Oak Forest Master Plan Layout.indd - Forest Preserve District of ...

oak forest heritage preserve

master plan & vision July 2012

Prepared for:

Forest Preserve District of Cook County Cook County Real Estate Management Division Prepared by: Conservation Design Forum with:

Bluestone + Associates Environmental Design International Midwest Archaeological Research Services, Inc. Primera Engineers

Client:

Forest Preserve District of Cook County Cook County Real Estate Management Division Project Team: Project Lead, Landscape Architecture, Planning

Conservation Design Forum 375 West First Street Elmhurst, IL 60126 (630) 559.2000

Interpretive Planning

Bluestone + Associates 5225 N. Ravenswood, #111 Chicago, IL 60640 (773) 506.7371

Environmental Assessment

Environmental Design International (EDI) 33 W. Monroe St., Suite 1825 Chicago, IL 60603 (312) 345.1400

Cultural Resources

Midwest Archaeological Research Services, Inc. (MARS) 505 N. State Street Marengo, IL 60152 (815) 568.0680

Engineering

Primera Engineers 100 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 700 Chicago, Illinois 60606 (312) 606.0910

Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

table of contents Executive Summary

1 Background & Introduction.....................................1 Background........................................................... 1 Telling the Story................................................... 5

2 Site & Regional Analysis........................................ 9

Site Context.......................................................... 9 Site Conditions..................................................... 17 Hydrology.............................................................. 21 Cultural & Archaeological Findings..................... 25 Environmental Assessment...................................29 Site Analysis Summary.........................................31

3 The Vision................................................................ 35 Infrastructure Improvements............................... 37 Landscape Restoration......................................... 43 Feature Areas........................................................50 Healing Environment............................................54 Interpretive Plan.................................................. 55

4 Implementation & Phasing.....................................69 Project Phasing.................................................... 69 Cost Estimates...................................................... 79

5 Funding Strategies..................................................85 Appendices A. Phase 1 Cultural Assessment B. Phase 1 Environmental Assessment C. Interpretation D. Site Pre-History E. Ecological Inventory F. Cicero Parcel Report G. The Public Process


chldren swinging outside the Oak Forest Hospital, circa 1950 Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

1 Background Project Summary & Purpose The Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan is a comprehensive vision for the future development, public use, and long-term management of the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve. The plan is intended to help guide circulation and access improvements, ecological and site restoration, memorialization of sacred space, implementation of recreational amenities, and the preservation and interpretation of the rich natural and cultural history of the Preserve and adjacent properties.

background & introduction

“The prairie landscape regularly inspired observers to wax poetic. “Pure colour everywhere. A gust of wind, sweeping across the plain, threw into life waves of yellow and blue and green. Now and then a dead black ave would race over the scene . . . . a cloud’s gliding shadow . . . “ - Rolvaag (1927)

The plan addresses four parcels: the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC) Parcel, and three others immediately adjacent to the Preserve—the Corner Parcel, the Oak Forest Health Center (OFHC), and the Cicero Parcel, all owned by Cook County (see parcel location map on page 2). The primary focus of the plan is the FPDCC Parcel, also known as the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve, but the others were included in the study because of their adjacency, Cook County ownership, and closely connected history and ecology. The Corner and Cicero Parcels were fully evaluated as part of the Master Plan analysis, and potential improvements for these parcels are included in the master plan. The OFHC Parcel is only considered with regards to potential shared access, interrelated uses, hydrology, and other synergies. The OFHC is currently undergoing a more comprehensive facility evaluation and planning analysis separately.


1

1. background & introduction | background

d

oa

ilr

Ra

ago

project location map

Cook County Corner Parcel 46.9 acres

Forest Preserve District of Cook County Parcel 176.3 acres

Cook County Cicero Parcel 23.9 acres

project parcel map

2

Pulaski Road

155th St.

W. 159th St.

Cook County, Illinois

Oak Forest Health Center 81.7 acres

Central Ave.

Ridgeland Ave.

Oak Park Ave.

151st St.

Cicero Ave.

147th St.

