Patrick Duffy For Wilmette Park Board Commissioner

PROJECT UPDATE Gillson Infrastructure Improvement

Earlier this month, the Wilmette Board of Park Commissioners approved the Gillson Park Infrastructure Improvement Project. We want to provide you with the most updated and accurate information.

The Project will include:
• Resurfacing all roadways
• Replacing underground sewers
• Adding a bike-only lane and a sidewalk
• Reconfiguring portions of Harbor Drive to accommodate the new lanes and the Yacht Club while maintaining its iconic curves
• Adding 24-inch retaining walls to shore up the berms and mitigate erosion in two (2) locations
• Removing two (2) Norway Maple trees (an invasive tree species)

Our goal is to enhance the park's natural areas while protecting existing high-quality trees and shrubs and preserving existing open spaces. Together with an external tree expert consultant, we’ve developed a comprehensive tree preservation plan to ensure the health and safety of Gillson’s landscape during construction. Other than removing the two invasive tree species, no trees or landscaping will be removed.

We began the planning process for this project several years ago, conducted multiple public presentations, open houses and feedback sessions, and distributed a series of Wilmette resident feedback surveys. The Board approved the design concept that received the most support from residents (Concept #1), which respects the spirit of Gillson Park while providing essential infrastructure updates to enhance safety and efficiency.

We are aware of some residents’ concerns that an alternate plan put forth by Keep Gillson Green has been ignored. We worked with experts to review the plan and ultimately determined it was not feasible for several reasons, including the removal of mature trees and other landscaping, posing a safety hazard with a trail crossing Michigan Avenue, and not meeting Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. We appreciate the opportunity to consider alternatives and thank our community members for their passion for Wilmette’s green spaces.

We invite you to visit the Gillson Infrastructure Improvement Project Page for up-to-date information leading up to the Fall project start. https://wilmettepark.org/projects-planning/gillson-infrastructure-improvement-project/
There you’ll find:
• Overview of the planning process, including public presentations, open house recaps and survey results
• Project specifications
• Design Concept #1 layout
• Estimated project length
• Frequently Asked Questions document https://online.fliphtml5.com/gqmek/hpin/ =1

If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Steve Wilson, Executive Director, at [email protected]

Thanks you for your support,

-Patrick

FAQ gillson park infrastructure-7-12-24b

Friends,

There is a bit of excitement at the moment about a fence along Harbor Drive. I urge you to take about 4 minutes and read information from the Park District. It is a 2 page document. The link is here:
https://online.fliphtml5.com/gqmek/xrcq/ =1

In my view, the fence and staffing changes are intended to change behavior along South Beach with a secondary benefit of assisting the dunes to recover from the last 3-4 years of weather and foot traffic.

Thank you for listening and your patience with this change in Gillson Park.

Patrick

South Beach at Gillson Park 2024_FAQ_draftupdate_5_17_24_FORMATTED

We want to hear from every household in Wilmette! Share your feedback and help us plan the future of the Wilmette Park District. If you haven’t received a survey, have adults in the household with varying opinions, want to complete the survey by phone or just have questions, please contact aQity Research & Insights:
866-900-8555 or [email protected].

Vote today in the local election! Voting hours are 6AM - 7PM! Find your polling place here: https://tinyurl.com/8vnnmjk7

Please be sure to vote! Election Day is tomorrow (April 6th).
The polls are open from 6 am - 7 pm.
Local elections often come down to a handful of voters and turnout so far has been low. Your vote is important.

Click here to find your Election Day Polling Location;
https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/service/polling-places

Please ask your friends to vote too.

Thank you for your support

Good Morning Wilmette! It’s a great day to get out and vote in our local election. Early voting runs through April 5th at Centennial. Let’s beat yesterday’s number of 133 votes.

Follow the signs to Centennial. Early voting starts today and runs through April 5th. Election Day is April 6th. Do your part Wilmette!

It was a great morning at the lake front!
Sunrise photos and a subtle reminder to get out and vote in the upcoming election.
Did you know…
-In 2019, our last consolidated (local) election, Wilmette had 21,939 registered voters.
-3,782 people cast votes for Park Board Commissioner… 17.24% of registered voters.
-3,788 cast votes for Village Trustee.
-17% of Wilmette residents feel strongly enough about who makes decisions on their behalf to spend the energy to vote…

With nine candidates for Park Board Commissioner I'd love for you to share my info with at least 5 of your friends… but I NEED you to turn out and vote. I need you to encourage your friends to vote – even if it’s not for me. Voting is so important to who we are as democracy.

Spring Break is March/April and some of you will be out of town or just arriving back from a trip.

Did you know…
From March 22 through April 5 you can vote at Centennial Ice Rink?
OR
How about apply online to for a mail in ballot – it’s so easy!
https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/agency/vote-

Hope to see you there! I look forward to participating in the Candidate Forum on Saturday. Thank you League of Women Voters of Wilmette for hosting the event.

Candidate Forums for all contested local elections will be held from 9a-12p on March 13 and March 20. Have questions for candidates? Email by this Friday 3/5 to: [email protected]