City reviews accessibility audits for seven parks; major upgrades could cost hundreds of thousands

Director Vinich told the Parks and Planning Committee Tuesday that the department contracted Unlimited Play to audit seven park and trail locations and that the firm completed the reviews over about a year.

“The one that comes back with probably the worst set of grades is Glencoe City Park,” Director Vinich said, attributing that to the park’s 2007 design and a climbing-focused layout that “is probably, in many ways, the least accessible property we have.”

The audits identified a range of accessibility and amenity updates the department called “enhancements” rather than mandatory repairs: communication boards and quiet zones; hard-surface access to benches; adult-changing stations in permanent restrooms; play panels and small-scale interactive elements. Vinich said the most expensive items are updated soft-play surfaces and subgrade work. He gave cost examples from the consultant material: some communication boards run around $3,000, while at least two play-surface items were priced at more than $300,000 apiece.

Committee members discussed prioritization. Several members urged the department to produce a single consolidated packet and a prioritization matrix showing per-park recommendations and costs before the April meeting so the committee can identify short-term items to complete and large items that will require dedicated capital funding.

The department said it will provide a combined document and a draft multi-year prioritization matrix for the April meeting; no formal vote was taken Tuesday.

Background: the audits were requested last year as part of a broader accessibility review; Director Vinich emphasized the department’s intent to “enhance existing green space, not build new,” and to seek phased work where possible.

Next steps: staff will email committee members a single combined audit packet and a recommended matrix of priorities and estimated costs for review before the April meeting.