Chic

The Oak Forest Heritage Preserve and adjacent properties are a unique and multidimensional landscape rich in natural and cultural history shaped by centuries of human use. In more recent times it has served as the site for a Native American village, as a Cook County Poor Farm, as a place for recreational therapy for the former Oak Forest Hospital patients, and as a location for indigent burials for the County. The Master Plan seeks to define and celebrate this unique and multifaceted history through restoration, recreation, and interpretation.


153th St.

Oak Forest Heritage Preserve e

ut

167th St.

City of Oak Forest

Ro

57


Planning Process

•

Bark for a Park

The master planning process began in the fall of 2011, when a team of consultants led by Conservation Design Forum, Inc. (CDF) was retained to assist the FPDCC and Cook County in the analysis and planning of the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve. Acquired in 2010 by the FPDCC, the property warranted detailed investigation and documentation of the site’s ecological and cultural features, as well as the rich history of human activity and interaction over many millennia. These discoveries helped guide the development of the Master Plan. The team CDF assembled included experts in all aspects of naturally and culturally sustainable planning practice:

•

The City of Country Club Hills

•

The City of Blue Island residents

An open, inclusive community process was employed to ensure all relevant information, background, and ideas were considered and incorporated into the plan. The planning process occurred between the fall of 2011 and the summer of 2012. All meetings were held at the Oak Forest Health Center Campus: Committee meeting 1 November 8, 2011 Public meeting 1

January 17, 2012

Conservation Design Forum Project Lead, Landscape Architecture, Planning

Committee meeting 2

January 25, 2012

Public meeting 2

April 4, 2012

Bluestone + Associates Interpretive Planning

Committee meeting 3

March 22, 2012

Public meeting 3

June 26, 2012

Environmental Design International Environmental Assessment Midwest Archaeological Research Services, Inc. Cultural Resources

Refer to Appendix G for more information about the public process.

Primera Engineers Engineering The plan’s fundamental vision was amplified and refined with input from citizens and stakeholder groups through a series of meetings and public input forums. Participating stakeholders included: •

Forest Preserve District of Cook County

•

Cook County Real Estate

•

Oak Forest Health Center

•

Cook County Health and Hospital System

•

Cook County Commissioners

•

City of Oak Forest

•

Fieldcrest subdivision

•

Residents of Oak Forest

•

The Blue Park Sportsman Club public meeting #1


3


Guiding Principles

Project Goals

All uses and development proposed for the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve in this Master Plan are consistent with the mission of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County…to restore, restock, protect and preserve the natural forests and such lands together with their flora and fauna, as nearly as may be, in their natural state and condition, for the purpose of the education, pleasure, and recreation of the public…

A set of specific goals were identified as priorities. The Master Plan goals paralleling the Guiding Principles are to:

Future uses will also recognize: Ecosystem Health: The floristic quality of the ecosystems and wildlife habitat on-site offer opportunities for environmental education and passive recreation. Therefore, it is important to protect and enhance these systems in order to maximize the benefits they provide.

•

Restore the ecological landscape, improve surface water management, and provide new recreation improvements consistent with the FPDCC’s mission.

•

Showcase the rich cultural history of the site.

•

Identify opportunities for continued connections between the Oak Forest Health Center (OFHC) and the Forest Preserve District properties, while addressing the security needs of both.

•

Explore connections to the larger community.

Preservation of Historic Resources: The site’s incredibly rich cultural resources, history, and close relationship with the Oak Forest Health Center should be preserved and celebrated. Protection and Interpretation: Each parcel of land is unique in its natural features, ecology, and human history, all of which should be preserved, enhanced, and evident within the site for future generations. Partnership with Oak Forest Health Center: The partnership between the Oak Forest Health Center and the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve is valuable to the community and serves each to their mutual benefit. These ties will be maintained and encouraged in the long-term development and management of the site they share.

oak savanna at the Corner Parcel

overlook and pedestrian bridge at Pogie Lake

4


1. background & introduction | telling the story

Telling the Story

The Oak Forest Story

The Oak Forest Heritage Preserve is a site with a complex and interconnected set of stories of human history, archaeology, geology, ecology and natural history that span millennia. The property has seen changes in occupancy and use that have affected the health of those living on it and upon the land itself. The following is a generalized chronology of the evolution of use:

