Evanston’s 7th Ward Alderman Eleanor Revelle is hosting a meeting between representatives of the Evanston Wilmette Golf Association and neighbors concerned about a proposed $6 million redesign of the Canal Shores golf course.
“Various people have asked me to facilitate continued dialogue between the citizens, residents and the golf course association,” Revelle said. The meeting is slated for 7 p.m. May 24 at the American Legion Hall on Central Street.
The association hosted a meeting with residents late last month during which board members presented a proposed redesign of the course and residents were offered time to ask questions. The architect behind the design, Dave Zinkand, also answered queries posed by community members. The proposed design revolves around a four-course concept which includes a 12-hole course north of Isabella Street, a children’s practice area with five short holes south of Central Street, an 18-hole putting course and multi-directional practice and six-hole short course south of Lincoln Street. Board members said they planned to embark on a two-year-long fundraising effort to generate the revenue needed for the project.
More Top Picks Pet
Evanston resident Pam Ferdinand, who lives near the course, said she and other neighbors are still concerned about the potential ecological impacts of the plan. She said residents are especially worried about the number of trees that will need to be cleared to make way for the multi-directional driving range planned for the southern portion of the course. Additionally, she said, traffic impacts and noise are also concerns. Ferdinand said she questions whether the plan as proposed is a done deal or if the association and its board members are open to revisions.
“I would like the opportunity to have some more dialogue about it,” said Terry Hackett, who lives on Bryant Avenue near the southern portion of the course. Hackett, who has lived in Evanston for the past 16 years, said the course and surrounding environment drew him to the area. Like Ferdinand, he’s also concerned about the potential clear cutting of trees south of Lincoln Street. He said it behooves the association to make a more proactive effort to reach out to residents for their input on the proposed redesign.
“I think being more inclusive, having a neighborhood committee to weigh in would be a good idea and serve them well. Maybe some will jump for joy about the plan and they’ll find advocates, but at the same time they may find people with views that don’t align with theirs, and that is OK. They need a forum for that to happen and that dialogue will ultimately be a good thing,” he said.
Tom Tully, general manager for the course, says “a lot of our information is on our website and that is open and free to everybody.”
He said the board hosts meetings every third Thursday of each month and all are open to the public. Tully said the association plans to hold future “community events” regarding the proposed project.
He said the association listened to the feedback offered by residents at the meeting in late April. He said the feedback can’t be incorporated into the plan at this point because the association has yet to raise the money needed to fund any alterations to the proposal and the board has yet to approve a design.
“All that we’ve paid for is the preliminary plan,” Tully said. “In order to make any changes to it we need more money. We’re getting a lot of pro bono work but some we have to pay for.”
The association also plans to use Wheaton-based Planning Resources, Inc., an interdisciplinary firm of wetland ecologists, landscape architects and land use planners, to evaluate the environment and identify trees and sites worth preserving in an effort to boost the health of the area’s natural features.
Tully said the association hopes to have a final plan from Planning Resources in six to nine months. Half the cost of the plan is being reimbursed through a grant form the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. He said the ecological work is wrapped into the overall $6 million redesign project.
Revelle said there’s a level of confusion in the community regarding control of the course and the surrounding land. She said the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District leases the property to the city of Evanston and Evanston then leases its portion to the association. The Wilmette portion of the property is leased through the Wilmette Park District, she said. Association members have said they’re working with the two local agencies and the MWRD on a lease extension. “I’m going to ask the city to get a copy of the lease agreement,” Revelle said. “I think it’s probably pretty general. As long as the design doesn’t call for any big buildings or something like that, there may not be too much we would have to say about it.”
Tully said the association has received “a lot of positive feedback” from Evanston, Wilmette and MWRD on their proposed rehab project.
“I think I’m generally supportive of the idea that a redesign of the golf course would be a benefit for the golfers and for the community,” Revelle said. “I like the idea that they are moving toward more native habitat and plantings, things that would create habitat for birds and wildlife. My question would be how does that ecological plan mesh with the idea of cutting down so many tees on the south end of the golf course.”
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.