The Park District of La Grange Board of Commissioners Monday unanimously voted to ask voters on the November 5 ballot voters to approve $13.86 million in bonds to renovate district parks.
While Board comment was limited before the vote, Commissioner Stephanie Posey seemed to reflect its general feeling about the planned renovation.
“I am in consensus with the plan,” she said before the vote. “The staff and the Board — and the public — has put in considerable time and effort into considering this plan.”
Posey sympathized with those concerned about the cost, noting that people typically don’t like spending money for needed home improvements like new roofs or air-conditioning units.
“It’s never fun to spend that money for things that are necessary,” she said.
The final plans can be found on the district website, pdlg.org, and include the following upgrades for parks and facilities, including:
—The Community Center getting a pergola (shade structure) and eight new trees.
— Denning Park will get restrooms — two stalls — added to the plan, fencing will be added to the soccer field along Willow Springs Road, disk golf will be expanded to nine holes, and eight shade trees will be added.
— Gilbert Park will see many additions to the original plan, including shrubs along the parking lot, a multi-generational game space, bioswale added to the parking lot, a pollinator garden, and a ping-pong table.
Moreover, four shade trees and 75 shrubs will be added to Gilbert.
— In addition to the synthetic turf being eliminated from the plan for Gordon Park, an irrigation system will be added, backstops will be replaced with 20-foot-high backstops, 22 shade trees, and 100 deciduous shrubs of various sizes will be added.
The proposed synthetic turf was the subject of considerable backlash from residents concerned about detrimental environmental effects.
—Added at Rotary Park will be a shelter, three shade trees, ornamental trees and evergreen shrubs.
—Sedgwick Park will have the parking lot remain the same footprint, a restroom building with four stalls added to the plan, along with prep field fencing.
—Spring Park will get increased playground equipment.
The final plan does not call for any trees to be removed and calls for 48 trees added to various parks.
If the referendum is successful, the starting date of the renovation is undetermined at this point, but Park District Executive Director Jenny Bechtold pointed out that the District had time.
“You have five years to issue the bonds, but we’ll definitely do it sooner than that,” she said.
After the meeting, Board President Brian Opyd praised the community and expressed optimism about the coming vote.
“I’m excited about the work that the community put into it,” he said in a reference to numerous public meetings and surveys conducted the past year. “We got a lot of input from a lot of different people, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results in November … it’s in the hands of the voters at this point. We’ve got tons of input from all sorts of people that have different interests and with all that input, I would hope that it would pass.”
The next Park District Board of Commissioners meeting will be at 6 p.m. on September 9 at the Park District Administrative Building/Recreation Facility at 536 East Avenue.
Hank Beckman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
