Renovation work on the restrooms is nearing completion. Work is expected to be completed the week of December 18.
Demolition work is complete and renovations are underway for the restrooms. The roof replacement has been completed and the gutters will be installed soon.
Demolition work began today on the maintenance building restrooms.
Over the summer, the Park District launched the Your Parks – Your Perspectives initiative, which asked residents to share their opinions about parks in Highland Park.
Feedback was collected to measure the Park District’s successes and opportunities to meet community needs through an online survey and conversations at the parks. The feedback will be used to guide the District’s operations and annual capital planning efforts.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the Your Parks – Your Perspectives initiative! Throughout the summer, District staff spoke to 514 people at a total of 63 park visits and collected 162 responses through the online survey.
A summary of the feedback collected is included below.
After 30+ years, the time has come to say farewell to what remains of the gazebo and fishing pier at Danny Cunniff’s pond. Once grander in scale, the fishing deck’s pier was removed in 2018, in an effort to prolong the gazebo’s life for a few more years. This extended lifespan has now reached its end and the gazebo and remaining deck has been removed by the Park District.
The week of December 4, shoreline work will take place at the pond where the fishing deck was removed.
The Fishing Deck and Gazebo have been removed. Some landscaping and site restoration still needs work, which will be completed in the fall.
A dumpster has been delivered and demolition work is expected to begin this week.
The Fishing Deck and Gazebo are scheduled for removal the week of May 22, 2023 (weather permitting).
The proposed playground surface will remain Engineered Wood Fiber (woodchips).
The playground will be closed during construction. Construction is expected to begin Fall 2025.
Yes, the playground footprint will grow to accommodate the separation of the tot and elementary play areas.
Don’t see your question? Contact us at [email protected].
The proposed playground surface will be a mix of poured-in-place (soft surface) and woodchips.
The playground will be closed during construction. Construction is expected to begin April 2025.
No trees are expected to be removed as part of this project and the Park District is considering planting additional trees.
The tot lot will remain within the current footprint, but the playground will be laid out differently and a gathering space will be added within the footprint.
Don’t see your question? Contact us at [email protected].
Padel’s appeal lies in its accessibility to players of all skill levels, offering a balance of simplicity and strategic depth. Played on a glassed-in court—smaller than a tennis court—with solid paddles and depressurized balls, Padel fosters engaging rallies and social interactions, making it an ideal choice for recreational enthusiasts. Padel is typically played in doubles, which makes it a social sport and allows players to work together and strategize during the game.
Originating in Mexico in the 1960s, Padel’s presence in the US began in the 1990s, with Florida being among the first states to adopt the sport. In recent years, Padel has gained traction across several states, thanks to the efforts of organizations like the United States Padel Association (USPA) and the American Platform Tennis Association (APTA) in promoting the sport and constructing new courts.
Despite its funny name, Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in America and is catching on worldwide. It’s played by millions of people of all ages and skill levels.
Pickleball is best described as a combination of badminton, ping-pong and tennis. You can play indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court with a net similar to a tennis net. Players use a paddle that is reminiscent of ping-pong paddles, but is bigger and usually made of more advanced materials. The ball used is very similar to a plastic whiffle ball with holes covering the surface. Pickleball can be played as singles or doubles, just like tennis.
Construction is anticipated to begin summer 2024.
Summer 2024
The District is finding alternative space for those Park District programs.
The agreement with the current grantee ends in April. In August, the Park District of Highland Park sought proposals for grantees to operate the dome, and the current grantee chose not to submit a proposal to renew their term.
The Park Board accepted a proposal for an indoor pickleball and padel facility in January 2024. Indoor pickleball courts are in high demand, and the new dome will expand the District’s recreational offerings to meet the diverse needs of the Highland Park community.
Yes, the dome will remain within the same footprint. During construction, the Golf Learning Center and River’s Edge Mini Golf will remain open.
No, the new dome will remain within the same footprint.
The current dome is open 3 seasons out of the year, the new facility will be open year-round.
This project is rooted in the Park District’s GreenPrint Master Plan which supports addressing the aging West Ridge Building. The GreenPrint Update confirmed the recommendation and highlighted the need for multi-use space to be flexible to better serve the community. Holabird and Root modeled three different schemes through the preliminary planning study. The scheme to build new is recommended as the most cost-effective scheme to achieve the goals of the Park District within the project budget.
Details regarding the construction schedule will be released in early 2025.
Construction of the new facility is anticipated to begin in Winter 2025 and be completed by Spring 2026.
Sustainability has been part of the design process from the very beginning. The Design team balanced the desire for sustainability, budget, and site constraints.
The following sustainable components are included in the project:
Other efforts that will be considered during bidding:
There is no anticipated impact to the Highland Park Community Nursery School during construction.
