Dear Members and Friends:

The GE Park Board has called a special meeting tonight, Tuesday, June 3rd at 7PM at the Spring Avenue Rec Center (Spring Rd and RT 53) to discuss and vote on the Ackerman Stormwater Project. Your attendance at this meeting is extrememly important to save Save Ackerman Woods.
For more information visit

http://www.saveackermanwoods.com

No one with a kid graduating Hadley will be there.....presumably.

Now if people could only get as enthused about saving the central business district we'd be living in a Utopian paradise.

I wonder what that "she's everywhere" Amy has to say, too!

quote:

I wonder what that "she's everywhere" Amy has to say, too!

She's giving Hillary's concession statement to the Herald.

Melissa and David Creech did a fantastic job on this, bravo to them. Thank you both for saving a beautiful, and soon to be MORE beautiful forest.

Thanks to the GEPD board members for re-thinking this entire thing and finally listening to the citizens of this town. I am proud tonight to say I live in this town once again thanks to your actions tonight!

You people just crack me up!

But seriously, WGN showed up late while I was chatting with a couple of folks in the parking lot. He wanted to interview us! I said, "No! I've had way too much time in the press lately - go inside, there are still some key people in there!!" I can't take the crap from my BB friends if I'd been quoted AGAIN!!

quote:

Originally posted by GE Fan:
EARLY WORD FROM THE MEETING - ACKERMAN WOODS IS SAVED!

Great job Pete!!!!

I can't wait to read about Amy Thompson's thoughts about the project in the paper.

That's not exactly how I read it. Soccer fields, no....Stihl Lumberjack Team...yes.

Dear Members and Friends:

I am passing on Melissa Creech's email announcing the Park District's vote to save Ackerman Woods:

The Park District voted tonight to NOT put soccer fields at Ackerman
Woods. The vote was 4-1 with Taylor, Schoen, Dallman and Minogue for,
Jourdan voting against and Aubrey and Hess absent. The Park District
listened to the community on this issue and we are very pleased with
their decision, which is a big step forwards towards permanent
protection of the woods and making them more accessible to our
community.

The Park District vote still allows the Village to excavate a
stormwater detention facility in Ackerman Woods. We need to put an end
to this project and find a way to permanently protect these woods. The
Village will meet on Monday, June 9 at 8 p.m. at the Civic Center and
we plan on attending this meeting.

Please take the time to thank the Park District Board and encourage
the Village to take positive action. You can send
letters-to-the-editor to: fencepost@dailyherald.com,
editorial@mysuburbanlife.com, thesun@scn1.com. Contact the Park Board
directly at: w.taylor.gepd@gmail.com, e.hess.gepd@gmail.com,
j.jourdan.gepd@gmail.com, w.dallman.gepd@gmail.com.
s.minogue.gepd@gmail.com, k.schoen.gepd@gmail.com, jsesto@gepark.org,
CAtwell@gepark.org

Thank you to all of the many supporters that have made phone calls,
sent emails, made signs, passed out flyers door-to-door, written
letters and have made their voices heard. The Park District has
listened and we have made a positive impact on our community and our
environment. Thank you for your help.

David and Melissa Creech

quote:

Originally posted by BlueEchoes:
Melissa and David Creech did a fantastic job on this, bravo to them. Thank you both for saving a beautiful, and soon to be MORE beautiful forest.

Thanks to the GEPD board members for re-thinking this entire thing and finally listening to the citizens of this town. I am proud tonight to say I live in this town once again thanks to your actions tonight!

Uh....read closer.

I have faith that my village leaders will make the right call here.

Gotta have faith...

Can't we trade the Mews for Ackerman woods?

I encourage all of you to talk with your village trustees about dropping their retail development and movement of the stormwater detention to Ackerman. I know three trustees and will talk with all of them. I believe Trustte Thorsell is very willing to see the woods preserved if she knows that her constituency supports it.

Daily Herald:

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=202701&src=2

So as of right now, only 40 trees would be removed, not 340. 300 trees won last night. Now we just need the other 40 to win their fight on Monday.

quote:

Originally posted by GE Fan:
Will you or Candidate post who was and was not there for my reading pleasure?

sure, I saw and sat next to Amy. She made a nice speech. We could have car pooled though to save gas.

I did not see anyone else there from the board, but I do not know all of you other than 4 or 5, so I am not the best to do a roll call.

Oh, and I forgot my hip new Banana Republic "Fidel Castro" hat there last night under my seat. I was going to go back, but driveway was blocked via police officers with automatic weapons, so I guess I will have to pick it up this afternoon...

Oh, that is a cool hat too! I hope it's still there!

It's a good think we didn't carpool. I lingered for a bit talking with a couple of ladies and then one of my very best friends showed up - obviously too late for the meeting - and I filled him in on what happened and chatted for a while. Then, my pastor and her daughter came (after Hadley graduation) so we filled them in on what happened too. I didn't get home until almost 9pm!

So now that the majority of trees will remain, when is the clean-up of the area scheduled for?

Crap, Yoss...you beat me to that question.

With the 1,300 plus people that signed the petition, those snaggle-toothed woods will be pristine in no time.

The cynic in me thinks that in 3 months time, the Ackerman woods will return to it's previous status-nice folliage to look at when you drive by. I hope I'm proved wrong by the dedicated group that has fought to save it.

FYI - after the big clean-up effort, the woods will resemble the area just north of St. Charles Road and past Swift. That is what area woods look like when all of the non-native invasive plants are controlled.

Partial list for removal in order to restore to healthy woods:

European Buckthorn
Garlic Mustard
Purple Loosestrife
Multiflora Rose

and don't forget -

old lawn mowers, MD 20/20 bottles, etc.

I hear over 200 people had offered to clean it up. this was mentioned in the meeting last night. I will be out there if it survives, so....

That was actually brought up last night. I think everyone in the room was in agreement that we will participate in a cleanup this fall (toward the end of the growing season). GEmom2, your expertise would be a great asset to the effort so people know what to yank and what to leave. I know what the first two are but I don't think I know the others....I'll go look online.