Glen Ellyn Park District Plans Lake Ellyn Park Improvements and Boathouse Restoration for 2015

The Glen Ellyn Park District Board of Commissioners voted to engage Conservation Design Forum (CDF) and Farr Associates (Architecture, Planning and Preservation) to begin implementing Phase 2 of the Lake Ellyn Master Plan on October 21, 2014. The $2.7 million improvements, planned for 2015-2016, will concentrate on restoration of the Lake Ellyn Boathouse as well as park areas and amenities. The funding resources were generated through non-referendum funds and operating surplus. Additionally, the Park District is in the process of seeking grants to help offset the cost of the improvements.

The Glen Ellyn Park District initiated development of a master plan for Lake Ellyn Park in July, 2012. This project went through a rigorous and thorough design and development review as the District conducted master planning meetings for the park. Numerous meetings with the neighbors and users of these parks and facilities were held with the Glen Ellyn Park District Board of Commissioners before the Board agreed on a final master plan for the site. After the extensive and inclusive planning process, a master plan was developed for Lake Ellyn Park that represents the communities input and recommendations. The plan was accepted and approved in January, 2013, by the Board. The final plan includes restoration of Lake Ellyn Boathouse.

Since its construction in 1937 as a WPA project, the Lake Ellyn Boathouse has been one of Glen Ellyn's community gems. Over that period of time, the Boathouse has had three additions/modifications including relocating the kitchen, expansion of the mechanical area and interior changes affecting many of the historic elements. The approved master plan recommended restoration and improvements to the existing Boathouse entirely within the footprint of the existing structure. No expansion of any sort is proposed and the capacity for various elements will remain essentially the same as it is today.

As described in the master plan, the Boathouse restoration and the renovation of the entire west side of the park will be done in a way that is compatible with both the historic, traditional setting of the park and with leading-edge, sustainable practices. Permeable pavement, water and energy conservation, ecological landscape enhancements, and other innovative elements will improve the water quality and habitat of the park in a visible way. These green enhancements will serve as a demonstration to the village and the region, and will allow the park to sustain for the next 100 years and beyond.

Lake Ellyn Park Improvement Plan highlights include:

• Restoration of the Lake Ellyn Boathouse
• Replacement of all trails on west side of park with permeable materials and creation of nature trails in woodland area
• Playground replacement
• Landscape enhancements including tree protection/replacement and naturalized planting
• Shore stabilization
• Installation of permeable paved sidewalk on west side of park parallel with Lenox Road

Upgrading Lake Ellyn Park and the Boathouse was identified as a top priority for the Park District in the 2012 Community and Attitude Interest Survey and prioritized by the Park Board of Commissioners. Since the master plan was approved, the Park District has identified funding and pursued implementing the restoration of the Boathouse. At a recent Board Meeting, Farr and Associates and CDF presented preliminary proposals to design and coordinate the restoration of the Lake Ellyn Park and Boathouse with the goal of beginning construction in mid-July, 2015 and completion by May, 2016.

View the Lake Ellyn Park Master Plan: http://gepark.org/assets/PDFs/Lake%20Ellyn%20Park/2013-01-14_Lake%20Ellyn%20Master%20Plan%20Final.pdf

Learn more about Conservation Design Forum: http://www.cdfinc.com/

Learn more about Farr and Associates: http://www.farrside.com/

Glen Ellyn Park District Receives Transparency Award

Pictured from Left to Right: Commissioner Pierce, Commissioner Dunn, Commissioner Mayo , Brian Costin (Director of Government Reform, Illinois Policy Institute), President Kinzler, Commissioner Creech, Commissioner Nephew.

From the Glen Ellyn Park District press release: 

GLEN ELLYN, IL – The Glen Ellyn Park District recently received a “Sunshine Award” from the Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan and nonprofit research organization, for their achievements in government transparency. The Glen Ellyn Park District is one of the first park district in Illinois to receive the award.

