Latest news with #NapervilleParkBoard
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Naperville Park District to hire consultants to help plan future indoor rec space, possible pool
Naperville Park District is hoping to chart a path forward on new indoor recreation space, including the possiblity of a new pool, with the help of a pair of consultants. Later this month, district staff will bring two professional services contracts to the Naperville Park Board for approval. The contracts are the next step in an ongoing effort to determine how the district should manage its indoor recreation needs in years to come and if a referendum will be needed to fund new or expanded space. District Executive Director Brad Wilson gave an overview of the focus and scope of the proposed contracts at last week's park board meeting. They are expected to go to the board at its May 22 meeting, Wilson said. Last fall, the district completed an assessment of its indoor recreational needs. Months in the making, the review was a product of interviews with stakeholders, focus groups, open house events and surveys. The resulting 266-page report offered a range of takeaways, from the demand for more aquatic facilities to the need for more enhanced seniors programs for seniors. The contract proposals 'really come off' that assessment, Wilson said. Under one of them, Itasca-based Williams Architects would be hired to assist the district in site and facility conceptual design and public engagement, he said. 'We've certainly gathered a lot of public input and feedback from the community as part of that indoor recreation needs assessment on the types of spaces that the community would like to see and feel is needed,' he said. 'Now, it's taking those elements and beginning to look at various sites. 'Where a building might be able to be located as well as what type of elements could be included in there and really the size of those to help with then determining what it might look like as well as what the cost estimate would be.' The other contract would have Beyond Your Base, a public affairs and pre-referendum consulting group, help the park board decide whether to seek voter approval through a referendum to help pay for new indoor rec space, Wilson said. As part of the district's recently completed needs assessment, residents were surveyed on their willingness to kick in their own tax dollars towards a new multipurpose activity center. Residents were surveyed on three bond issue scenarios: one that would fund a facility similar to the Fort Hill Activity Center with the addition of an indoor pool; a second calling for a center like Fort Hill with no pool; and a third under which a similar center would be built and include synthetic turf. All three would add anywhere from $60 to $85 to the park district's property tax bill annually for 20 years for a taxpayer with a home valued at $440,000, according to district estimates. In both statistical and public survey results, respondents indicated the highest willingness to pay for a center with a pool. Surveys also sought input on where residents would want new indoor recreation space to be built. South Naperville drew the highest level of support. Beyond Your Base, with offices in Colorado and Illinois, 'develops and implements comprehensive public engagement programs that incorporate voter analytics, public opinion research and strategic communications,' its website says. The consulting group recently assisted Indian Prairie School District 204 with its public engagement for a bond referendum that voters approved last fall, according to Wilson. Over the past couple of months, the district has started to work with both Beyond Your Base and Williams Architects on some initial steps 'to really begin taking a look at this a little bit further,' Wilson said. Each company has been paid $18,000 for the preliminary work, he said. If the new contracts are approved, Williams Architects would be receive $62,000 and Beyond Your Base would get $67,000. Should the board approve both agreements, 'later in the summer and in early fall, we would (expect to) have additional updates to … provide,' Wilson said. tkenny@
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Naperville Park District to hire consultants to help plan future indoor rec space, possible pool
Naperville Park District is hoping to chart a path forward on new indoor recreation space, including the possiblity of a new pool, with the help of a pair of consultants. Later this month, district staff will bring two professional services contracts to the Naperville Park Board for approval. The contracts are the next step in an ongoing effort to determine how the district should manage its indoor recreation needs in years to come and if a referendum will be needed to fund new or expanded space. District Executive Director Brad Wilson gave an overview of the focus and scope of the proposed contracts at last week's park board meeting. They are expected to go to the board at its May 22 meeting, Wilson said. Last fall, the district completed an assessment of its indoor recreational needs. Months in the making, the review was a product of interviews with stakeholders, focus groups, open house events and surveys. The resulting 266-page report offered a range of takeaways, from the demand for more aquatic facilities to the need for more enhanced seniors programs for seniors. The contract proposals 'really come off' that assessment, Wilson said. Under one of them, Itasca-based Williams Architects would be hired to assist the district in site and facility conceptual design and public engagement, he said. 'We've certainly gathered a lot of public input and feedback from the community as part of that indoor recreation needs assessment on the types of spaces that the community would like to see and feel is needed,' he said. 'Now, it's taking those elements and beginning to look at various sites. 