.

Several trustees reminded residents that they knew there wasn't a park in the neighborhood when they bought their homes.

Trustee Joe Broda said if he owned a home there, "I would be challenging the builder to build small pocket parks instead of houses on the remaining unbuilt parcels."

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-12-10/business/0012100358_1_land-swap-parcel-subdivision

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