Several years ago, the current Park Board of Commissioners identified and established improving government transparency for the Glen Ellyn Park District as a priority. Over the past year, the Glen Ellyn Park District has worked collaboratively with Brian Costin, Director of Government Reform for the Illinois Policy Institute, to improve their online transparency and satisfy a 10-Point Transparency checklist. The Glen Ellyn Park District was successful in achieving an above passing grade, satisfying the institute’s “Local Transparency Project.”

“Online transparency is very important so citizens can partake in local government in an educated manner and to protect against corruption. To get in our Sunshine Award category, you have to get 80% or better. Out of the 350 or so government agencies we’ve evaluated, only around 45 have achieved that. I want to thank the Board for their hard work on becoming more transparent for their citizens,” said Costin.

The 10-Point Transparency Checklist measures how much public data is readily available on a government website and includes: financial audits, contact information for elected officials, information on public meetings, taxes and fees, and guidelines for citizens to access public information through the Freedom of Information Act.

“I am very ­proud of the park district for receiving this award. Our commitment to transparency is about more than just our website, but also reaching out to residents for input on important topics, broadcasting and archiving all of our meetings, and informing residents about park district news through various sources. I hope that more government agencies make the effort to operate transparently,” said Melissa Creech, Glen Ellyn Park District Board of Commissioners.

For more information on the Glen Ellyn Park District, please visit www.gepark.org or view the Park District’s transparency information at http://gepark.org/boa_transparency.html.

For additional information regarding the Illinois Policy Institute and their transparency audit, visitwww.illinoispolicy.org.

Ackerman Woods Work Day: This Saturday

There is an Ackerman Woods work day this Saturday, March 16 from 9:00-11:00 am.

Join your neighbors to help clean-up and restore the woods at Ackerman Park. Work will focus on removing invasive plant species and picking up garbage. Tools and leather gloves will be available for use. Work is geared for ages 10 and up. Scouts and volunteer organizations are welcome too!

Please send me an email if you need more information.

See you there!

Lenox Road Reconstruction

As part of their on-going street reconstruction program, the Village of Glen Ellyn will rebuild Lenox Road between Hawthorne and Oak this summer. This is a Village project, but the Glen Ellyn Park District has made recommendations to the Village since we are the largest landowner in the project area.  Our recommendation includes constructing the first green street in Glen Ellyn. We believe that Lake Ellyn Park and the surrounding streets could serve as an example of best practices for water management and environmental quality.  

Our first priority is to protect the trees along Lenox Road. The Park District strongly encourages the Village to employ leading edge, high performance strategies and techniques regarding tree protection and sustainable storm water management. Our proposal calls for permeable unit pavement systems for the street and sidewalk and bioswales along the east edge of the street. 

After residents approached the Park District with concerns about safety and speeding on Lenox Road we focused on calming traffic. Most importantly, our plan calls for narrowing the driving lanes on Lenox Road and providing parallel and diagonal parking mixed with greenspace along the east side of the road. A narrowed road will slow traffic down and move pavement further from our mature trees. Further safety measures include speed tables, differentiated pavement surfaces, marked crosswalks and a sidewalk along the east side. This plan will make Lenox Road a safer, more beautiful street while benefiting the environment.

We have seen evidence of the success of these strategies elsewhere, and are eager for Glen Ellyn to capitalize upon them.  Attached are a set of priorities and concepts related to the Lenox Road reconstruction that we believe are essential to the long-term improvement of the park and the neighborhood. They include better accessibility, safety, tree preservation, environmental quality and beauty along the Park’s western, more active edge. Additional information is available at our website http://gepark.org/boa_LE-Park-Plan.html.

The Park District is grateful and appreciative to have the chance to provide input to the design process. We have encouraged the Village to recognize the unique opportunity this presents and to give strong consideration to the ideas and concepts presented.  The Village’s Capital Improvement Committee will discuss Lenox Road at their next meeting on February 12, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. at Room 301 at the Civic Center. At this meeting they intend to finalize their recommendations on Lenox Road for the Village Board of Trustees. This meeting is open to the public. 

