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Portions of
Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve will close on May 30 as construction for the
first phase of public access improvements is scheduled to begin in early June,
following May Board review of bid proposals. Public access improvements for
Fort Sheridan were approved by the Lake County Forest Preserve Board in
November 2015 as part of the Master Plan for the preserve. During
construction, all portions of the preserve north of Fort Sheridan’s historic
district will be closed to public access. View site closure status and project updates.
New
features include:
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The main
entrance (Gilgare Lane) will be widened to two full lanes and will lead
to a new 45-vehicle parking lot with five accessible spaces and an evaporator
toilet.
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The North
entrance (Vattman Road) will have a new paved trailhead and an evaporator
toilet.
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1.6 miles
of mown turf trails will be reconstructed with improved drainage,
durability and two new boardwalks.
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The
Hutchinson Trail will become an accessible trail from Sheridan Road all
the way to the new lake overlook by adding two new boardwalks and converting
the wood chip section to a paved surface.
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View Project Map, and learn about additional new features.
 Discussing the Fort Sheridan project
Last week, I hosted a briefing for the City of
Highland Park about the Fort Sheridan project. Highland Park Mayor Nancy
Rotering, City Manager Ghida Neukirch, Lake County Forest Preserve District Director Ty Kovach and Director
of Planning Randall Seebach joined me at Highland Park City Hall for a
discussion about the improvements, closures, and how to best communicate with
the community.
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I join everyone on the County Board as we mourn the loss of a
passionate and dedicated public servant to Lake County. Audrey Nixon, who was
the longest-serving Lake County Board Member representing District 14 since
1982, recently passed away. Audrey was 82 years old. A resident of North
Chicago who also represented portions of Park City, Waukegan, and Gurnee,
she also served on dozens of committees, including serving as the long-time
distinguished Chair of the County Board’s Law and Judicial Committee.
 If
you’re starting your spring cleaning, think recycle
first, trash last. The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County (SWALCO) offers
many options to recycle your shoes, clothing and textiles, and household
chemicals.
Reuse-A-Shoe: Don't throw away your unwanted shoes! Make sure they get
recycled or reused! Drop off your shoes at one of several locations across Lake
County. View
Drop-Off Locations
Clothing and textiles: Did you know 85 percent of clothing ends up in the landfill?
Instead, bring your new, gently used, and used clothing to be reused or
recycled. Even clothes with stains or holes will be taken. Learn more, including what is
acceptable and where to drop off your items.
Household chemical
waste: Get rid of unwanted pesticides, cleaners, batteries,
gasoline, fertilizer and other household chemical waste items at public
drop-off events at SWALCO’s Gurnee facility as well as mobile collection events
at locations across Lake County. These collections are for residential waste
only. Learn
more, including acceptable items and when the next collection will be.
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Bring your electronics, such as monitors, laptops, cell phones, televisions, and small appliances to be recycled at Recycle-O-Rama from 9 a.m. to noon May 20 at Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills. Bring documents (limit two boxes per vehicle) to be shredded, and bring latex paint to be recycled for a small fee. There will be no household chemical waste recycling at this event. Learn more
 The Solid Waste Agency
of Lake County, Stormwater Management Commission and Lake County Forest
Preserves will hold their annual rain barrel, compost bin and native plant sale
from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 13. The compost bins and rain barrels both are made
with recycled plastics. Learn about the benefits of composting and harvesting
rain water. Watch demonstrations, and meet experts to answer your
questions. Learn more
Also, don’t miss as
the native plant sale continues, just in time for Mother's Day from 10 a.m. to
2 p.m. Sunday, May 14. Find all this at Independence Grove Forest Preserve's North Bay
Pavilion in Libertyville. Learn the value of planting native species and find a
variety of flowers, plants, shrubs and trees. View list of available plants.
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Did you know that
landscaping your yard with native plants is one of the best things to do for
the environment, and this can save you time and money? In fact, native plants
don’t require fertilizer, pesticides or herbicides and eliminate the need for a
lot of watering.
Conserve Lake County is hosting its native plant sale, a
great way to shop for native plants including perennials, grasses, trees and
shrubs, May 19 to
June 3 at Almond Marsh. Learn
more
 Forest Preserve News
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 Marina Open Weekends at Independence Grove
The marina at Independence Grove Forest Preserve in Libertyville is now
open weekends only through May 21 and will be open daily May 27 to Sept. 4. Before heading out to the preserve, check
here for
status updates on swimming, the marina, summer concerts, and more.
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 Check Status of Trails and Preserves
Preserve improvements,
construction projects, controlled burns and weather-related events sometimes
result in temporary detours or closures of trails, preserves or facilities to
ensure public safety. Before heading out, check the
current status of trails and underpasses. Also find construction
alerts, preserve
improvement projects and controlled burn sites.
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 Lake County Board
Members, judges in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, and others that have been a
part of the Lake County Courthouse Expansion Project signed the last beam of
the new court tower before it was put into place. The expansion project in
Waukegan includes an approximately 200,000-square-foot court tower and a tunnel
connecting the jail and current courthouse. The project will increase the
efficiency of the justice system and support growth of the justice agencies for
many years to come. Watch this video
to learn more about the project.
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If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at pfrank@lakecountyil.gov.
I encourage you to forward this update to others who may be interested in Lake County news. Residents who wish to automatically receive my bi-weekly newsletter can email me, or click the “Sign up for my mailing list here” button at the top of the newsletter.
Thank you,
Paul Frank
Mr. Frank, County Board member and Forest Preserve Commissioner, serves on:
Lake County Board, 11th District:
Lake County Law and Judicial Committee
Lake County Health and Community Services Committee
Lake County Ad Hoc Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Lake County Forest Preserves, 11th District:
Planning Committee
Ethics Committee
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