THE SIDELINES : Chicago Bears Pick Waukegan Park for Winter Training Site

The Chicago Bears have picked a Waukegan office and business park as the site of their cold-weather training facility.

The Bears plan to lease the land at $1 a year and erect an inflatable temporary facility, said Patrick Fox, vice president and project manager of Amli Development, which owns the site. It will be 80 yards long, 60 yards wide and about 65 feet high, he said, with artificial turf and a constant temperature about 60 degrees. It should be available for use by Nov. 1.

The deal is for two years, Fox said, with an option for a third. His long-term goal is to have the Bears build a permanent practice facility and headquarters at the site.

The Bears accelerated their search for a cold-weather facility in August when players staged a protest during a rainy pre-season practice at Bear headquarters at Lake Forest. In the past, the team has suffered at Lake Forest with poor weather and frozen turf as the season wore on.