Representatives from the Park District of Oak Park and District 97 will make a presentation to the Oak Park Village Board tonight regarding the potential sharing of administrative space, according to a statement sent from both entities on Friday.
The two have discussed sharing facilities because it would reduce each group’s footprint and save money. At a meeting earlier this year, they came up with four options: sharing space at the current park district headquarters at 218 Madison St., the current D97 headquarters at 970 Madison St., a vacant Volvo dealership at 260 Madison St.or a new building on the current village hall parking lot at 123 Madison St.
The two groups will make a presentation at a special village board meeting at 7:30 p.m. Representatives from the park district and D97 will brief the media before the meeting.
The park district board discussed the matter during a closed session portion of their meeting Aug. 30. They agreed to move forward with the talks after the 35-minute closed session. Board President Christine Graves said the closed session was legal under the Open Meetings law because all four options being considered involve the leasing or acquisition of property, an exception to the law.
Graves said the park district has $2 million set aside that they had planned to use for renovations at 218 Madison St. after the gymnastics program moves out. That money could be used toward any of the options they are exploring, she said.
