Fox Valley Park District putting referendum funds to work
The Fox Valley Park District received the OK to sell bonds for a large amount of money in February. And now it's starting to return the money to the community that approved the financial windfall.
Along with widening and resurfacing trails in the district, the district recently acquired a 5 acre addition to Jericho Lake Community Park on the district's west side for $380,000.
The acquisition is the first to come from $44.8 million in funds voters OK'd through a referendum.
"Things are falling into place," Executive Director Steve Messerli said. "We are very pleased with the progress that's being made."
Among the projects include restoration of about three to four miles of the park district's 36 miles of trails.
Crews widened and resurfaced a stretch of Gilman Trail from Galena Boulevard toward Route 56 last month.
About half of the referendum funds - $22.5 million - is earmarked for land, open space and trail and nature area projects, such as the Gilman Trail work. This includes upkeep Messerli says is severely necessary.
"Facilities and equipment reach the end of their life spans," he said. "We're trying to reinvigorate them with something new."
The work began less than four months after voters approved the referendum.
Messerli said it was important to turn the money around so residents could see tangible results quickly.
"We wanted them to see their money at work in fairly short order," he said.
But he warns not all projects will turn around that quickly.
Some projects will begin with design work this year, construction next year and then not open until 2010.
Two of the district's major assets, Stuart Sports Complex and Blackberry Farm in Aurora, will receive a large portion of the money as renovations and updates will modernize the facilities.
"It needs a facelift," Messerli said of Blackberry, which began as Pioneer Park in the late-1960s. "(Projects are) kind of a combination of preventive measures and refurbishing aging facilities."
The park board has fielded six proposals for work on the sports complex located in the southwest section of the district. The plan includes a 180-acre expansion and facility upgrades.
Messerli said he expects the board to continue with referendum projects, including voting on "fairly good-sized" land acquisitions at its meeting July 14. More than 65 percent of the nearly 14,000 people who voted on the referendum voted for it.
Other projects the board expects the funds to help pay for include park and playground improvements and renovations of all baseball fields in the district.