Village Free Press_091323

Maywood has a blast at annual Fest,

Battery manufacturing plant coming to Illinois

Lithium-ion plant in Manteno part of state’s ongoing effort to court electric vehicle manufacturing

By ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois

A new battery manufacturing plant is set to open in Illinois next year after the state offered more than $330 million in tax incentives to make it happen.

Gotion, a Chinese battery manufacturing and development company, announced on Sept. 8 that it will build a lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in Manteno, about 50 miles south of Chicago.

The roughly $2 billion project is set to create 2,600 jobs and begin production in 2024. The plant will produce battery cells, battery packs like the kinds used in electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage systems.

Gov. JB Pritzker on Friday called the development “the most significant new manufacturing investment in Illinois in decades.”

In total, the state and local governments offered Gotion more than $536 million in incentives and tax breaks, according to Pritzker’s office.

The company is the fifth to make a deal with the state under the two-year-old Reimagining Energy and Vehicles, or REV, program. Under the deal finalized on Sept. 7, the state

Westchester’s midcentury homes are layered with history

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

Jim Suva stood near the entrance of his home on the 10000 block of Canterbury St. in Westchester wearing the jersey of the late Cubs Hall of Fame third baseman Ron Santo. It turns out, the home and Santo have something in common.

“Ron Santo is Jim’s absolute favorite baseball player of all time,” said Suva’s

wife, Julie, while showing off the couple’s home during the first annual Westchester Mid-Century House Walk (Modchester for short) on Sept. 9.

Jim Suva’s family bought the house when it was built in 1956 and lived there until 1965. When the Suvas moved, the Lorenza family purchased the house and lived there until 1986. Jim returned to his

Melrose Park revels in Hispano Fest

Michael Romain

Tom McCarthy, whose family owns McCarthy Brothers Paving in Maywood, stands in between his 1947 Hudson and his 1961 Triumph TR3. McCarthy’s midcentury home was one of a few dozen featured in the first annual Westchester Mid-Century House Walk on Sept. 9.

BATTERY Manteno Plant

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will provide $213 million in tax credits to the company over the next 30 years –nearly nine times more than the previous four deals combined. Gotion’s agreement is contingent on a minimum investment of $1.9 billion among other stipulations.

Gotion is also set to receive $125 million for capital funds from a $400 million pot of money overseen by Pritzker’s office that is sometimes referred to as a “closing fund.” This discretionary fund was approved by lawmakers for the current budget year, giving Pritzker the authority to offer businesses incentives to relocate to Illinois beyond those offered in other state programs.

A Pritzker spokesperson said the negotiations between the state and Gotion started approximately two years ago.

The company also worked out a deal with Kankakee County to cap the taxes paid on the approximately 150-acre property at $2 million per year for the next 30 years, according to Kankakee County Board Chair Andrew Wheeler.

The chairman of Gotion’s parent company in a statement on Sept. 8 said that the group was drawn to Illinois because of “an enabling business environment” and “a supportive state government.”

The company produces lithium iron phosphate cells for groups like Volkswagen. The German automotive manufacturer is the largest single shareholder in Gotion’s parent company, Gotion High-tech, and the two companies share a strategic framework for developing battery cells, according to Volkswagen’s 2022 annual report.

Gotion is also in the process of setting up a plant in Michigan. This has sparked controversy from Republicans in that state, who cite concerns about the company’s Chinese ownership.

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, used Friday’s announcement ceremony to advertise Illinois to other companies looking to select locations for new developments, declaring that “Illinois is open for business.”

“We are a leader in the Midwest of clean energy job creation, putting us on the forefront of a rapidly expanding

industry,” Harmon said.

Another player in the deal announced Friday was Intersect Illinois, a public-private partnership set up by former-Gov. Bruce Rauner to attract businesses to Illinois. The group’s CEO, Dan Seals, said his organization helped Gotion with site selection for its Manteno project.

“This is the biggest project I’ve seen in my years of economic development,” he told Capitol News Illinois. “It’s a big deal for the electric vehicle industry, it’s a big deal for Manteno, it’s a big deal for Illinois.”

Seals said the Manteno project’s central location in the U.S. is a key selling point for EV companies.

