Work will soon begin on the renovations to Seager Park, and we are excited about the future of this Naperville gem. The process has involved considerable planning, as well as input from park neighbors and community residents. These thoughtful ideas and recommendations have contributed to a final design plan that builds on Seager Park's natural heritage and reputation.
In addition to an exciting interpretive center for education programming and nature exploration, new amenities will include a wildflower garden, detention basin with native plantings, new trees and shrubs in the landscaping and an exercise and walking trail. We're moving the basketball and sand volleyball courts elsewhere in the park and keeping the picnic pavilion, council ring and other features you enjoy.
We will continue to keep you informed of next steps as work proceeds this summer. Please check here often for up-to-date information on an ongoing basis.
Eric Shutes
Director of Planning
Naperville Park District
Planning Department staff members are currently developing construction drawings and bid documents for this project. Further updates regarding Seager Park will be posted ongoing at this location.
View the most current conceptual site plan
Frequently Asked Questions about the project:
Q. What amenities or highlights will be at Seager Park when completed?
A. New amenities at Seager Park will include an interpretive center for education programming, exercise and walking trail, small backstop, wildflower garden, detention basin with native plantings, and new trees and shrubs in the landscape. Upgraded features include basketball and volleyball courts, parking lot, fire pit and council ring. The existing picnic pavilion will remain and the current restroom building will be converted to storage.
Q. Why not just renovate the existing building?
A. The restroom building is in poor condition and is no longer functional.
Q. Will lights be added to the park?
A. No new lights are planned for the parking lot, basketball or volleyball courts. There are several existing light poles on site and those will remain. Lighting with shields, aimed at security cameras, will be attached to the building. Prior to installation, the security lighting plan will be reviewed and approved by the City of Naperville.
Q. Will noise on the property increase?
A. Use of the park will be very similar to what is now, so noise is not expected to increase. A new nature preschool on the site will operate during normal business hours. School groups will periodically use the park for field trips. Summer camps, rentals and special events will continue as they have in the past. Basketball and volleyball courts are being moved farther away from residential properties. Existing plant material along the eastern property line will remain. To help provide an additional sound buffer, new plantings will be added where the parking lot is closer to the park’s eastern border.
Q. Will park hours change?
A. Park hours will remain the same, opening at dawn and closing one hour past sunset. Scheduled special events, such as hayrides, allow people in the park past hours. The park closes immediately following those events.
Q. Will the parking lot and new restrooms be open in winter?
A. The parking lot will be plowed in winter. Naperville Park District staff will evaluate the viability of keeping restrooms open all year.
Q. How many parking spaces will the new lot hold?
A. There will be 49 parking spaces at Seager Park.
Q. Will the hay ride schedule change?
A. The hay ride route and schedule will remain the same.
Q. When will the fire pit be used?
A. Special events periodically call for using the fire pit at Seager Park after hours. Those events will continue as scheduled.
Q. Where will the mulch trail be placed?
A. The mulch trail has been eliminated from the plan.
Q. Will the perimeter fence remain?
A. The fence will not be affected by this project.
Q. Will you have to carve into tree roots to build the interpretive center?
A. The interpretive center building plan calls for creating a slab with footings that will require digging down 42 inches, or 3.5 feet, to the frost line. Tree experts from the Naperville Park District are consulting with a root scientist from The Morton Arboretum, to collaborate on best practices for protecting the roots of adjacent oak and maple trees.
Q. Who will supervise the slab’s construction to ensure the trees’ roots are protected?
A. Protecting the roots of the site’s majestic oaks is a priority. The project manager from the Naperville Park District, after collaborating with a root scientist from The Morton Arboretum, will supervise construction as slab earthwork begins.
Q. Will trees be removed as part of the renovation?
A. Trees at Seager Park were evaluated as part of the overall design process. The park’s renovation plan is designed to spotlight its mature and healthy trees. Ten of the park’s trees, located in the renovation areas, are small enough for transplant to another location within the park. Thirteen trees – all diagnosed in poor health or not structurally sound – will be removed. There also will be removal of brush in park areas designed for the trail and backstop. Plantings in these locations were evaluated as part of the design process to make sure no desirable species would be disturbed.
Q. Why not construct the building on piers instead of a slab?
A. Piers were considered initially for this project. However, the slab was selected for its additional insulation properties and also as a deterrent for wildlife that might otherwise live and nest beneath the building.
Q. How will the interpretive center be used?
A. Activities planned for the interpretive center include preschool classes, summer camps, field trips for area schools and other special events that will be planned, scheduled and led by Naperville Park District staff.
Q. When will these planned activities take place?
A. Planned activities in the interpretive center will take place during park hours.
Q. What are the interpretive center’s hours?
A. The classroom will be open during scheduled activities, camps and field trips. Restrooms will be open during park hours.
Q. What is occupancy of the building?
A. The interpretive center will hold a maximum of 30 people.
Q. Will busses be allowed to idle on the property?
A. Busses must comply with the Illinois no-idling law, which forbids them to idle longer than 10 minutes.
Q. Will there be docents on site?
A. There is no plan currently to have docents on site.
Q. Will a self-guided pamphlet be offered?
A. The Naperville Park District staff does plan to develop a pamphlet for self-guided tours of Seager Park.
Q. What is the purpose of the exercise trail?
A. Fostering a desire to experience nature first-hand, through organized play or individual exercise, is part of the park district’s mission. In addition to providing enjoyment and exercise to people of all ages, the six-foot-wide trail will meet accessibility requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Q. What paving material will be used on the exercise trail?
