Some Oak Park, Illinois neighbors aren't pleased with plan to replace their park field house
OAK PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- Some Oak Park neighbors say they don't want the field house at their local park torn down and replaced with a new one, and they turned out before village leaders Wednesday to say as much.
A lot of passionate individuals were present for a meeting of the Park Board of Oak Park Wednesday night. Many have some sort of connection to Field Park—located between Berkshire and Division streets just to the west of Horace Mann Elementary School ta 921 N. Kenilworth Ave.—and don't want to see it change.
The Field Park field house, located in the center of the western edge of the park, has served those in Oak Park for nearly 100 years. But now, the Park District of Oak Park says the structure is failing and the building needs to be decommissioned.
A new plan was presented Wednesday night.
The district said the new building would be twice the size of the old one. It would be relocated to the northwest corner of the park at Berkshire Street, and would make room for more after-school programs and the dance program.
"Once we made that decision, how do we go about putting something here that doesn't blow up what is really a special place?" said Patrick Brown, founder of the Chicago-based architecture studio ORG Inc., which came up with the new field house design.
Residents were asked to provide their input, and did not shy away.
"Don't touch it!" one man said from a seat at the meeting.
They worry the $2.8 million building will cost taxpayer money, put a damper on raw nature space like the hill for kids, remove trees, relocate a playground, and create a traffic nightmare.
"This is where kids play after school. They come out here for recess," another man said at the meeting. "Just yesterday, there were 20 kids playing—girls chasing boys. It happens all the time."
Meanwhile, taxpayers worry about the $2.8 million for the new building.
But some expressed support too.
"I appreciate the time and effort that you've put in this. There may be disagreement on where or what needs to go and how it needs to happen," said Michael Chitwood of Oak Park. He gestured toward the man who had been talking about the kids who play near the field house as he added, "To your point, the people that aren't represented here, there are kids that come here. There are people that will benefit from the project."
The feedback from the meeting will be taken back to the park district board and have a conversation about the location.
In February at the next community meeting, the district will come back with a plan based on the input they received Wednesday night. Residents still worry they will be left in the dark about what is to come.