Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks And Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Oak Brook Park District opts to prioritize baseball‑field parking, outlines pickleball funding options
Summary
Board reviewed three pickleball funding plans — fundraiser plus loan, gated membership model, or leave courts as‑is — and directed staff to move forward with resurfacing the baseball‑field parking lot rather than expanding CPW parking, a choice intended to maintain parking for ballfields and support Winter Lights turnaround.
The Oak Brook Park District Board of Commissioners reviewed three funding options for aging pickleball courts and voted to prioritize resurfacing the baseball‑field parking lot instead of expanding the Community Park West (CPW) parking lots. Staff said that choice would preserve parking that serves the baseball fields and provide a turnaround for the Winter Lights event.
Robert Pechous, the District’s director of recreation and communications, told commissioners the District is considering three options: Plan A, which would fund replacement through community fundraising and a loan from the Tennis Center while allowing nonresidents to reserve courts for a fee; Plan B, which would use a Tennis Center loan and gate courts so only Family Recreation Center members could play; and Plan C, to leave the existing courts in place and direct capital funds to parking improvements instead.
Pechous said Plan A would rely on capital contributions from youth organizations and corporate donors and maintain public access with a $20/hour nonresident fee; Plan B would restrict nonresident access by gating courts and tying play to FRC membership; and Plan C would preserve court status quo while addressing near‑term parking needs. Pechous and Deputy Director Bob Johnson emphasized that resurfacing the baseball parking lot would create additional stalls to replace spaces lost along Forest Gate Road and that either parking project would be beneficial.
Executive Director Dr. Laure Kosey confirmed staff recommends moving forward with the baseball‑field parking lot project rather than the CPW expansion. “The baseball parking lot services the ballfields, and the CPW parking lot services the soccer and lacrosse fields and CPW rentals,” Dr. Kosey said, adding that the baseball‑lot work also supports Winter Lights staging. The Board did not adopt a final funding plan for new pickleball courts during the meeting; commissioners asked staff to return with more detailed cost and maintenance information.
Next steps: staff will develop project scoping and financing details for the baseball parking lot resurfacing and return with cost estimates and a recommended funding approach for pickleball court replacement.