The rich cultural, ecological, and human histories of the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve set it apart as a unique and special part of Cook County. The Master Plan for the future of this site is one that suggests ways to tell its complex stories, to find lessons in the history of the site that we can use today, to bring those lessons to light, and to apply them to this very land in an attempt to stabilize it in the healing spirit of the institution that has occupied it for over 102 years. This plan cultivates meaning, promotes stewardship, and encourages the long-term sustainability of the site through an increased understanding and appreciation of its diverse histories.

ancient past

The geologic formation of the site and region; Thousands of years of nomadic hunting and foraging; More recent Native American settlement and seasonal agriculture; Modern industrialized agriculture and the development of mechanized farming practices that largely relied on monocultures (growing just one type of crop); The development of the Oak Forest Poor Farm and Infirmary; The interment of tens of thousands of indigents from the Poor Farm and the County;

beds at the Oak Forest Hospital, circa 1950

The development and progression of the Oak Forest Health Center; and sustainable The next chapter of use as the Master future Plan vision is realized.

nurses and patients outdoors, circa 1950 Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

5

1. background & introduction | telling the story

Connecting Health and Nature Today the value of nature in reducing stress and advancing the physical and emotional healing process is well documented. There is a growing body of psychological research that confirms the hypothesis that direct contact with nature leads to improved mental health and psychological development. This recognition helps explain the strong attraction of nature for all— especially those deprived of it in their daily living—and supports the value of increasing contact with nature for children and adults.

property’s history and legacy as a place of healing and rejuvenation, and as a leading-edge, emerging practice for public spaces. A continuing partnership between the Forest Preserve District of Cook County and the Cook County Health and Hospital System through the Preserve and the Oak Forest Health Center will build on the deep cultural history of the property and strengthen the value and service it can provide to the community and region in the future.

The benefits of nature experiences on psychological and emotional health and well-being continue to be researched. While not cognitively known in the early 20th century, these benefits were inherently understood by those who developed and managed the infirmary. They are the underpinning of the critical importance of the surrounding landscape to the benefit of the residents and patients of what was the Oak Forest Poor Farm and Infirmary, Oak Forest Hospital, and what today is the Oak Forest Health Center. This Master Plan creates the opportunity to reconnect people with authentic nature in recognition of the

environmental education at the River Trail Nature Center

6

outdoor recreation at Thatcher Woods



7

Elizabeth A. Conkey Forest

Burr Oak Woods

Turtlehead Lake Forest Preserve

Rubio Woods Bachelor Grove Woods 143rd St

to downtown Chicago

Midlothian 43

Sundrop Prairie Nature Preserve d

Kerkstra Middle an

Central Park Elementary Breman Community High

Isl

Jack Hille Middle

Ro

ck

Oak Forest High M

St. Damien Elementary

et

ra

Foster Elementary

83

Midlothian Meadows

Oak Forest

Scarlet Oak Elementary

Oak Forest Metra

6

294

Paintbrush Prairie Nature Preserve Gensburg-Markham Prairie Preserve

McClaughery School

W. 159th St

Markham

Nelson Woods Fieldcrest Elementary

St. Mihiel Reservation

Tinley Park

St. Gerard Majella Markham Park Elementary

DePaul University

Morton Gingerwood Elementary

57 Arbor Park Middle 175th St

Yankee Woods

50

Country Club Hills 80

Legend Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Forest Preserve District of Cook County properties The Nature Conservancy prairies school university Metra station park trails

Will County

Cook County

South Green Belt Forest

trail connection county line

0’ 1,000’ 2,000’

4,000’

6,000’

north

regional context map

8


2 Site Context The Oak Forest Heritage Preserve is located in Bremen Township within Cook County, Illinois. The property is bounded by U.S. Route 6 (159th Street) on the north, Pulaski Road on the east, South Cicero Avenue (Illinois Route 50) on the west, and the Fieldcrest neighborhood to the south. The Preserve is located in the middle of a network of green spaces in Cook County. The property is adjacent to two FPDCC properties: Midlothian Meadows and the St. Mihiel Reservation. Activities at the two adjacent preserves include picnicking, hiking, biking, and fishing at the Midlothian Reservoir (also known as the Twin Lakes) at St. Mihiel.

