Effort is on to save land dubbed 'Special 8'
By Harry Hitzeman Daily Herald Staff Writer
Posted on November 07, 2001 from Section 1 Page 4

When Don Kirchenberg walks along the leaf-covered trails in an 8.3-acre patch of land near the Illinois Prairie Path, he can't help but think this was the way Illinois looked before settlers arrived.

The triangle-shaped area, wedged between the Union Pacific Railroad tracks to the north and the Prairie Path to the south, may contain the last remaining piece of original vegetation in the county, experts say.

Kirchenberg, president of the not-for-profit Illinois Prairie Path Corp., wants the land, which he has dubbed the "Special 8," protected from future development.

"They're special and it's 8.3 acres. It was the name that I came up with," he said.

Kirchenberg has started a campaign to convince Glen Ellyn and county officials that the land is worth saving.

In August, the Glen Ellyn-based Gayle Homes pitched a rough plan to build 15 single-family homes at the site, but the Glen Ellyn plan commission informally said no.

"We're still reviewing that (land) and deciding what, if any, proposal we're going to make," said Mark Stauber, attorney for Gayle Homes.

Kirchenberg also is worried that if the Special 8 were developed, Whittier Avenue would have to be extended north across the Prairie Path to connect with the homes.

"On a nice day, you'll average 8,000 users on the trail, and this is a very heavily used area," he said.

Ideally, Kirchenberg would like to see the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, the village of Glen Ellyn and Glen Ellyn Park District all work together to buy the land so it can be preserved.

The land also is home to 10,000- to 15,000-year-old stretches of kame - sand and gravel deposited when the last glacier moved through the area.

Village President Greg Mathews said he's interested in preserving the land and agreed it would be "bothersome" to extend Whittier across the Prairie Path.

The village and county recently spent $400,000 each to build a $1.2 million bridge over Taylor Street, three blocks west of Whittier, so Prairie Path users wouldn't have to cross the street.

"In terms of buying it, I don't know if that's possible, but I'd be interesting in looking at it," Mathews said.

For Glen Ellyn Park District officials, the Special 8 campaign might be a tougher sell. The district focuses more on active recreation, such as soccer and playgrounds, than passive activities, such as walking along a trail. Plus, the district is in the midst of a long-range plan to develop to former Maryknoll Seminary into a park. "We've got so many irons in the fire right now," said Commissioner Richard Olinger, who added that in his 10-plus years with the district, the board has not discussed the Special 8 land.