CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Approve the Prairie Nature Garden improvement to the Naperville Riverwalk
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: William J Novack, Director/City Engineer
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
On January 10, 2024, the Naperville Riverwalk Commission approved the Prairie Nature Garden improvement to the Riverwalk by a 10-0 vote.
BACKGROUND:
In 2003, the City and Park District entered into a Riverwalk Maintenance Agreement. It stipulated that the City would be financially responsible for maintenance costs of Riverwalk areas east of Washington Street, as well as any new additions or enhancements, while the Park District would be responsible for all other portions. The Riverwalk Maintenance Agreement also requires that both parties agree to all additions and enhancements to the Riverwalk.
For 2024 the Park District has budgeted a total of $1,299,127 for maintenance with the City contributing $272,817.
DISCUSSION:
The Prairie Nature Garden improvement is included in the Riverwalk 2031 Master Plan. The project location is the large depressional area just west of Centennial Beach where the sand volleyball courts are located. In the winter, the area is flooded with water and used for ice skating. The project was initially envisioned to have the entire area converted to native plantings and a meandering boardwalk. Due to the secondary uses for sand volleyball and ice skating the entire area will not be converted. Instead, the eastern portion of the depressional area, along with three of the banks, will have the native plants. A boardwalk could not be installed due to floodway restrictions.
The attached plan shows that the project includes removal of turf grass and conversion to native plantings along with a small brick paver bump-out with a landscaped island and benches on the east side. The Naperville Riverwalk Foundation will be funding these improvements which will be constructed by a combination of Park District and City resources and contractors.
The Park District has estimated the annual maintenance cost of this improvement to be $1,265 based on the design, which would be funded by the City. While the native plantings are less expensive to maintain than turf grass, the additional brick pavers and landscape island added to the annual maintenance costs. Staff from both the City and Park District will work cooperatively to agree on the actual annual cost after two years of maintenance as allowed by the Riverwalk Maintenance Agreement.
FISCAL IMPACT:
This improvement will add $1,265 of additional maintenance cost to the Riverwalk which will be paid for by the City.