Renovations coming for Buffalo Grove golf dome

The Buffalo Grove Park District's golf dome is due for a makeover, including a new heating system and replacement of the exterior dome material.

To allow that to happen, Buffalo Grove village board members said this week they would draft an ordinance extending the site's special use permit. Trustees stopped short, however, of granting the park district's request to grant the dome permanent status.

The dome, which opened in 1999, is operating on a special permit that requires its removal by June 2015. District Executive Director Dan Schimmel said the district needs an extension of the permit to make sure "the dome was on sound footing before making a

large investment of time and money" on improvements.

Schimmel said the district does not yet have cost estimates on the work, but the work would take place during the summer or early

fall, when the dome is closed for the season, and therefore would not disrupt normal operations.

The district was hopeful the village board would inflated year round, while committing the district to the necessary repairs and maintenance, including maintaining the appearance.

"We believe we have maintained the dome in a responsible manner since it was first put up," Schimmel wrote in a memo to village officials. "We further assure the village that if the material is compromised in any way, the district would either replace the dome, or eliminate the dome."

Village officials, however, opposed removing a removal date.

"The reason for this recommendation is so that it does qualify as a temporary structure, which would allow it to continue under the building code, and also ensures consistency with applicable fire, building and life safety codes on a periodic basis," Village Manager Dane Bragg said, adding that the village's fire chief and building commissioner would accept a 15-year review period.

Schimmel said the golf dome has been a success since it opened at 801 McHenry Road.

"It's doing very well. It's still rated as one of the top 10 golf domes in North America by the Golf Range Association of America," he said.