Yes. Most of the paths will remain open during construction, including the southernmost path connecting Ridge Road to Red Oak Lane. The pathway section adjacent to the south parking lot and existing ballfield will be closed. This path will be the front of the new building.
Yes.
Construction will occur within the times allowed by the City of Highland Park ordinance.
Programming and operations at the existing West Ridge Center will not be affected during construction.
Some programs at West Ridge Park, including the athletic fields will be temporarily relocated. The east ballfield will be demolished, and the west ballfield will remain open during construction. The Park District will communicate program changes during construction.
Parking will be affected during construction. Details and instructions for patrons during construction will be communicated by Park District staff and on our website.
The existing West Ridge Center will remain open during the construction of the new recreation facility.
Demolition of the existing West Ridge Center will begin after construction of the new facility is completed, and all programs and services have been relocated from the existing facility.
Demolition is anticipated to be completed by Fall 2026.
Yes. The new recreation facility at West Ridge Park will include a nearly 10,000-square-foot gymnastics gymnasium, which is more than twice the size of the existing gymnastics studio at Centennial Ice Arena (CIA). The new space will enable the Park District to increase programming capacity and serve a wider diversity of participants.
This year the Park District will update its master plan, which will inform how the current gymnastics space at Centennial will best serve the community in the future.
Yes. The Park District hosted meetings specific to this project in addition to the regularly scheduled public Park Board Meetings where the project was listed on the agenda. The project was also reviewed at City public Meetings including the Design Review Commission and the City Council. Here is a summary of the project’s community engagement meetings:
In early 2022, the Park District hired architectural firm Holabird and Root to study West Ridge Center recognizing the need to meet growing demands for updated facilities, services, and programs for the community. The firm’s tasks included building and site visioning, site analysis, programming, planning, and preliminary design. Holabird and Root studied three options: renovation, hybrid: renovation and addition, and build new. The study took a holistic approach to the entire site, including user group and community input, and working within a budget of approximately $15 million.
The study’s results aimed to answer the critical question of whether to renovate or build new. Renovation options were determined to be costly upfront, would not meet program needs, and would carry long-term costs for continued maintenance of an aging building. New construction stood out as the best option. A preliminary site evaluation recommends placing a new facility in the southeast portion of the park and demolishing the existing building once construction is complete.
No trees will be removed as part of this project.
The synthetic turf field will drain to a naturalized area just beyond the right-field foul line. The design may also include expanding the existing naturalized area and enhancing the plantings to better manage any additional stormwater. To impact the existing field as little as possible we have not added additional drainage improvements.
The overall safety of the synthetic turf is the predictability and consistency of play. There are no bad hops or dips or holes that can cause injuries.
Unlike black crumb rubber fill that absorbs the heat, the green color of the EPDM (ethylene propylene, diene monomer) infill will help reduce the heat.
The Larry Fink Park baseball field renovation is planned to have approximately ½ of an acre of synthetic in-field turf. Comparatively, Lake Forest has about 10 acres.
Synthetic turf has a lifespan of about 10 years.
Unfortunately, our fields are situated on floodplains and as they are currently designed are frequently unusable due to constant flooding. This results in frequent game cancellations for teams who are sometimes unable to finish the season. It’s disappointing to the ballplayers, their families, the coaches, and fans.
Synthetic turf will solve that problem, adding more than three times the number of playing hours yearly and reducing the field’s maintenance costs by 50%. The average lifespan of the new turf will provide these benefits for ten years or more.
The new turf infield will significantly improve playability & recovery time after storms and add flexibility to serve multiple age groups. The new field will make Highland Park competitive with our North Shore neighbors.
Lighting will not be added at this time. The existing field lighting will remain.
The goal is to complete construction by the end of June 2024. Depending on the growing season needed to repair the grass once the turf is replaced, the field may or may not be used for part of the 2024 baseball season.
No, EPDM (ethylene propylene, diene monomer) is not regulated or tracked by the EPA because it is not designated as harmful.
Because of its composition as a coated material, there is minimal risk of inhalation, ingestion, absorption, or migration. EPDM is used in potable water applications, meaning EPDM seals are present in all municipal drinking water systems including faucets used inside the home.
The EPDM (ethylene propylene, diene monomer) fill used in the Fink baseball field is a non-toxic material that is recyclable and reuseable.
Toxicology tests were done on EPDM (ethylene propylene, diene monomer) by an independent lab using the EPA Method 6010 standard – testing for the presence of heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and phthalates(fal-ates). No harmful emissions were found.
The fill is EPDM (ethylene propylene, diene monomer), it is a non-toxic plastic rubber that is widely used in our everyday life from weather stripping, flooring to playground surfacing. It is also recyclable and reusable and has high resistance to abrasion and wear.
The project drainage has been approved by the City of Highland Park and the Lake County Stormwater Commission and meets all requirements.
