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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION APPROVING SUBLEASE/LICENSE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CHICAGO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY AND RIVERSIDE BROOKFIELD HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT 208 PURSUANT TO 70 ILCS 810/40
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (“District”) owns a parcel of land adjacent to Riverside Brookfield High School, including athletic fields (the “Licensed Area”), which lies within the land designated for use by the Chicago Zoological Society (“CZS”) under the 1986 main operating agreement, which authorizes CZS to operate the world-renowned Brookfield Zoo Chicago; and
WHEREAS, the 1986 operating agreement was originally scheduled to expire on April 7, 2026, and the District and CZS executed an amendment on September 8, 2025, pursuant to authority granted by the Board of Commissioners (Board Item 25-0197), extending the expiration date of that agreement to April 7, 2027; and
WHEREAS, the District and CZS are currently renegotiating the main operating agreement which will extend CZS’s authority to operate the Brookfield Zoo Chicago beyond April 7, 2027; and
WHEREAS, on August 15, 2025, Section 40 of the Cook County Forest Preserve District Act (70 ILCS 810/40) was amended to authorize the managing authority of the zoological park to sublease or license, subject to approval by the District’s Board of Commissioners, no more than fifteen (15) acres of land within its boundaries to a governmental entity or not for profit organization for recreational use in support of the zoological park’s mission; and the amendment further provided that any sublease or license shall expire after fifteen (15) years, or upon expiration of the main operating agreement between CZS and the District (including renewal terms), whichever occurs first; and that the authority to sublease or license land under this Section expires December 31, 2030; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to this statutory authority, CZS has negotiated a Sublease/License Agreement (“Agreement”) with Riverside Brookfield High School District 208 (“RBHS”) for use of approximately three (3) acres of District land containing athletic fields (the “Licensed Area”) for extracurricular school activities, athletic practices, and athletic competitions, including any improvements therein; and
WHEREAS, the Agreement requires RBHS to construct additional parking facilities (“Adjacent Lot”) between an existing parking lot (“Existing Lot”) and the Licensed Area; and
WHEREAS, the Agreement authorizes RBHS to park vehicles on the Existing Lot and the Adjacent Lot at certain days and times of the week, depending on the schedule of RBHS and CZS events; and
WHEREAS, the Agreement contains the following key terms: (1) it shall last for fifteen (15) years, or terminate earlier if the main operating agreement between the District and CZS expires first; (2) RBHS will pay CZS three million dollars ($3,000,000.00), with declining reimbursement obligations based on the year of termination; (3) RBHS shall have the right to use and improve the Licensed Area at its sole cost; (4) RBHS will be responsible for maintaining the Licensed Area and for plowing snow from the Existing Lot and Adjacent Lot; (5) CZS will be responsible for maintaining the Existing Lot and Adjacent Lot, performing repairs, and conducting routine cleaning; and (6) RBHS will pay an annual sum of thirty thousand dollars ($30,000.00) to CZS for its maintenance obligations; and
WHEREAS, although the District is not a party to the Agreement, Section 40 of the Cook County Forest Preserve District Act (70 ILCS 810/40) requires the District’s Board of Commissioners to formally approve the Sublease/License Agreement between CZS and RBHS.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County hereby approves the Sublease/License Agreement between the Chicago Zoological Society and Riverside Brookfield High School District 208, pursuant to the statutory authority provided in Section 40 of the Cook County Forest Preserve District Act (70 ILCS 810/40).
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that such approval authorizes the Chicago Zoological Society to enter into the Agreement in the form presented, consistent with all statutory requirements and limitations, and that this approval does not render the Forest Preserve District of Cook County a party to the Agreement.
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