A four-season shelter and other work at Lakewood Forest Preserve near Wauconda are among the first projects to be funded with $155 million in bonds approved by voters in November.
Courtesy of Lake County Forest Preserves
With another election coming up voters who overwhelmingly authorized the Lake County Forest Preserves’ request last fall to borrow $155 million to reboot its project list may wonder what to expect for their support.
The short answer is: be patient. Officials said there is a good amount of planning to kick start big things to come, including developing a vision for Lake Marie near Antioch and studying the feasibility of moving the district’s general office from a Libertyville business park to Grayslake.
Proceeds from bonds to be issued will be spent over the next 10 years on projects identified in a revolving capital improvement plan.
Expect to see land acquisitions ramp up with $65 million of the total reserved to buy 2,000 acres as opportunities arise, such as a long sought parcels owners are ready to sell.
“We’re moving quickly on land acquisition — there are a lot of balls in the air,” said Ty Kovach, executive director. “It’s exciting to have the buy-in power the public gave us.”
The district still has about $4 million from another source before needing to tap bond funds but potential land buys are not listed or discussed publicly in advance.
When the 2025 budget was approved, the outcome of the referendum was unknown. So, the project list, called the CIP, was put on hold. Once the result was known and after review, a refreshed list was created and officially approved as an addition to the current district budget.
Variables can and do shape the timing of specific projects going forward. But there now is a clear consensus of what they should be and a schedule of when they’ll be done.
What is planned in 2025
A total of about $6.76 million is targeted for new public access ($5.27 million) and habitat restoration ($1.48 million) projects. But only one project involves new buildings and may not be in full swing until next year.
Completing phase one of the master plan for Lakewood Forest Preserve near Wauconda involves construction of a family picnic shelter and parking lot as well as a much larger four-season shelter on Taylor Lake and related improvements.
At $3.55 million, those projects account for more than half the 2025 voter-authorized spending.
“That’s the biggest, the splashiest element,” said Rebekah Snyder, director of community engagement and partnerships. “For 2025, the most visible project will be the continuation of Lakewood.”
A nature-based playground is under construction and a considerable amount of other improvements have been made at Lakewood over the past two years but that was funded previously and not part of the referendum package.
Snyder said there is a lot of advance work in the public access category this year, including $150,000 for a master plan at Lake Marie near Antioch.
What had been Lake County’s first licensed campground closed in 2012. The district bought the lakefront property and 77 adjoining acres to form a new preserve that has yet to be improved or opened for public use.
“We’re excited to get a forest preserve up there,” Snyder said.
The district also included $75,000 to study the feasibility of moving its general offices from a Libertyville business park, where it has been since 2011, to a location on the district-owned Brae Loch golf course near the College of Lake County in Grayslake.
“It makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons,” Kovach said. “There is an enormous opportunity.”
Other public access projects include $750,000 for “deferred maintenance” such as replacing boardwalks and culverts throughout the system and $350,000 for the Hastings Creek trail crossing at Raven Glen Forest Preserve near Antioch.
Habitat restoration projects are planned for Capital Daniel Wright Woods, the Ryerson Conservation Area and Greenbelt, Lakewood, MacArthur Woods and Ray Lake forest preserves.
Creating a master plan for the former Lake Marie Camp near Antioch is among the first batch of projects to be funded by the Lake County Forest Preserve District’s $155 million in bonds approved by voters in November.
Courtesy of R. Scott McNeill
The Lake County Forest Preserve District bought the former Lake Marie Camp near Antioch in 2012 but it has not been improved or opened for public use. A master plan for future improvements is scheduled to get underway this year.
Courtesy of R. Scott McNeill
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