Hoffman board hands over Chino Park to Park District

The Hoffman Estates village board late Monday night approved handing over Chino Park to the Hoffman Estates Park District for free.

Under the agreement, the park district receives control of the land at Illinois Boulevard west of Roselle Road under a 20-year lease without having to pay any rent. The park district plans to redevelop the land as a public park, though it's still unclear how the park will be changed.

"What we need to do is look at the needs within the community and determine what best fits those needs," said Park District Executive Director Dean Bostrom.

Village officials said leasing the park for free has zero financial impact on the village. In a separate deal, the park district is allowing the village to place an electronic messaging sign at Charlemagne Park along Algonquin Road, which would be installed over the next year or two.

"I think the deal is very favorable to the park district," said Trustee Raymond Kincaid, the only village board member voting against the proposal.

Bostrom said the deal will "optimize tax dollars," as the park district is in better position to manage the park, which private groups rent from the village. Those same groups would continue to have priority to use the athletic fields under the deal, Bostrom added.

The park district board still has to approve the deal, Bostrom said. He expects that to happen within 30 days. The park board met Tuesday night, but given the late Monday night vote by the village board, there wasn't enough time to place the matter on the park board's agenda to take action. The village board discussed the matter in closed session before reconvening in public and voting.

"It's good to work together, and I want to do that, but in this particular instance, it's an asset that the village should keep," Kincaid said.

The meeting spilled late into the night as the village held its committee meetings before the board meeting. During the summer months the board is meeting twice a month opposed to the usual four times. While creating later nights, village officials say the double meetings free up the council chambers so remodeling can be done.

Current Chino Park amenities include two baseball diamonds and a combination soccer and football field. Bostrom said it's time for an upgrade.

"Those backstops are older than me," he said.

One of the only restrictions in the lease is that outdoor athletic field lighting is prohibited. That decreases the possibility of the park district installing an artificial turf field. Bostrom said he'd want to ensure an artificial turf field would get maximum use, even in the evenings.