Dundee Township Park District seeks public input on long-range plans

If you want a say in how a local taxing district spends its money, here's your chance.

The Dundee Township Park District will host an informational meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the district's Senior Center, 665 Barrington Ave., Carpentersville, to gather input from residents as the district updates its 1997 comprehensive master plan.

The feedback will help the district make decisions on recreational facilities, park district executive director Tom Mammoser said.

"We are in a position to take a look at some major projects that we have been considering for the last 15 years, but have not had the means to do," Mammoser said.

One large-scale project on the district's radar is a recreation facility on the township's west side. A 2009 community survey rated that among the top four new facilities residents desired.

The district, which has proposed locating the facility on district-owned land adjacent to Randall Oaks Park, is exploring the use of $11 million in Build America bonds available to local and state governments for capital projects.

The federally subsidized program could provide the district funds to build an additional recreation center sooner than anticipated, and without affecting tax rates.

"We have a good idea of what residents want," Mammoser said. "But before we make a decision on whether to access the bonds and how we would use it, we thought it was appropriate to bring in an outside agency to look at our existing comprehensive plan, update it... and find areas where there are deficiencies in our ability to provide recreational services and programs."

When the comprehensive plan was completed more than a decade ago, the population of Dundee Township was about 39,000, with a majority of residents on the east side of the township. Since then, the population has swelled to 64,000 with most of the growth on the west side.

"This park district is supported by the residents of the district," Mammoser said. "Even though we are the professionals in the recreation field, we utilize our backgrounds and education and blend that with the wishes of the constituents."