What do you want to see in Phillips Park? Aurora officials want ideas
Visitors to Phillips Park in Aurora should take a good look around the 325-acre community gem and think about what they would like to see.
More parking? Frisbee golf? Paddle boat and kayak rentals? An ice-skating rink?
Aurora officials are inviting residents to share their ideas for the future of the historic park through an online survey and a series of public forums starting Thursday night.
The city will use the forum feedback and survey results to develop a road map for potential new park amenities, programming and infrastructure over the next decade. The city also is gauging interest in expanding or adding more exhibits to Phillips Park Zoo, now home to a menagerie of animals native to North America.
Officials are looking ahead as Phillips Park marks its 120th year in Aurora.
The sprawling grounds boast a 28-acre lake, an 18-hole golf course, an aquatic center, splash pad, dog park, volleyball and tennis courts, athletic fields, walking trails and the zoo.
"We have certain what we call legacy parks, none more important in our community than Phillips Park and the Phillip Park Zoo," Alex Alexandrou, the city's chief management officer, told Aurora aldermen late last year.
Looking to build on that legacy, the city has hired Wight & Company to help gather input, draw up conceptual designs and prepare an overall master plan for the park.
"This is a great chance to get involved, provide some feedback, so that way, we can create a master plan that meets the needs and wants of everyone in our community," said Tony Martinez, a city spokesman.
Based on the survey questions, the city is considering a list of possible improvements to the zoo, including tram rides, a children's play area, a gift shop and a native pollinator garden.
The city hopes the zoo will become accredited. Founded in 1915, the zoo houses wolves, hawks, foxes, goats, llamas, cows and other birds and reptiles.
"We want the place to be designed with best practices, looking at other successful zoos of that size, and really upping the caliber of the zoo because of its importance," Alexandrou said at a city council finance committee meeting in December.
Martinez said Monday officials are looking at "how to improve the experience for visitors, whether it's more interpretive panels, informative displays or more interaction."
The city plans to host an open house within the next few months to unveil "some of what the master plan would look like" based on the feedback received, Martinez said.
The first community input session will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Phillips Park Visitor Center, 1000 Ray Moses Drive. The survey also is available on the city's website, aurora-il.org/TheFutureofPhillipsPark.
The city council in December agreed to pay Wight & Company $119,600 to lay out a master plan for the park and zoo.