Pocket park planned for Vernon Hills' shuttered Laschen Center

It likely will be several months before the building is torn down, but the end is nearing for the Larry Laschen Community Center, an original piece of Vernon Hills' early history.

Permanently closed Jan. 1, the building on Evergreen Drive just south of Route 45 opened in the late 1950s as a golf course clubhouse and soon became a village hall, park district headquarters and community meeting spot.

Village officials considered options but decided to close the structure for public uses after learning it would cost about $250,000 per year to keep it running.

The focus now turns to what the site will look like after the building is gone. Trustees this week awarded a contract not to exceed $30,000 to Dickson Design Studio of Algonquin to design a pocket park on the property.

That, too, will be a process, with preliminary concepts expected to be shared with residents and the board to be reviewed and honed, said David Brown, public works director/village engineer.

There is $300,000 in the 2018-19 budget as a placeholder for demolition, although a specific date has not been determined. Brown said it likely will be in the fall, but what will be involved also has to be pinpointed.

"Next week, we're bringing in a consultant to look at any of the potential environmental issues," he said.

The building was the clubhouse for the members-only Tally Ho Country Club, which included a golf course, a swimming pool, a motel and a luxurious supper club said to be the hangout for movers and shakers.

The clubhouse served as a village hall from 1980 to 2002, when the current one opened just to the north. It was named for Larry Laschen, hired in 1973 as police chief and later named village manager, retiring in 1998.

After village operations moved, the Vernon Hills Park District used the Laschen Center for offices and programs until consolidating last year at its Sullivan Center after a substantial expansion.

Last year, 12 community groups, mostly homeowners associations, reserved rooms at the Laschen Center for 108 dates.

To meet the demand, village hall office space has been remodeled into two meeting rooms for use by community organizations. That project is wrapping up, with details pending on how the space will be made available.