How three communities are planning to beautify their towns
At the end of Seneca Avenue West in The Conservatory of Indian Creek subdivision in Hawthorn Woods, a long lost past officially was revealed Wednesday.
Donated to the village decades ago as unusable land, there now is an uncovered and restored upland forest, wetland complex and namesake creek. The village did the work with the help of matching grants administered by America in Bloom and provided by the Canadian National Railway.
"We're standing on 10 acres of land that literally time forgot," said Pam Newton, the village's chief operating officer.
"This is the first time today the public will be able to walk on land no one has been on in a century," added Newton during the dedication of Indian Creek Nature Preserve.
The event marked the conclusion of a two-year, phased revitalization to open the area for public use and expand the village's tree canopy, restore woodlands and wetlands and enhance wildlife and pollinator habitats, Newton said.
It was the second of consecutive stops for representatives from America in Bloom and CN, who were greeted by local officials and those who worked on projects in Mundelein, Hawthorn Woods, Buffalo Grove and south suburban Flossmoor.
"Every community is wanting to accomplish something different. No two look alike," said Laura Kunkle, executive director of America in Bloom, after the dedication of the Courtland Commons Pollinator Garden in Mundelein.
The garden includes 450 plants and 21 varieties of shrubs, grasses and perennials, a 200-foot walking trail, benches, and a public sculpture. It's adjacent to a $9.16 million detention area designed to filter water and attract wildlife, including Monarch butterflies. The pollinator garden and detention area are elements of an evolving and expanding landscape on and around the former site of U.S. Music Corp., demolished to make way for stormwater control and future development.
"This has been a phased approach to redoing this entire area," said Mundelein Village Administrator Eric Guenther.
In Buffalo Grove, a forgotten 1-acre outlot at Mirielle Park was cleared of invasives and planted with native woodland and wetland plants. The village has increased its focus on restoring and rejuvenating degraded natural areas, officials said. Efforts include reforestation, wetland restoration and prairie revitalization. Visit vbg.org/natural areas.
Mirielle Park has been earmarked for a long time.
"This grant was able to help us get over that threshold," said Tom Milas, forestry and grounds manager.
Based in Columbus, Ohio, America in Bloom helps communities become more welcoming and vibrant. Beautification projects stimulate economic development and fosters cooperation among municipal, commercial and residential interests toward a common goal, according to the organization.
Doing that takes funding. In 2014, CN approached America in Bloom to administer Eco Connections from the Ground Up, an extension of its Canadian grant program in the U.S. Since then, 95 grants totaling $2 million have been awarded along the CN corridor from Minnesota to Louisiana.
This year, 10 communities were selected from among dozens of applications for grants of $25,000 each. Recipients have to match the amount. Mundelein has received two grants and Hawthorn Woods at least three, Kunkle said.
Indian Creek Nature Preserve in Hawthorn Woods is just hundreds of feet from right of way identified for the defunct Route 53 extension project.
"This is so much better than an expressway ripping through our town," said Mayor Dominick DiMaggio. "It feels like we're in a forest somewhere. It's absolutely, stunningly beautiful."