We are now 17 years into the village of Forest Park owning the 11 acres at The Altenheim. In three years taxpayers will own it outright.
Might be time to figure out what to do with this green gem that former Mayor Anthony Calderone acquired by inspiration to prevent its development. What to do with it besides mow the grass, look at the tumble-down buildings, and barbeque a few ribs once a year.
Mayor Rory Hoskins tells the Review he wants to hold off planning until the village receives promised demolition cash from the state. Don’t know why we’d wait to plan. The buildings will come down, if just by force of gravity. There is a perfectly good committee eager to continue its work. Public meetings have already been held, input sought and plans scaled back based on that input.
We’ll ask, as we always do, where’s the park district in these conversations? They’re the experts in park development, upkeep and programming. Time for them to come to the table or explain why they are stepping away.
Let’s get cracking. This is a tremendous opportunity for Forest Park.