'Where a building might be able to be located as well as what type of elements could be included in there and really the size of those to help with then determining what it might look like as well as what the cost estimate would be.' The other contract would have Beyond Your Base, a public affairs and pre-referendum consulting group, help the park board decide whether to seek voter approval through a referendum to help pay for new indoor rec space, Wilson said. As part of the district's recently completed needs assessment, residents were surveyed on their willingness to kick in their own tax dollars towards a new multipurpose activity center. Residents were surveyed on three bond issue scenarios: one that would fund a facility similar to the Fort Hill Activity Center with the addition of an indoor pool; a second calling for a center like Fort Hill with no pool; and a third under which a similar center would be built and include synthetic turf. All three would add anywhere from $60 to $85 to the park district's property tax bill annually for 20 years for a taxpayer with a home valued at $440,000, according to district estimates. In both statistical and public survey results, respondents indicated the highest willingness to pay for a center with a pool. Surveys also sought input on where residents would want new indoor recreation space to be built. South Naperville drew the highest level of support. Beyond Your Base, with offices in Colorado and Illinois, 'develops and implements comprehensive public engagement programs that incorporate voter analytics, public opinion research and strategic communications,' its website says. The consulting group recently assisted Indian Prairie School District 204 with its public engagement for a bond referendum that voters approved last fall, according to Wilson. Over the past couple of months, the district has started to work with both Beyond Your Base and Williams Architects on some initial steps 'to really begin taking a look at this a little bit further,' Wilson said. Each company has been paid $18,000 for the preliminary work, he said. If the new contracts are approved, Williams Architects would be receive $62,000 and Beyond Your Base would get $67,000. Should the board approve both agreements, 'later in the summer and in early fall, we would (expect to) have additional updates to … provide,' Wilson said. tkenny@
Chicago Tribune
15-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Naperville Park District to hire consultants to help plan future indoor rec space, possible pool
Naperville Park District is hoping to chart a path forward on new indoor recreation space, including the possiblity of a new pool, with the help of a pair of consultants. Later this month, district staff will bring two professional services contracts to the Naperville Park Board for approval. The contracts are the next step in an ongoing effort to determine how the district should manage its indoor recreation needs in years to come and if a referendum will be needed to fund new or expanded space. District Executive Director Brad Wilson gave an overview of the focus and scope of the proposed contracts at last week's park board meeting. They are expected to go to the board at its May 22 meeting, Wilson said. Last fall, the district completed an assessment of its indoor recreational needs. Months in the making, the review was a product of interviews with stakeholders, focus groups, open house events and surveys. The resulting 266-page report offered a range of takeaways, from the demand for more aquatic facilities to the need for more enhanced seniors programs for seniors. The contract proposals 'really come off' that assessment, Wilson said. Under one of them, Itasca-based Williams Architects would be hired to assist the district in site and facility conceptual design and public engagement, he said. 'We've certainly gathered a lot of public input and feedback from the community as part of that indoor recreation needs assessment on the types of spaces that the community would like to see and feel is needed,' he said. 'Now, it's taking those elements and beginning to look at various sites. 'Where a building might be able to be located as well as what type of elements could be included in there and really the size of those to help with then determining what it might look like as well as what the cost estimate would be.' The other contract would have Beyond Your Base, a public affairs and pre-referendum consulting group, help the park board decide whether to seek voter approval through a referendum to help pay for new indoor rec space, Wilson said. As part of the district's recently completed needs assessment, residents were surveyed on their willingness to kick in their own tax dollars towards a new multipurpose activity center. Residents were surveyed on three bond issue scenarios: one that would fund a facility similar to the Fort Hill Activity Center with the addition of an indoor pool; a second calling for a center like Fort Hill with no pool; and a third under which a similar center would be built and include synthetic turf. All three would add anywhere from $60 to $85 to the park district's property tax bill annually for 20 years for a taxpayer with a home valued at $440,000, according to district estimates. In both statistical and public survey results, respondents indicated the highest willingness to pay for a center with a pool. Surveys also sought input on where residents would want new indoor recreation space to be built. South Naperville drew the highest level of support. Beyond Your Base, with offices in Colorado and Illinois, 'develops and implements comprehensive public engagement programs that incorporate voter analytics, public opinion research and strategic communications,' its website says. The consulting group recently assisted Indian Prairie School District 204 with its public engagement for a bond referendum that voters approved last fall, according to Wilson. Over the past couple of months, the district has started to work with both Beyond Your Base and Williams Architects on some initial steps 'to really begin taking a look at this a little bit further,' Wilson said. Each company has been paid $18,000 for the preliminary work, he said. If the new contracts are approved, Williams Architects would be receive $62,000 and Beyond Your Base would get $67,000. Should the board approve both agreements, 'later in the summer and in early fall, we would (expect to) have additional updates to … provide,' Wilson said.
