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APW advances Mason Park expansion after debate over hardscape and timing; amendment approved unanimously
Summary
The committee approved a $300,614 amendment with Oscar Associates for the Mason Park expansion and Church Dodge transportation improvements after hearing public concerns about concrete and confirming design choices to create teen-focused amenities and an accessible pedestrian/bicycle cut-through; vote 6-0.
The Administrative & Public Works Committee on June 22 voted 6-0 to approve contract amendment number two with Oscar Associates for the Mason Park expansion and Church Dodge transportation improvement project (RFQ 22-40) for $300,614.
Council members raised questions from the public about how much hardscaping the design included and whether the project could reduce concrete while still delivering safe pedestrian and bicycle access. Several members asked staff to show final drawings and to confirm how public comments were incorporated into the design.
Audrey Thompson, Director of Parks and Recreation, said the project intentionally includes elements aimed at teenagers (13 and older) — a fitness/challenge-course area rather than another 2–5 or 5–12 playground — and that the design team scaled back concrete from earlier renderings. Thompson said the concrete areas are needed to provide a stable grade transition for the pedestrian and bicycle cut-through between the east neighborhood and the high school, to form tiered seating that improves visibility and safety, and to provide access plazas and hardened pathways so people can enter and move through native planting areas.
Thompson said the project has had multiple public meetings and a Parks & Recreation Board discussion where comments were considered but the board did not take a recommending vote. Staff warned that revisions that change the design concept could add at least a month to the schedule and that the city is committed to completing the project by 2030 under an agreement with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources; the TIF funding that largely supports the work expires in 2029, so changes could delay the start of construction and jeopardize the schedule.
Why it matters: The project is intended to provide rare teen-focused outdoor recreation in proximity to Evanston Township High School while improving pedestrian and bicycle access; council members balanced local requests to reduce hardscape with schedule and funding constraints.
The committee approved the amendment and staff said design work is expected to take six to nine months, with an 18-month construction window anticipated if the schedule is maintained.