site & regional analysis

“. . . I started with surprise and delight. I was in the midst of a prairie! A world of grass and f lowers stretched around me [.. ]What a new and wondrous world of beauty! What a magnificent sight! How shall I convey to you an idea of a prairie?” - Steele (1841)

To the northeast of the site are three well-known, high-quality Nature Conservancy Prairies (also known as Indian Boundary Prairies): Sundrop Prairie Nature Preserve, Paintbrush Prairie Nature Preserve, and Gensburg-Markham Prairie Preserve. Although not physically connected to the FPDCC system, their proximity and high quality warrants mention as they relate to the broader network of preserved open space within the region. By establishing the Preserve as a publicly accessible, healthy ecological landscape, an important physical and ecological link is made between the preserves that helps to strengthen connectivity of these valuable green spaces for the benefit of people, plants, and animals.


9

2. site & regional analysis | site context

Cultural + Geological Context From its very beginning after the last retreat of the Wisconsin Glacier approximately 14,000 years ago, the land area that includes the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve has been a place of significance. This is due largely to its location at a point where the surficial geology left by glacial action transitions from the morainal features at the recessional edge of the glacial advance to the flat, open land of the Chicago Lake Plain approximately 2530 feet below. This key geologic transition zone can be seen in the 1929 USGS topography map on page 11 where the topographic ridgeline of the Tinley moraine sweeps from northwest to southeast. To the west of the ridge lie the rolling hills characteristic of ground moraine, and to the east is the flat, poorly drained, swampy lowlands created by the repeated advances of Lake Michigan to the edge of the glacier.

The elevation of the moraine above the plains offered Native American inhabitants refuge from the heat and humidity of low-lying swamps, views of sweeping prairie fires and the oncoming enemy, and ready access to nearby woodlands for harvesting materials for housing and sustenance. In this position, the recessional edge also provided the best trail location for travel and trading. The value of this location to Native American culture was confirmed when, in 1958, an archeological investigation uncovered eight houses and was able to map an entire Native American village for the first time in northeastern Illinois. The site appears to have been occupied approximately around 1680.

till: mainly groundmoraine deposits

till: lake-bottom wave-scoured till silt, sand and gravel

Oak Forest Heritage Preserve

till: mainly endmoraine deposits

regional geology

10


sand and gravel: beach and shoreline deposits in bars, spits, deltas, and beaches


1929 USGS topography

From The Oak Forest Site, by Elaine A Bluhm and Gloria J. Fenner, Northwestern University, 1975: “…The well-watered, partially wooded environment was an excellent one…Here they found wood for houses and fuel, cattails and rushes for mats which may have covered the houses, as well as fish, turtle, deer, beaver, muskrat and other animals for food and furs…” While the tribe which occupied the site has not been identified, this location has clear archeological significance.


11


scattering timber

timber

Pulaski Road

W. 159th Street

wet prairie

prairie

Ro

ut

e

57

S. Cicero Avenue

wetland

compiled from General Land Office Survey, 1822

pre-European settlement vegetation map

Historic Vegetation Vegetation reported in the area of the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve by General Land Surveyors of the first half of the 1800s included oak savanna, oak-hickory forest, mesic and wet prairie, sedge meadow and pond systems (from The Oak Forest Site, Chapter 2: Natural Setting by J.A. Brown and D.L. Ashe, 1975). The report suggested six to seven possible plant communities based on data extrapolated from the early land surveyor reports for Section 22 in Bremen Township. A general pre-European settlement vegetation map, prepared by the Plant Conservation Department of the Morton Arboretum, indicates probable forested, savanna, prairie and wetland communities near the site. With the exception of wood harvesting, seeding, and mowing, it is possible to show that the northwest corner of the Oak Forest site has been relatively undisturbed since the early surveyor reports. This evidence suggests

12

that this section of the property, evaluated as part of this Master Plan study, may be a remnant of the original woodland described as a “scattering of timber” by land surveyors in 1822 and 1850.

