Official Website of the Village of Lake Barrington, Illinois
Village of LakeBarrington, Citizens for Conservation
Team to Protect Open Space
Open space initiative continues to preserve the community’s countryside character
The Lake Barrington Village Board of Trustees passed an ordinance at its July 7, 2009 Board of Trustees meeting to authorize the purchase of the 29-acre "Gibbs" parcel, which is located at the northwest corner of Route 14 and Cuba Road. The acquisition is being made as part of the Village’s Open Space Initiative begun in 2007 and features a related purchase agreement with Citizens for Conservation (CFC) that will provide CFC with an option to purchase additional acreage from the Village over a period of twenty (20) years. “This is a genuine ‘win-win’ agreement that allows us to achieve another significant step forward in our effort to preserve community open space. This is an environmentally-sensitive parcel of land that is significant both in terms of its size and visibility in the community. Through our partnership with CFC, we look to bring back native plants and habitats on the property as we simultaneously work to create an inviting gateway into our community at the corner of U.S. Route 14 and Cuba Road," said Lake Barrington Village President Kevin Richardson. He added, “Our agreement with CFC will both serve the best interests of the community and confirm CFC’s role as a leading conservation organization in the Barrington area.”
CFC's President Meredith Tucker stated, “This property’s location, character and size have long made it of interest to CFC and its preservation will enable CFC and the Village to protect the ‘greenbelt’ along Flint Creek. This is an important area for groundwater recharge as encouraged by the Flint Creek Watershed Partnership throughout the Barrington area. Additionally, a mature oak savanna and other diverse habitats make it an ideal candidate for restoration. Working with the Village, we will be able to preserve and restore more of the community’s natural lands than either entity could have done acting separately."
This Village Board action arises out of the Village’s successful April 17, 2007 advisory referendum that resulted in LakeBarrington voters approving, by a 62% to 38% margin, the issuance of $5.5 million in general obligation bonds to finance the purchase of open space for conservation and recreation purposes within the community. If approved by the Village Board, the purchase of the Gibbs property will be the second major open space purchase following the Village’s acquisition of the 26-acre Freier Farm on Kelsey Road last year. The 29-acre Gibbs property was purchased for $1,105,000. The property’s long-term protection as open space will be accomplished through a variety of actions, including the down zoning of the property to the Village’s conservation zoning district in November 2009 and a combination of: (1) A permanent conservation easement on any land sold by the Village to CFC, (2) The requirements of the terms of the Village’s Open Space bond ordinance which mandates that both the current and all future Village Boards maintain the property as open space, and (3) CFC’s recorded twenty (20) year option to purchase the property.
Richardson noted that both the Village and CFC were strongly focused on assuring that the property would enjoy permanent legal protection as open space. “The Village is and will always be legally committed to maintaining the property as open space given the terms of the open space bond ordinance that is the basis for purchasing the property. CFC is to be commended for their willingness to buttress this protection through the conservation easement that will attach to any Village sale of this property to them.” As of April 2010, the Village completed the sale of 6.5 acres of the property to CFC, which is expected to begin restoration work immediately. A small corner of the property at the corner of U.S. Route 14 and Cuba Road will also be used by the Village to create a gateway monument to welcome visitors into LakeBarrington along Northwest Highway.
“We are excited about this acquisition and the opportunity to leverage the Village’s funds through this unique partnership with CFC,” Richardson said. “As we move forward with our open space planning, the addition of the Gibbs property to our open space holdings will be of major benefit to the community.”
About Our Partner, Citizens for Conservation Citizens for Conservation has been a leading environmental steward of the Barrington area for the last thirty-eight years. Incorporated as a not-for-profit organization, it acquires land for preservation and restoration while also providing both adult and children’s education to local communities. Its cutting-edge restorations provide habitat for threatened species of plants and animals such as the sandhill crane, and its educational outreach provides local residents with programs about native plants, water conservation, pollinators, coyotes, deer, and other subjects of local interest. Each day CFC volunteers live the organization’s mission of “Saving living space for living things” through protection, restoration and stewardship of land, conservation of natural resources and education. For more information please visit http://www.citizensforconservation.org/
