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News Items
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- (2/16/12)
West-Win Board of Directors
sends letter to the City of Warrenville on proposed Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) with the Forest Preserve District.
- (2/9/12) The
City of Warrenville
has published a tentative schedule of events before
potentially approving the supply of City services to the proposed
Forest Preserve Fleet Maintenance Building industrial complex
at the intersection of Williams and Mack Roads. The
final approval meeting - if it gets that far - is tentatively
scheduled on May 21, 2012; see the "Potential 2012 Forest Preserve
District IGA" item on Warrenville's website. We appreciate
the efforts of the City - its Mayor and Staff - to follow through
on their promise to keep the public informed and to maintain
an improved level of government transparency ... especially
when compared with our many years of our experience with the
Forest Preserve on this issue. Please read the schedule,
and voice your opinions at all of the upcoming meetings.
This may be our last chance, short of
legal action,
to stop this industrial complex planned for our neighborhood.
An affirmative decision by the Warrenville City Council could
have long lasting detrimental effects on the Williams and Mack
Road areas - including the immediate construction of a 29,000
square-foot 3-story industrial-style Fleet Maintenance building,
the expansion of a recently completed compressed natural gas
station at the intersection, as well as the eventual construction
of two more buildings south of the intersection in the area
currently occupied the Forest Preserve Nursery.
The construction of water (and perhaps sewer) lines from Batavia
Rd. to Mack Rd. could lead to the eventual annexation of the
Williams Rd unincorporated areas into the City of Warrenville
with its increased real estate tax levy. While the City
says it is not their policy to "force annex" anyone, this is
only a policy, and can be changed at any time based on the whim
of the incumbent politicians without citizen vote. There
was recently such a case near Herrick Road in 2002 as reported
by the
Chicago Tribune. So unless the City of Warrenville
has an Ordinance against forced annexation the policy could
change without notice. The current north-Williams Road
area is just beyond the forced annexation limit of 60-acres
and is therefore in danger of forced annexation as permitted
by State law.
We also request the City of Warrenville to conduct public (both
incorporated and unincorporated) Citizen input and hearings
after a tentative "Memorandum of Understanding" is formulated
with the Forest Preserve. We feel that we should be afforded
more than the 48-hour State mandated notice to study any proposed
agreement. We believe a period of at least 2-weeks should
be allotted after notification for citizens to study and comment.
This is similar to what the Warrenville Staff and Council Members
have to study documents. We believe this is the appropriate
process and mirrors the many public meetings and hearing afforded
the Citizens of Warrenville on recent development and tax increase
issues. We trust that the City of Warrenville will not
"railroad" the unincorporated citizens to the advantage of the
incorporated citizens - especially if you wish to "court" the
unincorporated citizens to eventually join the City of Warrenville.
We applaud the efforts by the City of Warrenville to be open
and transparent. We believe that if the City does its
"due diligence" and weighs the financial incentives offered
in the "quid pro quo" from Forest Preserve vs. the selling out
of it's unincorporated residents, and increased Forest Preserve
real estate taxes for its residents, that the City will do the
right thing. Does the City really think that the Forest
Preserve will install "improvements" for the City of Warrenville
without raising taxes on the Warrenville and DuPage County Citizens?
It can't happen - the money has to come from somewhere -
especially since the cost of approximately 1.5 mile water line
will have to be absorbed totally by both DuPage County and Warrenville
Residents (and not by the mostly unincorporated residents along
the route). The City should require the Forest Preserve
District to disclose its funding plans.
Has the City polled its residents that will be impacted by these
bike trails next to their property offered by the Forest Preserve
and understand if they want these "improvements"?
As we have documented many times on this website, there are
alternative properties for the proposed Fleet Maintenance Building
that have ready access to full water and sewer facilities, within
Forest Preserve owned properties, and that are already zoned
for commercial/industrial purposes and that are not adjacent
to residential properties. The City of Warrenville and/or
the Forest Preserve will have to pay for a 3/4-mile water line
extension from the Morris Ct. intersection on Williams Rd to
the Mack Rd. and the Williams Rd. intersections and the another
approximately 3/4-mile spur-loop to the west on Mack Rd. to
Rt. 59 to complete the necessary water-line loop to assure fire
protection. So it is obvious that this 1.5-mile Warrenville
water line extension will have to be paid for by the City of
Warrenville and/or the DuPage County residents in general.
