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Carroll Center, which underwent extensive improvements to its playing fields and playground over the summer, will soon gain a bit more open space as well. On Dec. 13, the park board approved the acquisition of two adjacent properties located at 1138 and 1140 South Kenilworth Avenue.
The park district is working with The Trust for Public Land, (TPL) a national organization that works to facilitate the acquisition of available open land for public use. Under an agreement with the Trust, the TPL will purchase the properties, and the park district will lease the two parcels until it can arrange to obtain the funding needed to buy them. The TPL closed on the 1140 Kenilworth property recently. It is expected to close on the other property soon.
Park District Executive Director Gary Balling said the park district was approached by one of the property owners this spring. The second owners learned they were being transferred to another state for their job and contacted the park district this fall.
Balling said that beyond signing a lease agreement for use of the land and possible demolition of the houses and garages, the park district had no immediate plans for the property.
The land must be open to qualify for a 50 percent matching grant from the state under the Department of Natural Resources’ Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant. The park district is eligible for up to a $750,000 grant in any one year for land purchases under that program.
See the Dec. 26 Wednesday Journal for further details.
Click here to download the .pdf of the site plan
