Matt Flanagan is in the midst of a civics lesson. The 12-year-old Century Junior High School pupil is not working on a class project but venturing out on his own in an attempt to persuade Orland Township officials to build a tennis court in a park in his neighborhood.
On Tuesday he will make his third appearance before officials at the Township Board meeting. He will carry signed petitions, asking the board to scratch plans for a ball field at McCabe Drive and Logan Street in the Pinewood North subdivision at 139th Street and Wolf Road in unincorporated Orland Township.
Matt’s journey to the Township Boardroom began in August. During the summer Matt and two friends crossed Will Cook Road to play tennis nearly every day at the courts in the Derby subdivision in Homer Township. But his mother, Karen Flanagan, said she was concerned about her son crossing the busy road.
“One day he was complaining about not having something closer to home and I just said, `Do something about it.’ And, he did,” she said.
Matt put together a petition and went through both his and the Orland Trails subdivisions asking for signatures. He worded the petition to include a statement about tennis being a healthy activity for young and old and then requested residents’ signatures to present to the board in favor of constructing tennis courts in the park. The park currently consists of an open field under high tension wires. The township has erected a baseball backstop but has not yet finished construction of the ball field.
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Matt then took the petitions to the Orland Township Unincorporated Council, which referred him to the Township Board. There he was encouraged to get more signatures and he set about his task. He even amended his petition, asking for a combination of two tennis courts, which could also be used as basketball courts. In all he has about 70 signatures.
“I think basketball and tennis courts will be used more than just a baseball diamond,” he reasoned.
Throughout the meetings, Matt was encouraged, he said.
“I felt that they really believe me and listened, so I’m not going to give up,” he added.
He keeps a file documenting telephone calls and includes notes on discussions he has had with everyone connected to the project. After numerous telephone calls, he has tentatively secured donations of stone for a 120-by-60-foot base 6 inches deep for the tennis courts, and fencing for one tennis court from suppliers in the area to further help his cause.
But even with all his hard work and determination, Matt still faces a few obstacles that are out of his control.
The township is in the process of creating parks in its unincorporated areas and this year created and outfitted its first, Fazio Park, at Creek Crossing Drive one block south of 143rd Street, with a tot lot. The project was paid for with a $50,000 state grant and $7,000 in private donations, said trustee Dean Casper.
This fiscal year, the township will receive a $75,000 grant secured by state Sen. William Mahar. In the coming months, Casper said members of the Orland Township Unincorporated Council and the Park Committee will make their recommendations to the Township Board on which of the two other planned parks in Pinewood North and Pinewood West will be completed.
Casper said he truly admires the young man for his efforts. “I think this is great. He is obviously a very special kid. And we need more kids like him,” Casper said.
But, he warned that a decision will not be made for several months. The township will do its own polling of residents in the subdivision. He added that Matt’s donations will help.
“We are not opposed to any of this, but space is limited and unfortunately it is either going to be a ball field or tennis courts. It is not going to be both, but it is still a work in progress,” Casper said.
With youthful hope, Matt said he isn’t going to give up no matter what the decision is.
“I feel good about it all. And if it is a ball field and it is not being used, then I will come back and ask them to reconsider. I’ll just keep coming back,” he said.