Very few of the residents along the 1.5-mile path
have expressed any interest in
City water.
The question for the City of Warrenville should be is "where
is the Forest Preserve going to come up with the money for this
multi-million $ project? The Forest Preserve has
offered "quid pro-quo" improvements for Warrenville "park" improvements.
We urge the City to consider the long-term maintenance cost
... i.e., which cost more, the maintenance of a bike trail,
or the maintenance of water and sewer lines? You can not
estimate Forest Preserve water line maintenance costs based
upon their water usage ... their usage will be small since they
are basically asking for water based on fire protection needs.
Therefore, maintenance costs for long extension can not be recovered
by water usage cost alone. The Forest Preserve Fleet Maintenance
Building water usage will be small until they build the deer
processing plant facility. We trust that the City
of Warrenville has the financial cost analysis resource professionals
available on their staff to make these cost/benefit decisions.
While this proposal from the Forest Preserve may seem like "free
money" for the Citizens of Warrenville the money will actually
come from the Citizens of Warrenville via their Forest Preserve
accessed real estate taxes ... there are no "free ride" options
available ... taxes will ultimately be increased for the Warrenville
residents to support the Forest Preserve unjustifiable request.
Please attend the next Warrenville City Council Meeting on this
subject. The Warrenville City Council Meetings are a breath
of fresh air and you will be respected and your comments will
be recorded ... and hopefully listened to.
Their meetings are on local cable channels and are available
on the web for later viewing. Just check out the Forest
Preserve weekly meeting comments and video's ..... OOP's,
sorry, they don't exist, even though they spend a lot
more of your taxpayer dollars than does the City of Warrenville.
Go figure. The Forest Preserve does not summarize Citizen
comments from their public comments portion of the meeting.
The City of Warrenville gives a detailed synopsis.
"Houston ... we have a problem" ... with the Forest Preserve.
Hopefully the City of Warrenville will be able to cut through
the opaque and muddy explanations of the Forest Preserve with
respect to the Blackwell Mack Road plans for the future.
A simple automobile drive to the intersections to view the gas
station in the midst of a pristine open area should at least
produce some questions.
The Forest Preserve will respond "it was already a disturbed"
area when we began installing industrial buildings. Ask
who disturbed it? ... The answer ... the dinosaurs, a woolly
mammoth excavated from McKee Marsh and now displayed in a Chicago
museum, the Native Americans whose extensive arrow head collections
were collected by the Mack family, an American family that farmed
the area and passed on the land to the Forest Preserve, and
finally "disturbed" by the Forest Preserve of DuPage County
that has constructed industrial-style buildings, and who have
dumped building materials on the site .... so who has "disturbed
the area? ... YES, the woolly mammoths, the Native Americans,
the American farmers who farmed the land, and the Forest Preserve,
you be the judge. The area that has been "disturbed" by
Forest Preserve can easily be returned to its initial condition,
probably within several weeks.
The bottom line: we request that City of Warrenville
hold public hearings to solicit public comment on any proposed
"memorandum of understanding" for an Intergovernmental Agreement
(IGA) with the Forest Preserve District regarding extension
of Warrenville City services to the Forest Preserve Industrial
Complex at the intersection of Williams and Mack Roads and that
its citizens and the citizens of the surrounding communities
be given more than the 48-hour statutory notice requirement.
[Since websites frequently remove and change their information
and links, you can find the original Warrenville schedule of
events as published on their website
here
for historical purposes. Please check current
City of Warrenville website for current
information. See The City > Community Development > Related
Services Pages > Current Development Projects >
Potential 2012
Forest Preserve District IGA]
- (2/1/12)
Report by the Village Chronicles Newspaper
on Warrenville City Council Meeting Regarding the Forest Preserve
Request for City Services
-
(1/24/12)
–
Forest Preserve Requests Water Service from
the City of Warrenville to Continue Construction of Fleet Maintenance
and other Buildings in Opposition to Local Residents Objections.
See Warrenville City Council meeting videos.
- (11.9/2011) Our
research, with respect to the Forest Preserve District's
proposed Fleet Maintenance Building in the Blackwell Forest
Preserve, shows and alleges that the Forest Preserve District
of DuPage County and DuPage County entered into an illegal Intergovernmental
Agreement to exempt the Forest Preserve from County Zoning Ordinances
in violation of the requirements of State Statues that require
a public hearing when Zoning Ordinances are changed. Several
other violations of Citizen rights are also explored and backed
up with citations from legal case law, including Illinois State
Supreme Court decisions that show that the Forest Preserve is
not unconditionally exempt from County Zoning Ordinances.
