A proposal to build a $2.2 million running track and sports field in Lincoln Park is drawing fire from some area residents, who worry the private Latin School of Chicago would be the facility’s primary beneficiary.
But area runners and soccer players strongly support the plan, and Chicago Park District officials say other area schools and recreational runners would be able to use the track.
The Latin School has committed to pay for up to a third of construction costs, with the Park District picking up another third. But the school, which already uses park facilities for its athletic programs, would not receive any special treatment or dominate its use, park and city officials said.
“There’s room enough and time enough for everyone who would want to use those facilities,” said Latin spokeswoman Evelyne Girardet, adding that the school would use the facility on some afternoons and occasionally on weekends.
The 8-lane track would sit on four acres of open space along Cannon Drive south of Lincoln Park Zoo, surrounding an artificial turf soccer field. The Park District has built at least two other running tracks in recent years in partnership with schools, in River Park on the Far North Side and in Jackson Park near Hyde Park High School.
The Lincoln Park plan has been in the works for months, but it is still far from complete, in part because the Chicago Board of Education cannot help fund the project because of a budget crunch, officials say.
“The funding issues are still up in the air. Location issues still have to be addressed,” with the possibility the field may be moved farther south than originally planned, said Angelynne Amores, a Park District spokeswoman.
About 40 opponents of the plan met Wednesday night and organized Keep Lincoln Park Public. They agreed to notify their neighbors, start a petition drive and pester public officials to block the plan.
They fear the track and field would ruin the popular open area at the foot of the pedestrian bridge that crosses North Lake Shore Drive, which features a baseball field. They also argue the Park District is giving away public land to a private institution.
“We’re concerned that a private entity wants to buy into public property and that this private entity will have first right to the facility,” said Colt Landreth, 50, of the 1400 block of North Lake Shore Drive.
Park officials and the local alderman said the school would have to schedule its use of the field the same way anyone else would.
“We would go through a regular permitting process with them to establish the times that they would be using it,” said parks General Supt. David Doig. “This is not a Latin School running track. This is a Park District track.”
Other facilities built with the help of schools leave plenty of time for others to use them, Doig said. For example, North Park University, which helped build the River Park track, uses the field about 15 percent of the time, he said.
Brenda Barrera, author of the Chicago Running Guide who frequently runs in Lincoln Park, said she does not expect a conflict between recreational runners and school workouts and competitions. She also dismissed concerns that the private Latin School would monopolize the track.
“It’s going to be able to be used by the other public schools that don’t have track facilities, and these kids are part of our community and are citizens also.”
More community meetings are planned to discuss the proposal, said Ald. Vi Daley (43rd), whose ward includes the south end of the park. The Lincoln Park Advisory Council, a citizens group, has not yet taken a position on the plan.
“We’re not trying to say that this thing is a done deal, or that we’re going to absolutely do it,” Doig said.
Erma Tranter, president of Friends of the Parks, said she is concerned about the possibility that the running track would be used primarily by the Latin School. She also said there were unanswered questions on whether the project would fit into a long-range plan for the park that was put together several years ago.
