St. James Farm riding arena will be improved
A planned renovation and expansion of the indoor riding arena at St. James Farm Forest Preserve near Warrenville is on pace to begin next year.
DuPage County Forest Preserve commissioners on Tuesday agreed to pay up to $169,350 to an architectural firm - Cordogan Clark and Associates, Inc. - to prepare construction documents, help with the bidding process and perform other tasks related to the project to improve the roughly 13,000-square-foot arena.
The project will include upgrading the HVAC, electrical and lighting systems and building an expansion that will feature a 739-square-foot multipurpose room. Public washrooms with flush toilets also will be added.
"It is bringing the facility up to DuPage County standards," Commissioner Mary Lou Wehrli said. St. James Farm is "too beautiful of a place not to have good amenities."
The improvements could make it possible for the building to be used for a variety of programs, including day camps, trade shows and wedding receptions.
"We want to open it up to equestrian-type events and other public events," Commissioner Tim Whelan said.
The district bought St. James Farm from philanthropist and conservationist Brooks McCormick in 2000 for $43 million. It took possession of the roughly 600-acre property along Winfield Road after McCormick's death in 2006.
While members of the public can visit the property, they aren't yet allowed inside its buildings. The improvements to the indoor horse arena will change that.
Before the building improvement project can start, the farm needs to get municipal water. So the district is going to build a water main that will connect Wheaton's distribution system to the farm. The water main and a sanitary line are expected to be installed by next year.
Work on the indoor riding arena is scheduled to start next year and be completed by early 2018. Construction is expected to cost $2.25 million to $2.6 million, depending on the final scope of the work.
The money is coming from a $5 million endowment the forest preserve district received from McCormick when he died.
McCormick was an equestrian enthusiast who added conditions to the endowment in regard to the property being maintained as a bastion for horses.