“Batteries have strategic value to the electric vehicle industry,” Seals said. “Batteries are heavy. Auto manufacturers don’t want to be too far and have to ship them.”

Earlier this summer, Canadian manufacturer Lion Electric opened a 900,000-square-foot factory in Joliet. The plant will focus on building electric buses and trucks and the company says it will eventually have a production capacity of 20,000 vehicles per year.

But the state has also had some misses when it comes to battery manufacturing. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat from Springfield, told reporters in 2021 that there were talks with Samsung to bring a battery manufacturing plant to Bloomington-Normal.

But that plant, a partnership between Samsung and automotive company Stellantis, eventually went to central Indiana. Stellantis later “idled” its Jeep manufacturing plant in Belvidere, citing the rising costs of EV manufacturing as a contributing factor.

In addition to state efforts to court manufacturers, consumers in Illinois are increasingly turning to EVs and other battery-powered cars.

Since 2018, more than 186,000 EVs and hybrid vehicles have been licensed in Illinois, according to data from the secretary of state’s office. There were about 80,000 fully electric cars on Illinois roads as of August 15, about eight times as many as there were at the same time in 2018.

The state of Illinois offers support on the consumer side of the EV equation as well. As part of the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, the state gives $4,000 tax rebates for EVs and $1,500 on electric motorcycles.

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Kolin Glenn makes fashion statement Maywood has a blast at annual fest

Maywood Mayor Nathaniel George Booker holds a dish from a local vendor at the annual Maywood Fest on Sept. 9. The Fest featured vendors such as Nygharaee Sampson, who gave out metallic eye-liner samples from her brand, Nygharaee Cosmetics. The Fest also featured the new Fred Hampton memorial fence. .

Shanel Romain

Kolin Glenn, a fashion designer and long-time cosmetologist, hosted his debut fashion show, the Fitzgerald Denim Affair, at Eisenhower in Maywood on Sept. 9.

Shanel Romain

Berkeley reimagines St. Charles Road in updated Corridor Plan

At a meeting on July 18, the Berkeley village board approved the updated St. Charles Road Corridor Plan, which is designed to guide the redevelopment of the village’s main business strip.

The original Corridor Plan was published in 1999 and emphasized three primary concerns, including enhancing the appearance and condition of businesses and infrastructure, redeveloping specific sites along the strip and ensuring that state construction projects along St. Charles Road align with village officials’ desires.

The updated plan, prepared by Teska Associates, Inc., a community planning firm based in Evanston, emphasizes improving the built environment, strengthening economic vitality and diversifying commercial activity along the corridor.

There have already been some significant changes along the stretch of St. Charles Road that runs through Berkeley. They include the demolition of a vacant office building at 5440 St. Charles Rd., the transformation of a vacant lot into a food truck park at 5544 St. Charles Rd., and the construction of the new Sunnyside and MacArthur schools near Wolf and St. Charles roads.

The updated Corridor Plan calls for better pedestrian safety and access along the corridor, the integration of bike paths and the closing of sidewalk gaps. The plan also recommends the village consider relocating the police and fire stations to St. Charles Road “to better serve the community” even though “available sites for future commercial development are limited.”

To read the complete updated plan, visit berkeley-il.us

Registration for 4th Annual Tour de Proviso is now open

Registration for the annual Tour de Proviso is open. Several Proviso Township-area suburbs will host the event, which will happen on Saturday, Oct. 7, at Mayfair Park, 10835 Wakefield St. in Westchester.

The annual biking event was founded in 2020 by Maywood Trustee Miguel Jones and Broadview Mayor Katrina Thompson.

“The idea is to encourage us to see what

other towns have to offer,” Jones told Village Free Press in 2020. “And it’s also to encourage people in our township to ride bikes as a means of transportation. Not everyone needs to have a car or can pay for a car. This may also spark renewed interest in infrastructure, such as bike paths, that is commuter friendly and environmentally friendly.”

To register, visit bestofprovisotownship. org/tour-de-proviso

Bellwood community members start a walking club

Bellwood Village Clerk Janel Moreland and Bellwood Library Board President Connie Riales have teamed up to start the Walk By Faith Bellwood Walk Club. The club’s first walk happened in August. The walks happen along the Prairie Path in Hillside at 6 p.m. each Thursday. Parking is available at the parking lot of Adventure Bay Water Park, 696 Lee Blvd. in Hillside.

