Latest news with #ElmhurstParkDistrict
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Planned band shell in Elmhurst creates debate over fear it will detract from Wilder Mansion
For more than 150 years, Elmhurst's Wilder Mansion on Cottage Hill Road has been a community hub — a home, a meeting space and 'a center of progress,' according to Lydia Wilder, whose family once owned the estate. When the mansion was acquired by the Elmhurst Park District in 1921, Wilder said the home became 'part of a larger community.' So much so that a photo of the mansion greets anyone trying to access the city's website. Wilder recently sat in the house her father, Erskine 'Sandy' Wilder, was born in, but instead of sitting in couches surrounded by family, she sat in a foldable chair amongst Park District commissioners and area residents. It is 'my job to preserve the legacy,' Wilder told the Park District board during a July 17 meeting at the mansion. 'I'm not in favor of what was already decided,' Wilder said. She was referring to changes at Wilder Park included in a wider plan connected to a successful referendum passed in November. Included in the referendum are district plans to replace the Wagner Community Center, construct year-round heated restrooms at multiple parks, convert a grass field into an artificial turf field at Barnes Park and construct a community band shell in Wilder Park. The work all is included in the $89,950,000 residents OK'd via referendum with 58% of the vote, according to Board President Kevin Graf. It's one of largest Illinois issued park district bonds, according to park Commissioner Vince Spaeth. Public comments at Elmhurst Park District meetings have spiked in the months since, but not about the Wagner Center replacement, which will use the bulk of the bond funding at $85 million. Rather, there has been vocal opposition about the placement of the planned permanent band shell. Many opponents of the current Park District plan, including Wilder, believe the placement as stated on informational material and presented at most meetings as 'future band shell location' would interfere with or potentially block views of the historic mansion. Although the mansion would not be physically altered as part of the plan, opponents believe the $2.5 million band shell's location would harm its iconic look. Dewberry Architects and Upland Design, firms hired to lead the district's master plan, analyzed nine potential locations for the band shell, presenting their findings to the board May 27. Both companies worked with the district on projects including Centennial and Gloss parks, as well as the Canine Corner. Officials from the firms said a placement of the band shell on the mansion's east lawn scored the highest on their metrics in 12 categories including topography, lawn area, existing trees and obstructed views. Andrea Hutchinson, who lives in an Elmhurst house that once belonged to her great aunt, has been a fan of the band shell concept since early discussions, but she wanted more input in the process. 'I was hoping to be a participant of where that would go,' she told the board at the July 17 meeting. Hutchinson and Jim Schultz, a 44-year Elmhurst resident who frequented the city's parks while raising his three kids, created a petition to gauge community reaction to the placement of the band shell. The results were presented at a board meeting July 28 by Sisie Puntel-Wilcek, who spoke on behalf of Hutchinson. 'As of today, (the petition)has 748 signatures — 547 online and 201 on paper. That's 748 residents asking the Park Board to seek public input specifically on the band shell location,' Puntel-Wilcek said. In a separate survey, Hutchinson and Schutz polled community location preference. With 251 responses, 47% said the former ice rink location was the most favorable. The Park District's planned location, which previously housed the park's moving showmobile, got 7%, according to Schutz. Both Hutchinson and Schutz called on commissioners to 'pause this process' and acknowledge community feedback. 'If this is truly the best location, why fear public input?' Hutchinson asked. Residents weren't the only people with concerns. Spaeth, a Park Board commissioner for 18 years, decried the board's lack of clear communication regarding location planning and said other potential sites for the band shell were 'never vetted.' Fellow commissioner Carolyn Ubraico, who has been on the board 22 years, indicated the May meeting was her first time seeing any additional possible locations. 'This (process) felt very different,' she said. Other Park District officials said the process is just getting underway, and both the design of the band shell as well as its location within the park have yet to be decided. Several design proposals have been circulated but none have been finalized, said James Rogers, the Park District's executive director. 'None of the images you see will be the band shell at Wilder Park,' he said in July. Graf, the board president, said messaging has consistently shown one location for the band shell because the site is an initial consideration when developing a design. 'A lot of people think (the location decision) is closed,' Graf said, but with an expected construction start date to begin in 2026, the project is 'still in its very earliest stage.' Ultimately, the approved design 'will work in any place in the park,' he said. Graf also defended the process, saying the board spent about three months engaging the community prior to the open houses. And, Rogers said, the engagement efforts remain underway. He said there will be three phases of board and public input. The first includes open houses as well as online and mail surveys. Continued discussions, and future surveys including location-specific questions are included in phase two, according to the July 28 meeting. 'The open house was one component of the first phase,' Rogers said at the July 28 meeting. He also reconfirmed there was currently 'no final decision' on the band shell's location. Before the May meeting, Dewberry and Upland were 'tasked with reexamining locations' in spring, causing the planning process to become 'deferred,' said Rogers. Rogers said analyses were shared with the board at the May 27 public meeting, as well as posted upon the board's minutes. Although there was 'not a formal vote,' at the May meeting, a 'majority' supported the east side location, he said. As opponents worry the new band shell's placement won't reflect a community-oriented process, Rogers said the board is 'involving the community much earlier than we normally do.' And the efforts to open up the location possibilities seem to be making a difference. Park District staff indicated a Wilder Park Band Shell Location Workshop would be planned Aug. 18, including a walking tour with Dewberry and Upland to revisit potential band shell locations, and where results of the residents' surveys would be reviewed. 'A breakthrough!' said lifelong Elmhurst resident Irene Dinning, a staunch opponent of the east side location, when receiving the news. Although the band shell development is still in its 'infancy phases,' no permanent decisions are made until a final vote on the master plan project, which date is not yet determined, according to Rogers, the executive director. 'Until (the board) approves that master plan, things can change,' said Rogers. The project is an 'evolving process,' he said. For Spaeth, the longtime commissioner, the process is the point. 'The delay will be nothing compared to if we do it wrong,' he said.
