Elmhurst Park Won't Be Dug Up Twice: Official

ELMHURST, IL – An Elmhurst alderman suggested a stormwater project involving a park be done earlier because the park district won't dig up the site twice.

For years, Alderman Michael Bram has pushed for stormwater work in the area of the northside's Crestview Park, which is in his Ward 3.

In 2020, Bram and another alderman had a testy exchange over whether the park board was willing to cooperate with the city on the project.

In an email to Patch on Thursday, Jim Rogers, the park district's executive director, said the district is proposing first-phase improvements for Crestview in 2026. The plans consist of a restroom building, a new playground, a new picnic area, walking paths, a shelter and replacement of the athletic field backstops at Crestview, he said.

The first phase does not include the demolition of the existing recreation building because the park district needs it to continue to be used until fall 2027, which is when the new Wagner Community Center is expected to open, Rogers said.

Crestview's later phases will be after the new Wagner Center opens, he said.

"(T)here will be an opportunity to discuss partnering with the City on potential stormwater improvements that could make use of the expanded parking lot that is part of the Master Plan," Rogers said.

At a City Council meeting this week, Bram said the city's Crestview stormwater project is set for 2027. He said the work should be done earlier, given the park district's plan.

"If there's going to be any need for stormwater management, if it's grading, underground storage or what have you, I would think we should budget the dollars for 2026 when the park is being dug up," Bram said.

If the city approaches the park board for a 2027 project, he said, "I would assume that the park district would say, 'No, we just redid our park, and you are not doing any stormwater detention on it.'"

In response, City Manager Jim Grabowski said the city engineer had contacted the district about the work. He said Bram may be referring to a different project.

The city, he said, was focused on the flow from Crestview into a neighborhood.

"We're working with the park district to control that flow," Grabowski said.

The city's proposed capital budget calls for reimbursing 15 Crestview-area homeowners for floodproofing, costing $128,000 in 2027 and 2028.

A costlier project involving new infrastructure would cost $2.4 million, according to a memo in the budget.

"Through an analysis, it can be shown that flood-proofing of individual properties may be the faster and cheaper solution in this area," the memo said.