Plan Commission Approves Park District Application to Renovate Historic Building

Once upon a time, Village Of Glenview officials considered constructing a municipal campus to house the administrative offices of the , the and .

However, it wasn't to be. The Village Plan Commission recognized that Tuesday, March 22, when commissioners approved an application from the park district to go forward with plans to renovate its existing historic building, 1930 Prairie Street, for use as administrative offices. The building was dedicated in 1929. 

Park district officials told commissioners Tuesday that administrators had searched locally for space to accommodate the office but didn't find anything appropriate.

The changes call for a 350-square-foot addition to the exterior and a 1,700-square- foot addition to the inside of the building, a project that's estimated at $3.26 million. According to staff reports, the new additions and facade renovations will also update mechanical equipment for the building and provide more adequate space for staff and programming.

Additionally, the renovations will address the current office's "life safety" issues and make the building ADA-compliant, said Bob Quill, park district superintendent of leisure services. 

"We're feeling great about it," Quill said in an interview after Tuesday's meeting. "It's a project that's important to the community, not just the park district. The location of the building, the fact that the building is a historic building in the community and part of the downtown campus, are all additional reasons why this makes sense for us."

Park district administrators also like the idea of keeping administrative offices within .

Plan commissioners understood the current economy won't allow for the joint facility, but praised the park district's efforts to preserve the current building.

"[It's] the economy the way it is, with each one of these organizations needing to move forward -- and in some cases, unable to wait -- until the economy gets better," explained plan commission chairman Stephen Bucklin.

"Looking at this plan, in taking a facility that has meant a lot to our community and has served very well, to now have it go under a complete transformation," Bucklin added, "is very encouraging because you have the library, you have the train station, you have Jackman Park -- you truly have a community area that will bring people to that district office."

Bucklin said he is very excited about the project, especially because the park district did receive approval from the village appearance commission regarding the historic preservation.

The application must now go before the village board of trustees. Stay tuned to Patch for updates.