Politics & Government

Village Board To Consider Parks Master Plan

Park and Recreation Department master plan document goes before trustees Monday night.

The Lake Zurich Village Board on Monday night will receive a presentation on a new master plan document that offers recommendations on future park improvements.

The village's Park & Recreation Advisory Board evaluated the master plan document Tuesday night. Two representatives from Norris Design detailed the plan, which includes recommendations for each village park – including trail connections and a possible dog park.

Keith Demchinski, principal at Norris Design, said the plan has been in the works for six months.

"There's been a lot of due diligence up to this point," he said. Norris Design representatives performed a site analysis, a needs-assessment survey and a demographic analysis. Additionally, five focus groups were held to gather residents' input.

By far, the top request from residents was to have more trail connectivity, Demchinski said. He said that while a number of parks include trails, there is no connectivity between the parks and neighborhoods. For example, Norris Design recommends adding a permanent nature trail at Orchards Park. Other neighborhood parks are being looked at for possible additional trails.

Overall, the Norris Design's recommendations include:

  • Identify space at Betty Park for a community garden.
  • Install a permanent restroom at Braemar Park.
  • Add lighting on paths that access Cuba Marsh from Braemar Park.
  • Add water-conserving fixtures and toilets in the bathrooms at Breezewald Park.
  • Add ADA-accessible trails at Countryside East.
  • Improve the parking lot and add a shade structure to the northwest corner of Countryside West Soccer.
  • Resurface the tennis courts and possibly add lights at Heatherleigh Park.
  • Evaluate for repair or replacement the building at Kuechmann Park.
  • Consider a master plan for Kuechmann Park, which Demchinski said is "in our opinion, an underutilized park."
  • Evaluate Manor Park as a potential site for a dog park.
  • Evaluate Oak Ridge Marsh Nature Park as a possible site for play trails that connect different play pods.
  • Look for better storage solutions for teams that use Wicklow Park.

Funding for these improvements, Demchinski said, is still being evaluated. He advised that the Park & Recreation Department continue seeking grants and even perform a fee analysis.

Michael Perkins, director of the Park & Recreation Department, said the next step is for Norris Design to present the draft master plan Monday night to the Village Board, with a vote on the plan possibly taking place in July.

Editor's note: See this story for information on potential Paulus Park improvements.


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