PARTNERSHIPS

PARK DISTRICTS, FOREST PRESERVES AND RECREATION DEPARTMENTS WORKING TOGETHER WITH CIVIC AND BUSINESS LEADERS TO BUILD OUR COMMUNITIES

Three Cheers for a Groundbreaking Partnership

A chance meeting and creative financing lead to a nationally recognized intergovernmental agreement in Northfield
BY MELANIEMcGAURAN

Under a hot July sun in 1997, local Northfield officials gathered on an old school playground and made history. With shovels in hand, these men and women participated in a ground-breaking ceremony to kick-off the construction of a brand-new $ 1.9-million-dollar community center. But what remains even more ground-breaking than the simple removal of dirt that day, is the unprecedented partnership behind the project. This 18,000-square-foot facility—which now houses park district offices, a high-school-size gymnasium, a fitness center and multipurpose rooms— would never have been built without the cooperative efforts of three municipal entities: the Northfield Park District, the Village of Northfield and School District #29.

How did three tax-funded bodies ever come together and consider such a joint venture?

It started in the spring of 1996, when Northfield Park District received word that its lease inside Middlefork School could not be renewed. Like many park districts in Illinois, Northfield had always had an agreement with the school district to lease space inside the school system. It's a common arrangement. But it has also become increasingly common, due to rising enrollment, that schools reluctantly are requesting that space back.

Representatives from the North field Park District, Village of Northfield and School District #29 help break ground for the new community center.

After reviewing possible lease sites, the park district realized that it was going to have to build its own facility. There was no other space available. With about $200,000 to invest, the park district got a loan for another $200,000. The district chose a small site on park land, immediately adjacent to Middlefork School, and hired the architectural firm of Basil &Associates. That $400,000 facility would have been built, too, if not for a chance encounter one evening between Ed Cottrell, president of the Northfield Park District board and Jerry Digani, then president of the District #29 school board. They discussed that even with the impending move by the park district, the school's Learning Center and computer lab areas were badly cramped. They still needed room. "A light bulb just clicked," said Cottrell. "Here was the school looking for more space and here we were about to build just a few feet away." The two considered, what if they combined forces on a joint construction project? What if they built a new gymnasium and used it as an anchor between the school and park district offices? The old gym was small and outdated but could be converted into much needed learning space. A new gym would be a huge asset for both organizations.

But many questions remained. How could two municipal entities realistically manage the same space, and more importantly, who would pay for it? The school had not budgeted for expansion and there wasn't time for a referendum. The park district could not exceed $400,000. Enter the Village of Northfield. In recent years, the village had built up

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a budget surplus of several million dollars through conservative spending and increased revenue from commercial growth in the area. Cottrell was aware of this surplus. In September 1996, he attended a village board meeting, and asked whether they would be interested in funding the additional costs associated with a larger building—a building that could easily be transformed into a full-scale community center.

"When we heard Ed's proposal, we thought that this could be something great for the village, but we saw some problems," explained Diane Onixt, a veteran village trustee. "Nearly one-third of the village's residents actually belong to neighboring Winnetka Park District. How could we use taxpayers money for a building not able to serve that many in our community?"

It seemed impossible. The village also did not really want the daily responsibilities of such a facility, but they loved the idea of a community center. So the village, park district and School District #29 began to outline every detail of the project, which eventually evolved into the official 19-page intergovernmental agreement signed by all three parties on April 28,1997. They were partners.

It was ground-breaking to see three separate government bodies transcend the mold of traditional spending habits and recognize how much more they could achieve together than as individual organizations.

"We received national publicity on the agreement," said Cottrell. "I got calls from all over the country after we were recognized at the October '97 National Recreation and Park Association Congress."

The Village of Northfield agreed to finance the construction with $1.5 million dollars—$750,000 of which was a grant and the remaining $750,000 as a no-interest loan to be repaid over the next 20 years. They requested the creation of a Community Center Cooperative Board to help oversee the management of the facility. This board would meet at least quarterly to manage building policy, while the park district would be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the offices, the fitness center and the multipurpose rooms. The village would appoint one of their trustees to this five-person board while the school and park districts would each assign their own representatives. Two residents-at-large would also serve. Finally, the village requested that the new multipurpose rooms equally be made available to any resident or community group as needed.

In turn, the park district agreed to pay $400,000 toward the costs, use park district land, and grant resident status to anybody who lived inside the village boundaries. They also agreed to pay $250,000 back on the village loan and be responsible for all maintenance of property excluding the gym area.

The Northfield Community Center opened in April of 1998 and is used for concerts, town meetings, senior clubs, junior high dances/ art classes, basketball and much more, plus its fitness center has more than 140 members.

Terms for the school district included donating land and switching land titles with the park district so that the new gymnasium would sit on school property and therefore be maintained by the school. They agreed to pay back two-thirds of the village loan ($500,000) since they did not have to pay any original costs. The agreement further stipulated that the park district and school share the gym hours. The building celebrated its one-year anniversary last April and certainly has become an integral part of Northfield. It is used for everything from concerts, town meetings, senior clubs, junior high dances, art classes and cub scout activities to lots and lots of basketball. There are more than 140 members of the fitness center ranging in age from 16 to 75. A daycare program uses the multipurpose rooms three mornings a week.

Three unlikely partners got together to literally build the foundation for a community center. And this solid foundation rests on the adage that the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. 

MELANIE McGAURAN is a freelance writer and Public Relations Coordinator for the Northfield Park District.

For more information on the center, or details on the agreement, please contact Jay Lair, Director of the Northfield Park District of 847.446.4428 or write to: The Northfield Park District 401 Wagner Road Northfield, IL 60093.

Why the Partnership Worked • Each of the three organizations had an integral piece to offer to the project • Everyone involved shared the common goal of building a community center • A well-written intergovernmental agreement outlining every detail of responsibility per participant • Strong support from community - by Melanie V. McGauran

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