A History of Healing In 1910, what was to later become Oak Forest Hospital and today’s Oak Forest Health Center, opened its doors as the Cook County Work Farm/Oak Forest Infirmary, a poor farm and home for the county’s indigent population. The location of this institution, 22 miles from Chicago, served as a major stimulus for the 20th century growth of the Oak Forest community. This site was selected for several key reasons: •

The land was being farmed and relatively undeveloped, yet near the developing communities of Harvey and Blue Island.



•

The land was elevated above the lake plain with a clear drainage channel to the east. This recognized the value of the physical attributes of the site first appreciated by pre-history Native American settlements.

•

A train stop on the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific railway was planned for in 1893 and a rail spur to the property could be easily constructed.

•

Its rural location away from the density, dirt and grime of industrial Chicago allowed the poor to experience a healthier, more natural environment and provided an ideal location for tuberculosis treatment.

At its start in the mid-1800s, the Cook County almshouse was located at Clark and Randolph Streets in Chicago. Subsequent locations, however, were rural,

Oak Forest railroad station, circa 1950

based on the idea that the residents could work the land to pay their way. The early poor farms included 160 acres in Lake Township (1841–1854) and 160 acres five miles from the north branch of the Chicago River from 1854–1883. This latter site, called Dunning, expanded

Cook County Poor House/Infirmary - Holabird and Roche Architects Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

13


retardation, elderly people, or single mothers unable to work for a living.

to 240 acres that operated from 1883 to1910 when all patients except the insane were moved to the last of the county poor farms, the 360 acre Oak Forest Infirmary in Bremen Township. Designed by Holabird & Roche, the infirmary opened in 1911 and served as a poor farm and tuberculosis treatment center until 1956 when the institution became licensed as Oak Forest Hospital.

The decision to move the Poor Farm to the Oak Forest location was made in response to the unsanitary, overcrowded conditions at the County Poor Farm in Dunning. Once completed in 1910, the Oak Forest Infirmary housed close to 2,000 people made destitute by poverty, mental illness, and alcoholism, among other problems. By 1932, there were more than 4,000 patients, including over 500 with tuberculosis who were cared for in separate cottages. A schoolhouse and teacher were provided on the grounds for the children, who typically made up 10% of the total population.

Under state law, each county had the responsibility for providing a variety of social services to its most destitute residents, and in the 19th century each county in the Chicago region established its own almshouse. Known as the Cook County Poor Farm, Cook County Poorhouse, Cook County Infirmary, Oak Forest Infirmary, Cook County Old-Age Home, and Oak Forest Tuberculosis Hospital, this was the only public institution at any jurisdictional level that was specifically established to provide long-term refuge for those with a chronic physical illness or disability, mental illness or

At its height, the infirmary was comparable to a small city and served as a leading example of the best practices for its care of this patient population. In 1929, 19 years after the institution’s opening and only two years after

ra

ilr

oa

d

89 90

67

Pulaski Road

W. 159th Street

80

87

77

88 70 68

84 64 65 66 85 71

69

63 62 61 59

72

58

1916

82

56 55

Map of the Buildings and Grounds of the Cook County Infirmary, Tuberculosis Hospital and Farm Oak Forest Illinois

60 83 57

79

74 73 11 6

5

7

1

3

15 9 14

2

16

92

24 20 23 81 13 17 19 26 21 22 27 28

12

4

18

33 S. Cicero Avenue

54

10

8

32

29

34

Legend

91

buildings lake

78

25

stream property boundaries

30

35 31

0’ 100’ 200’

37

400’

600’ north

38

36 40 75

39 49 50

41

44 47

42

45

43

46

48 51

52

53 76

1. Administration Bldg. 2. Receiving Bldg. 3. Genl. Hospital 4. Morgue 5. T.B. Nurses Home 6. Genl. Supt Cottage 7. Infirmary Nurses Home 8. Asst. Supt. Cottage 9. Wards “C” 1,2,3&4 10. Wards “D” 1,2,3&4 11. Wards “L” 1,2,3&4 12. Protestant Chapel 13. Genl. Dining Room 14. Wards “E” 1,2,3&4

