Breese Mayor Kevin Timmermann speaks during the second town hall meeting on Sept. 30 at the Breese American Legion Photo by Matt Wilson The City of Breese hosted their second town hall meeting for the proposed new Breese Nature Park Amphitheater on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at the Breese American Legion.
The City of Breese is applying for an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to help fund the proposed amphitheater that will be placed at Northside Park. The City of Breese is required to have three town hall meetings as part of the OSLAD grant application.
The proposed nature amphitheater will replace the old stage at Northside Park that had to be condemned due to structural concerns.
The first town hall meeting was in August and was well attended. The second town hall meeting gave more description and drawings of the proposed amphitheater.
The proposed amphitheater will be an all inclusive, ADA-compliant outdoor performance venue designed to provide equitable access and participation for individuals of all ages and abilities. It would be the location for various community organizations, center stage for Christmas festivities and community theater productions.
Cost for the entire project is $1,254,500. The City is Breese is applying for a 50% OSLAD grant.
The dimensions of the stage area are 50 feet by 60 feet and 40 feet by 40 feet is covered roof. The ADA ramps are in the back of the stage.
There will be a back elevation and a side elevation. There is a 16-foot clearance in the front of the stage and a 12-foot clearance in the back.
The area will feature native plant beds to provide food and habitat for pollinators and other wildlife and help enhance the natural environment. There will be bio-swales and a rain garden for stormwater management, native plant beds for conservation and habitat, tree planting plan and educational signage.
The existing parking area will be oiled and chipped and they are going to try and put a concrete parking lot in the area.
The reasons for the parking lot improvements are to create a safe, level, smooth and accessible parking area; improve pedestrian access and overall site safety; provide designated ADA/handicap parking spaces; create a welcoming and more accessible park for all users; and improve storm drainage to reduce standing water.
The OSLAD grant would pay for 50% of the parking lot.
"This would be huge for anybody with accessibility issues," Timmermann said. "You would have a level surface and we would have ADA entrances from the parking lot to the sidewalks to get into the area of the stage."
Many questions were asked about the height of the stage and ideas were provided to lift the stage to make it higher.
They were concerned that the audience would not be able to see kids on stage because it would be too low. Timmermann said raising the stage would cause ponding areas and make them to get more storm water drainage.
The insurance carrier told the City of Breese what they could have in terms of the stage area.
Having the stage 24 inches off the ground does not require any railing and meets the ADA act.
One of the things the city is wanting to do is promote the stage not just for Clinton County Showcase, but also bring other ideas in. They can get grants to help pay for bands to come to the area.
At the last town hall meeting, questions were asked about how the City of Breese was going to fund the proposed amphitheater. The debt for the soccer park is almost paid off, so that debt will just transfer to the amphitheater.
All of the labor and equipment that the city uses would take about $300,000-$350,000 off the city portion of the project cost.
Timmermann said Northside Park is central to the small-town community of Breese, serving as an important gathering place for residents, families, youth and community organizations. The proposed project will build upon the park's existing role as a community destination by creating an inclusive, all-ability outdoor gathering and educational space while expanding conservation and environmental education opportunities throughout the broader park.
OSLAD grant winners will be announced on Jan. 2. Timmermann said there is a big list of applicants.
Timmermann said if the city gets the OSLAD grant, they will be pushing the project forward as quickly as they can. They would hope to have the project completed by July or August. Timmermann was asked if there would be something in the area by June for the Clinton County Showcase kids show. He said the entire project might not be complete, but they would try to have the part complete so they could have the kids show outdoors.
Timmermann said they have to be careful how they would move forward because of risk insurance on an active construction site.
The City of Breese has received an OSLAD grant three times and has only been denied an OSLAD grant one time and that was for Hannah's Playground. Playgrounds are not rated very high on the OSLAD grant list because every community wants a playground. The more inclusive the project is, the better chance it will be to get an OSLAD grant.
"We had to look outside the box for this project," Timmermann said.
The last town hall meeting will be at the end of October.
