The Woodland Park project is budgeted at $985,000, and the District has been awarded a $400,000 Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) matching grant to go towards the development. A central feature of the improvement project is the addition of six dedicated pickleball courts with shaded structure and seating. The existing basketball court is to be refurbished and expanded to a standard high school sized court. Additional proposed improvements include a permanent two-stall restroom facility, a picnic shelter, and ADA accessible pathways to all of the park’s amenities. The addition of three rain gardens are designed to capture storm water runoff and mitigate flooding. This landscape feature would also serve as drought tolerant green space that provides a habitat for birds and pollinator species.
May 31, 2023 - The pickleball subcontractor has been on site leveling the courts with patching material to ensure there is no puddling on the courts during a rain event. The final coat of black acrylic was applied on Tuesday, which seals the asphalt. Color application is scheduled to begin on Thursday, however, with today's rain, it may be delayed if the weather affected the subcontractor's other project work scheduled today.
Other than the courts, the majority of park construction is substantially complete. The parking lot was completed late last week and we are putting finishing touches on landscaping and cleaning for the park opening. We anticipate the courts to be color coated and striped by early next week, at which point, the park will be opened for public use. The construction fence is now scheduled to be removed next Thursday, June 8, but we plan to open the gates to the public earlier in the week once the project is completed. As a reminder, please remain outside of the construction fence until the official opening.
May 23, 2023 - Work is continuing to be completed at Woodland Park. Unfortunately, we hit a very small delay with the color coating step. On Monday afternoon, May 22, while the pickleball court subcontractor was preparing the surface for color coating, they began to see small puddles of water forming on the surface of the pickleball courts. At the time there was 100% sunshine and the temperature was close to 80 degrees. It is believed that because the asphalt has not yet been completely sealed and still has some pores and voids, when the surface temperature rose during the afternoon heat, it began to wick up water from under the courts. The subcontractor works on sport courts across the country, and while this is a rare occurrence, they do see it occur on about 12 projects a year. The surface moisture creates an issue for painting (color coating) the surface which must be free from moisture. However, with the anticipated dry forecast and cooler days the second half of the week, the subcontractor is hopeful that this unusual phenomenon will resolve itself and are planning to come back Thursday to clean water stains, and Friday to apply the next layer of color. We anticipate we will still be able to complete the project next week and remove the construction fence on Thursday, June 1. Thank you again for your continued patience! We are all looking forward to a summer of fun at Woodland Park!
May 4, 2023 - Landscape planting of the trees and shrubs is occurring this week. Color coating of the pickleball and basketball courts is scheduled for mid-week next week, weather permitting. After which, the last major component of the project is the paving of the pathways and parking lot. The contractor is in communication with the paving contractor for an opening in their schedule in the next two weeks. We still expect construction to be completed by the end of May 2023, weather permitting.
April 27, 2023 - Staff has resumed project meetings with the contractor on April 6. This month, Pickleball netting posts have been installed, Wood fence sections were installed, and stormwater flow restrictors were installed. Construction is expected to be completed at the end of May 2023, weather permitting.
December 8, 2022 – Woodland Park Update - Paving of the pickleball and basketball courts has been completed. The fencing for the pickleball courts was installed earlier this week. All concrete has been installed. The rain gardens are completed, with the exception of the landscaping. The items remaining on the project include paving the parking lot and pathways, landscaping, and color coating the pickleball and basketball courts. These items are weather dependent, and we simply ran out of time for the season.
The Spring schedule for the project is as follows:
- Landscaping will take place in early spring, beginning with tree installation.
- Installation of the remaining asphalt paving is anticipated in early April.
- Shrub installation and landscape seeding will also occur in April.
- Color coating of the pickleball and basketball courts will be applied shortly after Mother’s Day, weather permitting.
We anticipate project completion in early June. Until the paving and landscaping occurs in spring, the construction fencing will remain in place and the project area restricted from public use. The current ground conditions of the project site are not accessible and muddy without the paving and landscaping completed. We will continue to provide updates on the project in the spring when work resumes.
November 17, 2022 – The project has passed the final electrical inspection, and curb cutting for the handicap ramps is being completed today. Over the next few weeks, the contractor will focus on the following items and preparing the site for winter:
- Rough grading of the site will be finished and all topsoil returned on the site.
