Plan for Wider Paths and Impervious Surfaces at Wilder Disappoints Some Residents

Signs at the Wilder Park site tell residents that Elmhurst Park District is “making it better for you.” 

The old playground equipment has been removed and will get a new life. The nonprofit Kids Around the World will repaint and reconstruct the equipment before taking it to a country that does not have playgrounds for children.

The playground is closed until early September as part of a larger summer renovation project at the park, which will include new walkways and drainage mitigation work.

Some residents, however, wonder if the park they love will be better in September.

Paths to Improvement

Donna Geis lives about a block from the park.

“Wilder Park is a unique destination,” she said. “It is an open, beautiful green space filled with trees near the center of town.”

Geis has responded to Park District surveys and attends Park Board meetings when Wilder Park is on the agenda. She was there on May 23 when the board voted to approve the renovation work, which is expected to cost $555,000; a state grant is funding up to 50 percent of the cost.

On that night, according to the meeting minutes, a petition with 300 signatures was presented to the Park Board asking commissioners to keep path width to a minimum and preserve green space at the 17-acre park.

Many residents who spoke at this meeting, and at the board's June meeting, expressed surprise when the Park District proposed an 8-foot path width in some areas.

“It is not surprising that most residents were not aware of the plan to replace most of the current paths,” Geis said. “Maybe residents don't know about and would never question the size of the paths because all Park District correspondence, news reports and EPD-sponsored mentioned merely path 'replacement' and 'refurbishing.' I don't think people would construe that to mean taking 3- to 4-foot paths to double or more at 8 feet.”

Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation Jim Rogers said the widths of the renovated walking paths will actually vary throughout the park, from 5.5 feet to 8 feet. He said that more than 1,300 square feet of existing asphalt walking paths were eliminated “in order to preserve as much open space as possible in the park, while still providing accessible, safe and user friendly pathways.”

Absorbing the Cost

Residents also requested that the Park District use permeable pavers on the new walkway, but park staff studied the soil conditions and the cost to install more “green” paving, and decided the conditions weren't right and the costs didn't make sense.

“Due to the very hard, brown, silty clay subgrade soils in the park, the ground is not pervious and water is not readily able to be absorbed—as evidenced by the drainage issues in the park,” Rogers said.

In order to have permeable pavers work, it would be necessary to construct a large detention basin in the park. Park staff did not believe the community would be in favor of this, Rogers said.

Staff also studied installing drain tiles underneath the pavers to move storm water through to the storm drains that already exist in the park, but this solution is very costly. As a result, Rogers said, the Park Board decided against permeable pavers.

Looking Ahead

A proposed long-range master plan for the park includes a band shell with restrooms, renovations to the greenhouse and conservatory, and parking along Cottage Hill Avenue. Longer term work also could include moving the Park District administration offices out of the park, creating an ice rink and possibly expanding the Lizzadro Museum.

Rogers said the long-range plan has not yet been approved by the Park Board, “and therefore a specific timeline for these improvements has not yet been established, but the district will certainly seek grant funding to assist with the costs in the future.”

While Geis and other residents would have liked to see the revamped Wilder Park a bit greener, she said she believes the Park District is generally a good steward of its assets.

“The Elmhurst Park District does many things well, and most residents believe that the Park District will make good choices and protect our park land,” she said.