Park District Candidates for Next Election

from a recent Glen Ellyn Park District press release:

As the terms expire for four current Glen Ellyn Park District Board Members, three are running to retain their seats.

Four Glen Ellyn residents are running to fill the at large seats on the board, according to the Glen Ellyn Park District. The election will be held April 9.

In April, terms expire for board commissioners Ron Aubrey, Melissa Creech, Gordon J. Kinzler and Julia Nephew. Aubrey is the only board member not seeking re-election. Glen Ellyn resident Vanessa Pierce is the fourth candidate running for a seat on the board, according to the Glen Ellyn Park District.

The board is comprised of seven unpaid volunteers. The board members represent the district’s 35,000 residents in Glen Ellyn, parts of unincorporated Glen Ellyn, Carol Stream, Glendale Heights, Lombard and Wheaton, according to the Glen Ellyn Park District. The terms for the three other board members — Kathy Cornell, Richard Dunn, and Gary Mayo — continue through April 2015.

 The candidates as they will appear on the April 9 ballot:

• Vanessa Pierce
• Gordon J. Kinzler
• Melissa Creech
• Julia Nephew

Ackerman Woods Trail Complete!

Happy New Year Everyone!

The new trail through Ackerman Woods is complete and open to the public. The trail is a quarter-mile loop through the woods. Access the trail from either of the two clearings on the west side, off Riford Road or at two access points on the east side just past the clearing off Lenox Road. Thanks to the Glen Ellyn Park District staff for all of their hard work clearing the path and laying wood chips. It's a really nice trail!

The boardwalk at Churchill Park is also complete. The east side of the loop trail there has been submerged or too muddy to walk through for much of the past few years. A new boardwalk system gives us year-round access to this park.

Stop by these parks for a nice walk in the woods!

Lake Ellyn Master Plan Meeting

After several public meetings, community feedback, stakeholder recommendations and Park Board input, the Lake Ellyn master plan will be presented on Wednesday, December 12 at 7:00 p.m. It will be held at the Boathouse. Representatives from Conservation Design Forum and Farr Associates will unveil the master plan, identifying improvements along with related estimated expenses.

The master plan will provide a template as the Glen Ellyn Park District moves forward to preserving and improving the “Jewel of Glen Ellyn.” The outcome, after an inclusive and participatory process, reflects the wants and needs of the Glen Ellyn community. It is a balance of many interests with the final outcome being “polishing the gem.”

Please attend and let your neighbors and friends know, as well. 

For additional information on the Lake Ellyn Master Plan process, visit gepark.org/boa_LE-Park-Plan.html.

See you there!

Update: Lake Ellyn Park Master Plan

Next Public Meeting:
The next public meeting for the Lake Ellyn Park Master Plan is Monday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the Boathouse. Representatives from Conservation Design Forum and Farr Associates will be there to present preliminary sketches and plans for the park and boathouse. There will be an opportunity for public feedback. We need your thoughts and ideas on Lake Ellyn Park, so please attend! Please feel free to forward this on to your Glen Ellyn neighbors.

For more information about the Master Plan process, check out our goals and objectives here. 

Friends of Lake Ellyn Park:
I'm looking for people who love Lake Ellyn and are interested in joining me to create a Friends of Lake Ellyn Park group. This non-profit group will support the conservation and enhancement of Lake Ellyn Park and advocate for Lake Ellyn Park within the community. This group will operate independently from the Glen Ellyn Park District.

Please send me an email if you are interested in helping in any of the following ways:

• By serving on the board for Friends of Lake Ellyn park
• By being a member of Friends of Lake Ellyn park
• By providing legal help in setting up a 501(3)c for the group

Thank you for your help!
Melissa Creech

Lake Ellyn Master Plan Public Meeting Review

Thanks to everyone who came out to the master plan meeting at the boathouse. We had over 60 residents there and lots of great discussions on the future of the park. A good summary of the meeting was printed in the Chicago Tribune.

