DuPage forest district advances on retreat property

A spiritual retreat for years could become a natural retreat for the public.

DuPage County Forest Preserve District commissioners Tuesday agreed to start negotiations to obtain the Cenacle Retreat House and surrounding lands.

The property is owned by the Cenacle Sisters, an order of Roman Catholic nuns.

The 42-acre site in Warrenville sits on the east side of Batavia Road, north of Butterfield Road.

Commissioner Michael Formento said the land is not only important environmentally but it also is useful for reducing flooding.

"The property will be a great addition for us," he said.

If the district acquired the Cenacle land, it would provide a chance to restore wetlands and habitats for wildlife, district naturalists say. The property includes about 17 acres of wetlands and sits at the confluence of the DuPage River and Springbrook Creek.

The retreat has been around for 70 years. But declining numbers of nuns and reduced revenues from retreat clients have made continuing operations difficult and resulted in running a deficit.

The announcement the property would be for sale has generated interest elsewhere.

This summer, members of a Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 parents' group had recommended the land as the new site for Hubble Middle School, but that appears to have lost steam.

Warrenville officials also have said they're interested in partnering with the forest preserve to use some of the buildings on the property as a community center.