Two popular seasonal amenities on opposite ends of the calendar — ice skating rinks and sand volleyball courts — could be relocated from their current spot at the Centennial Park Detention Basin, based on preliminary plans from Naperville Park District officials.
Eric Shutes, the park district’s director of planning, provided a brief update on the rationale behind the changes under consideration at a park board meeting Thursday, June 26.
Detention basin site presents ‘unique challenges’ for both amenities
“Both seasonal amenities in the Centennial Park Detention Basin face unique challenge,” Shutes said as he provided an overview on the rationale behind the changes considered.
The ice skating rink, while popular, is a labor-intensive effort, Shutes indicated. Recent historical weather data has also limited the number of days the rink is available.
“In the winter, the ice rinks require an average of 716 labor hours to set up, maintain, and take down every year,” Shutes said. “Moreover, staff calculated an average of 11 usable ice rink days over the past 5 years.”
While the sand volleyball courts are in use more days in the warm weather months than the ice skating rink is in the cold weather months, Shutes said the current scenario provides its own issues.
“Because this area is meant to hold stormwater, the sand often floods, creating a challenge and maintenance problem for parks staff, resulting in infrequent use of the amenity,” Shutes said.
Community outreach efforts, alternatives considered
This spring, the Naperville Park District sought public feedback on the Centennial Park Detention Basin through a variety of efforts, including an online questionnaire, which resulted in 945 responses.
“There was a lot of community outreach, and a lot of great information,” Shutes said.
While there are a number of details that will have to be fleshed out, Shutes indicated there is support for relocating both amenities.
The ice skating rinks could be shifted to a spot within the central portion of Naperville, Shutes indicated, and additional features — such as a refrigeration system — could be considered to extend the use of the amenity as temperatures inch upward in the winter.
Shutes said the volleyball courts could relocate to a larger park that could accommodate the required infrastructure. Meadow Glens Park, 1303 Muirhead Ave., was cited as one example.
As for the existing basin site, the Prairie Nature Garden could be extended to the locale in a move Shutes said would “align with the park district’s environmental education stewardship and sustainability core value by promoting natural resources, management and sustainability initiatives.”
Timeline for the anticipated changes remains fluid
A timeline for the proposed relocation of the ice skating rink and sand volleyball courts has not been set in stone, though Shutes did provide one concrete certainty in his report to the park board.
“There are no plans to remove the ice rinks and sand volleyball courts from Centennial Park Detention Basin until the amenities are successfully relocated and operational at other locations,” Shutes said.
Park Board President Leslie Ruffing expressed gratitude to the respondents who gave input in the community survey and through other means.
“Having all of that feedback is so helpful,” Ruffing said.
Photo courtesy: Naperville Park District
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