Joliet park referendum would support park repairs

JOLIET – Voters on Tuesday will tell the Joliet Park District if they support a tax hike to pay for park repairs and improvements.

Residents who live in the Joliet Park District are being asked on the Nov. 4 ballot whether they want to approve a $19.5 million referendum that would be used for capital improvements throughout the district.

Terry D’Arcy said some facilities have suffered because the park district has been subject to a tax cap for more than two decades. D’Arcy, a Joliet automobile dealer, is leading the “Vote Yes Protect Our Parks” initiative that is advocating for the referendum’s approval.

“A lot of the parks and playgrounds are terribly outdated, especially in the older neighborhoods,” D’Arcy said.

Matt Pehle, the park district’s finance director, said if approved, the average taxpayer would pay $20 to $21 more per year, per $100,000 of assessed value of property, on top of what they are paying now to the park district.

“It is a tax increase. But it will have a great [positive] effect on property values,” D’Arcy said. “Like [quality] schools, a new park in the neighborhood will increase appeal.”

But community activist Bob Hernandez believes the park district should make do with what it has.

“I go door-to-door very often and many residents have told me they can’t afford that [increase] right now,” Hernandez said.

“Taxes are too high as it is,” Hernandez said. “People vote with their pocketbooks.”

Hernandez said seniors on fixed incomes and parents working multiple jobs would feel the biggest impact. He also criticized the inclusion of a community center at Nowell Park as an effort to “buy east side votes.”

Under the proposed referendum, $5.5 million would be used to construct a facility at Nowell Park – with some similarities to the Inwood Athletic complex on the city’s west side.

“Fitness programs will definitely be a part of that recreational facility along with something else [as an anchor] that would be determined by those residents,” Egizio said.

Since he works for the park district, Egizio referred comment about the ballot measure to D’Arcy, as park district employees cannot legally advocate for a referendum. Employees can, however, provide information about the facilities and the district’s plans.

When the referendum was first proposed, it was for $20.9 million and included plans for an additional ice rink at Inwood to accommodate larger hockey tournaments. But that was removed from the proposal after Egizio said 1,500 responses from surveys sent to residents during the summer showed little support for the rink.

Using $6.2 million of the proposed funding to refurbish 22 of the district’s 74 parks and facilities would allow improvements at more than one or two parks a year.

Parks such as Heggie Field, Mayor Art Schultz Park, Osgood Park, Ferris Park, Barr Park and Manningdale Playground have not received new equipment for almost 25 years, Egizio said. The capital improvement funds would include equipment compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act, and replace mulch with rubberized surfaces.

“Being only able to afford one or sometimes two per year, we can never catch up,” Egizio noted.

About $3.5 million would be designated for an indoor training facility at Inwood, with another $2 million used to resurface roads and repair other infrastructure at Pilcher Park. About $500,000 would be used for tree restoration, with another $500,000 used for security improvements, and $300,000 designated for lighting improvements at Memorial Stadium. The remaining $1 million would be used for contingency purposes.

Egizio noted none of that money can be used toward the proposal to remove the Depression-era Pilcher Park dam, a controversial project that faces opposition from neighbors of the park.

BY THE NUMBERS Proposed allocation of capital funds if the referendum is approved: • Park renovations: $6.2 million • Pilcher Park roads and infrastructure: $2 million • Tree restoration (emerald ash borer): $500,000 • Security improvements: $500,000 • Memorial Stadium lighting improvement: $300,000 • Indoor Training Facility at Inwood: $3.5 million • Nowell Park Community Center: $5.5 million Source: Joliet Park District

BALLOT WORDING Those who live in the Joliet Park District will be asked to vote on a $19.5 million referendum, to be used for capital improvements, for the Nov. 4 election. The wording that will appear on the ballot is: PROPOSITION TO ISSUE $19,500,000 PARK BONDS Shall the Joliet Park District, Will and Kendall Counties, Illinois, build, maintain, improve and protect parks, land and facilities of said Park District, including but not limited to safety and security improvements, reforestation, equipment replacement, renovation of existing park facilities and resurfacing roads and trails, and issue its bonds in an amount not to exceed $19,500,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof? Source: Will County Clerk's Office

MORE ONLINE For information on the Growing Park Strong group, visit growingparksstrong.com/