SAVOY — Local leaders are divided on how to proceed with upgrades to Dana Colbert Park. A resolution to approve a design engineering contract with MSA Professional Services Inc. for the project failed at Wednesday’s Board of Trustees meeting.
Trustees Jan Niccum and Bill Vavrik voted against the resolution, while Larry Kanfer and Dee Shonkwiler were in favor. Dennis Donaldson abstained. “We still have some things to talk about before we spend $370,000 on planning and $4 million on a project that maybe isn’t as complete or thorough as it should be,” Niccum said.
Proposed improvements to the 55-acre park include but are not limited to an enclosed restroom building, a grand entrance to the park, a loop trail around the entire park, a bicycle playground, a pump track, a skatepark, basketball courts, pickleball courts, a security gate and cameras. Preliminary estimates put the project cost at about $3.97 million, local officials said.
The village had planned to work with MSA to apply for an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to help fund the work. Niccum said that while he appreciates certain pieces of the current concept — such as the loop trail, restrooms, basketball courts and security features — he’s not sure about others, such as the pump track. He also suggested including playing fields in the plan.
Vavrik expressed support for the project’s master plan. However, he’s heard many people expr.
