The District's Grounds and Natural Resources Department currently operates out of buildings constructed between the 1930s to 1990s. The majority of these buildings have deteriorated, are undersized for the District’s current operations, and are not up to current codes or standards. The administration offices, locker rooms, and bathrooms are also undersized and do not provide adequate facilities for staff and crew. The undersized garages require equipment to be stored outside, which significantly decreases their lifespan. Overall, the majority of these buildings have exceeded their useful life.

This location was chosen because of the proximity to the District’s fuel island, Fleet Management, Nursery Complex, and the determination that 22% of Grounds and Natural Resources crews work occurs within 9 miles of this location. Ultimately, drive times would be increased if it were moved to a different location. The Blackwell Maintenance Campus also houses the District’s West Sector Rangers and Facilities Management Departments. Additional factors included availability of utility resources, open land availability, adequate buffer space to single family residence and low environmental impact. See the 2022 Grounds and Natural Resource Management Operational Assessment and Logistic Plan Evaluation Report for additional information about the selection of this location.  

Projects Districtwide Grounds

The Grounds and Natural Resources department are made up of the Forestry, Landscape, Trails & Streams, Roads, Natural Resources Management and Natural Resources Management Stewardship Coordinator Operations crews. This accounts for 62 full-time employees and thirteen seasonal employees, approximately 25% of the total headcount of the District. All of these employees and crews play a critical role in managing, maintaining, and restoring natural areas, recreational sites, and support infrastructure across the District’s 26,000 acres. This includes all trails; lakes and ponds; asphalt paving and other pavements; stormwater utilities; picnic area; lawn areas; and a 20-acre native tree and shrub nursery. These crews are responsible for creating the first impressions for forest preserve visitors.

This project will have little to no affect on traffic as all Grounds and Natural Resources crews already operate out of this location and traffic patterns are already established. No additional traffic is planned or anticipated on Mack Road.

The project is anticipated to cost between $35 million and $40 million. It will be funded through the sale of bonds under the District's existing levy authority. This means it will not result in an increase to your property taxes.