PEORIA, Ill. – Members of the Peoria Park District Board of Trustees are backing a citizen group aiming to stop the sale of a portion of Detweiller Marina.
Friends of Riverfront Park took their case to trustees on Wednesday to try and stop the sale by Detweiller Trust of a portion of land near the marina and Riverfront Park to O’Brien Steel.
Park District Board of Trustees President Robert Johnson was one who was convinced to try and preserve the land after hearing the group’s pleas.
“We have an obligation to help the people, and it’s the people. Sometimes we forget about the people. They are the ones that run our government,” Johnson said.
Johnson says green space is important. But on a recent visit to the area, Johnson says he was “appalled” by the state of the park.
Johnson would like to meet with Detweiller Trust and the city to discuss keeping the space public and restoring the land.
The trust is planning to meet with the park district next week. The sale is expected to close later this month.
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