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Board weighs options for Navy Park fountain and possible reimagined event space
Summary
Village staff offered three options for the 25-year-old Navy Park fountain—short-term repairs (~$75,000), status-quo replacement (~$300,000–$400,000), or removal/re-landscaping (~$150,000–$300,000)—and presented a larger reimagined plaza concept that trustees said could cost between about $400,000 and $900,000 depending on scope; trustees asked staff to return with management and programming plans.
Village staff asked the Board of Trustees for direction on the Navy Park fountain and plaza on Sept. 9, offering a set of costed options and a larger concept to convert the site into a programmed event space.
Director Brady described three tiers of action: short-term structural repairs to stop leaking (about $75,000), a like-for-like replacement/restore to maintain the fountain and plaza (estimated $300,000 to $400,000), or removing the fountain and installing a lower-maintenance landscape feature (about $150,000 to $300,000). Brady also described a more ambitious "reimagined" plaza that would include fixed stage/canopy and permanent event infrastructure; board discussion referenced estimates that ranged from roughly $400,000 to as much as $900,000 depending on scope.
Trustees generally expressed support for pursuing a reimagined event space to bring additional activity to The Glen, but several members said they need details on who would manage programming, potential revenue or cost-recovery plans, and whether private partners or downtown stakeholders might share costs. Trustee Sedotti suggested the plaza concept be coordinated with an ongoing study of The Glen; Trustee Jones and others asked staff to return with a management and programming plan if the board wishes to pursue the larger option.
A member of the public, Paul Brancke, asked that staff consider existing memorial sculptures and commemorative bricks honoring Naval Air Station Glenview when developing options for the park.
Staff said they would return with more detailed options, cost estimates and program-management proposals for the board to review; if the board chose the status-quo replacement, staff estimated the expected useful life would roughly reset the asset for another 25 years.
