Village: Emil's Wants to Buy Centennial Park

Village of Grayslake officials are investigating a proposal brought forth by Emil's to purchase Centennial Park and use it as an outdoor seating area and beer garden.

Meanwhile, a new group, Friends of Centennial Park, has been formed with the hope of saving the park.

Mayor Rhett Taylor confirmed Tuesday that the village received a request in June from Emil's to purchase Centennial Park.

"Emil's has been very successful in downtown Grayslake. They are bringing new customers into the downtown, their business is growing and they need to expand," said Taylor. "The village has begun researching the issues with this type of request and communicating with various stakeholders.

"As the village is in the early phases of research, there have been no conversations between the village and Emil's," Taylor continued. "The village will look at all related issues and welcomes input."

Deputy Village Manager Derek Soderholm said that research includes looking at potential prices and seeing what the land is worth "so the board can ultimately make an informed decision whether to proceed with that."

The 3,750-square-foot Centennial Park was developed by the Grayslake Chamber of Commerce in the 1990s and given to the village in honor of the town's centennial, Taylor said. 

In 2007, Pam Navarre, then-president of the Grayslake Farmers Market, and other Farmers Market stakeholders solicited private donations from residents and businesses to complete renovations at Centennial Park, said Steve Sarich, Grayslake Farmers Market president. 

"$60,000 was raised, including $10,000 from the Grayslake Chamber of Commerce, that went into sprucing up the park," said Sarich. 

Sarich is heading the Friends of Centennial Park effort, not as the president of the Farmers Market but as a concerned citizen.

"Our purpose is to save Centennial Park as a public park in perpetuity," Sarich wrote on the Friends of Centennial Park Facebook page. The renovations at Centennial Park, he said, were made possible by "private business donations, community donations and an enormous amount of donated time and talents."

Taylor added that the village, too, "has invested capital dollars in the park."

Many civic organizations and private groups, including the Grayslake Farmers Market, use the park, he said.

During the summer market, Centennial Park plays host to a balloon sculptor and musical entertainment.

"On a Wednesday afternoon, the park is full of kids and dancing and balloons," said Sarich. The market, he said, "really spotlights Centennial Park."

From a Farmers Market standpoint, however, Sarich said "we can can make it work" should Centennial Park be sold.

"We don't like it, but we can make it work," said Sarich.

Instead, his concern, as stated on the Friends of Centennial Park Facebook page, is "to keep the park a public entity for the betterment and enjoyment of the entire village of Grayslake.

"We have no issue with Emil's," he said on the site. "The issue is the selling of a public property that is enjoyed by the entire community to assist and enhance a private business."

Soderholm noted that the park being built at Whitney and Center Streets is completely unrelated to the Centennial Park issue. The park at Whitney and Center is being built as part of a larger downtown plan, he said.

"It's completely unrelated to whether or not Centennial Park would be or would not be sold," said Soderholm. "One's not tied to the other, by any means."

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