- Curb removal and framing of new ADA ramps is scheduled for Friday, November 18.
- The final concrete pour is scheduled for Monday, November 21.
- Paving of both courts is tentatively scheduled for next Tuesday, November 22, weather permitting.
- Court fencing around Pickleball, is tentatively scheduled for install between November 21-23, but is dependent on the paving being completed.
- Gravel will be set on the pathways, weather dependent.
- Bike rack, ping-pong table, and bag boards will be installed.
- Landscape tree installation is tentatively scheduled for week of November 28 if weather allows.
- General clean-up of the site will be completed before winter.
November 4, 2022 - The basketball court failed the proof roll in one area. A proof roll confirms the stability of the soil for pavement. The solution is to excavate 12 inches and install drainage stone in the failed areas. The proof roll was at 7:30am today and by 11:30am new stone was on site and the area has been excavated. The failed proof roll has caused the contractor to pivot priority and schedule. They are still planning for concrete next week. The concrete has to cure for a period of time before we can pave up against it, so paving has been pushed a week (earlier in the week we had planned on paving next week). Given this delay, the contractor is focused on getting all the concrete and asphalt paving completed, with the exception of the parking lot and pathway that runs through the park because that is the construction route for heavy machinery that is still needed to excavate the east rain garden. Their strategy is that if they focus on the paving now, they can go back and excavate the rain gardens up until Christmas. This way, they will get more work completed this year than originally anticipated.
November 1, 2022 - Progress at Woodland Park! Over the weekend, concrete curbing and pathways were completed for the pickleball courts, the concrete patio around the restroom facility was completed as well as the patio for the picnic shelter. The picnic shelter and restroom facility are 100% complete. The pickleball courts are prepped and ready for paving. This week, the pickleball shade structure will be constructed. A survey crew will be onsite on Wednesday to provide layout and staking for the basketball court, benches and rain gardens. Concrete curbing and bench pads are scheduled to be installed at the end of this week and the pickleball courts and basketball court are scheduled for pavement next Tuesday-Thursday. Excavation for the rain gardens is being reviewed today as the recent rain has impacted the contractor’s ability to perform that work. As we enter into late fall, much of the work that remains becomes dependent on the weather. The asphalt plants shut down for the season the week of Thanksgiving and the season for color coating the pickleball and basketball courts has already passed and is scheduled for completion in Spring 2023. The contractor needs to finish the rain gardens prior to installation of the asphalt pathways as the pathways cannot handle the weight of the heavy equipment needed to complete the rain gardens. We are in a race against the weather and doing everything we can to complete as much of the project as possible before Thanksgiving with the exception of color coating the courts. Please check back for updates.
September 23, 2022 - The Contractor is mobilizing equipment and some work is scheduled to commence next week. However, we do not have any firm dates for the work to be preformed by subcontractors yet, but we anticipate this will be forthcoming shortly. Staff is receiving regular updates from the Contractor. We will update the website when we know when the significant remainder of the work will be completed.
September 1, 2022 - The Contractor has not yet received firm commitments from his sub-contractors regarding when their work will be scheduled at Woodland Park. The sub-contractors are working through a backlog of projects that were delayed due to the union strike this summer. Again, we will update this webpage with an estimated timeline once known.
August 18, 2022 - The revised permit has been approved. The Contractor is coordinating with his sub-contractors to begin work as soon as possible. We will update this webpage with an estimated timeline once known.
August 4, 2022 - After submitting our revised engineering plan, we received an expedited approval from the City of Park Ridge and minor comments from MWRD. Our engineer resubmitted plans to MWRD earlier this week, and we are currently awaiting their response and approval.
July 14, 2022 - Reports indicate that ground water is seeping into the pipes from our property. We are working with MWRD and the City of Park Ridge, and have determined a path forward. We are required to provide additional storm water detention which affects the size and shape of the rain gardens. Smithgroup has provided a revised engineering plan which we believe will satisfy the requirements. The revisions will be submitted to MWRD and the City of Park Ridge for review early next week. Both agencies have agreed to review the plans concurrently in the interest of time, and we hope to have comments or full approval within two weeks.
June 30, 2022 - The contractor continues to work on the restroom facility and pavilion. The restroom facility has been painted. Next the toilets/fixtures will be installed and the remaining interior work completed. The electrical on the restroom and the pavilion will also be completed.
