Dear residents of Kenilworth,
The Park District Board voted this summer to proceed with a referendum seeking voter approval to provide additional recreational opportunities desired by the community including a new Recreation Center and improvements to the Green Bay Bike Trail and Townley Field.
In order to define these recreational opportunities, the park district has been collaborating with the community on a plan to provide the amenities and top-notch facilities Kenilworth residents deserve. The park district conducted a scientific phone survey this summer in which community members indicated overwhelming support for a consensus plan to improve park district facilities.
This community-driven plan will appear on our ballots for approval in the upcoming November 5 election. If successful, the referendum would support the development of:
- New Recreation Center to Provide Year-Round Programming for All Ages
- Ongoing Improvements to the Outdoor Recreational Spaces on Townley Field
- Potentially relocating the Green Bay Bike Trail adjacent to Townley Field
The referendum would allow funding for a new recreation center, replacing the Village House with a modern, larger, more energy efficient facility that supports all-age programs year-round and during inclement weather. This will include a gym to support sports activities and clinics. It will include indoor multipurpose spaces for all-age programs, space during inclement weather, and space that can be rented by community organizations for meetings and events. It could also include an outdoor terrace attached to the rec center to allow residents to enjoy outdoor sporting and leisure activities.
The referendum would also allow for improvements to Townley Field. Improvements include adding new indoor and outdoor ADA accessible restroom facilities, upgrading to new natural grass and a commercial irrigation system, and replacing current lighting with energy efficient LED lights.
The referendum would also reserve funding to relocate the Green Bay Bike Trail adjacent to Townley Field, mitigating safety concerns caused by bicyclists navigating through streets and the school blacktop, and reducing the risk of accidents. Efforts to realign the trail have been ongoing for several years and will require the continued collaboration with The Joseph Sears School, the Village of Kenilworth, and the Kenilworth Park District. Part of our plan has been to acquire land from the Union Pacific Company to build the trail on the land adjacent to the railroad tracks. Funds have been identified to purchase the land, but Union Pacific has not accepted our offer at this point. As a second option we are working on a potential easement that would allow us to build this portion of the trail as envisioned.
If Union Pacific will not approve a purchase or allow construction on an easement, the park district board has discussed allowing construction of a trail across park district property on the west side of Townley Field. The plans for the Townley Field improvements will include holding this land with hopes that we can go forward with a realigned Green Bay Trail in the future.
The referendum, as proposed, will allow the park district to fund the construction of only the Townley Field portion of a potential future Green Bay Trail relocation and only if necessary agreements and funding can be worked out among the relevant parties. We will continue to work with the school and the village to develop a way to move forward with the common goal of improving Green Bay Bike Trail traffic through Kenilworth.
With this plan, we will continue to seek additional financial support through applications for various grant opportunities provided by Illinois to park districts with shovel ready projects.
This would build an even stronger community where people of all ages could create memories that last a lifetime. We would be able to provide more community events and enhanced opportunities for a broader range of ages. And we would eliminate the gap in services during colder months.
For more information, please click on the OR code to visit our Referendum Information page on our website. We look forward to discussing this plan further with you over the next few months.
Sincerely,
John W. Hart
Kenilworth Park District – President