We have had this research reviewed by several attorneys, one
of which was involved in aspects of contributing to the State's
Zoning Statutes. We are attempting to solve these issues
out of Court in order to save tax payer dollars and therefore
we have contacted both the Forest Preserve and DuPage County
Board Chairmen. We are making some progress with the County
Board Chairman, Dan Cronin. We have also contacted the
Illinois Attorney General, and our State Representative, Mike
Fortner, for their help.
These efforts are being led by the West-Win Forest Preserve
Fleet Maintenance Building Subcommittee Chair, Shannon Burns,
and by West-Win President, Dennis Clark. Hundreds of hours
have been spent by these volunteers to help protect your neighborhood
from being turned into a Forest Preserve industrial complex.
The Forest Preserve has already made significant progress toward
this outcome with the latest addition of a CNG (compressed natural
gas) station in a residential neighborhood along Mack Rd.
- (10/10/11) –
Newsletter Published
- Blackwell Forest Preserve Mack Rd. Fleet Maintenace Building Update
- (11/3/10) –
Forest Preserve Fleet Maintenance Building
"Study" Results Updated @ Planning Session
- (8/26/09) –
Mack Rd. Forest Preserve "Industrial" Complex Planned
See Voice of the People (FP ignores Citizens
Petitions) (10/21/09)
- (12/4/10)
At the November 9, 2010, Forest Preserve
(FP) Board meeting – the 1st meeting after the Nov.
2nd FP Board General Election – the FP Board presented
the results of their "study" of alternate sites for the proposed
Blackwell Fleet Maintenance Building near McKee Marsh on Mack
Rd. The study was presented despite the fact that
the FP Board announced - just weeks earlier - that the study
had not been undertaken due to time constraints associated with
(among other things) answering Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
requests from our members of our Association. We have
requested a copy of the study and the criteria used for the
study from our District Commissioner - but, to date - we have
not received a response.
As far as we can tell, there was no set of
objective criteria developed for the "study" even though we
suggested many criteria in open session with the FP Board and
offered to work cooperatively with the FP to develop criteria
BEFORE a formal study was undertaken. The FP Board just
doesn't seem willing to engage with the Public in a meaningful
dialog that could culminate in a mutually beneficial solution
for all of DuPage County residents.
During the presentation a representative
of Knight Engineering –
who was contracted
for the initial "Needs assessment" study – basically stated
our case for us.
They state that the neighbors near the car
dealerships they investigated don't want the increased truck
traffic or the repaving that would be necessary every two years
because of the loads.
Yet the FP tells us that Mack Rd. won't need
repaving even though it is rated at only 5-tons by the Township.
Mack Rd. is in unincorporated DuPage County, thus the local
residents will have to pay for this DuPage County-wide expense.
It appears that the FP is speaking out of "both sides of their
mouths." Just listen to the testimony for yourself in
the following audio clips. After listening to this presentation
there is no way you could conclude that the proposed Blackwell
expansion is not an "Industrial Complex."
Just listen to the rhetoric of
these entrenched politicians and decide for yourself what is
the truth.
In the interim
to our requests for information, you can listen to 5 audio recordings
of the FP Board discussion of the "Study" presented at the November 9, 2010 at the following
links:
-
(13 min.):
FP Staff Report
 :
- Alternative Locations
- Cost of moving facilities to one
location
- Suitability of gas stations
- Centralization vs. Decentralization
Interestingly, this report
basically supports our assertion that the Blackwell site
will become an "Industrial Complex" because currently
available vacant car dealerships are too small for what
they want to construct and they couldn't find neighbors
of current car dealerships that would welcome the FP Fleet
Building.
Put another way, do you think
it is reasonable to put a facility that is larger than a
car dealership in "your backyard in a residential neighborhood?
During the presentation the FP Staff person stated that
an alternative location at Mack Rd. and Rt. 59 was not appropriate
because of the intersection congestion that would be caused.
This is the same intersection that will be used if the current
proposal is implemented! Do these people even visit
the neighborhood? Listen to the audio recording and
look at a map for yourself and judge.