One of the things that was presented at the meeting was our goals and priorities for the Lake Ellyn Master Plan. This gives a nice look into what we hope to accomplish with this master plan, so I'm including a copy of it here. I will also post here when we have the date for the next public meeting date.

Lake Ellyn Park Master Plan

GOALS and PRIORITIES

DRAFT August 27^th, 2012

PARK EXPERIENCE

1.   A variety of experiences, especially connected to water and the lake, will support greater use and improve the value of Lake Ellyn Park to the community;   

2.   The use and enjoyment of the park will be optimized through the preservation and enhancement of primarily passive recreation uses;

3.   Enhanced play space for all children will contribute to the health and vitality of the neighborhood and community;

4.    The community will benefit to the degree the park can provide space for shared, mutually beneficial use by Glenbard West High School, the Village of Glen Ellyn, and the Glen Ellyn Park District;

5.   The use of the boathouse for various functions will be enhanced through historically sensitive improvements such as separation of private events and general public access to facilities and the lake;

6.   The enjoyment and safety of the park will be enhanced though appropriately improved lighting, wayfinding, and accessibility for people of all abilities;

BEAUTY and AUTHENTICITY

1.   Improved views and access to Lake Ellyn from various vantage points will greatly enhance the scenery and appreciation for the lake;

2.   The preservation and enhancement of historic vegetation and tree canopy is of utmost importance to the character and enjoyment of the park;

3.   Recognition and celebration of Lake Ellyn’s cultural significance to the Glen Ellyn community will increase admiration of the park; i.e. through the integration of local art, craft, and fabrication of certain site features;

4.   Park visitors will appreciate an opportunity to learn about Lake Ellyn’s rich history through interpretive elements woven into the site improvements, i.e. display of historic documents and photographs in the boathouse;

5.   The visibility and appreciation of the park can be expanded and improved through renewal and upgrades to paths, furnishings, landscapes, and other amenities that unify all three parcels;

SUSTAINABILITY and ECOLOGY

1.   Clean water in Lake Ellyn will improve its health and beauty;

-      improved management of all precipitation both on-site and within the tributary watershed will benefit Lake Ellyn and downstream conditions;

-      Improved water quality will provide better habitat for aquatic vegetation, fish, and other species;

2.   Comprehensive solutions that address multiple objectives gain greater value for the investment made;

-      Planned infrastructure improvements can provide an opportunity to create enhancements, i.e. the lake overflow reconstruction could be designed to create a water/park gateway feature;

-      Off-site redevelopment can be done in a way that improves the park, i.e. planned reconstruction of Lenox Road as a green street;

-      An integrated, holistic approach other sources of funding may become available;

3.   Expanded park programming and improved facilities can increase revenue streams, which can then in turn help fund and support a higher quality, more functional and beautiful park;

4.   On-going operations, maintenance, and stewardship are design considerations that are closely linked to first cost decisions, and when properly addressed, will lower costs and improve park performance.

Master Planning for Lake Ellyn Park: Your Input Needed!

Your input is needed for the Lake Ellyn Park master planning process! The Glen Ellyn Park District is holding a public meeting on Tuesday, August 28 at 7:00 p.m. at the Lake Ellyn Boathouse. We are looking for public comments and ideas for how to improve, restore and maintain Lake Ellyn Park and the Boathouse.

The Park District has recently hired Conservation Design Forum and Farr Associates to create a master plan for Lake Ellyn Park. They have conducted interviews and send out questionnaires to users and stakeholders, and will now host public forums. By the end of this year the park district will have a multiphase master plan for the park and boathouse that is based on the needs of the community.

The public meeting is an opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas on Lake Ellyn with the Park District. Your input is important and we hope to see you at the meeting. Please feel free to forward this on to your Glen Ellyn neighbors. See you Tuesday!