Here’s what’s going on at the Elmhurst Park District
By Chris Fox
For The Elmhurst Independent
The Elmhurst Park District Board held a regular meeting on Feb. 13 at The Hub at Berens Park, 493 Oaklawn Ave. Commissioner Patricia Morissette-Moll was absent from the meeting.
There were no public comments.
• G.O. Bonds issued by Lakeside Bank approved
Board members voted unanimously to approve an ordinance authorizing the issuance of nearly $670,000 in general obligation bonds at an interest rate of 0.85 percent with Lakeside Bank. The ordinance also approves the levying of property taxes for the repayment of the bonds. The district, which has the corporate authority to sell bonds for debt service payments and capital improvement projects, sent requests for bond rate proposals to 14 institutions. Two banks—Lakeside Bank and Hinsdale Bank and Trust, submitted proposals. Lakeside Bank’s proposal featured the interest rate of 0.85 percent, while the proposal from Hinsdale Bank and Trust offered an interest rate of 1.35 percent. The district’s interest payment in its agreement with Lakeside Bank provides a savings of nearly $1,000 compared to the offer submitted by Hinsdale Bank and Trust. Lakeside Bank’s offer includes a principal of about $667,000, an interest payment of nearly $1,700 and a maturity date of Nov. 17, 2017. According to information provided by the park district, the amount of the principal required for debt service is $320,000, leaving nearly $350,000 for capital projects.
Elmhurst Park District Executive Director Jim Rogers noted this is the district’s first collaboration with Lakeside Bank, which recently opened its first branch in Elmhurst.
• Window replacement at Wagner Center approved
Board members also voted unanimously to award the base bid for this year’s window-replacement project at the Wagner Community Center to Walter Daniels Construction Co., of Chicago, in the amount of about $175,000, and to approve an alternate bid with the same company for nearly $22,000. The board rejected the base bid of another Chicago company as incomplete and not responsible. A total of five companies submitted bids for the project to remove and replace the existing windows of the center. The windows on the center’s north, east and west sides were reportedly installed in 1959 and are original to the building. The new windows will be anodized aluminum frame, fixed pane, commercial-grade windows. The benefits of the new windows, according to the district, include improved security, energy savings, low maintenance and reduced drafts.
The alternate bid of about $22,000, which includes tinted insulating glass with light-diffusing veils and aerogel infill, brings the total project cost to nearly $200,000. The project was projected to cost about $282,000.
The window replacement project at the Wagner Community Center is scheduled to begin on July 10 and be completed by Aug. 25.
• Garden plot project awarded to Elgin company
The board voted unanimously to award the 2017 garden plot project at Marjorie Davis Park to Clauss Brothers, Inc. of Elgin, in the amount of nearly $156,000, and to approve two alternate bids with the company totaling nearly $12,000. The district is in the process of finalizing the sale of the western portion of Golden Meadows Park to the City of Elmhurst to assist the city’s storm water management program. The west portion of Golden Meadows Park has been the home of 75 garden plots. Park district staff sought out suitable sites for relocation and selected Marjorie Davis Park and Wild Meadows Trace.
The selected site on the east side of Marjorie Davis Park provides space for about 50 garden plots, with each plot taking up 20-by-20 feet. The new site at Marjorie Davis Park will only accept return gardeners (those who maintained plots at Golden Meadows Park last year) in 2017.
Clauss Brothers, one of seven companies to submit bids for the project, offered the lowest overall bid. The project includes earthwork and grading, installing storm water structures and piping, water lines and spigots. The alternates for the project include a reduced pressure zone vault, a perimeter cedar split-rail fence and the removal of about 30 trees.
The project is scheduled to begin in early April and be completed shortly before the gardening season begins on May 1.
• Lakota survey results help future planning
The bulk of the board’s Feb. 13 meeting at The Hub at Berens Park featured a presentation and workshop provided by representatives of The Lakota Group and Pros Consulting. In 2016, the park board hired the Lakota Group to update the district’s comprehensive and strategic plans. The district’s current five-year strategic plan and 10-year comprehensive plan both conclude in December 2017.
The Lakota Group conducted a survey of residents of the park district in late 2016. The survey included mailings and a non-statistical online survey. The firm’s outreach to gain information from residents includes a series of public open houses. The next of those open houses will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1, at The Abbey, 407 W. St. Charles Road. Visitors will be able to discuss Vision 2020, the planning process the district is conducting as it develops its strategic and comprehensive plans. Visitors are welcome to provide input on preliminary vision strategies for the future of the district.
The park district board will hold its next regular meeting on Feb. 27.
