Hinsdale trustees back next-step review to hire Upland Design for 10-year parks master plan

The Village Board of Trustees discussed moving forward with a comprehensive and strategic parks master plan and identified Upland Design as the preferred consultant after a competitive selection process.

The plan would evaluate the village’s 19 park locations and more than 130 acres of parkland, include public outreach and a resident survey, assess community needs and grant opportunities, and produce a 10-year implementation strategy to guide capital budgeting and program decisions. Chair Posseman said the plan is intended to be a flexible, “working live document” trustees and staff can update as needs change.

Trustees and selection-committee members described a multi-step request-for-proposals process that began with seven firms. Three finalists — Hitchcock, Design Perspectives, and Upland Design — provided bids that the committee revised with budget sensitivity. The village budgeted $95,000 for the study; Upland’s proposed fee to deliver the two-part plan (a comprehensive assessment and a strategic implementation plan) was listed in the packet as $114,050. Committee members said they selected Upland because the firm proposed a data-driven product and worked to reduce costs without removing key scope elements.

Michelle Kelly, introduced in the meeting as a partner at Upland Design, and Parks and Recreation Commission members provided background on the scope the village can expect, including a capital-cost review, identification of grant and sponsorship opportunities, and short- and long-term priority recommendations. Trustee Scott Behnke and commissioners Chris Boroff and Steve King said staff involvement helped contain costs by completing some tasks in-house.

No ordinance or contract was approved at the meeting. Trustees moved the item forward for further consideration (second read), leaving final authorization and a contract award to a future meeting.

The board did not take public testimony on the item at this meeting; staff said they plan outreach and resident surveys as part of the consultant’s work if the contract is later authorized.