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Parks and Recreation Board urges fuller parks chapter, calls for more funding and consolidated department oversight
Summary
The Parks and Recreation Board presented preliminary, non‑binding feedback on Envision Evanston, urging corrected park maps, more robust operational funding and consolidation of parks functions into a single department.
Eli Shevick, chair of the Evanston Parks and Recreation Board, told the Land Use Commission that the board had examined the Envision Evanston draft but had not yet voted on a formal recommendation and asked for changes and clarification in the parks and open‑space chapter.
Shevick said the board found parks missing from the zoning map when the initial draft released, and staff assured the board that parks would not be removed. The board’s comments submitted to the commission are compiled from meeting minutes and a shared Google document; "our board has not voted on anything. This is just a culmination of our meeting minutes and a Google document that we've been sharing to edit on our portion," Shevick said.
Key board suggestions included: - Correct and expand the parks and open‑space mapping in the comp plan and wait to publish until the Parks & Green Space Strategic Plan is finalized; board members said that plan had been approved by the city in 2022 but was only circulated to the board last summer and remains in draft form. - Address an aging playground inventory: Shevick said "40 of our 53 playgrounds are more than 15 years old" and recommended prioritizing play‑equipment replacement and maintenance. - Add a parks funding target: several board members suggested that by the 2026 budget the portion of the city’s operating budget dedicated to routine care, maintenance, restoration and improvement of parks (not counting CIP) should be no less than 5% of the city’s overall budget. Shevick told the commission that much of park capital work currently comes from geobonds rather than a recurring operating line item. - Consider consolidating parks operations: board members recommended that parks operations now split across public works, greenways and facilities be consolidated under one parks department by Jan. 1, 2028, and that sufficient staff be assigned or hired to enable the department to function like a park district while remaining subject to City Council authorization for major expenditures. - Add action items on restrooms, water access and stewardship: the board suggested a plan for accessible public restrooms, increased strategies to expand water access to parks and stronger partnerships with volunteer stewards to care for natural landscapes.
Why it matters: The parks recommendations affect the comp plan’s treatment of open space, capital planning and staffing. Commissioners responded with questions about the timing (the board planned to meet Jan. 16 to try to finalize a recommendation) and asked staff to provide data such as current budget shares for parks and comparable metrics from peer communities.
Ending: The chair thanked Shevick and asked staff to ensure the parks board’s input and the Parks & Green Space Strategic Plan are incorporated in the next draft.
