Bill Shoemaker
Superintendent
St. Charles Horticultural Research Center
535 Randall Road
St. Charles, IL 60174
Phone: (630) 584-7254
FAX: (630) 584-4610
Email: Wshoemak@inil.com
The St. Charles Horticulture Research and Demonstration Center, at the northeast corner of Illinois Route 38 and Peck Road, is a 100-acre tract of land uniquely situated at the intersection of urban and rural landscapes. The site offers a landmark opportunity to revitalize horticulture and specialty crops research, outreach and education in the greater Chicago area and to expand beyond horticulture to issues that affect urban green spaces.
The St. Charles property and its location are key to the strategic goal of the center—to establish a powerful horticulture and natural resources field research program at the edge of the Chicago metropolitan area. Positioned at the intersection of urban, suburban, and rural landscapes, the site offers a landmark opportunity to revitalize research, education, and outreach in horticulture, natural resources, and environmental science for the greater Chicago area. It has the potential to address the complex issues affecting green spaces and to play a key role in preserving the prosperity and viability of the northern Illinois landscape.
In the spring of 2006, the University of Illinois offices of the interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs formed a stakeholder task force that was charged with reviewing off-campus field research stations in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). The task force was then asked to review the portfolio of the ACES field research and education centers and make recommendations concerning future needs. The group’s specific recommendations for the St. Charles Horticultural Research Center was to “expand program opportunities in horticulture and environmental research, outreach and academic education and to enhance collaboration with ACES units and other local and regional institutions.”
The Center property had been leased for the last 18 years from the Illinois Department of Corrections (DOC). Discussion of transferring the land to the university was initiated in 2007. In conversations with the DOC and Central Management Services (CMS), the DOC agreed that the highest and best use of the land was for research, education, and outreach, and CMS deemed use of the land by the College of ACES to be in the best interest of the State of Illinois. The U of I Board of Trustees approved the transfer of land to the university at their meeting in October 2007, and in April 2008 the title transfer was finalized.
The Center’s partners—the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Kane County Extension, the horticultural industry, and Center donors—envision a facility that in addition to serving a traditional horticultural clientele, will also educate and engage students, homeowners, urban planners, and government agencies in the latest horticultural techniques and plant materials. The Center will be at the forefront of efforts to develop sustainable landscapes as well as management practices ensuring that landscapes, in the broadest sense, positively impact our environment.
The Center’s leaders intend to work closely with industry and governmental representatives in developing a plan that encompasses on-site research, education, and demonstration areas, with particular focus on the following areas:
Finalization of a conceptual plan for the Center will enable the development phase to begin for new facilities and new uses for the site, along with a projection of design, development, and ongoing management. It is expected that adequate hosting for the Center’s programs will require a facility with offices, a classroom, a conference room, a laboratory and a clinic area, and will need to factor in possible future program expansion as well as the growing educational needs of Center clientele.