June 15, 2022 - Due to clay tile pipes found underground, parts of the construction are currently paused due to several unknowns that could affect construction. For more information, please read the attached memo updating the Board on the status of the project.
May 27, 2022 - The contractor is preparing to pave the pickleball/basketball courts. To build the courts, the the ground below needs to be compacted and stable. The contractor performs a proof roll to verify stability. The proof roll was completed last Thursday by slowly driving a dumptruck full of gravel over the area and looking for inflection points (where the ground is soft). Two small areas need to be dry out more before the courts can be built. We need 3-4 dry days in a row which we haven’t had this week, but anticipate will occur next week. Another proof roll will be conducted, and if it passes, the contractor will begin building the courts. In the meantime, work continues on the interior of the restroom facility, and the frame of the pavilion has been installed.
May 20, 2022 - The pickleball courts have been graded and gravel subbase is being placed this week. Wires have been pulled through electrical conduit and the new replacement electrical pole has been installed. Topsoil has been placed on the east rain garden. The restroom facility is constructed. Once it is painted and gutters installed, the fixtures and toilets will be installed.
May 12, 2022 - The contractor has trenched for the new power pole, and has poured concrete for the shelter and shade structure and bench pads. The roofing and siding of the restroom facility will happen Thursday and Friday of this week. The rain garden soil mix is on site and set to be spread on the east rain garden.
May 5, 2022 - Due to all the recent rain, the site is currently saturated. However, the good news is that next week the weather looks much better and a lot of work is planned. Next week all of the remaining concrete work is planned which includes the pad and foundations for the picnic shelter, some of the pathways, bike parking pads, etc. Additionally, an existing electrical pole that had deteriorated will be replaced next week and then the electrical connections will be finished. The pickleball courts and west rain garden are also scheduled to be prepped next week.
April 29, 2022 - Rain has continued to saturate the site and prevent earthwork and grading from being completed. As of yesterday, the site was dry enough to resume this work and the crew has been moving at full force. The constractor continues work on the Romtec restroom facility, and is scheduled to complete the framing for the siding, ceiling, etc by the end of this week. Rough electrical and fire protection is also scheduled for completion this week.
April 20, 2022 - This week the contractor plans on completing the masonry and to finish roughing the electrical into the building. The east rain garden subgrade will also be completed this week, weather dependent. Next week, plumbing to the building will be completed, fire protection work will begin, the building framing and exterior framing will start, and a rough grade the rest of the site will be done, weather dependent.
March 16, 2022 - The project was suspended a few months due to unfavorable weather conditions. With the current forecast, the contractor is now back on site. This week they have excavated the west rain garden and installed the concrete for footings and side walls for the restroom structure. The majority of the sanitary and storm sewer utilities have been installed. Next, plumbing and electrical will be run to the restroom structure. This will likely occur early next week. While this is happening, the west rain garden will be completed and the contractor will excavate for the east rain garden.
October 26, 2021 - Due to the extremely unusual delays with the Woodland Park Project, the District wanted to give a detailed explanation to our residents. We do recognize that the fenced off area of the park has caused inconvenience to park users, and we apologize for the circumstances. Project construction has begun and anticipate the park improvements will be available in Summer 2022!
