Gov. George Ryan awarded five municipalities and one government agency in southern Cook, Will and Kankakee Counties more than $3 million in grant money for open land and bike trail projects.
Ryan made Orland Park his last stop Monday as he traveled throughout northeastern Illinois discussing open land projects.
Orland Park Mayor Dan McLaughlin accepted the biggest grant in the form of a ceremonial $1.95 million check from Ryan. The grant is part of Ryan’s four-year, $160 million land acquisitions program for land purchases and improvements funded through the Department of Natural Resources. This is the second year of the $40 million annual program.
In his speech, Ryan echoed what McLaughlin and members of the village’s Open Land Commission have been saying for months as they campaign for the village’s $20 million open land referendum.
“If we don’t purchase the land now, we probably never will. … [It] will be lost to developers,” Ryan said.
“This is going to ensure that our kids and their grandkids will be able to experience the natural beauty of our state,” Ryan said.
The matching grant would cover a portion of the estimated $3.9 million cost for a 48-acre parcel known as St. Michael Woods, located at 159th Street and Will-Cook Road. The property includes a hickory and oak tree savanna and three ponds. The village plans to construct a nature center, a trail system and a parking lot on the site. The village is in negotiations with three different landowners that own parts of the parcel to purchase the land.
“It may end up that we may only be able to purchase 30 acres, but at least it will be something that we can preserve,” McLaughlin said.
Next week voters will face the open lands question on the ballot as the village looks for more money to buy about 300 acres of land. In September the Village Board agreed to place a non-binding referendum proposal on the ballot asking voters if they would want the village to issue $20 million in general obligation bonds to purchase and maintain land for open space. If the proposal passes, the owner of a $250,000 home would pay an extra $46.70 a year in taxes.
If the proposal does not pass, McLaughlin said the village is still committed to trying to buy some parcels, but it would ultimately be up to the Village Board to decide how and where to spend the money.
Ryan told the village there is more money available.
“If you pass the referendum, then there will be more money available,” Ryan said.
McLaughlin said he anticipates the village will aggressively pursue more grants if the referendum proposal passes.
“There are lots of grants out there that if we had the money, we could match it. So $2 million is actually worth $4 million if we had the money to work with,” he said.
In October, the village applied for another state $2 million Open Lands Trust Grant to buy the 89-acre Stell Wagen property at 179th Street and 108th Avenue. The cost of the property is estimated at $7.15 million.
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On Monday, Ryan also awarded Bourbonnais a $118,900 grant to develop a 1.2-mile bicycle path. Manteno got a $31,500 grant to acquire a half-mile corridor for a bike trail. The Will County Forest Preserve District received $200,000 to develop a 2.9-mile bike trail through the Lake Renwick Nature Preserve. A $440,000 grant was awarded to South Holland for a 2-mile bike trail, and Kankakee received $329,000 to improve its streetscape.