Villages seek annexation of Stickney parks to Berwyn

[Bonster]

Villages seek annexation of Stickney parks to Berwyn
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/berwyn/homepage/x1348680872

By Staff reports
Berwyn Life
Tue Oct 21, 2008, 12:12 PM CDT

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Berwyn, IL -

A hotly debated item on the Nov. 4 ballot will be a referendum asking voters to annex Stickney into the Berwyn Park District's boundaries.

In July, the Berwyn Park District received petitions from Stickney residents asking that Park Board members adopt an ordinance to place a referendum question on the ballot.

The majority of voters in both south Berwyn and Stickney must vote in favor of the annexation for it to pass. If it does, the park district's boundaries would be expanded to envelop Stickney residents.

Stickney residents, if the referendum passes, would be facing another tax on their annual bills, and would be able to use Berwyn Park District parks and amenities. South Berwyn residents would be able to use Stickney parks.

Opponents say there are too many unanswered questions with few days left before the election.
They question how much they may have to pay if they live in Stickney. Some south Berwyn residents question whether they, too, will face heftier tax bills.

Park officials said south Berwyn tax bills would increase only if the assessed value of their properties increases. Otherwise, they said, each south Berwyn resident's park district tax bill should decrease because the tax rate will be spread over a greater cumulative assessed value of property.

Some residents say bringing Stickney within the park district's boundary will strain existing resources and generate more traffic into neighborhood parks.

[Bonster]

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Villages seek annexation of Stickney parks to Berwyn
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/berwyn/homepage/x1348680872

REFERENDUM SUPPORTER

I was asked to write a few words on the merits of the referendum, and accepted the assignment because I believe there are clear benefits for both sides.

Berwyn Park District residents will gain the one thing we lack — open space. At present, our only means of expansion is to buy properties contiguous to our parks, which is an expensive and slow-growth strategy.

The Stickney annexation would provide Berwyn Park District residents with immediate access to an additional 25 acres, relieving pressure on our extremely busy parks. The annexation also would connect us to a new pool of residents who, we hope, would avail themselves of our wide range of programs.

Currently, a major frustration is that programs do not fill up, which results in canceled programs. Our hope is that by adding Stickney residents to our district, participation rates will increase and we'll be able to develop innovative new programs.

From the Stickney side, residents will gain access to Berwyn (Park District) parks and programs at resident rates. And because Stickney Public Works employees would no longer be responsible for park maintenance, they would have more time to serve resident needs.

But the major benefit to Stickney residents is access to services provided by the West Suburban Special Recreation Association. WSSRA serves the recreation needs of disabled residents of the Berwyn Park District, and Stickney residents will be able to use the services of WSSRA that currently are not available to them. If anyone has a disabled child, or knows someone who does, you'll appreciate the benefit of having access to WSSRA.

The annexation will have no tax consequences for current residents of the Berwyn Park District. In fact, projections indicate it could add additional revenue of approximately $440,000 and additional expenses of about $325,000. Stickney residents will pay higher taxes — with the amount of the tax increase dependent on the assessed valuation of your home. The expected range of the increase is $85 to $200, again depending on assessed valuation.

For current residents of the Berwyn Park District, support of the referendum is definitely a positive. Stickney residents will have to decide whether the added cost is a benefit to their families and to their community.

Larry Cullen, Berwyn Park Board vice president

[Bonster]

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Villages seek annexation of Stickney parks to Berwyn
http://www.mysuburbanlife.com/berwyn/homepage/x1348680872

REFERENDUM OPPONENT

I salivate at the thought of all of the land that we could acquire with the proposed village of Stickney annexation.

Twenty-five acres of extra land that could be developed into more baseball fields, soccer fields, a true water park and maybe even a dog park.

Nevertheless, my salivating dries up when I think of the expense that I believe will inevitably and eventually come back to us. I've read that Berwyn residents will not be additionally taxed, and that the Berwyn Park District will be an additional $300,000 in the black.

In the black, I ask? After we pay lease payments to the village of Stickney and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District for this extra land? In the black, after hiring and paying salaries for additional personnel to patrol and maintain the new facilities and the current facilities?

Our current facilities are already stretched to their limit and will be further stretched and overcrowded when we add 6,000 Stickney residents.

Isn't that why we had to raze a Sears historic bungalow for more parking, not more green space?

I believe that if the Berwyn Park District looked hard enough, it could find land within south Berwyn without having to raze any more historic buildings. There are current lots that are not being built-out, are for sale, and have been sitting for a very long time.

Find these lots, purchase them and use them for Berwyn's benefit.

If the village of Stickney is looking for additional recreational resources for its residents that are "growing younger," then it would seem likely for the village of Stickney to form its own park district. Stickney will be paying higher taxes nonetheless.

Berwyn needs to look within Berwyn to better serve Berwyn residents, whether that means consolidating the Berwyn Recreation Department, North Berwyn Park District and Berwyn Park District, or whether it means working together to offer Berwyn residents better Berwyn facilities and resources.

Unless the upcoming informational meetings can show me that this annexation with the village of Stickney is a win-win, then this referendum is getting my no-no.

Ana Rios, Berwyn resident, nine years

[Bonster]

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[Bear]

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That previous post is your best one ever bonster

[Bonster]

Good.  Something for you to aspire to.  (and it served it's purpose at 8:27:38 AM)