Lake County Gazette

The Lake Forest, Illinois, City Council met recently to consider the final proposals from staff and advisory committees about the Deerpath Park athletic fields project.

“As noted, tonight's discussion is really centered around playing surface materials with a little bit of discussion about the overall site plan,” said City Manager, Jason Wicha, during the Jan. 17 meeting.

Staff members also presented information about the project at their meeting Feb. 6, according to a video posted to the council’s YouTube page.

Wicha said the February meeting enabled the council to “review programming impacts at Deerpath Park and other parks within our recreation portfolio, and then importantly, to seek council direction on priorities when considering potential changes to our field rental fee structure.”

The council plans to discuss financing specific to the project at its meeting Feb. 21, according to the video.

“I'm really pleased to say that all of the design work for this project is now complete and was done in accordance with direction that we had received from the city council and the project itself was just put out to bid,” Wicha said. “So, we'll allow that process to play out and then again in late February start reviewing those competitive bids and pricing with the city council.”

Several changes to the site plan were proposed, along with a final recommendation for the turf material to be used after research and guidance from the city council, according to the video.

Chuck Myers, the superintendent of park and forestry, presented the final site plan for the 9.5-acre area. It features a turf field, several baseball fields, a walking path, tennis, and pickleball courts, and at least two playgrounds. There will also be restrooms, a maintenance building, a memorial area, and other amenities.

Myers said the area has also been evaluated for stormwater drainage and has plenty of wetland area, a detention pond, and native plants that help drain heavy rainfall.

The advisory committee examined various turf materials and companies to determine what will be best for the project, according to the video. The committee recommended iron turf, the infill to be Brock Fill, and the shock pad to be Brock YSR. The materials were evaluated based on player safety, environmental impact, maintenance levels, and durability. The material recommended has a high safety rating and can withstand extreme heat and heavy rain. It has a 25-year warranty with a longer life expectancy with proper maintenance.