Chart Our Future City of Lake Forest Parks & Recreation Master Plan | Page 22

PARKS AND OPEN SPACE
Implement Elawa Farm and Elawa Park Improvements
• Coordinate potential Wildlife Discovery Center renovation or relocation with park master plan
• If renovated or expanded, improve accessibility to outdoor exhibits and increase the separation between the facility and special event/rentable space to
allow simultaneous operation
• If removed, convert indoor space for special event/rental use and repurpose outdoor space considering:
- - Additional patio space for events and seating
- - Community gardens
- - Ornamental/specialty plantings
- - Native habitat restoration
• Improve/expand access to trail system at Middlefork Savanna
• Construct planned restrooms at Elawa Park per CIP plan
• Consider trending and in-demand amenities at Elawa Park such as:
• Community gardens
• Baseball/softball field improvements
• Internal path system improvements
Description
Elawa Farm and Elawa Park are located adjacent to each other and are surrounded by Forest Preserve and Open Lands properties. The farm is a historic property that
is predominately maintained and programmed by the Elawa Farm Foundation which operates independently from the City. The Parks and Recreation Department
operated the Wildlife Discovery Center out of one of the farm buildings and maintains the outdoor exhibits. Elawa Park is fully maintained by the Department
and provides active recreation amenities. Both sites share a parking lot with the Forest Preserve’s Middlefork Savanna and the Department maintains two trail
connections to the Middlefork trail system.
Elawa Farm is a heavily programmed site through rentals and foundation programming which sometimes leads to conflicts with the Nature Discovery Center.
Additionally, the Discovery Center is small and has limited opportunities for indoor and outdoor space expansion. As identified during the Connect Phase, it may
be necessary to relocate the Nature Discovery Center to a new site. The future of this facility will be assessed during the Indoor Space Needs Study and the resulting
recommendations should be coordinated with future improvements to Elawa Farm and Park.
Community gardens were the most highly prioritized amenity determined during the online survey. Gardens already exist in the City of Lake Forest at Deerpath
Middle School and at Elawa farm, however, neither offer plots for resident use. The programming at Elawa Farm and potential available open space at the farm and
park make either a logical site to provide community garden plots. Elawa Park already has the capacity to support garden plots but a community garden would
only be feasible at Elawa Farm if an existing outdoor amenity were removed (such as the possible relocation of the Nature Discovery Center) and if the plots will not
negatively impact the Elawa Farm Foundation programming. In addition to the need for a community garden identified in the Connect Phase, the planning team
noted other amenities that could be improved at Elawa Park. The backstop and the horseshoe pits were both noted to be in poor condition and an infield, bases,
and line fencing could be included to create a playable baseball/softball field. The internal path system and wayfinding could also be enhanced to provide a larger
internal trails system at Elawa Park and provide an accessible connection to the Middlefork Savanna trail system from the north edge of the park. The Parks and
Recreation Department has also planned the installation of a flushable restroom for Elawa Park in the CIP plan.
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CITY OF LAKE FOREST PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT COMPREHENSIVE MASTER PLAN
CHAPTER 1