Chicago Tribune
06-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Skatepark murals meant to inspire hope for those in mental crisis proposed for Naperville park
A public art project devised to inspire hope and foster connection in the face of mental health crises is going to the Naperville Park Board this week for final approval. Max's Mission, a local nonprofit dedicated to providing support for suicide loss survivors, wants to erect four new murals at Naperville's Centennial Park. A resolution accepting the murals and their subsequent installation is on the agenda for the park board's meeting Thursday. Max's Mission was established a few years ago in honor of Max Wijangco, a Naperville resident who died at 15 by suicide in March 2022. The nonprofit was born out of Jill Wijangco, Max's mother, and her family feeling alone in their loss, Jill Wijangco said in an interview last year. With Max's Mission, the Wijangco family is working to change that — in a number of ways. The nonprofit runs a monthly support group for anyone who has lost someone they know to suicide and delivers baskets to those that are newly bereaved by a suicide loss. Max's Mission also runs an ongoing online project called 'Say Their Name,' where survivors of suicide loss send photos and information about their deceased loved ones for the organization to post on its social media accounts. The nonprofit's mural project is another mission-driven initiative. As proposed, the murals would be placed adjacent to the Rothermel Family Skate Facility at Centennial Park, an ode to Max Wijangco being an avid skateboarder. Two concrete structures would form the base of the artwork, with one mural going on each side of the structures for a total of four. The venture is two years in the making, according to Julie Nguyen, a board member for Max's Mission who met the Wijangco family when her son attended preschool with Max. Nguyen, of Lisle, said the project stemmed from Jill Wijangco 'wanting to have some sort of visible memorial to (Max) near one of the skate parks in Naperville.' The organization reached out to a handful of local muralists for the project but ultimately opted to work with Naperville artist Peter Thaddeus, Nguyen said. The mural designs are varied and vibrant but possess a few throughlines. Green ribbon, the international symbol for mental health awareness, can be seen through all four designs. Woven into the artwork are are also the numbers '988' — the nation's three-digit metal health crisis hotline — and a semicolon, a symbol for suicide prevention that signifies the choice to pause not stop, Nguyen said. Faces are also intentionally left out of the murals, as a way of allowing onlookers to see themselves in the artwork, according to Nguyen. 'Maybe they are Max, maybe they're you, maybe they're a friend,' she said. 'The ambiguity of these figures is really intentional so everyone can kind of connect with them.' Murals were likewise designed with an eye for diversity, Nguyen said. 'Many of the figures that are painted in the murals represent different genders, different ethnic backgrounds, different skin tones,' she said. 'We thought, especially at this moment, viewers would appreciate this message of tolerance, inclusion, and connection. … (And) that applies not only to the skating community, which certainly are sort of our target audience, but anyone walking along the Naperville Riverwalk at Centennial Beach that will be able to access these messages and these images. 'I think they're really, really hopeful and really — hopefully — really inspiring.' Final mural designs can be seen at Park district staff have been in conversations with Max's Mission about the mural project for just over a year, according to Eric Shutes, the district's director of planning. The idea struck a chord with the district's focus on health and wellness, Shutes said. 'When it was initially provided to us, we thought it was just in really good alignment … with the Naperville Park District,' he said. At the park board's April 24 meeting, Shutes brought the matter to members for discussion. 'Ever since the idea was first brought to us, I started following Max's Mission on social media,' commissioner Leslie Ruffing said last month. 'I just (think) what they do for the community and for mental health awareness and suicide is so important. It's so strongly aligned with our mission, vision and values.' As part of his report to the board, Shutes said Max's Mission was $6,200 short of the project's total estimated $41,600 cost and that the nonprofit had asked if the district would be open to contributing the remaining cost. The $6,200 payment is included in the resolution up for approval this week. Other funding sources include the DuPage Foundation's JCS Arts, Health and Education Fund and the city of Naperville's Special Events and Community Arts (SECA) grant fund. Aurora-based MM Peters Construction Inc. would also be donating $5,000 in labor costs. Should the board OK the project, construction could start as early as this summer, with an expected completion by the end of the year. With the board's approval, staff would also work in tandem with Max's Mission to organize a dedication ceremony for the project.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Incumbent Benny White, Park Board President Mary Gibson appear to take early lead in Naperville council race
With initial results trickling in, Benny White, Mary Gibson, Ian Holzhauer and Ashfaq Syed appear to have an early lead in the eight-way race for the four, four-year Naperville City Council seats up for election. Unofficial results released as of just after 8:20 p.m. Tuesday night show White with 6,772 votes across Naperville precincts in DuPage and Will counties, followed by Gibson with 6,187 votes, Holzhauer with 6,109 votes and Syed with 5,690 votes. Following behind were Jennifer Bruzan Taylor with 4,463 votes, Meghna Bansal with 4,153 votes, Derek McDaniel with 3,826 votes and Nag Jaiswal with 2,252 votes. Election results will remain unofficial until mail-in ballots postmarked for Election Day or earlier are counted, provisional ballots are checked and votes are canvassed. Bruzan Taylor and Holzauer are both seeking a second term on council. White is seeking a third. The fourth seat up for election is currently held by Paul Leong, who is stepping down from council. Among the challengers, Bansal and McDaniel currently serve on Naperville's Planning and Zoning Commission, Gibson is president of the Naperville Park Board, Jaiswal formerly served on the city's Human Rights and Fair Housing Commission and Syed is president of the Naperville Public Library Board. Unofficial election results will be updated through the night Tuesday as votes are tabulated. Check back at for updates. tkenny@
