'Real Eyesore' Next To Darien's Carmelite Center

DARIEN, IL — The head of the Carmelite Spiritual Center in Darien says the city's right-of-way next to the center "looks like hell." But he has been told by his provincial council that the center cannot touch it because the city owns it.

At Monday's City Council meeting, the Rev Bob Colaresi, the center's director, asked the city to do something about the right-of-way, where the ground is eroding and bushes and trees are dying. He noted a lawyer with the provincial council had sent a note to the city.

"We can't do anything about it," Colaresi said. "It makes us look bad as well as the city. We've spent enormous energies to try to clean up that area, and now we have this real eyesore."

In response, Dan Gombac, the city's municipal services director, said the city is more than willing to work with the center on landscaping, with the city possibly chipping in on half the costs.

Mayor Joseph Marchese directed the council's municipal services committee to take a closer look at the issue. But he told Colaresi the city's budget is tight, with projects being postponed.

"We don't have any money budgeted for this," the mayor said.

Alderman Mary Sullivan said it would be nice see improvements to the right-of-way given everything else in the area is beautiful. The right-of-way, she said, has been looking a lot worse the last few years.