Rosewood Beach Grant Requirements Reviewed by Ravinia Neighbors Association

Recently several FOIA requests were made of the Park District regarding information about the grants that are applicable to Rosewood Beach.  Nearly 5,000 pages were reviewed by members of the Ravinia Neighbors Association (RNA) and other parties.

Their findings have been outlined in the letter reproduced below to the HP Park District Executive Director Liza McElroy.

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Dear Ms. McElroy,  

We reviewed the Rosewood Beach grant material and are writing with our findings to date. Though some believe we are better off forfeiting grants rather than allow them to lead the proposed development astray (or squander scant Illinois tax resources), we are open to finding ways to better utilize grant monies. We propose that it is possible to utilize the grants while omitting the Interpretive Center, an aspect of your proposal which so many in our community are opposed.

Beyond the particulars of shelter or amenity design, which we also address in following paragraphs, the grants awarded stipulate that additional conditions be met. In letters sent by the Park District (PDHP) to grantors, in which time extensions are requested, mention is dutifully made of the change in the PDHP board membership due to the recent pension scandal, yet it would seem that you have not complied with the stipulation that public opposition be reported. We are astounded that you did not report the 1,000 petition signatures (now 1,100) and significant public dissent at meetings and in the media as required. Omission of this fact is grounds for forfeiture of the grants for Rosewood Beach. The Park District has an absolute responsibility to acknowledge and appropriately respond to this significant opposition to the Interpretive Center.

There are options besides the controversial Interpretative Center which are more in keeping with the spirit of the grants bestowed, options which would more readily be accepted and even celebrated by Highland Park taxpayers and end users. For example, interpreting nature with appropriate signage independent of an enclosed IC is an option. Also, any shelter that might be provided need not be a large, costly, four-season installation, but a much more simple shelter, one that is open, sustainable, and in keeping with the spirit of communing with nature at a cherished Lake Michigan beach. 

Starting with the museum grant, it would seem that Heller Nature Center has qualified the Park District for this grant and that Rosewood Beach would be the satellite program or facility relative to the grant awarded. No actual enclosed structure is needed at the beach itself to comply with this grant’s requirements. It would seem possible to use the money to do signage and displays outside of any enclosed structure at Rosewood Beach.

In regard to the OSLAD grant through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, no grant language indicates that the structure built with these funds need be a four-season structure with heating and air conditioning. In fact, as this grant calls for “interpretive elements”, an actual building is not required at all. Indeed, the "2009 Local Participation Manual" published by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources which regulates all IDNR grants, calls the proposed IC into question. One section states that projects should be “austere” and that the promotion of nature be the purpose of development. (We doubt that party rentals and yoga classes promote this purpose).

With respect to the IDCEO money, a four-season building incorporating HVAC is not required per the terms of this grant either.

If there is any information that contradicts what we have found, we ask that you share this with us. While we recognize that it is ultimately your job to comply with the conditions of the grant, we are stakeholders in this community who would like a say in how our resources, both natural resources and tax money, are handled under your watch. As the grant money you have promoted is awarded only as reimbursements after conditions are successfully met, it is important to make sure that the Park District does comply, starting with the necessary reporting of the significant opposition to the Interpretive Center. We ask that you consider our input and respond to this letter. Should we fail to receive a reasoned response to this letter, we will have no option but to file a complaint with the Office of the Executive Inspector General, the Auditor General of the State of Illinois, the Attorney General of the State of Illinois and/or their duly authorized representatives.  

Thank you.

Sincerely, Board of the Ravinia Neighbors Association