Park District of Oak Park

3 www.pdop.org Dear Residents, anks to all who attended the grand opening of the Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center on Saturday, June 11. e Park District is pleased to provide this Platinum LEED-designed facility for our residents' education and enjoyment. e pages of this brochure are full of 50+ new nature and gardening classes for all ages, many of which will take place at the Environmental Education Center. See pages 17-21 for adult and family programs and pages 33 and 53 for children's programs. Feasibility Study Update e Park District conducted a Feasibility Study from January to June 2016 for a community recreation center. Representatives from the Village, Library, both Oak Park school districts and the Township were on the feasibility study task force to acquire a broader view of our community's needs. Stakeholder interviews and focus groups were conducted and two community meetings were held to collect public input. A questionnaire followed the community meetings to collect additional input. e overall response by the public was supportive, especially for an indoor lap and play pool, fitness center, walking track and gymnasium. Frequently expressed concerns regarded fear of a possible tax increase, lack of parking and the overall cost of the facility. Many expressed their desire for community collaboration and partnership. ree adjacency diagrams showing facility amenities in various arrangements, depending on the size of the land parcel, were developed based on the community input received. ese diagrams were displayed at a community open house in April to collect additional public feedback. Each diagram featured the amenities listed above as well as a preschool area, community meeting rooms and space for prospective partners. ree parcels of land in the community were identified as possible locations but cannot be disclosed at this time due to possible real estate purchase . e rough order-of-magnitude pricing for the three plans ranged from $41 to $46 million. A dra Feasibility Report was presented to the Park Board in May 2016 and the final report was accepted by the Park Board in June 2016. To view the final report presentation to the Park Board please visit pdop.org and search for Feasibility Study. e Park Board has initiated next steps in this planning process which include a Revenue and Operations Analysis. Staff will also be examining financial tools and potential funding sources. e Park District is committed to seeking private funds as well as public funds in order to provide this asset to our community. See you in the parks, Paul Aeschleman, President Park District of Oak Park Board of Commissioners 3 2015-2016 Board of Park District Commissioners Regular Park Board Meetings are generally held on the third ursday of each month and the Committee of the Whole (COW) Meetings are generally held on the first ursday of the month. All meetings are held at 7:30 pm at the John L. Hedges Administrative Center, 218 Madison Street, Oak Park. Public comment is welcome at these meeting. ere is no COW meeting in August. Kathleen Porreca Commissioner Kathleen.Porreca@pdop.org Paul Aeschleman President Paul.Aeschleman@pdop.org Victor Guarino Vice-President Victor.Guarino@pdop.org Sandy Lentz Secretary Sandy.Lentz@pdop.org David Wick Treasurer David.Wick@pdop.org 3 e Parks Foundation of Oak Park is raising money for a sculpture (see page 95) to be located outside the Gymnastics & Recreation Center. For more details or to help, visit parksfoundationop.org. Park District Board of Commissions and staff officially open the Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center.

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