At the February 4, 2021 Board Meeting of Park Commissioners, the Park Ridge Park District approved a bid from Team Reil for the construction of the Woodland Park Project. Construction fencing was installed the week of May 3 in anticipation of a May 10 construction start date. At the time, our engineering consultant, Team Reil, and the Park Ridge Park District were collectively of the understanding that the issuance of the required Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) permit was imminent. As May 10 approached, we received the first of many rounds of review comments from MWRD. Our engineering consultant routinely responded in a timely manner but MWRD response times were much longer than we’ve experienced in the past, possibly due to staffing shortages and/or a backlog of projects. The week of June 28, in recognition of this unprecedented delay, the City of Park Ridge approved a selective demolition permit to allow the project to begin work as we were led to believe that the full permit from MWRD was imminent. Within that week, the contractor completed the scope of work that was allowed under this selective demolition permit and we later discovered that
the MWRD permit was further delayed. At this point, due to the nature of the demolition work it was unsafe to remove the construction fence and allow public access to those areas. We continued to experience delays throughout the month of July despite repeated attempts to expedite the process with MWRD. On August 2, the full permit was finally approved which allowed the contractor to place the order for materials that were specifically contingent on the terms of the permit, most notably the precast concrete materials for the storm sewer system. The stormwater infrastructure is required by MWRD to be installed in the first phase of construction before any other work is completed. These materials are made to order and could not be ordered until the permit was approved because their specifications were modified as a result of the permitting process. Due to staffing shortages, the company that manufactures these storm sewer materials is severely backlogged. The project contractor, Team Reil, has leveraged their relationship with this manufacturer to get a few key pieces manufactured so the project can commence. On October 19, delivery of construction equipment began, and on the days following, grade staking, GPS coordinate input and some initial grading work has begun. It is anticipated that the construction work will be ongoing daily, during the weekdays, as long as weather permits. The contractor indicated that most of the work will be completed this year except items that are contingent on the weather including: asphalt paving, landscaping and finishing touches, which will be completed in 2022.
Please email Jennifer Meunier at jmeunier@prparks.org or call 847.292.1258 with questions or concerns. Thank you.
October 6, 2021 – The contractor has informed us that construction is anticipated to start on or around October 18, 2021. The most recent delay is due to an unprecedented supply chain disruption for materials necessary to install the storm water system. We are aware that residents are disappointed that the construction fence was installed before all permits and supplies were obtained. Staff did consider removing the construction fence, but at the time we were unaware of the scarcity of materials and in preparation for full project commencement, the contractor began demolition. Removal of the fencing would have resulted in a considerable expense to the Park District, and much of the area would have remained fenced for safety related to the demolition work. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience. We will continue to provide updates as available.
September 9, 2021 - The contractor has informed us that there is an unprecedented backlog for supplies which is likely to push the project out another month. The supplies in question are related to the storm sewer system. In the sequence of construction, it is required by MWRD that the storm sewer work is completed first. The contractor was not able to order these supplies in advance because they were dependent on the MWRD permit and could have changed during the review process.
August 12, 2021 - The full permit has been issued from the City of Park Ridge, and the contractor is scheduled to begin work on September 1.
August 3, 2021 - Permit has been received from MWRD. We now await site permit from the City of Park Ridge, which we expect to receive soon.
July 16, 2021 - Unfortunately, we are experiencing unusually long delays with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) permitting process. The District has not heard back from MWRD, but remains hopeful that we will receive the permit soon. The contractor had several weeks built into the schedule for unforeseen circumstances, but the project has been delayed for 2 months now. Without the permit from MWRD in hand, the contractor cannot order several items that have long lead times, such as storm water infrastructure and the restroom building, because there is a risk that something could possibly change. The contractor has now indicated that these delays and supply lead times have impacted the final completion date and the project will not be completed until spring/early Summer 2022.
June 24, 2021 - The Park District has received a conditional demolition permit from the City of Park Ridge while we wait for the MWRD permit. This allows our contractor to begin selective demolition work this week and then grading. Based on our conversations with MWRD, we are confident that the full permit is imminent, and we expect work to continue into the Fall without further delays.
June 11, 2021 - We are experiencing unusually long delays with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) permitting process. Staff submitted final comments on May 14 and should have heard back by May 28. On June 1, the project engineer reached out to the reviewer at MWRD who acknowledged that they were backlogged, but the project was being reviewed that day and we should hear something by the end of the week (June 4). On June 10, we heard back from the reviewer at MWRD who indicated he had passed along our project to his supervisor for final approval. When he provided the timeframe of June 4, he was not aware how backed up his supervisor was. He is trying to get this project to the top of the list for approval. The contractor is ready to mobilize as soon as we receive this permit.
May 6, 2021 - The Park Board of Commissioners were joined by 2nd Ward Alderman Fred Sanchez, the Board of the Park Ridge Pickleball Club, and Park District staff to break ground for the Woodland Park project. Bob Rhine, president of the Pickleball affiliate, also presented a generous $1,500 donation for the project from the Pickleball Club to Board President Matt Coyne and Park District Executive Director Gayle Mountcastle. The construction fence at Woodland Park was installed this week, and work is scheduled to begin next week.