Dupage Policy Journal

The Westmont Village Board voted on a consolidation plan for the park district during a meeting on Nov. 3.

Community Development Director Bruce Sylvester asked the board to consolidate five different land parcels adjacent to each other that the district owns into one lot. The request was made following the park district's acquisition of new parcels adjacent to the current Fritz Werley Park, followed by plans to expand the park into the new areas. The board was asked to both approve the request and waive the requirement associated with an approved consolidation.

Typically, developers who wish to have parcels consolidated will then have to prove their plans to improve the new lot with installations such as sidewalks or parkway trees. However, because the consolidating firm is the Park District and not a developer, the Village Board waived the requirement, as the land is not being developed, but is being kept as park greenspace.

Park District Superintendent of Revenue Facilities & Technology Joel Hymen, who was also open to questions from the board, explained that the park plans on cleaning the properties up using some of the DNR grants expected to be made available following the consolidation. 

"I want to thank you for the consideration. It was summed up for you pretty well, I just want to thank the village board for the conveyance of those properties," Hymen said. "Through the conveyance, this helped us get an IDNR grant to improve that property plan to follow, but wanted to come before the board and say that the goal is to basically clean up and consolidate all those properties.

The board voted to approve both the consolidation and the waiving of the improvement plan requirement.