15. Wards “F” 1,2,3&4 16. Wards “G” 1,2,3&4 17. Genl. Kitchen 18. Bakery 19. Gen. Bath & Toilet Room 20. Workshop Bldg. and Mechan 21. Water Tower 22. Power House 23. Paint Shop 24. Rag House 25. Crematory 26. Oil House

27. Smoke Stack 28. Laundry 29. Storeroom 30. Wards “K” 1,2,3&4 31. Greenhouse 32. Catholic Chapel 33. Wards “A” 1,2,3&4 34. Wards “B” 1,2,3&4 35. Aged Couples Home 36. T.B. Tent Colony 37. T.B. Office Bldg. 38. T.B. Hospital Bldg. 39. New T.B. Hospital 40. T.B. Dining Hall

41. 42. 43. 44. 45. T.B. Cottage 46. Colony 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. School House 52. Duty Tent 53. Duty Tent 54. Poultry Houses & Yards

building and grounds map from 1916

14


55. 56. Poultry Houses 57. & Yards 58. Frame Farm Cottage 59. Brick Farm Cottage 60. Stables 61. 62. Frame Storehouses 63. 64. Hog Houses and Yards 65. 66. Tool House 67. Hog Hospital 68. Hog Colony

69. Antiseptic Tanks 70. Cement & Floral Piece 71. Tennis Court 72. Baseball Grounds 73. Lawn Tool Houses 74. Pumping Station 75. Catholic Cemetery 76. County Cemetery 77. County Cemetery 78. Farm House 79. Franciscan Fath. 80. Residence 81. Cistern 82. Smoke House

83. Utilety House [sic] 84. Cow Barns 85. Fruit Orchard 86. Parking Station 87. General Store 88. General Store 89. Railroad Station 90. Eastern Casket Co. 91. Lake 92. Rabits Island [sic]


electricity came to Oak Forest, a journalist for the Blue Island Sunday paper writes: “…Space is needed for 4,500 at the Oak Forest Infirmary which now has inmates to the number of 3,946….The infirmary, the best in the world of its kind…consists of 60 brick and concrete structures such as … three official cottages, two nurses homes, 27 inmates homes, 18 tuberculosis hospital buildings, dining rooms, kitchens and a bakery, butcher shops, cannery, industrial plant, greenhouse, laundry, power house, store rooms and three religious chapels…” In 1940, the population of the city of Oak Forest was 611; in 1950 the population, which had now grown to 1,856 people, was still dwarfed by the Infirmary’s patient population and support staff. A brief article in the Tribune on December 22, 1955, marks the beginning of

the gradual change of the Infirmary from an “old people’s home” to a hospital for the chronically ill. At that time it was reported that the Infirmary had cared for 2,565 patients in ten months. With this change, the hospital continued to be a leader in medical practice. In addition to the Poor Farm, the Oak Forest Infirmary property also served as a burial site for the county’s indigent and many of those who died at Oak Forest Hospital. Written records of these burials have been preserved by Cook County, beginning March 4, 1911, and continuing through November 17, 1971. These records have been microfilmed by the South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society and are available for viewing through that institution. While a formal count is not available, many people, young and old, some named and some unknown, have been interred here on what is now part of the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve.

Ro

ut

e

57

S. Cicero Avenue

Pulaski Road

W. 159th Street

historic 1938 aerial shows Oak Forest Hospital, Tuberculosis Hospital and cottages, and remains of the Poor Farm Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

15

2. site & regional analysis | site conditions

e ut in -m 20

lk wa

80 ,2 (5

) et fe

e ut in -m 15

lk wa

60 ,9 (3

) et fe

e ut in -m 10

lk wa

Laver Lavergne Ave

40 ,6 (2

end of walks

) et fe

Grove Ave

ra 161st St Oak Oaak Ave

vehicular h entrance r 162nd St

w end of walk

end of walks

pedestrian access only

primary vehicular entrance

Oak O Forest H Health Center

Oakridge Ave

Grove Ave

St

end d of walk

Laura Ln

Stt Roy S

Barry Ln

Scott St

Mann St

Wagman g St

W. 159th Street

Midlothian Meadows

pedestrian and service vehicle access only

pedestrian and service vehicle access only

nry He

Ln Lisa

Ln Adele

ve arrd A Richa

Fieldcrest ie re b s Subdivision

rold St Harold Haro

Newberry Ave

Blair Ln

Milford Ave

IDOT facility

Dr st re dc el Fi

walking distance

1000’

