Latest news with #Shutes
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Public feedback sought for final plan to improve Naperville's Nike Sports Complex
Naperville Park District is seeking feedback from residents on plans to add, expand and update recreational amenities at the Nike Sports Complex. This round of community feedback via an online survey available until Aug. 8 comes as improvement plans for the complex are finalized. Currently, proposed amenitiees include a new challenge course, loop trail, shade shelter with seating near the cricket field, water play features, native prairie planting area and synthetic turf infields for the playground and ball fields. The amenities proposed for the complex, located at 288 W. Diehl Road, are the result of extensive input sought from the community last year through online surveys and two in-person open houses. 'What we heard from residents is very similar to and it aligns with the proposed improvements,' Eric Shutes, park district director of planning, said. 'So we heard more walking, jogging and biking trails, so we added an asphalt trail loop. We heard (requests) for an addition to the playground that has water play features, so we added that.' Residents also voiced strong support for a new challenge course, noting the popularity of the challenge course at the Wolf's Crossing Community Park, Shutes said. Other improvements that received support were an expansion of and enhancements to the existing nature areas at the site as well as the addition of synthetic infield turf for existing ball fields, he said. The existing facility has baseball and softball fields, basketball courts, a cricket field, fitness center, ice rinks, playground, pickleball and tennis courts, picnic shelters, restrooms and trails. Input from the current survey also will be considered as the district staff develops an application for the Open Spaces Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. OSLAD grants, which are awarded to government agencies to help acquire land and develop recreational space, are due in September. The district has had success in securing OSLAD grants. One a few years back helped add amenities to Meadow Glens Park, including a nature playground and a winter skating area. The maximum grant award is $600,000 for a project expected to cost $1.2 million. As things stand right now, the changes planned for the Nike complex will cost about $4 million, Shutes said. The district is still assessing other funding sources to cover the rest of the cost, he said. 'We are excited to have the opportunity to connect with the rest of the community,' Shutes said. 'Receiving the input from the community allowed us to really identify ways to make Nike Sports Complex and how our patrons use it much, much better.' Construction is expected to take place throughout 2027 and 2028, according to district documents. The online survey can be found at
CBS News
01-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Unusual Boston home that was cut in half is now for sale
Boston homeowner discovers his house was once cut in half Boston homeowner discovers his house was once cut in half Boston homeowner discovers his house was once cut in half A unique home in Boston that went viral last month because the owner discovered it had once been cut in half is now for sale. The Victorian-style house on Metropolitan Boulevard in Roslindale is on the market for $1.5 million. "At the turn of the century, 318 Metropolitan was one of Boston's largest homes," the listing for the five-bedroom, 2.5-bath house says. WBZ-TV's Chris Tanaka featured the house in his digital series Walking Boston, and the video was viewed thousands of times. It caught the attention of the current owner, Adam Shutes, who invited cameras inside. Boston house cut in half Shutes said he and his wife noticed some irregularities when they first spotted the house in 2016. The wraparound porch is only on one side of the house, and the other side is a flat exterior wall. "It just looked odd," Shutes said. "Then it sort of clicked because that house just down the road, two houses down, which looked very similar." Some research revealed that the original structure was literally cut in half in the 1940s and moved down to Maynard Street. The discovery spurred Shutes to apply for a historic landmark designation to preserve the home for future generations. The blueprint of the original home at 318 Metropolitan Boulevard in Roslindale. CBS Boston Boston officially designated the home as a historic landmark in March. A study report by the Boston Landmarks Commission says the home is "one of the grandest in the neighborhood." "The house is a fascinating case study in architectural alteration," the report says. "The house is also notable for its unusually intact and well-preserved interior elements, which provide a precious glimpse into the past." Click here to see more photos from inside the home.
CBS News
17-03-2025
- General
- CBS News
Boston homeowner thought something was odd about his house. He discovered it was cut in half.
By Chris Tanaka March 17, 2025 / 8:04 AM EDT / CBS Boston A house in Boston is on its way to becoming an historic landmark after the current owner discovered something unusual about the home's history. "It just looked odd," said Adam Shutes. Shutes felt that way when he first saw the house at 318 Metropolitan Boulevard in Roslindale back in 2016. He and his wife were home shopping and noticed some irregularities. 318 Metropolitan Boulevard in Roslindale. CBS Boston "We didn't understand when we bought the house, we didn't understand why this wall here was so abrupt," he said from just inside the entry. The vestibule opens to the middle and left but is walled off to the right. A scientist by trade and curious by nature, Shutes set about researching the property and previous owners. When checking some old permits, he discovered the unimaginable. "Then it sort of clicked because that house just down the road, two houses down, which looked very similar," said Shutes. The other half of the house that was originally at 318 Metropolitan Boulevard in Roslindale. CBS Boston Boston house cut in half It turns out, the original structure was literally cut in two back in 1941. When looking at it from the street, one side of the house is an ornate Victorian with a wraparound porch. The other side is a flat exterior wall, the right side of that entry vestibule. "The back half was the kitchen, the storage area for the butlers, servants' quarters in here. And there's actually another staircase, a little staircase, a service staircase which is in the other house," explained Shutes. The blueprint of the original home at 318 Metropolitan Boulevard in Roslindale. CBS Boston The "other house" is the back half which was moved two doors down to Maynard Street. Armed with all of this fascinating history Shutes knew he had to act. "This was the spur. 'Maybe we should just do something about this and try and maintain it for future generations,'" said Shutes. Landmark status? Shutes applied for historic landmark status and the Boston Landmarks Commission voted unanimously to advance the application. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the city council still have to approve the application before it's officially designated as a landmark. If so, 318 Metropolitan Boulevard will be Roslindale's first building to achieve the status. The house was first featured in the digital series Walking Boston. It was viewed thousands of times and shared back to Shutes, who saw it and invited WBZ-TV inside. Chris Tanaka Chris Tanaka co-anchors the morning news on WBZ-TV. He joined WBZ in 2022 after most recently working in Cleveland, Ohio.
