Design charrette yields campus concepts; board to review options March 18

Architects from JLK and Dewberry and the village's public-works staff presented findings from a Jan. 30 design charrette on schematic plans for the Oak Park Municipal Campus. The session brought together village-hall staff, police representatives and members of the Facilities Committee to develop concept schemes for a campus that would include a new or reconfigured police station, a renovated village hall and shared site features.

Rob Spruill, the village's public works director, and the architecture team said the charrette emphasized some recurring preferences from participants and the public: openness and transparency in the buildings' design, greater accessibility for council chambers, natural materials (wood and glass), usable green space and flexibility on parking. "We had a lot of really good conversations," a JLK architect said, noting the three participant groups produced overlapping priorities during the daylong exercise.

Key takeaways reported to the board included: - Desire for a clear public entrance/welcome center and some connection or link between the village hall and the police building so community functions are visible and accessible. - Interest in prioritizing natural materials, daylighting and sustainability while balancing openness and security for a public-safety facility. - Acknowledgement that programmatic parking needs are large (the architects described the overall program as requiring "very, very large" visitor and staff parking) and that underground parking is attractive to preserve green space but is more expensive. - Consensus that a relocated or fully accessible council chamber should be considered and may be sited centrally to improve accessibility.

Members of the Facilities Committee urged continued emphasis on accessibility and functional requirements for police operations; Colette Lewick, co-chair of the committee, said there was broad agreement during the charrette that underground parking and a shared welcome space were important, even though underground parking raises cost. Jonathan Duberry of Dewberry described police facility best practices and noted additional cost drivers for public-safety buildings (secure parking, storm-shelter requirements and other resilience/security features).

Trustees asked for the next-level information they will need to make decisions: clearer cost estimates and phasing scenarios (which elements could be built first), the property-tax implications of a major capital plan, and a categorization of design items (structural/urgent repairs vs. energy-efficiency or aesthetic upgrades). Village Manager Jackson and the architects said the board's March 18 meeting will present three schematic options with order-of-magnitude cost estimates and phasing concepts; staff said further financial analysis and potential funding mixes will follow once the board selects a preferred path.

Ending: The board provided feedback and prioritized both stewardship and affordability; no formal vote was taken. Architects and staff will return with schematic options, rough costs and phasing guidance on March 18.