For those who have heard me talk about or read my views of how the McHenry County Conservation District has treated the Crystal Lake area, as defined by Grade School District 47’s boundaries know, I think the Crystal Lake area has been cheated.

Since 1971, 23-24% of the property tax dollars collected by MCCD have come from the greater Crystal Lake area.

What have we gotten back?

Out of the $68.5 million bond issue passed in 2001, it looks like we got $90,000 for a parking lot for a bike path between Crystal Lake and Woodstock.

That’s less than 2/10 of 1 percent return on our tax dollars.

How about the rest of the last 35 years?

I’ll certainly grant that there is a popular bike path, but will remind you that it was subsidized by state grants.

Yes, there is the Hollows, but it was donated by Material Service.

Part of the Lake in the Hills Fen is in District 47, but you can’t get there without going through Lake in the Hills.

And, most recently, I think, a parcel of land was bought in 1999 which is west of West Grade School across from the Crystal Lake Park District’s tot lot. But the seller is still living there, so it can’t be developed, as I reported yesterday.

I don’t think Crystal Lake has gotten its fair share of open space money from the MCCD.

Do you?

A vacuuming analogy comes to mind.

The Conservation District sucks up Crystal Lake’s tax dollars and sprinkles them elsewhere in McHenry County.