Mundelein park board authorizes $4 million bond sale for Chalet
Plans to replace an old warming house at the Mundelein Park & Recreation District's campus with a much larger multiuse facility are back on track.
Park officials already had decided to revive the stalled project at Keith Mione Community Park but the authorization this past Monday to borrow $4 million by issuing bonds gets the ball rolling.
"It was a project we had begun on a conceptual basis," executive director Margaret Resnick said. "Over the last year and a half, we were squeezed for space so tight we decided to proceed."
The district announced in October 2014 it would receive an Illinois Department of Natural Resources grant for nearly $2.4 million to expand a 2,000-square-foot warming house known as the Chalet. Built in 1958 for the sled hill nearby, the building has two rooms, a kitchen and fireplace.
But in early 2015, the state suspended the grant because of budget issues and the project stalled. After learning the grant would also apply for a new facility, district officials opted to borrow the money and get started with no guarantee state money would be released.
"We got permission to tear down the building and start new," Resnick said.
Officials recently learned Mundelein was among several suburban districts to which state grants were being reinstated.
Illinois' stopgap budget, approved in late June, included $50 million for the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant program and $50 million for the Park and Recreational Facilities Construction grant program, according to Chris Young, IDNR spokesman.
OSLAD grants are for property purchases or development of parks and open spaces, he said. In Lake County, Buffalo Grove, Highland Park, Lindenhurst, Waukegan and Lake Bluff park districts will have those grants reinstated. The PARC grant, which is what Mundelein will receive, is mostly for capital projects. The village of Fox Lake, along with Buffalo Grove and Waukegan park districts, also are on that list.
The Mundelein bond issue is for 10 years at 1.95 percent. Resnick said while other bonds are being retired, the park board selected $4 million to keep the district's annual debt payment at $500,000.
"The biggest concern for the board was to keep the tax level the same for residents," Resnick said. Grant money isn't received until the work is completed, she added.
The Chalet is used for private rentals and some early childhood classes. The new building will include a gym, fitness rooms and a nutritional classroom, among other amenities. The added space will allow the district to offer cooking and other classes and programs, rent the gym and relocate the summer day camp from rented facilities.
Estimated cost of the project is $3.8 million. Bids are expected to be awarded in March with completion in June 2018.