$1.4 million for Outdoor Tennis Courts at the Oak Brook Park District
The Oak Brook Park District approved a total spend of almost $1.4 million to rebuild eight outdoor tennis courts at the July 20, 2026, Park District board meeting. This is almost double the cost of what other Park Districts in our area paid.
I reiterated that this project should cost under $1 million, which is in line with what other local park districts paid to rebuild their outdoor asphalt tennis courts (example municipalities include Orland Park, Oak Park, and Brookfield). Our Oak Brook Park District cost even exceeds the Village quoted price for rebuilding its clay tennis courts at the Bath and Tennis Club. Clay courts cost more to build and to maintain than asphalt tennis courts here in Illinois for municipalities specifically, due to sub-surface irrigation and deep drainage infrastructure. We are not talking about clay courts in general.
There was no proper Return On Investment done or presented, and the expenditure was approved without real analysis. The Oak Brook Park District needs to stop spending for spending’s sake, and get out of a “spend it or lose it” mentality.
We need smarter and more accountable decision-making. I am making you aware of this matter and helping you understand my position on this topic. I would not be opposed to rebuilding the tennis courts if we can generate the additional revenue to cover the cost. But how we initially approved $300,000 with Upland Design just for engineering costs for these tennis courts WITHOUT going to bid was careless. We should have gone out to bid to get the best deal, even though it was not mandated. Now a total cost of $1.4 million is reckless spending, plus with no proper financial analysis done.
The board majority has chosen to spend our OBPD tennis fund reserves on overly priced outdoor tennis courts that are basically utilized three months out of the year, instead of saving money to rebuild and maintain our 50+ year-old indoor tennis building that generates the bulk of our tennis revenue. We have no OBPD tennis building fund.
Yet, as a sitting Commissioner, I continually get attacked with lies for asking questions and speaking the truth. I will continue to be undeterred, uphold my fiduciary duty to the Oak Brook Park District taxpayer, and stand up for Common Sense.
#followthemoney #oakbrook #residentsfirst
Voted YES to $1.4 million for Tennis Courts:
Sharon Knitter, Ivana Kelley, Ron Gondek
Voted NO to $1.4 million for Tennis Courts:
Tina Chan, Mario Vescovi
