State To Probe Burr Ridge Park Closed Meeting

BURR RIDGE, IL – The Illinois attorney general plans to investigate last month's closed meeting of the Burr Ridge Park District board.

Last week, watchdog Edgar Pal filed a complaint with the attorney general that he based on a Patch story.

In a letter Wednesday, the attorney general informed the park board that further inquiry was warranted. The office is seeking the meeting's recording.

Through a public records request with the Burr Ridge government, Patch obtained an email from Village Administrator Evan Walter about the park district, an entirely separate entity.

Walter accused a park board member of breaching "executive session decorum" by circulating a document from a closed meeting of the board. By his account, the meeting was where the board discussed improvements at Harvester Park in relation to a planned Costco development.

The closed meeting was likely July 10, when the board closed its doors to discuss "real estate" matters.

In his complaint, Pal said the park board did not specify the exemption under the Open Meetings Act to close the doors.

"Nonetheless, (the Open Meetings Act) does not allow public bodies to enter into closed session to discuss potential improvements to Park District property, upcoming development projects, or zoning petitions that would support such projects," Pal said.

In an interview Monday, the park district's director, Jim Pacanowski, said he was not at liberty to discuss the closed meeting's specifics. And he said he would not talk about Walter's email, other than to say the administrator 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 an easement, he said.

"There's nothing hidden about what we would like to do with Harvester Park," he said.

The attorney general's office said the park district must respond to the complaint within seven working days.