Again, "Not in my (or your) backyard NIMBY" is EXACTLY
what we request. The FP is taking an area originally
zoned "Residential" and turning it into "Commercial/Industrial"
land use without "due process." Up to this point their
slow incursion into a residential neighborhood has been
modest and acceptable and unopposed (except that they once
tried to turn it into golf course!).
But with the construction
of regional refueling "gas station" and other construction
of Industrial facilities (with no public notification) ...
it's time to request a full Public Hearing on their plans.
If the FP were constrained by DuPage County Zoning Ordinances
- and associated hearings - then our Neighborhood Association
could abide by such a process and outcome. But as
it stands now in DuPage County, the Forest Preserve can
basically do "what ever it wants without regard to Neighborhood
input" ... and this is exactly what they are doing ... and
under the guise that they have a "mandate" to do it by the
last election. Yes, it is actually stated in these
recordings that the results of the recent National & DuPage
County elections actually supports and repudiates the West-Win
position on Blackwell ... Listen for yourself! We
are not making this stuff up!
- (10 min.): Safety
Concerns Comments by Knight Engineering and Q&A from Board
: Safety concerns at Blackwell make you wonder how the FP
has been exempt from basic building codes and OSHA inspections.
- (5 min.):
President
Pierotti Comments : "Changing from Blackwell
site" will cost "substantially more money." Yet he
admits he doesn't have the data.
"The Homeowners' Assoc. [West-Win] represents just a small
number [sic] of people." Actually West-Win has over 700
households and over 1200 potential voters on its member
roles. Note that West-Win is only requesting the same
consideration that they would be afforded by DuPage County
Zoning Ordinances. The FP Commissioners further state
that our Association has a "pre-determined" position.
On the contrary, we have only requested a study based on
a citizen-based set of criteria. A careful inspection
of the FP Board members positions will likely lead you to
the belief that it is the FP Commissioners that have the
"pre-determined" position. Why else would they wait
until only 1-week after the election to address the issue?
Just listen to the FP President on this issue and other
issues before the FP and judge for yourself. His statements
speak for his uninformed views ... unbelievable!
Again, we are not making this stuff up ... just listen to
his audio statements. He states that "unlike other
Governmental entities" that the FP takes into consideration
the concerns of the people in the area." Is this a
joke? First, the County Board holds Zoning hearings
on such changes in a neighborhood. Second, the FP
Board has never held hearings or addressed our concerns
in an open and documented public forum. None of our
comments presented during the Public Comments "agenda" of
a FP Board meeting have ever been reported or published
in the FP public record. Take a look at our website
and the letters/comments sent to the FP Commissioners, and
then compare this to the statements of the Commissioners.
- (5 min.):
Commissioners Formento & Kotecki Comment : Commissioner Kotecki
elicits the fact that several FP locations that our members
requested be included in the study were not.
- (2 min.):
A neighborhood
resident voices her opinion on the recent election and hopes
for the future of the FP : During the public comments
section of the meeting (which are not recorded in the official
minutes) one of the neighbors, Francine Manilow, presented
comments. She urged the board not to forget that while
this was the first election in which they were ever opposed,
that 40% of the electorate voted against them and that there
was significant opposition to the current Blackwell Fleet
Maintenance Building plans that should be seriously addressed.
-
(8/24/09) At the August 18, 2009, Forest Preserve Board meeting
an important announcement was made regarding the proposed Fleet
Maintenance Building at the Blackwell Forest Preserve. After 5 months of research by the West-Win Friends
of the Forest sub-committee, numerous presentations, a booth
at the County Fair, pressure to have an evening meeting to inform
the public of the full master plan for Blackwell, and attendance
at Board meetings, President Pierotti "officially" announced
– on the record – that construction of the Fleet Maintenance
Building at Blackwell is being postponed while alternative sites
are being considered. Dennis Clark and Shannon Burns presented
signed petition letters – over 1750 letters – to the Board!
We also presented the Board with yet another site suggestion
as an alternative to the Blackwell proposed site.
While this is cause for cautious
optimism, there is a need to maintain vigilance to be sure that
the search for alternate sites is legitimate, that a list of
criteria is developed and used this time, and that due diligence
is conducted in planning for the Maintenance Facility – wherever
it is located. To this end, we will continue to monitor
the Forest Preserve Board. Check back periodically to
this website to see if additional information on the status
of the Fleet Maintenance Building has been added.
