La Grange’s Park Board Plans to Close Doors

LA GRANGE, IL – The board for the Park District of La Grange is holding closed-door meetings on Saturday and Monday. Its meeting agendas give little indication why.

Both agendas give seven justifications to close the doors under the state’s open meetings law – litigation, acquisition of real estate, setting the price of real property, personnel, review of closed session minutes, security procedures and selection of a person to fill a public office vacancy.

These are the boilerplate reasons for all the park district’s closed meetings.

When Patch first called about the closed sessions, it could not get an answer. Patch was told the board's chairman would let the public know which justification would be used at the beginning of each meeting.

But later, the district let Patch know that the meetings would be about filling the executive director’s position. At the end of April, director Dean Bissias retired. He was with the district for 28 years, the last 16 as its director.

Jenny Bechtold, superintendent of the district’s fitness center, has been serving as interim executive director. Asked whether she applied for the top job, she declined to comment.

The board is not slated to take a vote on any issues after either closed session.

The board is meeting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Monday at the administration offices, 536 East Ave.