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6 | May 24, 2018 | The Homer Horizon news homerhorizon.com Committee of the Whole Officials give updates on Phase II of Heritage Park development Timeline for project, design features shared at meeting Jessie Molloy Freelance Reporter The Village of Homer Glen held a Committee of the Whole meeting before its regular Village Board meeting May 9 to discuss updates to the plans for Phase II of the Heritage Park development. Architects James Petrakos and Nick Graal, of Tria Architecture, and landscape architects Lori Vierow and Sarah Dreier, of Greenberg Farrow, who are working on the park’s design, gave a presentation to Village officials and interested residents going over some of the latest developments in the plan before it went out to bid. Board members last met with the architects on March 28 to go over initial plans. The presentation given May 9 incorporated some of their suggestions from the previous meeting, as well as introducing new suggestions for specific elements of the park design. Phase II of the park development will mostly work around the active core area of the park, which will feature the adult challenge course; tennis, pickleball and sand volleyball courts; areas for bocce, horseshoes, bean bags and disc golf; a sensory garden; children’s play areas; a sled hill; as well as a gazebo and central plaza surrounding a “tree of life.” Some of the new features revealed at the meeting included design concepts for the gazebo and entryway signage for the area. Petrakos and Graal revealed designs incorporating lots of wooden beams, which are meant to match the aesthetic of the Village Hall and the general nature-friendly atmosphere of the community. The signs would be made of wooden archways set in stone bases, and the gazebo would be constructed completely from dark wood. It will also be raised off the ground, with steps in the front, and a handicap accessible ramp in the back. “We tried to give you something unique that surrounding municipalities don’t have which also fit with the community,” Graal said. Board members were enthusiastic about the designs but said they would want more information about the warranties and maintenance of the wood materials before giving final approval. Other concepts which were reviewed were preliminary sketches of a possible park logo, which could be put on signage, and decorative tree grates for plants surrounded mostly by concrete pathways. Dreier and Vierow were happy to share that in their designs they had been able to save all but two existing trees in the park design. The two which need to be removed are currently standing where the tennis courts are going to be located. Three trees will be located in the middle of paths by the sensory garden and would need the protection of grates. The architects shared several custom designs featuring flowers and musical notes for the board to chose from which would complement the different elements of the sensory areas. Homer Glen Junior Woman’s Club members (left to right) Lorena Castro, Karen Hill-Davis and Mary Lee stand with Mayor George Yukich after the woman’s club was recognized May 9 at the Village Board meeting for providing a $24,000 Legacy Project Grant that is to be used toward the constructing of a gazebo in Heritage Park. The gazebo is planned to be a feature of the sensory garden located in the active core area of the community park. Photo submitted Benches for Tree of Life Plaza The Greenberg Farrow team also discussed the selection of materials for benches in the Tree of Life Plaza. The sitting area will be situated around a large tree specially farmed to be planted at an advanced size. The benches Dreier and Vierow proposed for placement around the area would be made of a wood composite material called Thermory Ash, a sturdy wood made from the trunks of ash trees that have been cut down because of emerald ash borers. “We thought it would be a nice way of recycling those trees which have had to be removed,” Vierow said. Addressing lighting While several decisions still need to be made about the naming of the different areas within the Phase II development, one decision was largely reached by the committee members and architects in regard to lighting. In order to maintain the Village’s Dark Sky recognition, lighting in the park will be limited, but not to the detriment of public safety. Downward-facing lights will be installed along the paths within the park, and on-demand lighting will be available after dark on the sport courts until the park closes. Additionally, downward lighting will be put on the signage at all the entrance points of the active core area, though lights will most likely not be installed on the play areas or challenge course. Next steps Finally, the architects suggested that the board allow for a longer bidding process on the project to draw in more competitive bids. Vierow explained that due in part to the late arrival of spring, some contractors are behind schedule and may not be able to put together a bid in short order. While the Village originally hoped to open the bidding process in May and award the bids at the June 13 board meeting, the architects advised extending the bidding process by a week and approving the bid instead by June 27. According to Village Manager Mike Mertens, the extended bidding process will likely result in more competitive bids and a construction start date of July 9. The Village budget estimated the cost of Phase II’s construction between $1.8 and $2.2 million. Although the project is large, Mertens said the board is hoping for a completion date in October, with segments of the park — including the challenge course and playground areas — finished and open to the public in mid-September. Several sections of the park, including the seeding of the sled hill and the sensory garden flowers, will require fall plantings, so those areas will not be complete until spring. The sled hill will be fenced off and kept off limits during the coming winter. The disc golf course is also likely to be open by mid-September. However, it is being designed and bid separately. The third piece of work going on in the park this summer will be the drainage and bioswale construction being supported by an IEPA 319 grant. The project, which is 60 percent funded by the IEPA, will improve drainage in the park and the neighboring subdivision and assist with water quality in the village’s creeks by expanding several ponds and planting local, water-improving plants. That project will also be bid separately and will be under construction at the same time as the active core area. Despite the ongoing work, Phase I of the park, including the ring road, open play area and biking and walking trails, will be open to the public this summer. Fencing will erected to keep residents safe from the construction.
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