Trustees Agree to Start Process to Sell Centennial Park Property

Grayslake trustees voted unanimously Tuesday night to adopt a resolution that authorizes the beginning of the process to sell Centennial Park, located at 147 Center St.

Emil's hopes to purchase the property to use it as an outdoor seating area and beer garden, according to village officials.

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. Then, 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. About $60,000 was raised for the project. 

Steve Sarich, president of the Grayslake Farmers market, is heading an effort—Friends of Centennial Park—on Facebook to save the park. He started the group as a concerned citizen. He opted not to attend Tuesday night's meeting.

"The Centennial Park deal has been done for some time," he told Patch. 

Trustee Bruce Bassett said he sees the new park area being constructed at 201 Center St. "as, essentially, Centennial Park 2.0.

"The request from Emil's was fortuitous in that we were in the process of executing the downtown plan—of which the plaza is an integral part—when we got the request from them," said Bassett. "The sale allows the expansion of a very successful local business, and more than recoups all the taxpayer dollars that were invested in Centennial Park, though I recognize that others contributed as well."

Bassett added that the sale of the Centennial Park property to Emil's "covers the expense of transferring the plaques, replacing the flagpole, etc… to the plaza, and the deal stipulates the right of first refusal to the village for the parcel should Emil's subsequently decide to sell.

"While some may remain opposed to the sale of the park, to me this is a clear win for Grayslake and a thriving business," said Bassett.

Several readers who commented on a previous Grayslake Patch story about this issue agreed. 

"Sell it. Would bring in some much-needed additional tax revenue," said one reader. Another said, "Emil's should be allowed to purchase the property." 

What do you think? Tell us in the comment section.