Update: The Park Board , including the controversial interpretive center. Read the whole story .
Earlier: Over one year ago, the Park District board of commissioners appointed a task force to come up with a proposal for a redesign.
in June, and .
One group favors the entire plan while another would like to see the interpretive center, one of the proposed buildings, removed. Meanwhile, the park board has .
Before then, here's your chance to get the full story on what may or may not be in the works for the city's only swimming beach.
News
After over a year of meetings, planning, beach tours and conversations with residents, the Park Board of Highland Park voted unanimously in favor of the entire Rosewood Beach redesign, including the controversial interpretive center.
With the vote on the Rosewood Beach redesign a day away, Patch talks to residents, board commissioners and Mayor Nancy Rotering about how the proposal process unfolded and what it says about Highland Park politics.
Residents joined the park board and architects at Rosewood Beach last week to see what would go where assuming the board approves the beach's proposed redesign.
Instead of voting on the proposed beach redesign on July 26, the park board commissioners will tour the beach with the plan's architect.
Check out these artist renderings of the proposed redesign for Rosewood Beach before the Park Board votes on it.
With the vote only a week away, the board continues to solicit feedback from residents and information from park district staff about the proposed redesign of Highland Park's sole swimming beach.
As the Park Board gears up to vote on the proposed Rosewood Beach project, two groups of residents continue to argue for and against it.
After a year spent working on its plan for Rosewood Beach, the task force will make its presentation Thursday.
Ravinia Neighbors Association heads to Monday's City Council meeting to object to the interpretive center that's part of the proposed Rosewood Beach redesign.
After hearing residents out at two community meetings, task force meets to figure out what's next.
After touring Rosewood Beach on Monday, the group voted 6-1 to keep the controversial building in the redesign plan.
Here's why readers are for and against the Park District's proposed renovations Rosewood Beach.
Opinion
For the Interpretive Center:
In his second column on the subject, Ed Brill says it's time for Ravinia Neighbors Association to stop fighting against the interpretive center and let the Park District renovate the city's only swimming beach.
Ed Brill discusses why the Park District's plan for Rosewood is a great use of the city's only swimming beach.
Peggy Laemle paints a picture of what the proposed new lakefront view would look like.
Against the Interpretive Center:
With widespread opposition to the proposed interpretive center at Rosewood Beach, the Park District places in jeopardy an otherwise supported project.
Ravinia Neighbors Association calls proposed building at Rosewood Beach a "wasteful expenditure of money."
City Councilman approves of Rosewood redesign, but thinks the beach house should be placed somewhere else.
From the Task Force:
Group says Ravinia Neighbors Association's appeal to the council undermines the redesign process.
One member of the Rosewood Beach Task Foce supports the plan, but argues against the interpretive center.
Park District Resources:
Check out this page on the Park District's website dedicated to offering facts and details about the redesign proposal.
Up next: The Park Board will take a tour of Rosewood Beach on July 26 and discuss the project at its meeting after.
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It is at the very least nonsensical to have a strictly up or down vote on the entire plan! Park District: please, please don't hold the good parts of the Rosewood Beach plan hostage for the likes of the very controversial interpretive center! Do the right thing and do it now!
I was there and heard his attempt to justify the "all or nothing" stance as regards the upcoming vote. There is nothing perfect about the sense! I appreciate Scott's eloquence that night and up until that statement, I respect his leadership and his attempts to be fair to both sides of the issue of the IC. However, there is NO good reason to continue to hold firm to the "all or nothing" position. It appears the Park District is fearful that by splitting the plan into two separate entities that the IC would forever be doomed, something they could not live with. It's high time they agree to move forward on the swimming and recreational facilities NOW and take their chances on the IC down the road!
Before any improvements, parking is already an issue. A party rental at the Interpretive Center could take a significant share of the estimated 97 parking spaces (53 in lower lot/44 in upper lot). Where will beach goers and staff park? Doubling the area of the sandy beach and making other beach improvements will guarantee more visitors and will require additional staff. The beach is not walking distance for most residents, myself included. I hope that the Park Board does not vote to build an expensive, unessential building (IC) which could preclude residents from using our city’s only swimming beach for its intended purpose.
As the PD stated, right now they lose about $60K/yr at Rosewood beach. If this proposal is implemented, they project losing $50K/yr. So it's still losing money, and we have even higher costs related to maintenance and operations to contend with. The IC is a lousy investment. We need some permanent bathrooms - put them up in the parking lot to protect against flooding/ice dams. We don't really need, but might find a small concession stand useful - and we don't need to spend hundreds of thousands on it either. Rinsing off sand can be accomplished with a pole that has 4 shower heads on it - I seem to recall seeing this on the beaches of Maui.
It will cost little for the tax payers.
While there would be a cost in revamping the VACANT Ravine Dr "beach" building, there are several cmunity benefits: 1. Removes an unsafe and potentially dangerous open building hidden from sight. As a father of two young daughters living close to this hidden structure, I worry about that. 2. Preserves precious beach space at Rosewood . 3. Increases the potential and breath of our beaches..
See my post on a previous article - probably from about a month back. In short: WE don't say nay. You say nay, maybe some of your friends and associates as well, but I can't speak for them. I say yay. Your opinions are the same as mine, they carry the same weight because when it comes down to it, you and I each are just one vote for the Park Board, one vote for any referendum, one vote for anything in HP. One vote, one voice - not the voice of many.
There is no doubt that this needs to be addressed ASAP in some responsible fashion and it could easily serve as the Intrerpretive Center/Beachhouse at a much lower cost than adding a new structure for this purpose on Rosewood Beach.