Lake Ellyn Park Master Plan Preliminary Sketches to be Revealed Oct. 22

Hundreds of residents concerned about the future of the Lake Ellyn Boathouse and Lake Ellyn Park have shared their feedback with the Glen Ellyn Park District as it begins the process of creating its Lake Ellyn Park Master Plan.

On Oct. 22, residents are invited to attend a forum where preliminary sketches and design plans based on public input will be revealed.

The park district held its first public meeting in late August to gather feedback from residents. About 70 people attended the first meeting, said Dave Harris, Glen Ellyn Park District director. In addition, park district officials sent out surveys to nearby neighbors, met with community stakeholders, groups and other residents who use the park.

“I think the community as a whole, they really value Lake Ellyn, it truly is an iconic property within the community, people want it improved, but they don’t want it changed,” Harris said. “They want it improved and maintained, but still want it to stay serving the same purpose. That is truly what I’ve seen.”

The park district is seeking direction related to the park and boathouse, he said.

An e-mail has been circulating in Glen Ellyn asking residents, who are in favor of a installing artificial turf on Duchon Field, to attend the meeting to support lowering the top of the Lake Ellyn dam by 1 foot. Harris said he is aware of the e-mail and said though Lake Ellyn and the park are interconnected, Lake Ellyn and its hydrology are not part of this process.

The lake itself is a different matter and the Village of Glen Ellyn and Glen Ellyn Park District, in a joint venture, retained an engineer last year to review Lake Ellyn’s hydrology. But, that is not a part of this process.

The Conservation Design Forum and Farr Associates were hired to create the multi-phase master plan. They have reviewed the feedback and created the initial schematics that will be reviewed, Harris said.

The goals and priorities for the project fall under the categories of: park experience, beauty and authenticity and sustainability and ecology.

Residents will have the opportunity to share feedback on the preliminary sketches. The goal is to have the plans finalized and put to a vote of the park district’s board in December. Then, the a funding discussion will begin to determine how to move forward and fund the projects.

“It’s a community park located in a very densely populated area, so there’s a lot of moving parts in this area,” Harris said. “That is why we really want to make an effort to be public [about the process] to receive input and comments and at the end of day present a plan the community supports.”

The next meeting to review preliminary sketches for the Lake Ellyn Park Master Plan will be held Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Lake Ellyn Boathouse. Learn more about the process.

Let Patch save you time. Get more local stories like these delivered right to your inbox or smartphone with our free newsletter. Fast signup here. Like us on Facebook.