Wheatland Park Proposal Under Scrutiny

A year ago, residents had a clear message for Wheatland Township officials: No new building.

In fact, at a special August 2011 meeting, electors voted to direct the township to sell the proposed site of the planned $1.5 million, 7,300-square-foot township headquarters.

Now, a township special committee is looking at another possible use for the land, situated on roughly two acres at 103rd Street and Route 59.

“I think it’s a really neat story,” said trustee Doug Haddad, who serves as board liaison to the newly created special Township Park Development Committee. “It’s a great concept.”

Right now, Haddad said, the five-member committee is simply exploring options for building a ball field on the property.

“It’s just a committee right now to research the viability of converting the land into a park,” he said.

Members are former township supervisor Robert Biedron, Wheatland Athletic Association President Larry Gentile, Naperville Little League Director Jim Petruzzi, Wheatland Township Park Committee Chair Tim Belgio and  President Michael Brann.

Biedron said the group has identified several other local athletic associations that may want to get on board with the project. Currently, the committee is exploring the possibility of building baseball and soccer fields.

“Soccer fields are, of course, open space, so it allows for multiple uses,” he noted.

Under the proposal, the park would be funded by the organizations that use it.

“We are not talking about using taxpayer dollars or taxpayer money to build or fund the park,” Haddad said.

“We’re exploring options to try and develop enough partnerships that it would be revenue neutral to the township,” Biedron added.

But some are questioning whether the township has the legal authority to even consider building a park on the property.

Last spring, Deb Holscher was one of the residents who spearheaded a citizens group to push back against plans for the new township building. In August, the group held a special meeting of electors at which residents voted to overturn plans for the proposed $1.5 million facility.

In fact, with several options on the table, the majority of residents at the August 2011 meeting voted for “Option F: Do nothing,” which directed the township board to sell the property and use the money to rehab the existing township facility at 31W236 91st St.

“Nobody had ever questioned the status quo like this,” said Holscher. “[The residents] said, ‘No, we don’t want you to do anything. Times are lean; sell the land.’”

Haddad said selling the land right now is not a fiscally sound idea.

“If we sell the land right now, we’ll lose [money],” he said.

Last year, a space study committee comprised of trustees Joe Hudetz and Frank King, along with residents Holscher, Rick Peabody and Mike Crockett, estimated the worth of the property at $350,000.

On Wednesday, Haddad clarified that although the land was purchased in 2006 for $368,000, site work and related costs to prepare for the planned township building project brought the township's total investment in the property to around $500,000.

“I think it’s a good story on saving taxpayers money,” Haddad said of the park proposal.

Attorney Doug Ibendahl, who represents the citizens’ group, disagrees with Haddad that the park plan will save money.

“What they’re saying is that they overpaid for [the land],” he said. "It sounds like they wasted taxpayers’ money.”

Ibendahl also believes the township does not have the legal authority to build a park on the property. Asked whether residents could sue if the park propopsal moves forward, Ibendahl said it shouldn't have to come to that.

“The electors last August gave a very clear directive to the township officials,” said Ibendahl, who previously served as general counsel for the Illinois Republican Party. “The township should be complying with that.

“ … There was a small handful of officials that didn’t get their way, and they’re still crying about it,” Ibendahl said. “If the officials don’t want to listen to the citizens anymore, then they should step down.”

Holscher called the park plan a “back-door maneuver” to hang on to the property.

“It’s absolutely brilliant what they’re doing,” she said. “Once again, we have runaway government with little to no oversight … This is all being done by Republicans who are supposed to be all about small government.”

Haddad said attorney Keri-Lyn Krafthefer, who represents township officials, issued an opinion last August stating she believes the electors' vote may not carry legal weight.

In an opinion sent to board members on Aug. 31, 2011, Krafthefer cites “two problems” related to the motion and the vote at the Aug. 9 meeting.

“ … The agenda does not list any topic at all related to the sale of township property, nor was the sale of township property germane to the agenda topic of ‘viable options for the future location of the offices of the Wheatland Township,’” Krafthefer wrote. “The second problem is that the resolution to sell the property was not listed on the agenda, either.”

Even so, Krafthefer’s advice to the board was simple: Follow the electors’ directions.

“The best course of action is likely to begin the process of the sale, which will likely take a long time, and to correct and ratify the electors’ improper actions at the next regular town meeting …,” she wrote.

But Ibendahl maintains the electors’ actions were not improper.

“That was as open and legally sufficient as ever could possibly be,” he said, adding the historic meeting attracted the attention of the Wall Street Journal. “It was really citizen government in action. It was absolutely legal. It was a wonderful thing."

Aside from legal issues, if the township does move forward with plans for a park at the 103rd Street site, there’s another snag.

“The park designs we have come up with don’t fit on the township’s land,” Biedron said, explaining the two-acre site won’t accommodate fields and parking.

To make the park a reality, the township would have to get the OK to use surrounding land owned by the . Biedron estimated it would take at least another two acres to accommodate the park as currently envisioned.

Once they get the final word from Naperville, he said, “Then we’ll know if we have to regroup and downsize our needs.”

The next meeting of the Park Development Committee is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, July 16, at the township building.

Editor's note: The story has been updated with clarification from trustee Doug Haddad on the original 2006 purchase price of the property.