For more information about the new club, contact Moreland at (708) 296-9274.

Chicago man arrested, charged in Maywood murder

A Chicago man was arrested on Sept. 8 in the shooting death of 43-year-old Tristan Meeks. Maywood Police found Meeks shot near 4th and Main streets in Maywood in July, WGN News reported.

Charles Williams, 27, of Chicago, was arrested and charged with Meeks’ murder. Detectives are still investigating. Police asked anyone with information to call Sgt. Pezdek at (708) 368-4131.

Community members can also report to an anonymous tip line at (708) 450-1787.

Daiquiri bar looking to replace Shark’s Fish and Chicken in Maywood

A grill and daiquiri bar plans to move into the current home of Shark’s Fish and Chicken at 1001 W. Roosevelt Rd. in Maywood. Orland Park-based AWSB Holdings wants to open S2 Express Grill & Daquiri Bar at the site.

Michael Romain

Thousands of people attended the annual Hispano Fest held Sept. 8 through Sept. 10 in Melrose Park. The Fest featured carnival rides, soccer and food vendors

The Maywood Peace Garden goes solar

Volunteers are working to introduce more native plants, attract more young people

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

The Peace Garden at the corner of 17th Ave. and Madison St. in Maywood is undergoing a hardy renovation.

Olga Desio, a master gardener with the University of Illinois Extension program, said she and a team of volunteers are solarizing the garden.

“We’re trying to kill all the weed seeds in the soil right now because we’re having a terrible problem,” Desio said. “You remove the plants, put water down and plastic on top. Through the plastic, the sun bakes those seeds, which germinate from the moisture and die.”

Desio said in the spring, native grasses will grow in the garden. She said the native grasses attract lots of birds that eat the seeds.

“We’re going to put those native grasses in and then we’re going to invite different young people out to paint river rocks with their own messages, she said.

On Sept. 9, Loyola University medical students helped spruce the garden up during Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine’s annual Day of Service, designed to promote the Jesuit institution’s overarching service mission.

The students also volunteered at other sites in Maywood, including Maywood Fine Arts, Housing Forward and Maywood Fest.

Peace Garden volunteer Shawnda Steer and the Garden’s founder, Barbara Cole, who also founded the nonprofit Maywood Youth Mentoring, said they want more area young people to visit the garden. Cole and MYM young people created the garden in 2009 on a lot that once housed an office building.

“We’re focusing on low maintenance and more activities for kids,” Steer said.

“We invite them to come and pull weeds.”

For more information on the Maywood Peace Garden, call Barbara Cole at (708) 344-3577.

Michael Romain

Olga Desio, a master gardener with the University of Illinois Extension program, helps out in the Maywood Peace Garden on Sept. 9.

MODCHESTER

Historic Homes

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boyhood home when he and Julie bought the house in 2004.

As a teenager in the 1970s, Sandy Lorenza was the president of Cubs second baseman Glenn Beckert’s fan club.

“Glenn would come over here once in a while to pay [Sandy] some money for postage to mail out letters, cards and pictures,” Julie said. “Occasionally he’d bring some friends with him and guess who were friends with him? Ron Santos and [Cubs utility man] Carmen Franzone. They were both in this house!”

Julie said Sandy Lorenza’s mother even cooked for the Cubs greats in the home’s dining room. As Julie spoke, Sandy sat listening near the very area where the legendary meals would take place.

Memories like that one are etched into the trimmings of the Suva and Lorenza home. The hardwood flooring, the aluminum doors and windows, the pink bathroom on one end of the house and the yellow bathroom on the other, and a midcentury modern light fixture hanging over the entrance — they’re all original to the 1956 home. Jim said the original porthole garage doors may be the only ones in Westchester.

Sean Birmingham, a Westchester resident since 1996, said he’s noticed the Suva’s home for the last few years, but Saturday was his first time stepping inside of it and hearing about its history. Birmingham

marveled that the home’s original fixtures are still holding up pretty well.

“I bought my house from the original owner and it had a lot of the original stuff but it was all old and falling apart,” Birmingham said. “It was nothing like. Look at that original screen. Holy cow.”

