Lake County’s largest forest preserve in southwest Wauconda could grow by more than 75 acres, expanding the public park that offers hiking, cross-country skiing, equestrian and biking trails.
The Lake County Forest Preserves District’s Planning Committee approved two resolutions Monday for the purchase of properties in unincorporated Fremont Township: a 1.6-acre plot known as the Breuer property for $295,000, and a 74.3-acre parcel known as the Air Estates property for $1,950,000.
If the resolutions are approved by the Board of Commissioners, the Lakewood Forest Preserve would expand by 75.9 acres, or about 57 standard professional football fields. The Wauconda preserve also has fishing, ice-skating, sledding, a dog park and summer camps.
Executive Director Alex Ty Kovach said the district approached the committee with the purchase plan a few years ago, but budget constraints prompted the district to pursue other projects. For over a decade, Kovach said the district has looked at the properties from time to time.
“This was the first time that they’ve been available to us, and we’re able to get a match on the appraised value,” he said.
“If we don’t move on this opportunity now, then it probably won’t present itself again for a long time, if ever,” Kovach said at Monday’s committee meeting.
The acquisition and preservation of these properties meets the organization’s goals to protect wildlife habitat, prairies, forests and existing county holdings, provide scenic vistas and add to existing preserves, according to a district staff memo to the planning committee.
If approved by the Board of Commissioners next week, the purchases will be funded from the proceeds of the $17.5 million in limited bonds that the district plans to issue this month.
The smaller Breuer property is located on the west side of Fairfield Road, about a half-mile south of Bonner Road and a half-mile north of Route 176. Air Estates is located on Gilmer Road, about one-mile southeast of Fairfield Road and one mile northwest of Fremont Center Road.
The Breuer land currently has a residence and two garages on site, and there are two single-family homes and two hangers located on Air Estates. The structures will be inspected to determine if they can be used for district purposes, if there is no programmatic purpose or historical value, then the buildings will be demolished, the memo said.
“They’re both in holdings into the Lakewood Forest Preserve, and it’s always nice to square off your boundaries contiguous to an existing forest preserve for restoration, and management and efficiency,” Kovach said.
Air Estates is primarily a functional wetland property, with some small farm fields. District officials said they might look to lease the farmland to local farmers if there is interest.
Restoration of the property and wetlands is necessary to get the land functioning at a higher level, the executive director said during Monday’s meeting.
“We’re going out for a referendum, and there’s a big portion of that for restoration,” Kovach said.
The forest preserves district is considering a referendum of about $155 million on the November ballot for habitat restoration, land acquisition and maintenance. Kovach said the district will conduct a voter survey later this spring to assess the public’s appetite for such a proposal.
For a single-family home valued at $300,000, the first year of the referendum would add $32.97 to their tax bill, according to Kovach.
Susan Pribyl, a member of the Manitou Creek Watershed Alliance, said the organization is very excited about the potential purchase and preservation of the two properties.
Both parcels are part of the Manitou Creek watershed which has one of the highest potentials for wetland restoration in Lake County, she said.
“When you look at a map of the (Lakewood) Forest Preserve, it’s like looking at putting a puzzle together where you have almost the entire puzzle, but there’s a couple spaces where you’re missing the puzzle piece,” Pribyl said. “That’s what both of these properties represent, filling in what makes sense with what is already existing within the forest preserve.”
chilles@chicagotribune.com
