No mow in Aurora

[EagleDad]

lacy, the rumble post was funny (and I never mind that, at my expense). The ridiculous comment is a personal attack. All of it hijacks this thread, so let's keep it on topic about the FVPD.

You are now warned, do it again and you will be banned.

[wvhsparent]

www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org/pdffiles/mastermap.pdf

Ya know...I just looked at this map....I don't see any areas besides the area marked as wetlands that would make a difference in "air quality".

Wait I know!!!! it's all the FED's doing to combat global warming!

[204parent]

Take a look at the FVPD org chart. 180,000 constituents are at the top!

www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org/pdffiles/fvpd_org_chart.pdf

[EagleDad]

wvhsparent said:

www.foxvalleyparkdistrict.org/pdffiles/mastermap.pdf

Ya know...I just looked at this map....I don't see any areas besides the area marked as wetlands that would make a difference in "air quality".

Wait I know!!!! it's all the FED's doing to combat global warming!

That's a great map. I think they owe it to the public to show the same map, color coded (say in red) with the areas they have ceased mowing, don't you think? It would show if they were targetting particular ares for neglect, er "naturalization".

Although, some of us have had our fill of looking at boundary maps this year ;-)

[title1parent]

Well, now they are raking up the HAY they produced by their multiple mowings. They are putting the hay in trucks and hauling it away. I know where I would like them to dump it !!

[EagleDad]

From Alderman Keith's excellent website (http://www.9thward.net):

Article from the Aurora Beacon News, 2 June 2006

Residents sound off on no-mow proposal

By Andre Salles
Staff Writer

AURORA — The Fox Valley Park District learned Thursday night that sometimes, it's not easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission.

More than 125 people turned out for an open house at the Eola Community Center about the Park District's controversial new no-mow policy, enacted earlier this year.

Most voiced outrage at what they see as a lack of communication between the district and residents regarding the decision to stop mowing more than 100 acres of land across the city.

Some areas that remain unmaintained abut property lines, with 20 feet of mowed grass separating a back yard from a prairie in progress.

And East Side residents say they should have been consulted on something that affects their property values and ability to use the open space behind their homes as recreational areas.

"I've lost my whole summer," said Kathy Murphy, who has lived on Compton Road for 13 years. "I have four children, and they took away our back yard. They let us down."

Facing the heat were Park District Executive Director Steve Messerli and Director of Park Operations and Natural Resources Bill Donnell, both of whom made the case for their long-term plan.

The unmowed areas are mostly drainage basins and detention areas, and the taller grass, Donnell said, improves the air quality and prevents stormwater runoff.

Additionally, the far-reaching plan is to turn many of these areas into prairie lands.

The district has been in communication with Pizzo and Associates, a Leland-based landscaping company, to help them seed natural grasses and plants in those areas. According to Jens Jensen, an ecologist with Pizzo, such a process, which includes infrequent prairie burns, could take two to five years to complete.

But many residents aren't willing to wait. They want the district to mow the property now.

Leading the charge are Aldermen Chris Beykirch, 8th Ward, and Leroy Keith, 9th Ward. Both have worked to spread the word about the no-mow decision in recent weeks and urged residents to attend Thursday's meeting.

Beykirch, in particular, is not satisfied with the district's recent concession to begin mowing a 12-acre area along an underground gas pipeline and to begin creating smaller recreational areas in each unmowed parcel.

"They need to mow the grass and then come back to the residents," Beykirch said. "If this is a good program, people will get behind it. But they need to be part of the decision."

As part of Thursday's open house, the district distributed a form for written opinions on the issue, and Donnell noted that a separate e-mail address — [e-mail] — has been set up to receive comments.

"This meeting is about getting public opinion," said Donnell, who previously has apologized for not properly informing people of the project. "There's nothing final about this, no line in the sand. We are here for your input."

And he got it. At times, the din was overpowering as homeowners questioned Donnell and Messerli about their plans, brought up several health and safety concerns, and accused them of not communicating their decisions.

"They didn't consult us at all," said Mike Bollow, who has lived on Bar Harbour Road for six years. "They could have mailed us all something for pennies, but they didn't. And now, it's a firestorm."

Among the few there to support the project were Downtown Development Director Karen Christensen and her husband, Larry, who expressed dismay that few people seem to understand the idea of prairie land.

The Christensens live in the Diamond Bay subdivision, south of McCoy Drive and near South Spring Lake, which they say has seen massive erosion, something that taller natural grasses could prevent.

"People need to understand and be educated on why this is beneficial," Karen Christensen said.

Comments presented at Thursday's meeting and sent in through the Internet, will be reviewed, although none of the district representatives could say what the next step would be.

The Park District's next public board meeting is June 12, at 7 p.m. at the administrative office at 712 S. River St.

[EagleDad]

Just got this email from Alderman Keith:

This morning (June 5th) The Park District's Executive Director contacted Alderman Beykirch and me, and informed us that they would be mowing the open green space areas in and around all residential neighborhoods. There still remained some isolated areas away from any residential developments that would be left to naturalize. The Park District has admitted that they went about this process the wrong way and should have started with the residents for input. I would say that the Park District has not abandoned their desire to allow some open green spaces to become a naturalized zone but for this year, they will continue to mow. It was good to see a community come together and make a difference.

Way to go Alderman Keith and Alderman Beykirch!!! ;D ;D

Kudos to the FVPD for listening. I guess the pitchfork is going back on the rack for a while.

[mommygator]

Well, Halleluiah

[title1parent]

YEEHAW !!!!

Still, does the FVPD think that we want to go through this again next year?

[gatormom]

I am very grateful to both Alderman Keith and Alderman Beykirch for leading the charge and unifying the neighborhoods.

Mowing began yesterday and the neighborhood is beginning to look much better.

[EagleDad]

title1parent said:

YEEHAW !!!!

Still, does the FVPD think that we want to go through this again next year?

My guess this is their way of gracefully bowing out without outright declaring that this was a bone-headed idea from the get-go.

My money says we'll never hear of it again. Hey, if it let's them save a little face, so be it.

[momto4]

Where I live now and where I've lived in the past there have been people whose yards backed up to areas that were not mowed. I don't know who owns the land but I know that some people chose to leave the area behind them wild and others choose to mow a chunk of it themselves, giving them a really big usable back yard.

I am glad that the park district has come to a decision for this year that the affected people are happy with.

[title1parent]

A neighbor received a response from Mr. Donnell.
It seems that the park district will be mowing unless those of us that live in the affected areas give an OKAY to the prairie restoration. Don't see that happening any time soon.