The Citizens Advisory Board of Westchester (CAB) hosted Saturday’s House Walk. CAB member Maggie Ladas said the event, the brainchild of CAB member and former Chicago Sun-Times columnist Dave Hoekstra, was designed to showcase the village’s rich residential architecture.

“It was Dave’s idea to have a little walk around the neighborhood because we have so many historic homes,” Ladas said. “There’s so much history here, but I don’t think people realize how much there is around here.”

In 2017, Hoekstra wrote about moving to his midcentury modern ranch house in Westchester.

“The midcentury modern experience speaks to a leaner time,” Hoekstra wrote on his personal website. “Rooms were smaller and one-car garages were often attached to the ranch. Sputnik-type light fixtures blended with lots of natural light. The Greatest Generation was emerging from World War II and the excitement of spaceage possibility collided with frugal ethics. Futurism bequeathed optimism.”

That midcentury nostalgia permeated Saturday’s tour and perhaps nowhere was it so pungent than Tom McCarthy’s driveway, where a 1947 Hudson and a 1961 Triumph TR3, both cherry red, were parked picturesquely. The cars foregrounded McCarthy’s Georgian-style midcentury home built in 1952.

McCarthy said his family has lived in the house for 31 years. The house and the cars have memories that span Proviso Township.

“We moved to Westchester in 1981 and then we saw this house go up for sale and moved to it in 1992,” McCarthy said.

“An older gentleman who lives across the street told me an executive with a trucking company in Melrose Park built it custom,” he said. “It’s on a 100-foot lot, which is rare because most of them are on 50- or 60-foot

lots. They placed this home in such a way that it’s impossible to put a second home on the lot. It’s centered on the property. It’s been a very comfortable home.”

McCarthy’s family owns McCarthy Brothers Paving in Maywood, an asphalt paving company founded in 1946. McCarthy said his grandfather bought the Hudson truck new at a Hudson dealer on 23rd and Lake in Melrose Park. A yellow 1963 Maywood vehicle sticker is still on the Hudson’s window.

“This was originally a truck utilized for putting down driveways and parking lots, towing machinery and tools around, and transporting the crew,” McCarthy said. “It had plates on it until 1965. My dad stored it until he retired in 1990. He worked on it a little but he passed away five years into his retirement. So, my brother and I took it over and started working on it a piece at a time for a good 15 years on and off.”

As for the 1961 Triumph TR3, McCarthy said his childhood neighbor had one and he would sometimes help him wash the vehicle.

“And then I’d see him drive off with his British sports cap,” he said. “I always liked the car. It’s a joy to drive. It’s nothing fancy but still fun to drive, like a glorified gocart.”

The McCarthy and Suva homes exemplify Westchester’s generalized yearning for simpler suburban living and, more specifically, a midcentury childhood. Like Suva, Hoekstra’s house purchase was a literal homecoming.

In his 2017 column, Hoekstra said not long after the purchase he began researching the house and discovered, to his astonishment, that it may likely have been the home where he was conceived.

Hoekstra wrote that his father “always installed a manual wall pencil sharpener in the basement of every house we lived in. Did he install the vintage wall pencil sharpener I found in the basement of this house?

“Energy needs time to become focused, measured matter. In days past I retreated to the only chair in the living room. Dusk became darkness with a turn of the page. I looked out the picture window at old trees on a quiet street. There were no shadows and I wondered if I was truly alone.”

“

This was originally a truck utilized for putting down driveways and parking lots, towing machinery and tools around, and transporting the crew.”

TOM MCCARTHY

Michael Romain

Julie Suva describes the rich architectural details of the home she shares with her husband, Jim Suva, and their family during Modchester on Sept. 9. A framed newspaper article about the Suvas and their home hangs on the wall

Prairie Fest hearkens back to simpler times

Art, music and crafts remind visitors to the Sept. 9 event about the importance of the rare natural ecosystem

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor

Before industrialization, Illinois was mostly prairie. Today, less than 1% of the state is considered prairie. The Wolf Road Prairie Nature Reserve in Westchester is a rare living example of the original tallgrass prairie that covered the state several hundred years ago. Oak Park artist Alice Ann Barnes has dedicated herself to painting the unique ecosystem.

