Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout08_25_15 PandR Adv Bd Minutes - APPROVEDA ELGIN THE CITY IN THE SUBURBS' Mayor David J. Kaptain City Council Richard Dunne Terry Gavin Rosamaria Martinez Tish S. Powell John Prigge Carol Rauschenberger Toby Shaw F. John Steffen Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Meeting Minutes August 25, 2015 City Manager 6:00 p.m. Sean R. Stegall Parks and Recreation Department Conference Room, Lower Level Eastside Recreation Center, 1050 East Chicago Street, Elgin, IL 60120 Present: Carl Missele, Tom Armstrong, Fred Moulton, Marino Lamantia, Eric Larson, Xitlali Navarro Staff: Randy Reopelle, Maria Cumpata, Verdelle Corn, Mitch Lehman Guests: Bill Briska (Mental Health Property historian) I. Call to Order: Carl Missele called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. II. Minutes of the June 23, 2015 Meeting: MOTION: Eric Larson moved to approve the June 23 minutes. Tom Armstrong seconded. Motion carried unanimously. III. Citizens Forum (items not on the agenda): None. IV. Sports Complex Expansion Discussion: Mr. Bill Briska, historian and author, presented historical and background information on the former Mental Health property that is adjacent to the Sports Complex. Mr. Briska, who worked at the mental health facility for 28 years, knows the grounds and the history of the facilities. Mr. Briska's presentation highlights included: - The city of Elgin purchased the Robert Chism farm property in 1870 and gave it to the state of Illinois. The Chism farm property began on the east side of the river where Fox River Water Reclamation District east property is now located. - The facility was open for 143 years, occupied for 130 years and inhabited until the 1960s by patients, and employees and their families. * The facility opened in 1872. * By 1880, 1,000 lived on the property. Elgin's population was 8,700. * By 1920, 3,000 lived on the property. Elgin's population was 27,000. * By 1950s, 7,000 lived on the property, which at the time the city of Elgin's population was 44,000. 7,000 was larger than the population of South Elgin. 150 Dexter Court, Elgin, IL 60120 847 - 931 -6100 www.cityofelgin.org The Mental Health grounds was a city in the sense that it had its own power, water, sewer system, and generated its own electricity. It also had its own clubs, movie theatre, its own entertainment, softball team, and band and orchestra. The band and orchestra leaders were employees and members of both the bankd and orchestra were patients. The front lawn was used for events such as an annual circus. In 1880 John Blair designed the landscape plan and came back 20 years later to do the Lords Park landscape plan. The north end of the state hospital property had an arboretum. The gravel parking lot has a demolished building as fill under the gravel lot. The lagoon was for water /fire protection and was clay lined, which deteriated over time requiring repairs. Eventually the mental health facilities were hooked up to city water. Some of the original fencing is left. Dr. Kilbourne's (first superintendent) fence was iron. The fence on what is now city's property could be used to mark boundary between city and state property. The main gate was sold to city but is vital for the hospital to get trucks to loading dock. Pillar was built from brick made out of red granite chips. There was a brick making operation at the hospital. The horse barn was used until 1937. Bertrand Goldberg, architect of the Chicago Marina Towers, designed the state hospital's laundry building in 1967. The building is used to store road salt still. The hospital needs 30 days' notice to find a place to move it to. Hillside Cemetery is located dead center on the main campus. It was in use from 1933 to 1986 and has just under 1,000 graves. Some headstones are toppled over from frost - heaves. Volunteers have dug out some of ground -level headstones that have been concealed by weeds, etc.. Volunteers plan to have another work day on September 13 to do more work at the cemetery. The state wants to move the power plant to state property. There may be foundations left from 6 to 10 houses where physicians resided in the area south of Rakow Center. Currently there are 675 employees and 375 residents living on hospital grounds. V. Banning of Smoking in Parks: Randy Reopelle suggested a subcommittee be formed to research banning smoking in parks and present back to the board in September. Randy inquired what the board and staff want to accomplish. Responses included: protect children from second -hand smoke and eliminate cigarette butts in playgrounds, sand boxes, etc. Eric: Policy vs ban? Where do we want to steer this and do we not want smoking? Do we want to designate smoking areas? Carl: Signage stating information at parks is needed. Subcommittee volunteers: Eric Larson, Tom Armstrong, Fred Moulton, Xitlali Navarro, Maria Cumpata and Randy Reopelle. Kick -off meeting - September 8 at 1:00 p.m., staff conference room. VI. Dog Park Request Update: Randy Reopelle recapped last year's request by a Shadow Hill townhome owner to create a dog park in the area, preferably in the Shadow Hill subdivision. We looked at the area he recommended. It is a depressed area that is very small and no area for parking. He then asked us to check out the area by Prairie Knolls Middle School. At the south end is the school's football field. There is a triangle shaped piece the city owns a little piece of, but it is too small for a dog park. There is also a hammer shaped piece of property, north of the regional park, that we held on to for future development as a neighborhood park, which we could locate a dog park in. If we were to do a dog park there, we lose the opportunity to create a neighborhood park. The nearest neighborhood park is quite a distance away. As Carl and Randy looked at the property further (about 2.5 acres), there is no parking at this site. We still have the need to have a dog park somewhere in the western area. Right now we don't have the money to build a dog park. We need to do do a Phase II plan for the Jack E. Cook Regional Park, which would be a good site for a dog park. Also, at the end of Mark Avenue is a parcel that runs all the way to Randall Road that we identified in the master plan as a good piece of land to acquire. It would be a good site for a dog park that people could walk to from surrounding neighborhoods. VII. Miscellaneous: a. Other: Randy noted the ribbon cutting and open house for the fitness center renovation at The Centre of Elgin is Saturday from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. The 5" Annual Beer & BBQ @ BOWES benefitting the Recreation Youth Scholarship Fund is September 12 at Bowes Creek Country Club from 4:00 - 9:00 p.m. VII. Adjournment: MOTION: Tom Armstrong motioned to adjourn the meeting at 7:45 p.m. Eric Larson seconded. Motion carried unanimously. Respectf Ily submi ted, /e� Vgrdelle Corn, Recording Secretary Approved: 150 Dexter Court, Elgin, It 60120 847 - 931 -6100 www.cityofelgin.org