Community: December 2008 Archives

The Sun will soon be publishing our list of the biggest stories of 2008. I'm wondering what you think. What were the most important news events in the area this year? How about the most interesting? The most significant? Most surprising?

We've had two murders, a new city manager and fire chief, a parks director who lasted a few months and a replacement, the continuing Drew Peterson saga, the resolution of the Metea Valley debate and a lot more. So what was important to you?

Update: On Thursday, the Park District offered a new proposal as a compromise option. The newest proposal would relocate 115 of the 216 plots at the southern portion of the West Street location to the northern part. The remaining 101 plots would be relocated to DuPage River Park or Southwest Community Park, where additional plots would also be created to accommodate interest in the program that has been expressed by potential gardeners who live in south Naperville. Two athletic fields would be built in the southern portion of the garden plots.

Is this really a solution everyone can live with, or do you still object to the revised proposal?

Below is the original blog entry:

Today's Sun features the latest on the ongoing saga regarding the garden plots in central Naperville, and how officials from the Park District and Naperville School District 203 are kicking around the idea of kicking out the gardeners and using the land for athletic fields instead.

The area now accommodates 590 garden plots, all of which were rented this past summer - 55 percent to residents who lived north of 75th Street, 37 percent to residents who lived south of 75th Street, and 8 percent to nonresidents.

After the creation of three "soccer-sized fields" there, the area would still provide 364 plots. And, with the creation of 322 new plots in either DuPage River Park or Southwest Community Park, the program would actually grow in size by nearly 100 plots.

Meanwhile, the plan, which is estimated to cost District 203 $500,000 and the Park District $250,000, also would meet the growing demand for athletic fields in the area. District 203 and the Naperville Park District cataloged those demands, which will be even more difficult to meet once the lease on Naperville Cemetery land now used for practice fields expires in 2009. They will present that lengthy list of uses, as well as options to continue accommodating them in the Knoch Park area, in a report that will be presented over the next few weeks during community engagement meetings to be held on this issue.

Let's hear from you. Do you agree that geographically, it makes sense to create additional garden plots at other locations? Or does that detract from the sense of community that gardeners experience working together? What do you think of this latest proposal?

Residents in the neighborhoods near Seager Park are concerned that a proposed development next to the park along Old Plank Road will destroy the feel of the neighborhood and the park by removing old-growth trees and replacing them with buildings.

On the other hand, Russ Whitaker, attorney for the developer, said, "What we are putting next to the park is no different than what exists next to the park right now. There are resident subdivisions on all sides of the park, and to add another residential subdivision is not going to change any character of the (area)."

Do you think the residents have a point, or is this just the price we have to pay for progress. Are you in favor of continued development in Naperville? Is there a compromise that both sides can work with?