“Sometimes, I’ll spend 20 hours in one week at the prairie,” she said at the annual Prairie Fest on Sept. 9 in Westchester. The Fest is organized each year by the Save the Prairie Society and the Franzosenbusch Heritage Project. The Franzosenbusch Prarie House, which sits at the Nature Reserve’s northernmost edge at 11225 Constitution Drive in Westchester, dates to the 1850s when prairie still dominated the Illinois landscape. Barnes’ oil paintings depict the prairie as the seasons change and organisms come and go. A few of her paintings depict a burr oak tree that fell in a bad storm and was consumed by a controlled fire.

She also notices how a warming world is changing the prairie ecosystem whose evo-

lution and adaptation are measured in thousands of years.

“We have new bugs on the prairie,” she said. “There’s this new mite that’s a real problem and a new tick we have not seen yet. They can carry disease. The flowers have all bloomed just a little earlier than usual this year. I’m always concerned.”

The Save the Prairie Society helps maintain the Nature Reserve and conducts informational sessions on the environment. Each week, volunteers inspect the 80-acre wetland for invasive species. Last month, the Prairie House hosted John Cebula of the DuPage Birding Club who talked about the importance of insects during bird migration.

On Saturday, Wyatt Widmer, the prairie’s volunteer land manager and the Save the Prairie Society’s associate director, led a group of people on a tour of the prairie while the Save the Prairie Dulcimers played “The Road To Lisdoonvarna,” an Irish jig. The Dulcimer is a string instrument that was originally played in Appalachia.

Like the prairie itself, the Fest is a welcome reprieve in a world that’s become punishingly complex and chaotic. For Barnes, it’s a gentle reminder of the precious natural resources humans stand to lose if industrial activity isn’t reined in.

“I try to communicate to people in a nice, positive way what they can do to help [the planet] and I feel like that’s all you can do,” she said.

For more information about the Save the Prairie Society or the Franzosenbusch Prarie House, visit savetheprairiesociety.org

Michael Romain

Oak Park artist Alice Ann Barnes holds up one of her paintings of the Wolf Road Prairie Nature Preserve behind her at the annual Prairie Fest in Westchester on Sept. 9.

From page 4

Maywood Mayor Nathaniel George Booker said the Shark’s restaurant is planning to close within weeks. A Shark’s representative could not be immediately reached on Sunday.

According to the company’s website, there are seven S2 Grill locations in the Chicago area. The restaurants serve traditional American dishes like loaded baked potato, cheese sticks and pizza. They also serve Mexican food, seafood and breakfast food. The restaurant will also have video gaming.

Mayor Booker said the S2 Express’s local liquor license was approved. They’re currently waiting for the state to approve their video gaming liquor license. Booker said the owners plan to open the restaurant before the end of the year. A representative with AWSB Holdings could not be immediately reached for comment on Sunday.

Earlier this year, the Maywood village board changed its ordinances to prohibit the issuance of future video gaming licenses to video gaming bistros. Booker said only full-service restaurants will be able to apply for video gaming liquor licenses under the new ordinances.

A new Rotary Club forms in the west suburbs while one of the oldest makes strides

There’s a new Rotary Club in the west suburbs. It’s called the Social Justice and Equity Rotary Club.

Shakana Kirksey, a La Grange social worker, is the new club’s president. Kirksey said she and her brother, Maywood Trustee Miguel Jones, cofounded the club, which became official in March.

“We wanted to make a club that services the Black and Brown communities in a way that Rotary has never done before,” said Kirksey, who is also a trustee with the Lyons Township School Treasurer’s office.

Kirksey said most of the new Rotary Club’s meetings are held virtually at 6:30 p.m. every third Thursday of the month, but it also hosts in-person events at different minority-owned restaurants in the west suburbs.

She said the last event was at Legend’s Grill and Music, 9 N. 5th Ave. in Maywood. The speaker was a man who teaches boxing to young people in Chicago’s Austin community.

Kirksey said the club has about 20 members already, most of whom are young professionals.

“That’s why our meetings are normally in

the evening because we mostly work during the day,” she said. “Evening meetings work better for a lot of our members.”

