An air of optimism filled the room as about 14 Evanstonians gathered Saturday, March 4, to discuss expanding and improving Beck Park, 2525 Church St.
MKSK, the firm managing the expansion, presented three potential park designs at the meeting, held at the ETHS TEAMS Transition House, 1742 Lemar Ave.
Beck Park sits between Church and Emerson streets just east of McCormick Boulevard and the North Shore Channel.
- The first plan retains the original look of the park, with additions to the bike path.
- Both the second and third plans add a bathroom, overlook facilities and pavilion to the site, as well as creating an underpass below Emerson Street.
- The third plan adds a roller skate loop.
“The goal [of the meeting] was to get initial reaction and input to these three designs,” said Stefanie Levine, senior project manager for the city.
“This was great. I really love this process,” said Fifth Ward resident Janet Alexander Davis. “They really want to understand what you’re talking about.”
Residents showed support for the new amenities, particularly the expanded bike path as well at new bathrooms and underpass.
Fifth Ward resident Carolyn Leman asked about the cost and funding of the project.
“Throughout this process we’re doing two things: we’re trying to understand what the community wants to see in the park and we’re also trying to assess what the costs of those elements is going to be,” said Brett Weidl, a landscape architect and project manager at MKSK.
The Saturday discussion was a follow-up to a Nov. 29 meeting about the project, where community members shared their vision for the park. Two more meetings are scheduled for the spring and summer to gather further input before the firm decides on a final proposal.
“We’ve had two meetings now. We need to understand who’s missing from the room and then make sure as we move forward we incorporate some of those voices as well,” said Fifth Ward Council Member Bobby Burns.