Politics & Government
Park District to Rethink Master Plan
The Arlington Heights Park District Board of Commissioners will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, the board's first meeting since the referendum failed.
Ready to regroup, the park district board will meet to rethink park plans tonight, exactly one week after Arlington Heights voters shot down the district’s $39 million referendum.
“What’s next? That’s a good question,” said Park Board President Maryfran Leno, “I guess the next step is to sit down and relook the master plan.”
According to Leno, the board will first focus on what to do with Camelot Park. Awarded $2.5 million in grant money from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Leno said Camelot Park is at the top of the district’s agenda right now.
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“We do have grant money,” Leno said, “But we have to ask, do we need to save our money to restore buildings that continue to deteriorate?”
According district officials the grant covers almost half the costs to complete the $5.83 million renovation project at Camelot Park but the district was banking on money from the $39 million tax increase to fund the rest of the project .
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--And since the referendum failed , the district is $3.33 million short in funds to pay for the project at Camelot Park, which includes plans to renovate the community center complete with a new gym and an indoor walking track.
Leno said the district still has options; they just have to figure out what to do next. If the board decides to move forward with the grant, the district could max out its non-referendum legal debt and dip into its reserve funds to come up with the $3.33 million. Another possibility, Leno said, the board could decline the grant, turn down the $2.5 million and use reserve funds to address other, more immediate needs in the district.
"I don't know what we're going to do," Leno said, "The board is really going to have to dig deep to try and figure this out."
The grant from the DNR requires the project be finished by June 30, 2014, which, according to the Chicago Tribube, means construction must start by the middle of next year . If the board chooses to not accept the grant, the Arlington Heights Park District will be ineligible to receive the award again for two years .
The Arlington Heights Park District Board of Commissioners will meet at the park's administration center, at 410 N. Arlington Heights Road, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13. This board’s first meeting since the referendum failed, rejected by 51.35% of Arlington Heights voters Nov. 6.
Posted on the park district's website, the board president and executive director wrote a letter to Arlington Heights residents. A thank you letter, the message went up shortly after the referendum results were reported. It reads:
"The Park Board of Commissioners values your decision and will continue discussing how to best address the issues related to aging facilities, outdated mechanical systems and inadequate programming space with the limited funding sources available."
