When Evanston resident Anne Weisberg’s children were young, they often visited the Evanston Ecology Center.
Based on recent City Council budget deliberations, Weisberg’s grandson Asher, who is signed up for summer camp at the center, will probably get the chance to do the same.
“It’s a wonderful place to come for children and adults getting in touch with nature,” said Weisberg, who came to the center Saturday to look into its Great Backyard Bird Count program.
The council likely will not close the ecology center, 2024 McCormick Blvd., to shave $200,000 from the city’s projected $9.5 million budget deficit, council members indicated Jan. 23 in a straw poll.
City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz said he suggested the closure as part of a $1.5 million package of cuts to the budget the council proposed Dec. 31. But outcry from Evanston citizens discouraged the council from eliminating the program, he said.
“It’s not going anywhere,” Bobkiewicz said. “The council felt that it was an inappropriate cut to be pursuing.”
The council determined the center provides unique services to Evanston, Ald. Don Wilson (4th) said. It would be more beneficial to cut programs such as the branch libraries that overlap with each other, he said.
“(The ecology center) is a facility and a resource that isn’t duplicated anywhere,” Wilson said. “Other facilities, there are alternatives for.”
Wilson said the reaction of community members, some of whom came to city council meetings to speak in favor of preserving the ecology center, influenced his vote against cutting it. He said he would have voted the same way even without community input because he values the center’s services himself.
Although the council will not make its final decision until Feb. 22, Doug Gaynor, director of the Parks/Forestry and Recreation Department, said he thinks supporters of the center have good cause to be hopeful.
“Frankly, the deliberations were very short considering the closing or elimination,” he said. “I’m optimistic that they feel that it’s a worthwhile program and should be continued.”
The center’s programs, which include a community garden, canoeing in a nearby canal and classes at Evanston Township High School, give Evanston residents exposure to nature that otherwise would not be available in an urban environment, Gaynor said.
“You don’t have to go very far to gain an outdoor experience,” he said.
Weisberg’s daughter Sara Jane Giles said she appreciates the programs the center provides for children.
“It’s great that they’re not going to close,” Giles said. “These little things about Evanston are what make it a great place to live with kids.”[email protected]
