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<b>Ridgeland Common</b> is an expansive area within Oak Park, [[Illinois]], which is the location of a swimming pool, ice rink, and ball fields. Until the summer of 2013 it was also the location of a popular sledding hill, dog run, and wood chip/mulch pile.
<b>Ridgeland Common</b> is an expansive area within Oak Park, [[Illinois]], which is the location of a swimming pool, ice rink, and ball fields. Until the summer of 2013 it was also the location of a popular sledding hill, dog run, and wood chip/mulch pile.
Although numerous public meetings on the reconstruction of the area had been held for several years, the discussions centered on the swimming pool and ice rink. In backroom maneuvering, park board commissioners affiliated with youth soccer, some as paid coaches, managed to push through unannounced plans to remove the natural turf field and replace it with artificial turf, bulldoze the sledding hill, remove the wood chip/mulch pile, and cancel the dog run.<ref>http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/2-26-2013/Ridgeland-plan-scorns-survey/</ref><ref>http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/2-26-2013/Ridgeland-plans-will-destroy-the-park/</ref> Dozens of mature trees, including the two large hackberry trees on top of the sledding hill, and bushes were also planned on being destroyed.<ref>http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/3-5-2013/Park-District-of-Oak-Park-plans-to-flatten-sled-hill,-move-dog-park-at-Ridgeland-Common/</ref>
Although numerous public meetings on the reconstruction of the area had been held for several years, the discussions centered on the swimming pool and ice rink. In backroom maneuvering, park board commissioners affiliated with youth soccer, some as paid coaches, managed to push through unannounced plans to remove the natural turf field and replace it with artificial turf, bulldoze the sledding hill, remove the wood chip/mulch pile, and cancel the dog run.<ref>http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/2-26-2013/Ridgeland-plan-scorns-survey/</ref><ref>http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/2-26-2013/Ridgeland-plans-will-destroy-the-park/</ref> Dozens of mature trees, including the two large hackberry trees on top of the sledding hill, and bushes were also planned on being destroyed.<ref>http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/3-5-2013/Park-District-of-Oak-Park-plans-to-flatten-sled-hill,-move-dog-park-at-Ridgeland-Common/</ref><ref>http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-03-06/news/ct-met-oak-park-dog-park-20130307_1_dog-park-turf-field-larger-dog</ref>
The plans followed efforts by the same commissioners to install artificial turf in two other parks in Oak Park, Lindberg (Greenfield) Park and Taylor Park. The residents bordering those two parks, after becoming aware of the planning process for their parks, vociferously objected, and the plans were scrapped. Ridgeland Common, in contrast, is located in a business district, with very few neighbors. No one other than youth sports was notified of the plans and no neighbors existed to protest. The plans to replace the natural grass with artificial turf, requiring destruction of the sledding hill, dog run, and wood chip/mulch pile, was done in near [[Star chamber]] circumstances.
The plans followed efforts by the same commissioners to install artificial turf in two other parks in Oak Park, Lindberg (Greenfield) Park and Taylor Park. The residents bordering those two parks, after becoming aware of the planning process for their parks, vociferously objected, and the plans were scrapped. Ridgeland Common, in contrast, is located in a business district, with very few neighbors. No one other than youth sports was notified of the plans and no neighbors existed to protest. The plans to replace the natural grass with artificial turf, requiring destruction of the sledding hill, dog run, and wood chip/mulch pile, was done in near [[Star chamber]] circumstances.