Current Capital Improvement Projects

A New Home for Oak Park Gymnastics Center at 25 Lake

Project History

The Park District of Oak Park has planned for several years to relieve overcrowding at the District’s 218 Madison facility, (218 Madison Study) which houses the District’s gymnastics center, buildings and grounds operations and administrative offices. The gymnastics program serves an average of 1,400 students each season with as many as 100 to 200 students on a waiting list. (See Gymnastics Pro Forma Study). The buildings and grounds operations are challenged by insufficient space for equipment and supplies.

The Park District’s 2011-2015 capital improvement plan includes funding for an expanded gymnastics facility and buildings and grounds operations. This is the same plan that has already resulted in significant park and facility improvements in Andersen, Fox, Carroll, Longfellow, Field, Euclid Square and Maple Parks and the Oak Park Conservatory.

Project Updates

January 19, 2012 - After extensive research and hearing public input on a proposed new gymnastic center, the Park District of Oak Park Board of Park Commissioners voted at its Jan. 19 meeting to begin planning for construction of a new facility at 25 Lake Street. Press Release.

Next steps will be the demolition of the current building located at 25 Lake. The District will begin to negotiate an agreement with Williams Architects for professional design services and develop a project timeline.

January 12, 2012 - At the January 12, 2012 Park Board Committee of the Whole Meeting, Williams Architects presented the results of the completed validation study. (PowerPoint Presentation) The validation study included updating the space program developed in 2006 for the gymnastics, buildings and grounds and administration operations. Facilities constructed recently, with similar functions, were toured to understand facility possibilities. Conceptual plans for all three operations were created that evaluated scope and scale along with spatial fit. Also a gymnastics conceptual floor plan was created, working with a third party, ensuring that the space program was realistic and that all equipment, including existing and new, would fit. Williams utilized this information to establish development cost ranges.

The study validated that the 25 Lake Street property can accommodate the gymnastics space needs and 218 Madison can accommodate the needs of the buildings and grounds operations and central administration operations. The one exception is there is not enough space to provide an outdoor bulk storage area for buildings and grounds.

This study reinforces the staff’s recommendation from fall 2011 to develop a new gymnastics center at the 25 Lake Street property and expand buildings and grounds at 218 Madison.  

November 3, 2011 - Committee of the Whole Presentation
At the November 3, 2011 Park Board Committee of the Whole Meeting, Matthew Ellmann, Superintendent of Recreation/Assistant Director at the Park District and Frank Parisi from Williams Architects presented an evaluation of the various options to utilize the 25 Lake Property and the 218 Madison facility. A recommendation was made to build a new gymnastics center at the 25 Lake property and expand buildings and grounds operations at 218 Madison. An alternate recommendation was presented to move buildings & grounds operations to the 25 Lake Street property and expand the gymnastics center at 218 Madison.

The Park Board directed staff to acquire a proposal to conduct a validation study for the primary recommendation and the alternate recommendation. This study would validate the spatial needs/program for the gymnastics center and the buildings & grounds operations and validate order of magnitude opinion of probable cost.

October 6, 2011 - The Park District’s closed on purchase of 25 Lake Street.
The Park District first considered purchasing 25 Lake Street in February 2011. Aldi had closed its grocery store there more than a year earlier. The property is located just east of Stevenson Park. The District assigned Williams Architects, which was first hired through a competitive process in 2006, to prepare a preliminary study for the property. Soon after that study was completed, the District made an offer to purchase the property.

Soil Remediation
During contract negotiations with Aldi, the Park District reviewed environmental reports about the property completed by Aldi and conducted its own research of the property’s history. The property once was occupied by an auto garage and gas station. When underground gasoline tanks were removed in 1988, some affected soil was left behind.

The Park District’s first priority for 25 Lake Street is to address the affected soil, through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s voluntary site remediation program. Under that program the District will replace affected soil and will secure IEPA approval of the conditions on the property. The project will be similar to work recently completed by the District at Pleasant Home and the Oak Park Conservatory.

A Request for Proposals for professional environmental engineering services was distributed after the purchase of the facility in October and six proposals were received by the end of November 2011. A working group was formed including a Park Board member, volunteer citizens, staff and a member of the Park District’s Greening Advisory Committee. This group reviewed the proposals, conducted interviews and developed a recommendation to the Park Board.  The committee recommended accepting the proposal from E. Cooney & Associaties for professional environmental engineering services related to the 25 Lake Street property in the amount of $30,910.

As a result of the environmental work the Park District anticipated at the property, the Park District negotiated a $100,000 reduction of the purchase price for the 25 Lake Street property, to $880,000.

The working group’s recommendation was presented at the Committee of the Whole meeting on January 12, 2012 and was accepted at the Regular Park Board Meeting. E. Cooney and Associates has worked with the Park District previously on the Barrie Park Remediation Project and smaller remediation projects at Pleasant Home and the Oak Park Conservatory.

Project Team
The Park District’s team for 25 Lake Street includes Williams Architects, who will complete the facility evaluation phase to assist the Park District’s Board in deciding how to utilize the property. Park District Project Manager Neil Adams will oversee the work that is done through the IEPA’s site remediation program. Park District senior staff leading this project include Gary Balling, Executive Director, Matt Ellmann, Superintendent of Recreation, and Mike Grandy, Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds.