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Shaping the Future of Oak Park Parks - Ridgeland Common
Project Description
In December 2007, the Park District began the development of a facility and site plan for Ridgeland Common, our flagship recreation facility. This project (project schedule) took approximately 8 months to complete and included several community meetings as well as focus groups to collect input from our residents and user groups.
First Community Meeting
The first Ridgeland Common Plan Community Meeting was held on Monday, December 3, 2007 in the Comstock Room at Ridgeland Common, 415 Lake Street at Ridgeland Avenue. (Handout #1, Handout #2) (Community
Meeting #1 Notes) For those who could not attend or for those who wanted to provide additional input regarding this plan, the Ridgeland Common Plan Questionnaire was available through Tuesday, January 15, 2008.
(Questionnaire Results)
Focus Group Meetings
On Tuesday, December 4, 2007, four focus groups were held to collect additional input on the ice rink, aquatics, and the Comstock Room/outdoor fields. A focus group was also held with Park District staff.
Through these focus groups and through additional meetings with organizations who did not attend the focus groups, numerous community organizations and governmental entities have been invited to provide input into the Ridgeland Common facility and site planning process.
Second Community Meeting
As part of the Ridgeland Common planning project, the Park District held a second community meeting (view meeting video) on February 25, 2008 at Beye School. The meeting provided citizens:
A display of bubble diagrams (described as test fit evaluations) were available at the meeting for public viewing and comment. These diagrams are being used to see how various amenities can fit on the site. They are not proposed conceptual drawings which are part of the next project phase. The bubble diagrams of the three long-term space use options included (click links for diagrams):
The meeting also featured a display of examples of program space amenities under consideration.
A
comment form was available regarding the information presented at the 2nd Community Meeting through March 17, 2008 (comment
form results).
Third Community Meeting
A
third community meeting for the Ridgeland Common Facility & Site
Plan was held on Saturday, April 12, 2008, at 9:30am
at Beye School (meeting
notes). The meeting featured a power
point presentation introducing 6 draft
conceptual plans including:
Community Meeting Video Availability
You can view a video of the 3rd Ridgeland Common Community meeting by clicking here. Also, the video will be broadcast on Community
Cable Access Channel 6 on Fridays at 10am and on Saturdays at 6pm beginning
May 9 through the end of May.
A questionnaire was available at this website through May 5, 2008 regarding the alternative conceptual plans presented at the 3rd Community Meeting (questionnaire results).
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Complete Meeting 4 Video
116 minutes
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Fourth Community Meeting
A fourth and final community meeting was held on Saturday, June 7, 2008, at 9:30am
at Beye School for the Ridgeland Common Facility & Site Plan. Final concept designs under consideration for the existing, expanding and visionary plans were presented in a PowerPoint Presentation along with the associated capital and operating costs and a tree preservation plan. The following is the information presented at this meeting:
Next Steps
The Park Board of Commissioners discussed the final report for the Ridgeland Common Facility & Site Plan at the Committee of the Whole Meeting on Thursday, July 10, 2008. Bonestroo Project Manager Jim Maland provided an overview of the final report (Executive Summary) to the Park Board at the Regular Park Board Meeting on July 17, 2008 including a review of next steps in the project as recommended by the Bonestroo Team. During a lengthy discussion by the Park Board, the Visionary Plan was removed from further consideration and the Expanded Plan "is teetering on the edge of elimination" stated Mark Gartland. "This plan is well beyond the Park District's bonding power and would only be possible with the assistance of asset partners."
The following are the next steps recommended by Bonestroo Sports as outlined in the Executive Summary:
1. The park district should rule out any options that are not feasible for future development as soon as possible to create a positive focus on obtainable results.
2. Measuring public reaction to the plans through a community survey may help the PDOP understand the public’s functional and fiscal priorities for the facility. This may prove especially valuable if a bond referendum is considered.
3. Further investigation into funding sources by a financial consultant familiar with similar project types may provide additional direction on potential funding methods and related costs for securing money. This investigation should include asset partners, bonds, grants, fees and charges, foundations, and irrevocable remainder trusts or other sources to expose all options available to the park district.
4. A parking study should be considered to further evaluate the most cost-effective way to address parking needs.
5. A budget that takes additional factors (like soil tests, etc.) into consideration and prioritizes features should be developed to allow for further value engineering of the project costs. We recommend a partial schematic design be pursued. This will provide the necessary detail to obtain realistic results. Included with this effort, we recommend undertaking preliminary soil borings and a Phase I Hazardous Waste investigation to assist at minimizing unknowns and related cost assumptions from the estimate.
As the Park District moves forward in planning for the future of Ridgeland Common, we will continue to engage our community in the planning process. Thank you to all residents who attended focus groups and community meetings, completed the online questionnaire or sent emails to provide your input. The Park Board and Staff look forward to continuing to work with our resident to shape the future of Ridgeland Common.
The Park District of Oak Park values public input and feedback. To provide input or for further information, please contact Diane Stanke at (708) 725-2022 or dianes@oakparkparks.com.
Ridgeland Common Site Master
Plan Schedule
Monday, December 3, 2007, 7:00pm, Ridgeland Common Comstock Room,
415 W. Lake Street
1st Community Meeting to review the planning process and collect initial community input
Monday, February 25, 2008, 7:00pm, Beye School Auditorium, 230 N. Cuyler
2nd Community Meeting to present the market analysis and 3 long-term space programs Saturday, April 12, 2008, 9:30am, Beye School Auditorium, 230 N. Cuyler
3rd Community Meeting to present draft conceptual plans
Monday, April 28, 2008, 7:30pm, Stevenson Center, 49 Lake Street
Park Board & Park District Citizen Committee Joint Meeting to discuss Ridgeland Common Facility & Site Master Plan
Saturday, June 7, 2008, 9:30am, Beye School Auditorium, 230 N. Cuyler
4th Community Meeting to present final concept designs under consideration for the existing, expanding and visionary plans along with the associated capital and operating costs. |
