Moving its gymnastics center to the site of the former Aldi store at Lake Street and Humphrey Avenue will be the single focus of a new study the board of the Park District of Oak Park approved at its meeting last Thursday.
Rather than commission parallel studies assessing the virtues and drawbacks of shifting either the gymnastics program or the park’s Building & Grounds department to the vacant store at 25 Lake St., the study by Williams Architects will focus solely on gymnastics. The $13,000 study, due back as early as next month, would provide options on whether the park district should rehab the current structure or demolish it and build new.
A recommendation from park district staff was presented at a board meeting earlier this month that the building at the site be demolished and a new building constructed for the gymnastics program. That recommendation also included expanding the space for the Buildings & Grounds Department at 218 Madison St, which doubles as the administration building and the current home of the gymnastics program.
Board members agreed that the $13,000 validation study on the recommendation should be done first, instead of concurrently with a study on a second option—putting the building department at 25 Lake St. and keeping gymnastics at 218 Madison St. The study on the second option would cost $18,500.
Christine Graves, board vice president, said she thought paying money for the second option would be a waste at this point, and the amount was higher than she expected. Commissioner Paul Aeschleman, who was interested in studying the second option at the last meeting, said nothing could be done if the money ran out.
Parks staff hoped the study could begin next week and a presentation could be made to the board in December.
At the same meeting, the district’s proposed $20.6 million 2012 budget was introduced. It is now available to the public after the board approved it in tentative form at a meeting Thursday night.
The proposed budget, which is about $1.8 million less than the 2011 budget, has operating costs pegged at $13.2 million. The balance, $6.6 million, is for capital projects including renovation of Ridgeland Common and improvements to the gymnastics program and the Buildings & Grounds Department.
Other capital projects include building and master plan improvements at the parks, conservatory, Cheney Mansion and Pleasant Home. The district is also receiving a $400,000 grant that will go into the capital fund from Open Space Land Acquisition and Development Association for improvements at Mills Park.
Park District Communications Manager Diane Stanke said a public hearing on the tax levy will be held Dec 1 before the Committee of the Whole meeting, and the board will likely vote on the proposed budget Dec. 15.