Park District of Oak Park

5 www.pdop.org Park Renewal Projects Euclid Square Park Grand Re-opening Please join us as we celebrate the grand re-opening of Euclid Square Park on Saturday, September 9 at 10am. You will have a chance to enjoy the many upgrades to the park that were completed through the Park District's capital improvement plan with help from a $400,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development Grant awarded to the Park District from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. e north end of Euclid Square Park has been renovated with a new, fully ADA-accessible playground featuring permeable rubber surfacing, new tennis courts with markings for pickleball play and a small sled hill for toddlers. Additionally, improvements were made to the looped pathway system, a small interpretive rain garden was created and additional landscaping was planted throughout the park including native and ornamental trees and shrubs. We hope you will join us in this celebration! Shaping the Future of Our Parks You are invited to two community meetings to help shape the future of our parks. On Wednesday, October 4, your comments and ideas are welcome at a community meeting to update the Oak Park Conservatory site plan which outlines future improvements to the property surrounding the Conservatory. is meeting will be held at the Oak Park Conservatory, 615 Garfield Street, at 7pm. A community meeting to review and update the Euclid Square Park site plan is scheduled for Wednesday, November 8 at 7pm at the Oak Park Conservatory. It is the policy of the Park Board to review park site plans, which identify future park improvements, at least once every 10 years. To view the current site plans, please visit www.pdop.org. Park District Receives Lighting Grant e Park District was recently awarded a $29,402 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) Park District Lighting program. is grant allowed the Park District to replace all outdoor walking path lights throughout the parks system with energy efficient LED bulbs. Approximately 200 bulbs were replaced this spring which will result in an annual cost savings of over $20,000 for the District. Within the past 10 years, the Park District of Oak Park has secured over $5 million in grant awards for park improvements and sustainability projects. Environmental Education Center Receives LEED Certification e Park District of Oak Park was recently awarded Platinum LEED certification for the Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center making it one of the first of its kind to attain Platinum status. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used third-party verification process for green buildings. Designed by local architect Tom Bassett- Dilley, some of the sustainable features of this facility include a geothermal system, solar panels, green roof, a rain water harvesting system with a cistern and a highly efficient building envelope. A unique feature of the Center is the wood trim throughout the building made from milled ash trees that were removed from Rehm Park due to Emerald Ash Borer disease. Since opening in June 2016 the Environmental Education Center has become the Park District's hub for all nature-based programming. e District's Nature preschool is located at the Center as well as youth summer camps and numerous programs and special events for all ages. It is also available for private rental. For more information about the Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center, visit www.pdop.org. Austin Gardens Recognized with AIA IL Award Architect Tom Bassett-Dilly will be receiving the Frank Lloyd Wright Award for New Design from the American Institute of Architects – AIA Chicago for his design of the Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center. is prestigious award will be presented in the fall at the Center. At press time, a date has not been identified. Photo: Interior of Austin Garden's Environmental Education Center

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