Northeastern Illinois boasts some of the planet’s most fertile soils. Yet the state of Illinois has spent decades dismissing farmland’s enduring value by pushing a misguided scheme to build a commercial airport near the village of Peotone.
The Illinois Department of Transportation has used threats of eminent domain to acquire — and remove from local property tax rolls — more than 4,100 acres of farmland. This “airport footprint” is more than four times the size of Chicago’s Loop.
Our Will County farm community is pleased others are joining our opposition. On July 11, the Tribune Editorial Board wrote: “The sooner public officials in Springfield and in Chicago’s southern exurbs admit the folly of the Peotone project, the sooner that land … can be sold for farmland or dedicated to other uses” (“No Route 53 extension? How about a greenway in Chicago’s northern suburbs?”).
The eastern Will County countryside is best suited to serve an economy based around food and agricultural enterprises. The same goes for southwestern Will County — where regional planners and county and local governments want to build warehouse complexes to handle imported goods arriving at an intermodal freight hub.
County studies dismiss our world-class renewable resource as “vacant land.” They claim “the greatest opportunity for growth” is more concrete, asphalt and rooftops.
This mindset has driven regional growth patterns since the dawn of interstate highways. In recent decades, public services and infrastructure have been stretched over ever greater distances while the regional population has barely increased.
We don’t need more sprawl. We need a regional agricultural food, nutrition and conservation business plan that incentivizes farmers to continue producing economic, environmental and social benefits for another 100 years.
Taxpaying farmers deliver these same “ecosystem services” free of charge. This is no small matter. Our region’s agricultural working landscape constitutes a landmass almost six times the size of the city of Chicago.
The local food movement has exposed the strategic importance of farmland near population centers. Northeastern Illinois needs a regional policy framework that supports farmers’ access to all markets — whether down the road or around the globe. Let’s work together to make thriving regional farm and food economies a building block of our public health infrastructure.
— Steve Warrick, Sr., Will County Farm Bureau; Jim Robbins, Will/South Cook Soil & Water Conservation; and Dave Miller; Iroquois Valley Farmland REIT
School board stays local
The thought of a fully elected school board is disturbing if there are not some parameters that are set regarding the boundaries under which it works.
Professional educators have degrees in education, have experience in schools before graduating, study curriculum and undergo continuing education during their tenure. These requirements are there to ensure that what is taught and how it is taught are being decided by those who have the background to make these decisions.
At a minimum, there need to be requirements for running for a place on the board. In addition, there should be ongoing education provided so school board members are up to date on educational matters and can make decisions that are evidence-informed, not political.
Local School Councils have worked well and given parents and community members opportunities to become involved. Rather than an open election for the Chicago Board of Education, the heads of Local School Councils could constitute the board; they have already been elected and are currently representing their school community, and they know what is happening on the ground.
— Jeanne Sokolec, Chicago
Vaccine divide continues
Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama was recently quoted as saying: “It’s time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks, not the regular folks. It’s the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down.” So, to all those folks who are refusing to get vaccinated: If you don’t want to listen to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or Dr. Anthony Fauci, maybe you’ll listen to the Republican governor of Alabama.
By refusing the vaccination, you are not only putting yourself at risk, which is your choice, but you are also putting the rest of us at risk, which is not our choice.
— Bob Chimis, Elmwood Park
Are we the invaders?
Regarding the quagga mussels in Lake Michigan, while we attempt to control yet another invasive species, perhaps we should look in the mirror and acknowledge the presence of the most invasive species of all.
— Neil Johnson, Lansing
Join the conversation in our Letters to the Editor Facebook group.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
