Residents and their dogs walk to the high water mark of Lake Michigan in front of Justin Ishbia’s lake front home as they cross from Centennial Beach to Elder Lane Beach on Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Winnetka. to the Winnetka Park District for its proposed rebuild of Elder Lane and Centennial beaches has some commissioners wondering if the goodwill measure comes with one major string attached: naming right to the proposed Centennial Dog Beach.
A representative for Ishbia later told the Tribune that the agreement was drafted by Board Counsel Adam Simon, and Ishbia had not seen the agreement. The representative also stated the agreement was not applicable to the donation. The land swap has caused issues for years among residents of Winnetka who say the Park District shouldn’t be in the business of trading public land with private citizens. A lawsuit by resident Robert Schriesheim has kept the Park District from enforcing the swap, effectively keeping the dream of a contiguous beach at a standstill.
According to Simon, renaming a portion of the beach would be permitted as long as the renaming doesn’t conflict with the values of the Park District such as promoting use of drugs or alcohol. “We have to be very thoughtful about how we exercise this. This is someone we’ve been working with for a while,” she said. “He’s a neighbor just like every other neighbor at any of our five beaches.”