Wheaton park project faces opposition

Planned renovations of Kelly Park in Wheaton continue to draw the ire of neighbors who claim the project is too ambitious for the location.

Still, Wheaton Park District officials on Wednesday said they are moving forward with the $754,000 makeover of the 17-acre park at 1100 Main St. and expect to start work in June.

“There are certainly some folks who are not enthusiastic about this project,” Park Director Mike Benard said. “However, there's plenty of people who are. I get e-mails from residents who say they can't wait for the development.”

Earlier this year, the district announced it was receiving a $377,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to renovate Kelly Park. The planned improvements include permanent restrooms, shelters, bike parking and renovations to the existing tennis court.

Neighbors are worried that a combination half-court basketball court and ice skating rink will cause flooding problems in the neighborhood to escalate.

Benard, however, says the district has developed a stormwater management plan for the park that will improve the situation. “It would be illegal for us to have a detrimental impact on the park's ability to manage stormwater,” he said.

There also are no plans to remove a “water play feature” from the project. Though officials insist the water feature will be “small,” residents say it's going to attract more visitors to the park. And the big concern is that those visitors will drive to get there.

Neighbors say there's already considerable traffic because the park is close to Roosevelt and Naperville roads and is along Main.

“This is not the right park to make these kinds of improvements,” said Rita Gjeldum, who lives across from the park along Main. “They should put them in a park where there is accessibility.”

Benard said officials have been working with the neighbors for months. As a result, they canceled plans for a fireplace and angled parking along Main.

Now there is a fear the district could lose the grant money if too many revisions are made.

“Where we could alter the plan to meet the community's wishes without jeopardizing the grant, we did,” Benard said.

Gjeldum said she and her neighbors aren't satisfied. They are talking about taking their case next week to the park board and the Wheaton City Council.

Councilman John Prendiville recently met with the neighbors. He said the city's hands are tied because the only thing the park district needs from the city are administrative permits.

“As long as they meet the conditions, the city must give them the permits,” he said.

Meanwhile, park district officials have assured Prendiville the issues raised by the neighbors are being addressed in a “meaningful” way.

“I take them at their word,” Prendiville said. “They are entitled to go forward with this project without any interference from the city.”