After reading in the paper that the school board is still eyeing Morton Square Park as the possible site of a new District 150 school, neighborhood activists are not wasting any time trying to protect the park (and their homes) from unwanted intrusion. They want the park to be named an historic landmark. The Journal Star reports:

Frank Lewis, who owns property adjacent to the park and who sits on the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, brought the idea to the Central Illinois Landmarks Foundation. The foundation, of which Lewis is also a member, approved supporting landmark status for the park at its meeting Monday.

Making it a landmark would stymie attempts by the park district and school district to site a school there. The funniest line, though was from park district board president Tim Cassidy, who said the park board may welcome, rather than fight, landmark status for Morton Square:

“I cannot tell you what position we’d take, because I don’t know the implications,” Cassidy said. “If one of the things driving it is the school district’s plan, we didn’t have any knowledge of it until I read it in the paper. It’s never been discussed. The request has never been made.”

This is laughable. I encourage everyone to read the District 150 Master Planning Committee Final Recommendations, dated October 11, 2005. In there, the school district  specifically states as one of their action items:

14. Engage the Peoria Park District in discussions to acquire land adjacent to or on the Morton Square and upper Glen Oak Park sites. Such discussions might include the swapping of land.

Now we know that the school board talked to the park district about the Glen Oak site in an illegal park board closed session. Are we to believe Mr. Cassidy’s assertion that he “didn’t have any knowledge of [the district’s plan] until [he] read it in the paper”? That the school board only mentioned the Glen Oak part of the plan, but not the Morton Square park portion?  Does he think we were all born yesterday?

Also in the Master Planning Committee report (emphasis mine):

Beginning in the Woodruff attendance area in Fiscal 2007 with completion by Fiscal 2009, phase-out Glen Oak Primary School and either acquire/swap land in upper Glen Oak Park or adjacent area or expand Von-Stueben campus into K-8 [ . . . ]; Alternatively a new “Glen Oak Park” campus or, a vacated administration center on the Von Stueben campus would be vacated by 2009 and re-purposed with an addition into a primary school.

Separately, property would be acquired adjacent to and/or on the Morton Square Park site. A separate replacement building would be built as funds became available with a targeted opening of Fiscal 2009. Upon completion of the new school, Kingman and Irving schools would be closed. The Glen Oak, Kingman, and Irving primary students would be re-allocated to the “Morton Square Park” and either the Glen Oak Park (preferred) or expanded Von Stueben sites.

Sounds like neighbors of Morton Square Park have plenty of cause for concern; I’d say it’s pretty clear their houses are next on the chopping block if they don’t act to protect them. Godspeed, Mr. Lewis.