Here’s what’s happening at the Elmhurst Park District
• The Elmhurst Park District Board held a regular meeting on March 23 at the district’s administrative building at 375 W. First Street. Commissioner Patricia Morissette-Moll was absent from the meeting.
• There were no comments from the public.
IGA approved by City
• In providing a brief update of storm water issues, Elmhurst Park District Executive Director Jim Rogers stated the City of Elmhurst is continuing to work on the terms of an intergovernmental agreement with the park district that would allow the city to build a storm water detention basin at Golden Meadows Park. Rogers also said that the park district is awaiting engineering plans from the city regarding the finalization of the plans to build a storm water basin at York Commons. The city and park district recently reached an intergovernmental agreement that will allow the city to build a basin in the west lobe of York Commons.
Still addressing flaws with registration software
• The board meeting included a brief update on the district’s registration software system, which failed to perform at an acceptable speed during the first day of spring/summer registration on Feb. 20. The district is working with its registration software vendor—Vermont Systems Inc.—to improve the process. The company has offered a week of onsite training at no charge to the district—a reported value of about $6,000. That onsite training will reportedly begin on April 4. The district recently published a request for proposal (RFP) to seek the services of a consultant who would review the online registration process. The district received one response from a consultant who previously worked for Vermont Systems. Rogers said the district would engage that consultant, along with the district’s current network consultant. Rogers and Commissioner Kevin Graf said the district is making good progress in trying to identify the root causes of the problems with its registration software system.
Hacienda bid accepted for Butterfield Park redevelopment
• Board members voted unanimously to award the Butterfield Park Playground Redevelopment Project base bid in the amount of nearly $181,000 to Hacienda Landscaping, Inc., of Plainfield, and to reject the bid of D & J Landscape, Inc., of Plainfield, as not a responsible bid. D & J Landscape, Inc. was one of six firms to submit a bid for the project, submitted the lowest bid—nearly $178,000. Park district staff checked the company’s references and reportedly determined it did not have the necessary experience to complete the project.
Hacienda Landscaping, Inc. submitted the next lowest bid. The district received positive references related to that company. In addition to accepting the base bid of about $181,000, the board voted to accept Hacienda Landscaping, Inc.’s bid of about $6,900 to replace the existing fence with a new split rail fence.
In approving the agreement with Hacienda Landscaping, the board also voted to purchase about $250,000 in play equipment and site furnishings from NuToys, and to use proceeds from the Gene Pomerance Trust distribution toward the playground redevelopment project at Butterfield Park. Pomerance, who passed away in 2014, served three terms on the Elmhurst Park District Board. In 2015, the district received an unrestricted donation of about $110,000 from Pomerance’s trust.
The redeveloped playground at Butterfield Park will feature a fully accessible playground—a Playground for Everyone—that encourage play for children with mobility challenges and developmental disabilities. The projected total cost of the playground redevelopment at Butterfield Park is $600,000. The district’s 2016 budget includes $350,000 in funding for the project. The People for Elmhurst Parks Foundation (PEP) has so far raised about $165,000 toward the project. Pomerance, incidentally, was a founding member of PEP.
Bid for surface project also determined
• In a related vote, board members voted unanimously to award the playground soft surfacing project at Butterfield Park to Surface America, Inc., of Williamsville, New York, in the amount of nearly $153,000. That amount, combined with the agreements with Hacienda Landscaping, Inc., and NuToys, bring the total project cost to $592,420, about $7,500 under the $600,000 budget.
Other resurfacing projects planned
• The board also voted unanimously to award a seal coating and striping project bid to Professional Paving and Concrete Co. of Glen Ellyn in the amount of about $11,500. The project includes the seal coating and striping of the basketball court at Plunkett Park, the Berens Park paths around the Hub, a small connector path from Fair Avenue to the Illinois Prairie Path and the entire length of the Salt Creek Greenway Trail in Elmhurst.
• Board members voted unanimously to award the Eldridge Park Tennis and Roller Hockey Court Resurfacing Project to Allstar Asphalt of Wheeling in the amount of about $85,000, and to accept Allstar Asphalt’s additional bid of $1,550 to replace the tennis court posts and nets.
Park Board orders feasibility study for sports facility
• The Elmhurst Park Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to accept the expenditure of $40,000 to engage Convention Sports and Leisure International to conduct a market and feasibility study for an indoor sports facility in Elmhurst. (See story elsewhere in this issue.)
Executive session results in salary, bonus decisions
• Board members went into a closed session near the end of the meeting. Shortly after they came out of closed session, Elmhurst Park District Board President Carolyn Ubriaco stated that the board had reached consensus to set Rogers’s annual salary at $168,300, and award a one-time bonus of $7,800, both effective May 1, 2016.
Nearly one year ago, during the park district board meeting of April 8, 2015, board members voted unanimously to approve an amendment to Rogers’s contract that set his annual salary at $165,000 with a one-time payout of 25 vacation days. Two years ago, during the meeting of April 9, 2014, the board issued a statement that recommended to set Rogers’s annual salary at $138,225, and award him a bonus of $5,000.
• The park district board will hold its next meeting on April 13.
