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Park District Gets More Good News Heading into the New Year

Posted on: December 14, 2014

December 14, 2014 — The Glen Ellyn Park District and its taxpayers have received positive news recently. The rating agency of Standard & Poors announced that the Park District’s bond rating has been elevated from AA to AA+, which is among the highest of any park district in Illinois. The news came in conjunction with plans to refinance some existing bonds at a lower interest rate, which will save taxpayers about $180,000 over the next 3 years.

This news comes on the heels of the Park District receiving three recent grants totaling over $500,000. The largest, a $439,000 Illinois Green Infrastructure Grant (IGIG) from the Illinois EPA, will enable the District to replace the deteriorating asphalt parking lot in front of the Ackerman Sports & Fitness Center with long-lasting permeable pavers in 2015.

Executive Director Dave Harris commented, “We went through a very competitive process to win these grants and the IGI grant in particular is huge for us. We can finally replace the parking lot at Ackerman, which we had delayed doing in hopes that we could get this grant and install the pavers rather than the traditional asphalt.” The Ackerman Sports & Fitness Center’s 44,000-square-foot, 145-car asphalt parking lot will be retrofit with interlocking permeable pavers and small areas of bioinfiltration to reduce runoff volumes and rates and improve stormwater quality. The grant will fund 70% of the cost, and provide a longer lasting, better looking, and lower maintenance surface that is very environmentally friendly. This is similar to the parking lots at the Morton Arboretum and Cosley Zoo.

Good news came about this time last year when the Glen Ellyn Park District was awarded a Sunshine Award from the Illinois Policy Institute for excellence in government transparency. The Park District was one of the first in Illinois to receive such recognition. Board President Gary Mayo said, “From day one, the current Board of Commissioners has made fiscal responsibility and transparency our top priorities. These recent events demonstrate that our efforts are paying off, in very real terms, for the residents of our Park District.” He went on the say, “It’s been a bit frustrating recently to hear spurious comments made in our local newspaper that cast the Park District in a negative light. Some of those comments have been very misleading and we believe they are coming from a vocal few, if not one person, who apparently is upset the Park District went to referendum to allow the community to determine if an indoor aquatics center should be built in Glen Ellyn.”

That referendum was soundly defeated in the November election and the Park District currently has no plans to pursue construction of an indoor pool. The Board had cautiously, and after thorough research, placed the issue on the ballot largely based on the advocacy of a Glen Ellyn citizens group (the Glen Ellyn Aquatics Initiative) who presented the concept to the Board several years back and results from the 2012 Community Attitude and Interest Survey. After considerable investigation including a feasibility study, public discussions, and financial review, it was determined that the project could truly be a recreational benefit consistent with the Park District mission while being financially compatible. Furthermore, the District also believed there was a high degree of interest within the community for an indoor pool but was unsure if a majority would support it. Believing that the community should decide on a project of this magnitude, the Board placed the issue on the November ballot. It was defeated with 60.6% voting against and 39.4% voting for the pool.

Mayo added, “The Board was elected to represent the entire community and we take that responsibility very seriously. Putting this question to the voters was absolutely the right thing to do. With the help of our Citizens Finance Committee, we preformed our due diligence, selected a mid-sized option from our consultant’s report, and felt confident that, if the voters approved it, we could operate the pool profitably. The community has clearly spoken on the issue of building a $13.5 million aquatics center, and we respect that decision. The issue is now dead.”

The District will be conducting a statistically valid, abbreviated exit survey to try to better understand the reasons for that outcome. This survey will cost $3,500, about 10 cents a resident, and is not intended to resurrect the indoor pool but to further inform and educate the Park District on the community’s wishes moving forward.

“The really good news,” Mayo went on to say, “is that our focus on fiscal responsibility has provided a 2015 budget that shows an operating surplus of over $900,000, our largest ever. This allows us to be even more responsive to the community’s wants and needs, as expressed in the 2012 Community Attitude and Interest Survey. We will be able to internally reinvest and fund the needed replacement, renovation, and improvement of our existing parks and facilities while continuing to maintain our low Park District tax levy. The recent grants will supplement those funds, and allow the District, in addition to the Ackerman parking lot, to finally connect the Great Western Trail to Ackerman Park and beyond and make modest improvements to our existing Safety Village at Spring Avenue Recreation Center.” Mayo concluded by saying, “We are looking forward to a very busy, exciting and productive year.”