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DuPage Forest Preserve commissioner updates Carol Stream on land acquisitions, campus and trail projects
Summary
Forest Preserve Commissioner Rick Gieser told the board the county is negotiating several land purchases (including 44 acres near North Avenue and 110 acres near Route 59), broke ground on a Natural Resources and Grounds campus estimated at $35–$40 million, and plans trail and bridge projects to improve regional connectivity.
CAROL STREAM, Ill. — Rick Gieser, a DuPage County Forest Preserve commissioner, updated the Village Board on county open-space work, including ongoing negotiations to buy acreage near Route 59 and plans for a new Natural Resources and Grounds campus.
Gieser said the county is negotiating to purchase about 44 acres off North Avenue just west of Route 59 that would abut Pratt’s Wayne Woods and include a grove of approximately 200, 100‑year‑old oak trees. He said the county is also negotiating for about 110 acres near Route 59 and Smith Road, plus other smaller parcels.
Gieser said the Natural Resources and Grounds campus under construction on Mack Road will be about 112,000 square feet and is estimated to cost between $35 million and $40 million, with an estimated completion in 2027. He also described planned pedestrian and bike trail connections, including completing the West Branch River Trail with a bridge over Roosevelt Road to improve bike connectivity.
Gieser also noted historical work to document local events, saying that Martin Luther King Jr. spoke on a site now part of the Forest Preserve in 1967 and that the preserve plans commemoration and related interpretive material.
Why it matters: The county purchases and trail projects influence regional recreation, habitat preservation and active-transportation connections. The campus is a significant capital project for county natural-resources operations.
