Park board disagrees over scope of Lake Ellyn project

Glen Ellyn Park District commissioners are divided over whether to continue to scale back a project to improve Lake Ellyn in order to meet a roughly $2.9 million budget built up in reserves.

"To me, the bottom line is we have stated publicly that we were looking at a $2.9 million project or somewhere in that neighborhood and that if the bids came in higher, then we would reduce the scope," Commissioner Gary Mayo said Tuesday. "The bids now have come in higher, and I think we need to honor that earlier statement and cut back on the scope."

Most of the work would restore the iconic Lake Ellyn Boathouse to as close to its original 1937 design. Executive Director Dave Harris also has recommended that the structure's 24-year-old roof be replaced.

At issue is whether to spend an estimated $216,000 to install new sidewalks with permeable pavers around the central corridor of the park. Doing so would bump up the total cost of the facelift to about $3.19 million. Without the paths, the total bill would be roughly $2.97 million.

Either way, the park district still will be able to pay for the makeover with existing funds, officials say.

"To me, the sidewalk is just not an urgent need," Mayo said. "It's something that I certainly would like to see done eventually."

Board Vice President Melissa Creech disagreed, saying the area shouldn't be torn up again.

"One of my concerns in all this is the impact to the residents while we're doing this," she said. " … I feel like we need to be really aware that while we're doing this project, people still want to be in the park and use the park."

Since adopting a Lake Ellyn master plan in January 2013, the board has deferred some improvements recommended by consultants. Plans for a new playground and fishing pier will likely be put on hold amid a suspended state grant originally promised to the district.

What's left are the "core elements," Creech said. Besides restoring the boathouse, the project's scope will likely include building a wall to protect the historic structure on three sides from flooding and a stand-alone bathroom near the playground.

"It looks gorgeous on the surface, but it really needs attention," Harris said of the park. "Hopefully, this will take us to the next 50 years."

The park district first sought bids from general contractors in early June, attracting only one offer from Wight & Co. that would cost about $3.6 million. Hoping to get better prices and more competition, the board instead agreed to pay Wight up to $110,000 to oversee the project as a construction manager and to rebid the work by trade, rather than as a lump sum.

The board on Tuesday reviewed the 63 bids received, with most of the 21 trades attracting two or more contractors. However, some commissioners were dismayed that the total bill still cost more than $3 million.

"We've been cutting the scope over the last couple months as more firm dollar numbers have come in, and, nonetheless, the price seems to keep going up," Mayo said. "I'm not really clear why that is. I think the economy probably has something to do with it, but there is still a little bit of a mystery in some of these numbers."

The district is pushing to get the makeover done by Fourth of July 2016, with fireworks launched over Lake Ellyn and a cardboard regatta the week before. To move forward, the district has to present the plans before the village's architectural review commission and secure approval from the village board.

The board is expected to revisit the plans and finalize the scope in September. The Friends of Glen Ellyn Parks, which recently became a nonprofit group, will begin raising private funds for any additional improvements.

"The good news is that we're really close to starting this project after three or four years of talking about it," Mayo said.