Journal Editor

The two park districts that serve Des Plaines residents have each been told that they can earn more than $1 million over the next 20 years if they agree to permit the building of at least one large billboard on property they own.

Those assurances came from as many as three eager billboard companies within the last year and a half that are anxious to tap into the lucrative O'Hare Airport outdoor advertising market. One of the companies that sought deals with the Des Plaines and Mt. Prospect park districts was Premere Outdoor, Inc., the company whose president is awaiting sentencing in a financial fraud and tax evasion case involving an insurance company he owned. Premere also has links to James Dvorak, the convicted Cook County undersheriff who served time in federal prison for income tax evasion and bribery during the 1980s. Dvorak later became president of Premere Media, Inc., apparently after Premere Outdoor sold all or some of its rights to erect billboards in Des Plaines to a major developer of outdoor advertising throughout the country.

While the Des Plaines Park Dist. has indicated its strong interest in permitting the building of one 80-ft. tall sign at the south end of Seminole Park on Scott Street, the Mt. Prospect Park Dist. has deliberately shied away from a proposal to build as many as three billboards along the Northwest Tollway (I-90). That's because the property, Metro-Majewski Park, is not owned by the park district but by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation Dist. of Greater Chicago. The park district leases the acreage in order to host softball and soccer contests.

According to Walter Cook, Mt. Prospect Park District's executive director, John Nitti, a representative of Premere Outdoor, Inc., visited his office in July or August of 2003 seeking permission to put up three billboards on the property. Cook said he was pressed hard to agree to the proposal, but balked because of the fact that the park district does not own the land and a general uncomfortableness with the proposal. Attending that meeting were Nitti and three other individuals who Cook said were employees of Lamar Outdoor Advertising, the third largest billboard company in the nation. It's believed that Lamar sometime in 2003 purchased Premere Outdoor's assests after Premere secured approval from the Des Plaines City Council to erect 10 billboards along the Nothwerst Tollway.

Cook explained that during the meeting with Nitti and the Lamar representatives last year, Nitti mentioned that "this will be the last time you'll see me." Nitti, said Cook, explained that Lamar was in the process of taking over the building of new billboards from Premere which included the hope to erect as many as three large signs at Majewski Park. However, added Cook, Nitti continued to call him on an almost weekly basis for the next six months trying to convince him to allow billboards at Majewski Park. The last call Cook said he received from Nitti was about a week ago after not hearing from him for several months.

"He called out of the blue," said Cook. He did not return Nitti's call. The proposal presented to the Mt. Prospect Park Dist. was to pay approximately $50,000 annually for each of the three proposed billboards for a 15 to 20 year period. If three billboards were erected, the amount of money the park district could generate would total $3 million.

"It was good money," said Cook.

As for the Des Plaines Park Dist., Executive Director John Hecker said he has been contacted by three billboard companies for the right to install a 80-ft. tall sign at the south end of Seminole Park. Seminole is located on the city's extreme south end next to a busy Northwest Tollway toll booth. The three companies that have submitted proposals are: Windsor, Premere Outdoor and SignCo. based in Jacksonville, Fla.

In order for a billboard to legally be erected on park district property including one at Seminole, the City of Des Plaines has to approve a change in zoning of the property to Commercial and an amendment to the city code. Two weeks ago, aldermen were scheduled to formally hear the proposed zoning change and text amendment. But a few days later the matter was pull meeting agenda. Hecker said Monday that he received a telephone call from City Manager Dave Niemeyer suggesting that the topic be removed from the agenda and reintroduced at a later date.

While the city's staff supports a billboard at Seminole Park, the city's Plan Commission, an advisory group of five local residents, has recommended denial. Members have said that the existence of billboards in Des Plaines are ugly and lead to traffic accidents because they are designed to attract the attention of motorists.

The three companies vying for the right to erect a billboard at Seminole submitted relatively similar proposals. Each said that if permission is granted to install one billboard at Seminole, the park district could earn about $1 million during the 20 years.

Hecker said that in a meeting he had with Premere Outdoor, Inc. about a year ago, Joseph Loss, a Lombard attorney and officer of Premere, represented the company. Hecker added that he does not recall if anyone else accompanied Loss. Hecker said he also had a meeting with representatives from Windsor Outdoor advertising.

"Everything is very negotiable," said Hecker. We're not committed yet. It makes sense for us to sit back and wait for the dust to settle. I'm responsible to look at all options."