ACTION 2020 Takes Next Step Toward Completion

The Sycamore Park District will now begin developing final priorities for the seven key projects outlined in the district’s long-range plan:

• Trail Connections
• Community Center
• Splashpad
• Dog Park
• Sled Hill
• Golf Course Irrigation
• Sports Complex Expansion

The first two citizen/park district committees to begin meeting to establish project priorities are:

• The Splashpad Committee
• The Dog Park Committee

Those committees were appointed by the Board of Commissioners at its Regular Meeting on Tuesday.

“Board Members Daryl Graves and Ann Tucker will be leading these committees, initially, until they meet once or twice and get their feet on the ground”, said Board Vice President Michelle Schulz.

After that, they will determine their own planning approach to accomplish a set of “outcomes” defined by the Park Board. The Dog Park Committee and the Splashpad Committees will meet first because the “homework” they need to do has to take place this summer in order to assist architects and engineers in their final design planning that will begin late in 2015 and early 2016.

“So many people have asked me when we are going to get started on the projects proposed by the park district in its long-range plan: Vision 20/20”, says Sycamore Park District Board Vice President, Michelle Schulz.  Such is the dilemma after a successful November 4, 2014 referendum in which the community of Sycamore voted in favor of a tax rate referendum to carry out Vision 20/20. Ted Strack, Board President, reminds citizens that the referendum passed last year, but we won’t see the first of the new revenue until later in 2015. “In addition, there are a number of steps we must take before we will have enough funds available to issue the bonds we will need to complete the projects.”

The Sycamore Park District has not been wasting time, however. In the meantime, they have begun reviewing budget, creating timelines, and, most importantly, preparing for what it feels is the most important aspect of the planning for the future: Citizen Involvement.

“As we presented our plans in Vision 20/20 to the community—we had over 70 meetings about it—we emphasized that if the referendum were successful we would involve the community in the final planning for the projects found in our long-range plan”, says Bill Kroeger, Park District Commissioner. “Now we have “ACTION 2020”.

In lieu of a Citizens’ Committee for the Sports Complex, the park district began meeting with the Board Members of youth sports groups early last summer and the design development for the Sports Complex is well under way. In fact, the Sycamore Park District will be applying later this year for a grant to help pay for that first project which will site all of its soccer fields on 89 acres of land the district owns on Airport Road south of the current sports complex. Once that is done, the space where the soccer fields are currently sited will be the location for new ball diamonds outside the flood plain at the current sports complex.

Other Committees will form later this year and in years to come, as the park district remains committed to community involvement in the process. “Citizens should watch the newspaper and listen to radio stations. Or they can follow us on our website or Facebook page for more information on how they can be involved”, says Park District Commissioner Ann Tucker.

The deadlines for citizens to apply to serve on the remaining committees is as follows:

CITIZEN COMMITTEES

• Trails: Apply by May 31, 2015; Service: July ’15 to Dec ’16; Report To Board Dec ’16
• Community Center: Apply by May 31, 2015; Service July ’15 to Fall ’16; Report To Board Feb ’16
• Sled Hill: Apply by Sept 15, 2015; Service Oct ’15 to April ’16; Report To Board Mar ’16
• Golf Course Irrigation: Apply by Sept 15, 2017; Service Oct ’17 to Aug ’18; Report To Board Aug ’18

“We can’t get there without community involvement”, says Commissioner Graves. “We hope a lot of people will apply for the Citizen Committees!”

“If all moves without unforeseeable delays”, says Daniel Gibble, Executive Director of the Sycamore Park District, “we hope our projects will take place in the following timeline:”

PROJECT TIMELINE SUMMARY