Voters may be asked to approve $48 million Arlington Hts. parks upgrade

The Arlington Heights Park District might ask voters for $48 million to renovate four of the district's five major parks. The bonds would be repaid over 25 years, which district staff estimates would increase the taxes on a $300,000 home by $36 a year.

The parks' improvements would be based on plans developed after community meetings and studies the district began in 2009.

“The five parks bring each of those neighborhoods together,” said Maryfran H. Leno, president of the board. “It's a unique system. The staff and past boards were forward thinking about land planning, saving and purchasing open space when it became available. Now we are at the point where our community centers are past their life expectancy.”

The four parks are: Camelot, 1005 E. Suffield Drive, and Frontier, 1933 N. Kennicott Drive, both in the north part of the village; Heritage, 506 W. Victoria Lane, on the south side; and Recreation, 500 E. Miner St. in the center of the village.

The fifth community park, Pioneer, centrally located at 500 S. Fernandez Ave., was improved in 2008.

In August, the park board hired Public Research Group to survey 300 voters about their opinions on the bond issue, which Stephen C. Scholten, executive director of the park district, said provides a representative sample. It was important that each of the district's five geographic areas be represented in the survey to judge support, he said.

The company will report its findings at the Tuesday, Sept. 27, park board meeting at the administration center, 410 N. Arlington Heights Road.

Residents are also invited to ask questions or make comments through the district's website, ahpd.org, or by calling Scholten's office at (847) 577-3007.

If the board decides to put the question on the March 20 ballot, it must finalize the decision at the Dec. 13 board meeting. The November 2012 ballot would be another option.

Three of the park buildings were built in 1969, but Recreation Park's community center dates to 1939 when it was built as part of the Works Progress Administration, a Depression-era program.

People use centers differently these days than in 1969, creating the need for large multipurpose areas, say reports from the district staff. And residents also want fitness centers and walking or jogging tracks.

The construction projects would provide accessibility for people with disabilities and those who use child strollers, as well as improving energy efficiency. Another change is that most people drive to parks now, so parking lots and drop-off areas would expand.

Athletic fields, game courts and garden plots will also be rebuilt or improved.

Among planned improvements:

Ÿ Camelot's center would be renovated, and a new gymnasium added.

Ÿ At Frontier, the community center would be demolished and a new one built in the same spot. The existing bathhouse would remain. At 44,500 square feet, this center would be about twice the size of the other centers.

Ÿ The Heritage center would be new and relocated, but the bathhouse would remain.

Ÿ At Recreation, the WPA center would be returned to its original use as a bathhouse and a new center would be built. The historic building posed a challenge.

“It's an iconic building in town and a piece of American history,” said Scholten. “At the same time, we have a responsibility to provide appropriate space for the programs we offer. We had to weigh both of those, and I think it's a great plan.”

Without a bond issue, the district might be able to renovate one park, but then there would not be the funds to do a second one until 2037, said Scholten.

It is a good time to get the best construction value for money as well as excellent interest rates on the bonds, he said.

“It's a very difficult time economically, but the need is there,” he said. “We went into this asking questions of the community. We let them drive where we were heading. These plans are based on those answers, and this is the next question.”

The voters will decide the issue, an example of basic democracy, rather than having elected officials act, he said.

“This could really set the community up for the next 40 or 50 years.”