The Glencoe Park District may ask residents for the right to borrow up to nearly $15 million this fall to improve some of its facilities.
Eyeing changes at several of its locations, the Park Board is considering placing a 25-year bond sale referendum on the November ballot where the proceeds would fund a series of projects.
Specifically, the Park District is proposing a new single facility behind the Takiff Center, replacing five aging buildings used for storage, offices and other functions. Other possible upgrades include new playground structures at the Glencoe Beach, a new boardwalk at the beach and the boathouse and new light poles and backstops at the Takiff Center North Field.
Park District Spokeswoman Erin Classen noted there would also be construction of a new greenhouse, replacing the existing one currently located at the Takiff Center. Tentative plans would place the new greenhouse at Shelton Park.
“We are not looking to make wholesale changes to the size and scope of these amenities, rather than replace and renovate them in a way the community can recognize from the past and enjoy for decades into the future,” Director of Parks and Planning Kyle Kuhs said at a May 13 virtual meeting.
The Park District does not have a specific cost estimate at this point for all of the identified projects. However, the referendum would be no higher than $14.7 million, according to officials. Classen said officials believe the proposed improvements can be accomplished with $14.7 million and not result in a raise in the current tax service rate.
Park District representatives maintain if a referendum is approved, it would not result in a tax hike as the new debt would replace existing debt for the $13.8 million bond sale for a renovation of the Takiff Center, the Park District’s headquarters. That debt is set to be paid off next year.
If the referendum is not approved, a homeowner would see a tax decrease of $261 for a property with a value of $1 million property, according to John Cutrera, the district’s director of finance and human resources.
If the Glencoe Park District Board does put the referendum on the ballot, it would follow similar steps taken by two separate governing bodies in recent years.
Last year, Glencoe residents approved a $15 million bond referendum to fund a series of changes including a new clubhouse/pro shop at the Glencoe Golf Club. That has an annual cost of $140 per $10,000 in property taxes, Deputy Village Manager Nikki Larson said.
New Trier Township, which includes Glencoe, voters passed a 2014 referendum for a renovation of the New Trier High School Winnetka campus. Today the impact of that renovation cost $177 per year per $15,000 of property taxes, according to New Trier Associate Superintendent Chris Johnson.
Park Board President Carol Spain maintained the importance of the intended enhancements within the parks system.
“As a separate entity from the school district and golf course, it is our responsibility to preserve lakefront amenities and continue to provide well-maintained recreational opportunities for all community members. With this referendum, residents have an opportunity to maintain and improve our existing cherished assets without raising taxes,” Spain wrote in a statement. “The Park District has a significant capital projects backlog, with many assets at the end of their useful life. While we have been very successful in obtaining grants and donations, keeping our facilities up to standards will not be possible without this referendum. This is a great opportunity to leverage our negligible existing debt service levy to preserve the quality and beauty of Glencoe’s parks for the next generation.”
In May and June, Park District officials are conducting community input meetings detailing the proposed enhancements. That will lead up to an expected vote by commissioners in July meeting on whether to place the referendum on the ballot this fall, Classen said.
The bond sale referendum may be joined on the ballot by a referendum to switch the village to a home rule form of government.
The potential of a referendum was discussed at the May 16 Glencoe Village Board Committee of the Whole meeting, but trustees did not decided whether to put that matter in front of the voters in November or in next spring’s municipal election, according to Village Manager Phil Kiraly.
“We are not looking to increase the tax rate and those are two separate issues. The voters can decide,” Classen said.
The Park District represents 7% of the overall Glencoe property tax bill, according to officials.
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.