Hidden Oaks Nature Center Renovations Part Of Preserve's 2023 Budget

BOLINGBROOK, IL —Hidden Oaks Nature Center renovations are a part of the Forest Preserve District of Will County's 2023 budget, which the preserve's Board of Commissioners approved on Nov. 10.

According to the preserve, the balanced budget for 2023 totals $61 million. The operating budget, which includes both the corporate and construction and development funds, is $21 million.

The budget includes funding for renovations at Hidden Oaks Nature Center in Bolingbrook, which the preserve acquired last year. According to the preserve, the project will include interior renovations to expand exhibit space and renovate classroom, reception, meeting room and rooftop terrace spaces.

There is also a second phase of this work, which will include expanding the campus trial system, adding more exterior classroom space and making ADA-related improvements. Work on this phase would most likely take place in spring 2024, the preserve said.

The Board also approved 2022 (payable in 2023) property tax levies. The District’s total estimated 2022 operating levy is $32 million, of which $15.6 million is for debt service and $16.4 million is for general corporate purposes, the preserve said.

The District’s overall 2022 tax rate is estimated at 0.1250 per $100 of equalized assessed valuation, down from 0.1336 for the 2021 levy, which represents a 6.46 percent overall decrease, according to the preserve. The owner of a $250,000 house would pay $104.17 to the Forest Preserve in 2022 taxes, a reduction of $7.41 from 2021.

“The 2023 budget will allow the Forest Preserve to deliver the high-quality programs, facilities, trails and preserves that our visitors have come to expect while also providing a reduction in our overall property tax rate,” Ralph Schultz, the District’s executive director, said in a release.

Besides the improvements at Hidden Oaks Nature Center, the preserve has provided funding for Isle a la Cache improvements, Old Plank Road Trail improvements, the Rock Run Greenway Trail extension, trailhead signage throughout the preserves, Wauponsee Glacial Trail improvements, an exterior exhibit and way finding installation at the Four Rivers Environmental Education Center, and phase 2 of the Lake Chaminwood Preserve project.