RIVERWALK PLANNING, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Review and provide any recommendations regarding the proposed design of the 430 S Washington Street park
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: William J Novack, P.E., Director of Transportation, Engineering and Development/City Engineer
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
NA
BACKGROUND:
Back in the early 2010’s North Central College (NCC) purchased the property at 430 S Washington Street from the lending bank after the previous developer defaulted on the property. NCC met with the City of Naperville and the Naperville Park District and noted their desire to keep the area mostly open space and to have a presence for the college. They asked if the City and Park District could commit to develop and maintain the property as a Riverwalk park which both agencies agreed to.
Plans for the park were developed and $1.1 million of outside funding was secured from Governor Pat Quinn in late 2014. Shortly before the City planned to put the construction of the park out to bid the State of Illinois froze this and several other similar grants; the money was no longer available. Because of this the City delayed construction of the park.
The grant money did become available about four years later. At that time, we knew the reconstruction of the Washington Street bridge was approaching and that if we built the park many of the elements would be impacted, along with enjoyment of the park, by the bridge construction. We therefore decided to hold off on commencing construction of the park until after the bridge was completed. We currently plan to put this project out for bid during the winter, noting that the contractor can start once the bridge construction is done.
DISCUSSION:
Since the design was completed approximately ten years ago, I thought it would be good for the Riverwalk Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) committee to review the attached primary design plan sheets and provide any suggestions or any changes. In addition to the bridge plans I have also included renderings of the entrance gateway that NCC will construct near the southwest corner of the property following construction of the park. This gateway and its signage have been approved by the Naperville City Council so there is nothing we can change about it; I am simply providing it so committee members can see the full picture.
Please be ready to provide any thoughts and comments about the plans at the PDC meeting so the group can discuss them. One detail we will have to discuss and make a decision about before this project goes out to bid is what brick we will use as the standard Riverwalk brick in the future. The squiggly brick we have used since the beginning of the Riverwalk is no longer available; the sole remaining manufacturer discarded the mold. At a later PDC meeting I will provide pictures of different similar bricks that are now readily available for us to consider as our next standard brick. We will make that decision at a later meeting.