Chicago Tribune
01-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Elmhurst Park Board OKs master plan for Crestview Park
The Elmhurst Park Board in June approved a master plan for Crestview Park that includes a playground replacement scheduled for 2026 as well as a new, heated restroom facility that will be open year round. The plan was developed as part of the Park District's 2025 Strategic Work Plan and builds on the momentum from the November 2024 voter-approved bond referendum. District staff proposed a comprehensive planning process for Crestview Park, 245 Crestview Ave., to ensure a holistic vision for the park, officials said in a news release. They said the timing of the Master Plan is also influenced by the construction of the new Wagner Community Center, which is expected to last through fall 2027. During that time, the existing recreation building at Crestview Park will temporarily host Park District programs before its eventual demolition. That process also included an initial open house in March, where community members provided input on the park's existing amenities and potential new features. Two park-wide and playground concepts were shared during a second open house in May, and officials also collected input via an online survey. Among the other features outlined in the Master Plan are more walking paths forming a loop through the entire park, shaded sport court entry area with seating, sled hill improvements including stairs, a 'nature exploration zone,' and a woodland garden with elevated boardwalk. The final Master Plan can be viewed at The implementation of the Master Plan is anticipated to begin in 2026 with the new playground, permanent restroom, a shelter, and the shaded sport court entry area. Subsequent phases in future years will include the demolition of the old parking lot and recreation building and the development of other new features presented in the Master Plan. 'Elmhurst Park District looks forward to beginning the transformation of Crestview Park into a multi-use destination which serves visitors of all ages and abilities for years to come,' the release from district officials stated.
Chicago Tribune
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Elmhurst's Art in Wilder Park to showcase new sculptures by Bernard Williams
Over 8,000 people flock to Art in Wilder Park each year to enjoy the art show presented by the Elmhurst Art Museum in partnership with the Elmhurst Park District. There will be plenty for those many visitors to see and do at the 28th annual free event, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 3-4 at 175 S. Cottage Hill Ave. in Elmhurst. This year, 87 artists will display and sell their artwork at the juried art fair. The selection includes one-of-a-kind jewelry, paintings, sculptures, ceramics, prints, fiber arts, and even bejeweled cat collars. A dozen food vendors will sell delicacies ranging from Polish food to hot dogs, citrus drinks, donuts and more. Entertainment for children is planned at the Kids Court, where nine organizations will offer family activities and art projects. And an extra attraction is a preview of CROSSINGS, the upcoming solo exhibition of sculptures and paintings by renowned Chicago-based artist Bernard Williams. CROSSINGS is curated by Allison Peters Quinn, executive director and chief curator of the Elmhurst Art Museum since December. 'This is my first exhibition at the museum since I started in December,' Quinn said. 'We wanted to pick an artist that was in the collection. He's an artist that I've worked with in the past for large sculptures.' Quinn first curated a show of Williams' work around 2005 when she worked at the Hyde Park Art Center. Artist Williams said he called this exhibit CROSSINGS because 'it captures a broad body of concerns.' 'It connects a lot of the various works together,' he said. 'I'm showing a couple car sculptures. One sculpture is a life-sized farm tractor. I'm showing an airplane. Some of those cross-over each other through history and ideas about human development in various ways. They all have thematic inspirations.' Several of the pieces that will be exhibited at Art in Wilder Park are sculptures that Williams has exhibited at other sculpture parks. In addition, the Elmhurst Art Museum commissioned two new sculptures. Quinn praised Williams' sculptures saying, 'He has a very particular visual language. It's almost hieroglyphic in that his symbols are images of a pig or an airplane. He tells a story through symbols that are universal and people can understand.' Quinn added that she is a supporter of his work because 'he is talking about history that is not maybe so well known or about Black American history that we all need to learn. I think that they're educational but they're also beautiful.' The exhibit will include four sculptures outside and one large airplane sculpture in the Hostetler Gallery in the Elmhurst Art Museum. 'The airplane was inspired by Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to obtain a pilot's license in the 1920s,' Williams noted. 'Her life story has been really powerful and inspirational and intriguing — and she had roots in Chicago. She was living in Chicago when she left for France because no one would teach her here in the states. She got accepted to an aeronautical school in France. 'In Bernard's work, he's been interested in cars and speed and the liberation that anybody can feel when they're in a car and they have the ability to go place to place,' Quinn said. 'So, we're showing a couple of the cars.' Another piece, which is a tractor, was previously shown at the Arts Club of Chicago. 'It's in recognition of the Black Famers' Settlement, which was the largest settlement made,' Quinn reported. 'Billions of dollars going to Black farmers for reparations for discrimination against the Black farmers from the USDA.' 'My grandparents were farmers in Alabama,' Williams noted. 'Extended relatives were involved in the Black Farmers' Settlement around 2016.' The two commissioned pieces are steel pole sculptures—one dedicated to Coleman and the other to the legacy of Black cowboys. Williams said the pieces in CROSSINGS are typical of the work that he has been doing for the last 20 years. 'It's always been a mix of materials and various historical connections,' the artist said. 'It grows out of some of my own interests and studies around American history.' The materials Williams used in the various sculptures in CROSSINGS include plywood for the car sculptures, along with machine-carved foam and metal. A couple of Williams agricultural-themed paintings will also be in the show. Having his work exhibited at the Elmhurst Art Museum is 'a real honor. It's always great when somebody shows appreciation for one's work,' Williams declared. The solo exhibit will run until Aug. 17. For more information about Art in Wilder Park, visit
