Glencoe Parks referendum sails to approval on Election Night

The Glencoe community is behind its park district and its efforts to complete a number of improvement projects.

Glencoe voters — according to Cook County results, which are not yet official — approved a 25-year municipal bond package of $14.7 million by a more than 2:1 margin — 69.1% of voters supported the referendum to fund beachfront and other park improvements.

“We’re happy with the results,” said Carol Spain, president of the Glencoe Park Board. “We are thankful that the community supported what we viewed as critical projects to maintain the quality of parks in our community. We’re excited to get started on next steps.”

The Glencoe Park Board will discuss the referendum results further during a committee meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 6.

The Park Board voted unanimously in July to go to voters with a plan to fund a number of improvements.

The park district’s website says that the bond sale will not increase current tax rates; it instead will replace a $13.8 million bond package from 2005 that paid for renovations to the Takiff Center and will expire by the end of 2025. If the referendum did not pass, according to the park district’s website, Glencoe’s tax rate would decrease by approximately $261 annually for homes with a fair market value of $1 million.

Funds from the sale reportedly will go to improving Glencoe Beach and its playground, Safran Beach House, Perlman Boating Beach, the boat house, boardwalk, trellis, sun shelters, ramps and beach access points. The funds would also support further improvements to the Takiff Athletic Field and a new community greenhouse and parks maintenance space. 

Spain previously said the new maintenance facility is one of the larger projects on the list as the existing one is too old to be transitioned into an energy-efficient space — the district’s goal with a new facility.

Among the next steps is a community input process in 2025 to further vet all of the proposed improvements and developments.

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