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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-128 Resolution No. 11-128 RESOLUTION NAMING CITY PARK BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF ELGIN,ILLINOIS,that the park property located at 4600 Plank Road,Elgin,Illinois,commonly known as the regional park, be and is hereby designated and named Jack E. Cook Park and Forest Preserve. s/David J. Kaptain David J. Kaptain, Mayor Presented: July 27, 2011 Adopted: July 27, 2011 Omnibus Vote: Yeas: 6 Nays: 0 Attest: s/Kimberly Dewis Kimberly Dewis, City Clerk TO M:AMAYOR & MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL E LG I N THE CITY IN THE SUBURBS AGENDA ITEM: E MEETING DATE: July 13, 2011 ITEM: Naming of the Regional Park (No Cost to the City) OBJECTIVE: To provide an official name for the city's regional park located on Plank Road. RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the regional park officially be named the Jack E. Cook Park and Forest Preserve. BACKGROUND In 2006 the city purchased the 224-acre parcel on Plank Road that is currently referred to as the regional park, at a total cost of $4,383,210. Once the property purchase was made the city then sold 93.393 acres to the Kane County Forest Preserve (KCFP) at a total cost of$1, 821,163. Concurrently the city entered into a 99-year license agreement with KCFP for their parcel, which allows the city to develop and operate the county's parcel along with the city's parcel. The following year the city received a $750,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to further help defray the cost of the park. The regional park remains undeveloped and has never been officially named. The Kane County Forest Preserve has recently asked that the city consider naming it after Jack Cook, who recent- ly passed away. Mr. Cook was the president of the Kane County Forest Preserve for eight years and a County Board representative for 15 years. During his tenure on the Forest Preserve he was responsible for initiating the Forest Preserve's land acquisition and improvement pro- grams. At the June 28, 2011 Park and Recreation Advisory Board meeting the Board discussed the nam- ing of the regional park. The Park and Recreation Advisory Board made a unanimous recom- mendation to the City Council that the regional park officially be named Jack E. Cook Park and Forest Preserve. r OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS All city parks receive an official name to help identify it, market it and provide consistency in discussions related to it. The city has a park naming policy, passed as a resolution in 2001, which requires all park names be considered first by the Park and Recreation Advisory Board, who in turn makes a recommendation to the City Council. It is the City Council's responsibility to make the final decision on the naming of all city parks. The park naming policy includes criteria to follow when naming parks. That section reads as fol- lows. A. The name shall reflect: historical events, great causes and ideas, prominent persons, geographic or archeological places, names of schools or adjacent subdivisions, or donors of park land. Prominent Person: Persons after whom a park can be named may be living or deceased. However, living persons can be considered only if significant long- term contributions to the community can be demonstrated. Names of for- profit businesses or organizations cannot be used. The city was recently notified that it would be receiving a $400,000 grant from the Illinois De- partment of Natural Resources to help fund the development of phase I of the regional park. This park development will not be started until 2012 and will probably take close to a year to complete. Kane County has indicated that they would like to erect a temporary sign in the mean time that would reflect the new park name and the area as a future park site. INTERESTED PERSONS CONTACTED The Kane County Forest Preserve and the City of Elgin Park and Recreation Advisory Board FINANCIAL ANALYSIS The Kane County Forest Preserve has agreed to create the temporary signage and have it post- ed along Plank Road, adjacent to the park site. BUDGET IMPACT FUND(S) ACCOUNT(S) PROJECT#(S) AMOUNT AMOUNT BUDGETED AVAILABLE N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 41) 2 LEGAL IMPACT None. ALTERNATIVES If the city council chooses not to name the park Jack E. Cook Park and Forest Preserve the Park and Recreation Advisory Board would need to make a recommendation of an alternative name for the regional park. NEXT STEPS 1. Inform Kane County Forest Preserve of the official name. 2. Work with them on the design and installation of appropriate signage at the park site. Originators: Randy Reopelle, Park and Recreation Director r. Final Review: Colleen Lavery, Chief Financial Officer William A. Cogley, Corporation Counsel/Chief Development Officer Richard G. Kozal, Assistant City Manager/Chief Operating Officer Sean R. Stegall, City Manager ATTACHMENTS None. r 3 Nom