Fabyan Japanese Garden located in the Fabyan Forest Preserve. Photo by Vivien Lasken, Oct.14, 2021.
Since our founding in 1974, Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley has collaborated with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. As a fifty-year partner of the District, we have unique insight into the educational programming, conservation, and recreation offerings of two of the most popular forest preserves in Kane County: LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve and Fabyan Forest Preserve. We are grateful for the District’s commitment to history education (see timelines below) and know that some community members are concerned about the delayed maintenance of some of their historic buildings.
On November 5, Kane County residents will vote on a referendum that would allow the District to raise taxes.[1] Notably, due to scheduled debt reductions, the District estimates that starting in 2027, taxpayers would see a net decline in taxes paid to the District.[2] This additional revenue could accelerate prioritization within the District to protect these historic structures for future generations.
Several years before we were founded, members of local Questers chapters approached the District with a proposal to save, restore, and turn into a museum the 1843 Durant-Peterson House at the LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve acquired by the District in 1969. The District had repurposed some of the buildings it acquired with its land purchases over the years while demolishing others. It was unclear if restoring a building as a local history museum fit within its mission.
The women from the Questers were quite persistent and the District soon agreed to their plan. Restorations of Kane County (later renamed Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley) was formed by five members of the Questers in 1974 to carry out the plan.
The District provided some funding for the restoration work, but most of the money and work came from volunteers with Preservation Partners. To help raise money, the District agreed to co-host fundraising events with Preservation Partners, such as Day in the Country on the lawn of the Durant-Peterson House.
Increasingly, the District recognized how local historical education complemented its nature education and drew new visitors to the forest preserve. In 1988, the District began funding some of Preservation Partners’s educational programming at the Durant-Peterson House, in addition to the money it spent on regular maintenance of the home of which they retained ownership.
Not every potential historic building the District acquired was able to be saved. Those saved, such as Durant-Peterson House, Sholes School, Fabyan Villa, Fabyan Japanese Garden, and Fabyan Windmill, were restored through taxpayer funds, grants, and donations from individuals and outside groups such as Preservation Partners. Contracting Preservation Partners to operate the District’s historic sites at LeRoy Oakes and Fabyan Forest Preserves has allowed the District to remain focused on maintaining its preserves and buildings while adding history education affordably to the public.
While the District has done a good job with necessary repairs, especially those that impact the health and safety of visitors, it has not had consistent or sufficient funding for capital improvements. For example, historic concrete statues at the Fabyan Forest Preserve need repairs, the liner for the pond at the Fabyan Japanese Garden is leaking, the Fabyan Villa will need a new roof soon, and the Peterson barns at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve could use some work to protect them from further deterioration.
If the referendum on the November 5 ballot passes, the District has projected the increase in taxes will provide an additional $5.5 million in revenue annually, $2.5 million of which is planned for capital projects.[3] Combined with grants and private donations, this funding could help tackle some of the needed capital improvements for the District’s historic sites so they can continue to share the county’s rich history.
According to the District, if the referendum passes, it would cost about $10 per $100,000 of property value, or about $3 per month for most homeowners.[4] Other than additional money for capital improvements, the money would allow the District to buy more land, plant trees, increase preserve access and safety, and turn more land into natural prairie among other things.
Kane County is fortunate to already have nearly 24,000 acres at over 70 forest preserves that provide open space, preserve nature and wildlife, provide education and recreation opportunities, and preserve significant history. Upkeep and improvements to this public land can benefit everyone and ensure Kane County’s natural and agricultural history is preserved for future generations.
For more information on the Forest Preserve District of Kane County Land Acquisition and Preserve Improvement Referendum, visit KaneForest.com.
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[1] Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley, as a 501(c)(3), cannot and does not endorse this or any other referendum or candidate.
[2] Forest Preserve District of Kane County, “Land Acquisition & Preserve Improvement Referendum” (2024): 4, https://issuu.com/forestpreserve/docs/ref_brochure_2024_issuu?fr=sNTQ2YTcwNzY1Nzc.
[3] Forest Preserve District of Kane County, “Land Acquisition & Preserve Improvement Referendum” (2024): 2, https://issuu.com/forestpreserve/docs/ref_brochure_2024_issuu?fr=sNTQ2YTcwNzY1Nzc.
[4] Brenda Schory, “Kane Forest Preserve Seeks $5.7 Million Levy Increase on Nov. 5 Ballot,” Kane County Chronicle, September 23, 2024, https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/2024/09/23/kane-forest-preserve-seeks-57-million-levy-increase-on-nov-5-ballot/; Brenda Schory, “Kane Forest Preserve Officials, Supporters Hope Voters Say Yes Nov. 5,” Kane County Chronicle, September 30, 2024, https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/2024/09/30/kane-forest-preserve-officials-supporters-hope-voters-say-yes-nov-5/.