Park District Volleys Over Platform Tennis Proposals

Corrections have been made to this article for clarification.

After a heated exchange between commissioners, the Glen Ellyn Park District board approved a $350,000 construction agreement with Glen Ellyn Platform Tennis Club during an Oct. 19 meeting.

The agreements were passed after a heated debate between the commissioners and officers, resulting in two 4-3 votes. President Edward Hess, vice president Ron Aubrey, treasurer William Dallman and commissioner Sandra Minogue supported both agreements. Commissioners Melissa Creech, Jay Kinzler and Julia Nephew dissented.

Platform Tennis, an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, wanted to join with the park district by constructing two tennis courts at the Maryknoll Safety and Recreation Center adjacent to the existing courts at Maryknoll Park. The project is expected to cost a total of $350,000.

Platform Tennis proposed to provide $50,000 in funding raised by the club members and an additional $100,000 from a private foundation. The park district was expected to come up with the remaining $200,000.

However, the board's hands were tied in how to fund the project.

"The board can't take out a non-referendum bond until 2013," board attorney Steve Adams said. "The spending capacity for that type of bond has been exhausted."

Not having the ability to take out a non-referendum bond was a sticking point to Joe Daniels, of 125 Loraine Rd. in Glen Ellyn. Addressing the board, Daniels questioned the prudence of borrowing money for a project.

"In these economic times, does it make sense for a government agency to borrow money from a private club for a project that will benefit such an inclusive segment of the population?" Daniels asked.

Daniels said he wants the board to be "responsible for more than 0.5 percent of the population."

He also said some board members are Platform Tennis club members and voting for the measure is a conflict of interest.

Adams answered Daniels saying "there is no legal conflict of interest on the part of any member of this board."

Kinzler then asked when was the last time the park district had a private donor and Hess dismissed his question. 

Kinzler said he will vote against it and Nephew does not want to borrow into the future by taking out a bond. Creech also said that a community survey showed only 7 percent would approve of the Platform Tennis project.

However, Hess said the board represents both big and small community interests and cited the skateboard park as a place where a small portion of residents enjoy. Hess said the board could also dip into its reserve funds and write a check for $200,000 without borrowing money.

Aubrey thought the board was being contradictory in that three months ago, he said it purchased some land from the forest preserve on bond. Nephews countered and said the purchase was 10 years in the planning and the board was borrowing money from a government entity.

Creech and Hess disagreed with the possible precedent that would be established if participants of Platform Tennis would be allowed to bring their own alcohol to drink in the warming house as a general rule, not only for specific events. Adams said that the club could secure a license or permit from the village and park district for the consumption and sale of beer and wine under strictly specified purposes within the agreement for an event like a tournament.

Executive director Cory Atwell said a village and park district ordinance does not allow drinking outside of a building, but inside is fine, if a permit has been issued by the park district.

Creech said she did not like the idea of a blanket permit for the consumption of alcohol while using the Platform Tennis facilities and felt that the board should simply continue to follow the current requirement to get a permit for an event if alcohol will be served, and Nephew agreed.  

Adams said the Park District Risk Management Agency, a self-insurance pool with mainly Chicagoland members, would provide insurance if there are any alcohol related incidents.

Even though the agreements were passed, the construction is at a standstill. The lone bidder, Riley Green Mountain, had a $145, 288 bid, but failed to back it up with a performance bond. A performance bond is required by law for a large project. The board rejected the bid while Adams suggested to open bidding again.

Some wording was changed in this article to clarify statements made by members of the park district board concerning the consumption of alcohol at the Platform Tennis warming house. The wording in Melissa Creech's statement was clarified to state that she was not against the consumption of alcohol at the facilities if a permit has been issued, but against a blanket permit which would allow participants of the Platform Tennis program to bring their own beer or wine to be consumed during normal operation.