No ice rink with Civic Center Plaza revamp in Elgin
There will be no ice rink included in the renovation of Civic Center Plaza in Elgin after a decision by the city council to pull back on expenses due to the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the council might examine at a future date, based on economic projections and available funding, the feasibility of installing an ice rink at Festival Park or Wing Park.
Council members unanimously voted Wednesday night to award a $2,050,174 construction bid for the renovation to W.E. O'Neil Construction based in Chicago. That was the lowest among six bids submitted, city officials said.
The renovation will include new paving and additional green space. The work is expected to be done by the end of the year, said Amanda Harris, assistant to the city manager for special projects and the arts.
The city expects $2 million from the state's 2020-21 capital budget to be allocated to the project, meaning only about $50,000 would come from city funding. The state funding was secured by state Sen. Cristina Castro, city officials said. However, it's unclear if all the capital projects budgeted by the state will move forward because of the uncertainty about federal funding and the general economic climate.
As a fallback, Elgin can use tax-increment financing funds for the project at Civic Center Plaza, City Manager Rick Kozal said. The city already had included the project in this year's budget.
Civic Center Plaza, built in the 1960s, has been in need of repairs for years, with cracks and unevenness in the concrete and even reports of people falling over the years.
Installing an ice rink at Civic Center Plaza - whether natural or synthetic ice - would mean spending about $600,000 more, which council members said they were uncomfortable doing.
The ice rink was typically open from Thanksgiving for about 2½ months and used by about 3,400 people each year; its average income was $12,000 for the last five years, Harris said.
In the wake of the pandemic, the city manager implemented widespread furloughs among nonunion employees and other measures such as not filling some positions, which is expected to save $1.4 million in personnel expenses.