Itasca approves second addendum with park district, OKs MOU to pursue Springbrook Nature Center grant

Trustee Iyani presented a second addendum to the intergovernmental agreement between the Village of Itasca and the Itasca Park District regarding Springbrook Nature Center and the board approved the addendum at the Aug. 20 meeting.

Iyani described the item as the product of a long-running partnership and said the second addendum commits the village to spending $150,000 a year starting in 2025, with annual increases tied to the consumer price index but capped at 5 percent. "This 1 essentially the second agreement basically commits the village to spending a $150,000 a year starting in '25, and it will go up each year, by the CPI, but not to exceed a 5% increase," Iyani said.

The board also approved a separate memorandum of understanding authorizing a grant application for improvements to Springbrook Nature Center. Mayor (name not specified) and others explained the MOU language is intended to satisfy the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) grant requirements by showing a local match and that the MOU contemplates both parties committing up to $300,000 each (a combined $600,000) as part of the match for the grant application. The mayor said that the $300,000 figure was included to meet the grant application's requirements but that the actual allocation between the village and the park district could be revisited later depending on final project cost and hotel tax revenues.

Both the second addendum to the intergovernmental agreement and the MOU to pursue the grant were moved, seconded and approved by roll call during the meeting. The park district's executive (Mary Fran) and village staff were present for the discussion. The approvals authorize staff to proceed with the grant application steps and to continue negotiating final project and cost allocations if the grant is awarded.