At the July 21, 2009 evening
meeting about 125 people attended to learn of the full master
plan being considered by the Forest Preserve. The proposed
Fleet Service Building is just the start of what was to have
been a multiple building complex. Despite reassurances
by President Pierotti that the evening meeting was to present
this valuable information to the public and that the item was
listed on the official agenda, President Pierotti took it upon
himself to change the agenda and not include the presentation
of the full master plan. Instead he provided a 50-minute
history lesson of the voting records of all the past and current
members of the Board.
Submitted by West-Win Friends of the Forest
Preserve Committee.
- (7/21/09)
The outpouring of citizen comments at the 7/21/09 Forest
Preserve Commission Board presentation meeting on the future
of the proposed Blackwell Fleet Service Maintenance Industrial
Complex was spectacular. We had approximately 150 to 200 concerned
citizens in the audience and about 15-20 speakers from all over
the County. Thank you one and all for your show of support.
We definitely made an impression on the Board of Commissioners
by your professional and factual presentations.
 We requested the FP Board to vote
to reconsider their plans and to consider the many alternatives
that you presented tonight. The President stated that
they have to schedule any such vote for a future meeting.
Stay tuned to this channel and to the Forest Preserve website
for upcoming news on this issue.
Thank you to the FP Commission and Staff for scheduling this
7/21/09 meeting during the evening so that working citizens
could attend, and for providing - in advance - overflow seating
and a video feed for those who couldn't get into the main meeting
room – EXCELLENT JOB – hopefully we
To read more about this Blackwell
Industrial Complex Forest Preserve issue
click here.
- (Feb 11th '09)
REZ Voted Down by County Board
At its meeting on February 10, 2009, the
County Board voted 14 to 3 to NOT approve the proposed Mega
Church on Purnell Rd. in unincorporated Winfield Township.
In a final statement, a Church of the Resurrection
representative referred to the concessions they had made, stated
that they had just two business days earlier met with DuDOT
and been requested to provide additional information, and requested
more time to evaluate the nine conditions to be amended to the
resolution. In response to the Church representative’s
request, a Board Member moved to table the item, but that effort
resulted in a resounding defeat, indicating that the Board Members
were ready to deal with this issue.
The issue was brought to the Board, and District
6 Board Members added amendments which were then unanimously
adopted. In the end, County Board Members realized the
complex was too massive and would have too many adverse operational
impacts to the neighborhood to allow approval.
The West-Win Homeowners’ Association would
like to thank all of its members for a solid show of unity in
preserving our neighborhood. Our objective has been to
provide relevant facts to County officials who were making the
decisions. Those facts clearly pointed to the errors by
Petitioner in the areas of traffic, noise, light, storm water
management, and property values. Proposed construction
items were not in line with the standards, and Petitioner never
overcame the burden of proof that their proposed development
would not severely and adversely impact the neighborhood.
Special thanks go to several County Board
Members who thoroughly reviewed all information from both parties
and were able to see the flaws in the proposal offered by Petitioner.
Special thanks also goes to the West-Win subcommittee assigned
to this task. The group did an outstanding job of research,
fund raising and presentation of information at various meetings.
We were consistent in taking the high ground in pointing out
the errors and omissions in Petitioner’s information.
It was a long and difficult journey, but we have learned that
if we work together and show determination and persistence,
good things do happen.
Thanks again to our neighbors and to the
County Board.
Dennis Clark
President
West-Win Homeowners’ Association
-
(Feb 13th '09)
The Chicago Tribune: "DuPage board rejects plan for Winfield
church"
 .
- (
Feb 11th '09)
The Daily Herald
reports: " DuPage County rejects plans for massive church complex.
"
Read it here 
-
Click here to get all of the details
and history of this Mega-Church development project.
-
Summary Survey Results for Annexation, Commercialization,
Water & Sewer
- more details of the 10/24/2006 meeting
with our public officials will follow. It was an informative
and interesting meeting. Thanks to all who participated
(and paid their dues to keep this web site and organization
in existence).
(10/06)
General Meeting to address commercialization
and annexation issues with public official panel discussion
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
(10/06)
- Special Annexation & Commercialization
Newsletter
(9/06)
-
 EPA announcement of thorium
cleanup site @ Rt. 59 and Mack Road & August 22, 2006 information
meeting
(9/06)
Read newspaper articles, DuPage
County, and other EPA information regarding the West Branch DuPage River radioactive
thorium
cleanup project
(8/06)
- Read
older News postings
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