The Social Justice and Equity Rotary Club forms as the Maywood-Proviso Rotary Club, which is roughly 100 years old, makes new strides. Last month, the Maywood-Proviso Rotary announced that it earned the Rotary Citation, the most significant award a Rotary club can receive.

Rotary Club Citations are given to clubs that meet one or more goals, including “increasing club membership, developing sustainable service projects, giving to the Rotary Foundation, and building awareness of Rotary in your community,” according to the Rotary International website.

“In July of 2022, we set many ambitious goals to reach out to new members and increase civic engagement,” said Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, the Maywood-Proviso Rotary’s immediate past president.

“This has been an exciting year and I want to thank all our club members because no one accomplishes such recognition alone.”

With 1.4 million members, Rotary is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The organization was founded by Chicago attorney Paul Harris in 1905.

Westchester man gets a street named in his honor

A Westchester man now has a street named after him. Part of Hull Avenue, from Bond Street to Kent Street, will be Frank Grill Street. The Westchester village board voted unanimously to approve the measure at a meeting on Aug. 22.

According to the petition for an honorary street name application, Grill’s family was one of the first to live in Westchester and a founding family of Divine Infant Parish, 1601 Newcastle Ave.

Grill has also helped organize local events, including the annual 4th of July parade, and was an active volunteer with the Westchester Swim Club. Grill’s father was a World War II veteran who earned a Purple Heart for his role in the Battle of the Bulge. Grill lives on the corner of Hull and Bond.

His family and friends created the petition to honor him on his 80th birthday.

“Frank and his family have touched many hearts in Westchester,” the petition states.

“His home on Hull and Bond has been a sanctuary for many. Frank and his family will always be part of Hull Avenue and Hull Avenue will always be part of them.”

PERSPECTIVES

Your Property Taxes with Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas

Taxpayers get help finding refunds for overpayments, missed exemptions

By Maria Pappas  Cook County Treasurer

Cook County owes refunds to thousands of property owners because of past overpayments and missed exemptions.

Many homeowners who could use the extra money to pay bills, buy groceries and meet other needs have no idea they are entitled to the funds.

Sheannse Smith recently learned the county owed her $5,233 because of overpayments for taxes on her late mother’s home on 14th Avenue in Maywood. My office helped Smith search for information during a recent Pathways to Cook County event.

“I wasn’t sure how to obtain the money because she’s passed,” Smith told me during a recent episode of my weekly radio show, “Black Houses Matter,” on WVON-AM 1690. Representatives of my office followed up and sent Smith the forms she needed to fill out to apply for her refund.

Smith’s mother died in 2019. Back in 2003, she had overpaid her taxes by $453. Taxpayers may receive refunds for overpayments that occurred up to 20 years ago.

Also, Smith overpaid the taxes on her mother’s home for the 2021 tax year. The reason for the overpayment was common. There was still a mortgage for the property, and the mortgage company

paid the taxes from an escrow account. However, a tax bill arrived in the mail and Smith also paid the amount due, which was $4,780.

I asked Smith what she planned to do with the $5,233 when she received it.

“I’m actually going to put it back into her house,” she told me. “I’ve been renovating it.”

Smith plans to move into the home with her family when renovations are completed.

She is one of thousands of Cook County residents who have received more than $353 million in refunds for overpayments and missed exemptions since my office launched the Black and Latino Houses Matter program in March 2020. My office can help taxpayers learn whether they are owed some of the $84 million in available property tax refunds for overpayments and checking whether they are eligible for $34 million in missing property tax exemptions.

Homeowners may visit our website at cookcountytreasurer.com and click on a purple box that says, “Your Property Tax Overview” on the home page. Visitors can search using their address or Property Index Number (PIN) and discover whether they are owed money.

Listeners may tune in to “Black Houses Matter” from 11:30 a.m. to noon Mondays on WVON-AM 1690.

Thousands of taxpayers like Smith have no idea the county owes them money.

“It was just a surprise,” she said. “It worked out real nice.”

Photo Provided Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas

Families can take home a free pumpkin (while supplies last) and enjoy crafts, a photo booth and games. There will be food and treats available for purchase.

Go to triton.edu/fallfest for more information or use the QR code provided.

The Botanical Gardens are located on the east side of the Triton College campus, directly behind the R Building.

Triton College Botanical Gardens (East Campus)