State Eyes Burr Ridge Park Board Closed Meeting

BURR RIDGE, IL – The attorney general plans to investigate a complaint that the Burr Ridge Park District board illegally closed its doors to discuss a planned Costco development near a park.

A top official has denied the allegation.

Last month, Patch questioned whether a park board meeting in July complied with the state's open meetings law, which requires most public business be discussed openly.

Afterward, resident Lisa Turano, who lives near the proposed development, filed the complaint. Now that the attorney general determined that further inquiry is warranted, the park board must submit a written response.

In July, the board closed the doors under an exception to the Open Meetings Act for the sale or lease of real estate.

Patch obtained an early August email from Burr Ridge Village Administrator Evan Walter to the Village Board, which is separate from the park district. In it, Walter indicated the park board held a closed meeting to discuss improvements to Harvester Park in relation to the nearby proposed Costco.

Walter did not take issue with the closed session, but said a board member distributed a document about the Costco plan from that meeting in a breach of "closed session decorum."

By Walter's description, the closed meeting seemed to be a violation of the open meetings law. The board must discuss park improvements and nearby developments in the open.

In an interview last month, Jim Pacanowski, the park district's director, said he was not at liberty to publicly discuss the closed meeting's specifics. He also said he would not discuss Walter's email, other than to say Walter was a "highly credible source."

Under the law, Pacanowski said the park board could discuss the lease of real estate and easements. He noted a ComEd power station was next to Harvester Park. The park includes a ComEd easement, he said.

When Patch looked into the closed meeting issue last month, it found the district had not posted the board's meeting minutes in five months. Patch also could find no past agendas on its website.

In the interview, Pacanowski said the lack of meeting minutes online was a violation of the Open Meetings Act. He said that when Patch reported the lack of minutes on the website, the district posted the missing ones.

The village has been notified of a developer's plans for the old CNH property, which is near Harvester Park. The proposal includes Costco and other businesses, the village said.