A Chance to Voice Your Opinion to the National Park Service

It has been a while since my last post but we have some good news to share.

As you know, we were awarded an assistance grant from the National Park Service. They have been reaching out to local organizations to get their feedback on how to best use the village-owned property known as Altenheim, concerning what type of green space amenities should be developed.


They are, not, however directly addressing the performing arts venue included in our Cultural Park Concept.

They have now entered the public outreach phase of their research and are seeking opinions from the general public. They will have tables set up at the events with an Activities/Amenities poster and an Opportunities/Concerns poster for people to leave feedback. They will also have some pictures and images of the site.


As of today, the scheduled community outreach events are at the following dates/times:


Forest Park, Park District, 7501 Harrison St, Forest Park, IL 60130
 Saturday, June 30th - 11am-2pm
 Saturday, August 4th - 11am-2pm

Public Library 7555 Jackson Blvd, Forest Park, IL 60130
 Wednesday, July 25th - 4pm-7pm
 Wednesday, August 8th - 4pm-7pm


It is important that supporters of the Cultural Park Concept, including a performing arts venue, attend these meetings to voice their opinions and raise questions on how the property should be utilized.


Please plan on attending one or more of these meetings, your input is essential to moving this concept forward.


I hope to see you there.


Ralph

May 2017 Update - Committee Formed and Working

We have added a new set of slides at this link.

A lot has happened since our last update.

You may recall that last January, the FP Village Council formed a citizens’ committee to develop further the concept of a cultural park on the Altenheim property.

That committee consists of Rachell Entler, Ralph DiFebo, Carole Morey, David Show, Kathleen Garness, Kim Rostello, Patti Marino, Ryan Nero and Todd Petersen.

In general, we see our mission as to flesh out some reasonable potential developments for the park, analyze and compare the good and bad of each, work with the council members to understand their preferences, and submit a recommendation to the Village Council.

The important values that we are aiming at for the park to deliver include: benefit of the park to the community, overall cost effectiveness, potential revenue, and low risk to the village.

We have met four times so far and are making good progress. We are developing several alternatives, ranging from a low-end case through a larger and more comprehensive concept, like the sketches that have already been made public.

We hope to have a recommendation developed and fleshed out by Thanksgiving, ready to deliver to the Village Council for their consideration and approval. In the meantime, we also have several paths being pursued to ensure that significant roadblocks are understood and managed.

Committee meeting announcements are posted at Village Hall.

Please contact us if you have any questions of comments.