Mar. 1, 2023 11:45a
(WGTD)---Six years ago, environmentalists in Mt. Pleasant lost a battle to save part of a rare, old-growth forest from development. It was a different story Monday night.
Meeting separately, both the Racine County Board and the Mt. Pleasant Village Board voted to pitch in $380,000 each to buy a 21-acre parcel of what’s left of Campbell Woods. The Oak forest is located along the Racine/Kenosha county line and east of Green Bay Rd.
Over the objections of nearby homeowners in 2017, the village board approved a zoning change that led to the construction of a large senior living complex. Mt. Pleasant Village Board President Dave DeGroot was on the board at the time and voted against the development. He wholeheartedly supported Monday night's purchase. "We're here to correct the village's prior mistake," he said.
The land is available for sale because the property, owned by the developers of the senior living complex, is on the edge of foreclosure.
If all goes as planned, the Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network will take over the 21 acres under a conservation easement, and develop public walking trails through the property.
Over at the county board, Supervisor Robert Miller had high praise for the project, calling the tract "incredibly rich and beautiful."
Said Dave Giordano of Root-Pike WIN: "It's one of four areas in the Pike River watershed that's classified as critical to preserve and protect."
The $745,000 that Racine County and the village board will put up won’t cover the entire purchase price. Under a deal worked out only recently, Root-Pike WIN will have ten years to come up with $400,000 to complete the purchase. The organization is optimistic that it’ll be able to secure grants to cover the cost.
-0-