A. The exercise trail’s surface will consist of a layer of limestone screenings.
Q. Will adjustments be made to plantings along the park’s eastern border?
A. Most of the thick plantings along the park’s eastern border will remain. Some plants will be removed for grading but will be replaced.
Q. What is the risk to private property from foul balls played on the ball field?
A. Residents are always encouraged to contact the Naperville Park District should ball play cause damage to private property. However, it is very unlikely this would occur at Seager Park. A baseball field is not being constructed as part of this renovation. A small backstop will be installed for pick-up games, t-ball and coach-pitch practice. Additionally, the vegetated border between the park and the residential property line is between 30- and 35-feet wide with a height of approximately 20 feet, providing significant distance and buffer.
Q. Could the basketball court be placed on the west side of the parking lot and east of the stream?
A. Seager Park is fortunate to have a critical wetland on site, which supports the park’s natural plant ecosystem and wildlife biodiversity. It also provides opportunity for environmental study and public education. Federal requirements protect such areas, within 100 feet outside the wetland’s boundary. The wetland is located on the west side of the parking lot and runs the north-south length of the park, so moving the basketball court here is not an option.
Q. Will overflow from the detention basin cause flooding on neighboring property?
A. By its technical design, a “detention” basin – or dry pond – is a stormwater management system that helps prevent flooding. The park’s detention basin, located on the southeast area of the property, is designed to protect against flooding by temporarily storing rainwater and releasing (or processing) it through a controlled outlet. It will not be a “retention” basin – or wet pond – which captures stormwater and stores it until water soaks into the ground or evaporates. The detention basin will be constructed at a lower elevation than residential properties to the east. Because of this, the basin will benefit east-bordering residential properties and those on nearby lower land by collecting and processing the area’s stormwater. Engineering studies show that water from a typical rainfall will not sit in the Seager dry basin. Following an extreme, 100-year rain event, there would be approximately 31/2-feet of water in the detention basin, which would dissipate in three to four days.
Q. What is this “weir” that will be developed?
A. An earthen weir – a slight depression in the soil – will be created on the southern edge of the detention basin as a backup system to divert stormwater.
Q. Will the detention basin otherwise be available as a playing field?
A. The dry detention basin will be planted with a variety of native plants and will not be conducive for use as a playing field.
Q. Will the detention basin attract mosquitoes?
A. Mosquitoes breed in standing water and reach adult stage after eight to 12 days in such an environment. Because this is a dry bottom basin, the possibility of this causing an increase in the population of mosquitoes is unlikely.
Q. Will the interpretive center be a “green” building?
A. Through execution of “good business” decisions, the building will be constructed according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. However, the Naperville Park District is not planning to pursue LEED accreditation at this time. Green features will include a natural ventilation system, natural and energy efficient lighting, dual flush toilets, sensor faucets, air hand dryers and native plantings to filter and slow storm water. Minimal disturbance to the site overall is achieved by constructing the building on the existing basketball court, and preservation of the critical wetland stream is maintained. Because Seager Park has many mature trees, it is not practical to use solar panels or wind turbines at the site.
Q. What materials will be used in the building’s construction?
A. The interpretive center’s foundation will be concrete. Siding will be air-entrained concrete panels (hardy board). It will have a metal roof to reduce contamination from storm water runoff.
Q. What material will be used in the parking lot?
A. Asphalt paving is currently planned for the parking lot due to budget restraints. Use of permeable pavement will require outside funding. Park district staff is investigating and applying for grants that may provide this resource.
Q. Will existing gravel roads be kept as part of the renovation?
A. The existing gravel roads will be kept but will be blocked off from vehicular traffic with bollards. Maintenance and police vehicles will be allowed to drive on the roads when necessary. Hayrides will continue to take that route.
Q. How will the site be monitored for safety?
A. Naperville Park District Police patrol Seager Park and the Naperville Police Department also has jurisdiction on the site. Additionally, security lights will be installed on the interpretation center building. Residents are encouraged to call 911 if they are concerned about conduct on Seager Park property.
Q. How is the project being funded?
A. The Seager Park project is funded in part by the highly-competitive Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant program, with capital investments serving as the primary funding source.
Q. Will my taxes go up as a result of this project?
A. The design and development of this project does not involve an increase in taxes.
Q. What are next steps in the process?
A. The entire project, including the new parking lot, must be reviewed and approved by the City of Naperville and DuPage County. The City’s Municipal Code includes sections regarding noise, light levels, setbacks, stormwater management, alterations in vegetation, etc. Project plans must meet compliance before permits are approved. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided its permit for the site’s storm water management plan.
Q. When will renovation begin and when is it expected to be completed?
A. Earthwork is expected to begin later this summer. Completion is anticipated by late fall 2011.
Q. Will you keep us informed as progress continues on this project?
A. In addition to regular electronic and email communications, please look for information and updates on Naperville Park District’s Web site at www.napervilleparks.org.