The metropolis’s Parks and Recreation Board on Tuesday voted 5-2 so as to add canine parks at Clark Square and Grey Park to its record of really useful capital enchancment tasks for 2024.
Clark Square, which had initially been left off the record, was in the end added as a Top-10 advice and can want $200,000 of funding for renovation, in keeping with Board President Robert Bush. Construction at Grey Parknevertheless, will cost almost $500,000.
In all, renovations at 21 parks would cost a complete of roughly $13 million if the City Council approves the board’s full record. Of these 21 parks, six are termed “legacy” parks, which the town defines as “parks with playgrounds with no substantial improvements made for at least 26 years.”
Pooch Park, alongside the North Shore Channel, and the Evanston Dog Beach, south of Clark Street Beach, are the town’s solely present off-leash areas for dogs.
Board member Ellie Shevick, who voted in favor of including two canine parks, stated a canine park is far wanted in Clark Square, as there are loads of young households in the neighborhood.
But there have been issues about the present circumstances of all metropolis parks and the general cost of renovations.
“We’re not maintaining our parks, we don’t have staff to maintain our parks, we don’t have adequate funding,” Board member Jeff Totsch stated. “And so, I think within this list, those [questions] need to be asked. We need to be better funded, and we need to be better staffed, or else all this is pointless.”
Parks and Recreation Director Audrey Thompson, nevertheless, pushed again in opposition to the funding issues expressed by board members Bush and Totsch.
