Freedom of Information Act

Any person may obtain public records for inspection or copying, in accordance with the provisions of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, by submitting a request, preferably in writing or on the CCFPD Public Records Examination Request form, to the designated Freedom of Information Officer of the District:

Lisa Sprinkle
Freedom of Information Officer
Champaign County Forest Preserve District
PO Box 1040
Mahomet, IL 61853
217-586-5724 (fax)
[email protected]

The requested records will be supplied within five working days after receipt of the request as required by the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Under certain conditions permitted by law, the CCFPD may extend this time limit by another five working days. In the event that the Request for Public Records cannot be complied with, a written denial will be sent to the person making the request within five working days after receipt of the request or ten working days in case of an extension, specifying the reasons for the denial. This denial notice will also include information of the right to review by the Public Access Counselor or judicial review.

Request Fees

Fee Schedule
First 50 pages of black and white, letter or legal size No charge
Each additional page over 50 pages $0.15 per page
Color or oversized copies Actual cost of reproduction
Recording medium (disc, tape, thumb drive) Actual cost of medium
Certification of document $1.00 per document
First eight (8) hours of search and research No Charge
Each additional hour of search and research over eight (8) $10.00 per hour
Off-site retrieval and transport Actual Cost

Voluminous FOIA Requests

(As defined by Illinois Public Act 098-1129)

Documents not in PDF

  • $20 for up to two (2) megabytes of data,
  • $40 for greater than two (2) megabytes but less than four (4) megabytes of data,
  • $100 for more than four (4) megabytes of data.

Documents already existing in PDF

  • $20 for up to eighty (80) megabytes of data,
  • $40 for greater than eighty (80) megabytes but less than one hundred and sixty (160) megabytes of data,
  • $100 for more than one hundred and sixty (160) megabytes of data.

Waiver of Fees

The public, under certain circumstances and meeting minimal criteria, may file for a waiver of copying fees. Such waivers must be approved by the Executive Director.

About the Preserve District

Purpose

The purposes of the CCFPD are set forth in the Downstate Forest Preserve District Act (70 ILCS 805/5 et seq.)

Mission statement: We are stewards of our county's natural and historic resources through conservation, education and the compatible outdoor recreation experiences we provide at Champaign County's Forest Preserves.

Vision: To hold a valued and vital place in the lives of Champaign County residents and be recognized for innovation, leadership and excellence.

Functional Subdivisions

Block diagram of the functional subdivisions of the CCFPD (23kb pdf)

Budget

The total amount of the FY2015 operating budget of the CCFPD is $6,214,542.

Offices

  • CCFPD Mailing Address: PO Box 1040, Mahomet, IL 61853 [email protected]
  • CCFPD District Headquarters Office: 109 S Lake of the Woods Rd, Mahomet, IL 61853
  • Lake of the Woods Golf Course: 405 N Lake of the Woods Rd, Mahomet, IL
  • Museum of the Grand Prairie: 900 N Lombard, Mahomet, IL
  • Natural Resources/Forestry: 650 N Lombard, Mahomet, IL
  • Botanical Garden Office: 650 N Lombard, Mahomet, IL
  • Lake of the Woods Operations/Construction: 650 N Lombard, Mahomet, IL
  • River Bend Forest Preserve: 1602 Mid America Rd, Mahomet, IL
  • Sangamon River Forest Preserve: 2797 County Road 600 E, Fisher, IL
  • Middle Fork River Forest Preserve Office: 3433 County Road 2700 E, Penfield, IL
  • Middle Fork River Preserve and Campground: 3485 County Road 2700 E, Penfield, IL
  • Homer Lake Forest Preserve Office: 2573 S Homer Lake Rd, Homer, IL
  • Homer Lake Interpretive Center: 2573 S Homer Lake Rd, Homer, IL

Employees

The CCFPD employs approximately 35 full-time, 12 part-time, and 90 seasonal employees.

Board and Committees

The CCFPD is governed by a five-member nonpartisan Board of Commissioners. Commissioners are appointed by the Champaign County Board for unpaid five-year terms.

Board of Commissioners

  • Bill Goodman
  • Bobbie Herakovich
  • Andrew Kerins
  • Wendy Hundley
  • Greg Knott

Foundation Board

    • Will Timmons, Chairman
    • Matt Hausman, Vice President 
    • Roger Laramee, Treasurer
    • Jennifer Vallowe, Secretary
    • Rod Beyers
    • Carter Billingsley
    • Shira Epstein
    • Nancy Guebelle
    • Brendan McGinty
    • Merry Mitchell
    • Dan Noel
    • Rachel Smith-Bolton
    • Mary Ellen Wuellner
    • Robert Espeseth, board member emeritus
    • Greg Knott, CCFPD Board Liaison
    • Lorrie Pearson, Executive Director CCFPD

Citizens Advisory Committee

  • Kayla Boparai
  • Fred Bunting
  • Nancy Elliott
  • Richard Harris
  • Kristian Hopkins
  • Fred Newport
  • Madison Story

Museum Advisory Committee

  • Betty Wendland
  • Patricia Miller
  • Barbara Wysocki
  • Duane Elbert
  • Barbara Oehlschlaeger-Garvey
  • Tom Meachum
  • Dan Olson

CCFPD Executive Director

Lorrie Pearson

Freedom of Information Officer

Lisa Sprinkle, FOIA Officer

Records Maintained

The categories of records under the control of the CCFPD include the following:

  • Accident Reports
  • Accounts Payable
  • Administrative Manuals
  • Agendas
  • Agreements
  • Annual Appropriations Ordinance
  • Audit Reports
  • Bid Documents
  • Brochures
  • Budget Book
  • Contracts
  • Correspondence
  • Data Processing Records
  • Easements
  • Employee Handbook
  • Employee Names & Salaries
  • Employee Titles
  • Employment Dates
  • Equipment Maintenance Records
  • Expenditures
  • Fixed Asset Records
  • Grant Files
  • Incident Reports
  • Insurance Claims & Policies
  • Inventories
  • Investment Records
  • Land Acquisition Records
  • Legislation Files
  • Licenses
  • Litigation Records
  • Maps
  • Meeting Dates Resolution
  • Meeting Notices
  • Minutes
  • Newsletters
  • Ordinances & Resolutions
  • Payment Vouchers
  • Payroll Records
  • Permits Personnel Files
  • Photographs
  • Plans & Specifications
  • Policies
  • Preserve Statistics/History
  • Press Releases
  • Procedures
  • Program Descriptions/Schedules
  • Project Files
  • Proposals & Bids
  • Public Hearing Minutes
  • Purchase Orders
  • Recordings
  • Reports
  • Safety Records
  • Scripts
  • Studies
  • Surveys
  • Vehicle Maintenance Records
  • Volunteer Opportunities/Statistics

Pursuant to Section 3.5 of the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 14/3.5), the following records will be immediately disclosed upon request:

  • Agendas
  • Approved Open Session Minutes
  • Ordinances
  • Resolutions