1500’

property boundaries

250’ 500’

north

paved sidewalk / path

railroad

service road / gravel path

road

Legend

0’

adjacent connections to the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve

et ) et fe 20 ,3 (1 lk end n of wa walk w e ut in 0thh St 160t 160th m

5-

16 d St 163r 163rd

Forest Ave

St. Mihiel Reservation

S. Cicero Avenue


16

57 e ut Ro

M st re Fo k Oa Lavergnee Ave Lavergne L

Knottingwood Ave

Georrge Dr George

Lockridge Ave

Terryy Ln

Craig Dr

Brenden Ln

Ba Barton Ln

Brockton n Ln

Pulaski Road


Site Conditions

Ecological Inventory

Circulation and Access

The ecological conditions at the Preserve include six general plant communities:

At present, public access to the FPDCC Parcel is primarily through the Oak Forest Health Center. Vehicles must enter through the OFHC guard gate and park on the campus. Pedestrians must enter the site through a service drive next to the OFHC physical plant buildings or through a locked gate near the fishing dock at Pogie Lake. A sidewalk connecting the Preserve to the adjacent FPD properties runs along the east side of Cicero Avenue, and a small spur runs through the oak savanna on the Corner Parcel into the OFHC campus. A Metra South Shore commuter line stop is located on the northwest corner of 159th Street and Cicero Avenue, where a signaled crossing allows pedestrians to cross into the Corner Parcel.

•

Mowed lawn

•

Oak savanna with lawn

•

Bur oak hillside

•

Old field

•

Overgrown thicket

•

Wetlands

Portions of the wetland plant community are further categorized as Sedge Meadow/Wet Prairie, Cottonwood Depression, Green Ash/Box Elder thicket, and Invasive Species. Each of these is described in Appendix E: Ecological Inventory. The existing plant communities

view of existing vehicular entrance, looking south

oak savanna with lawn

existing gate near the fishing dock

bur oak hillside


17


S. Cicero Avenue

Reed Canary Grass & Sedges

Burr Oak hillside

W. 159th Street

highly disturbed / dumping ground

Phragmites

Reed Canary Grass

Cattails & Reed Canary Grass Black Locust Phragmites

Green Ash & Boxelder Sedges

Phragmites Phragmites & Reed Canary Grass

Eurasian Grasses with Sedges, Rushes

artificial wetland Cattails

Reed Canary Grass

Phragmites

Reed Canary Grass Phragmites

open water

Legend

Cottonwood depression

invasive species

oak savanna

overgrown thicket

Burr Oak hillside

sedge meadow/wet prairie

lawn

old field

existing plant communities

Cattails

rookery

Big Bluestem

Reed Canary Grass & Cattails Reed Canary Grass & Bulrushes

wetland

600’

north

delineated wetland boundary

significant trees

400’

property boundaries

0’ 100’ 200’


18

57 e ut Ro

Pulaski Road


map on page 18 depicts the locations of the landscapes across the project site.

Mowed Lawn includes all areas that are maintained by regular mowing. The vegetation is dominated by common lawn grasses; a plant inventory was not collected for any of the lawn areas.

Oak Savanna with Lawn is the rolling, timbered landscape that is located adjacent to the intersection of 159th Street and Cicero Avenue. Most of the trees are mature oaks (Bur, Red, and White Oaks). Because the area is regularly mowed, a plant inventory was not collected for this plant community. Although not inventoried, it was noted that sedges, although few, are present.

Bur Oak Hillside is a relatively small, east-facing slope located in the south central portion of the Cicero Parcel that has Bur Oak as a dominant canopy tree. Wild Black Cherry and various weedy shrubs dominate the sub-canopy. Much of the ground layer has little to no vegetation. Where vegetation is present, it is primarily Garlic Mustard, a common invasive species. Because of sparse and primarily non-native vegetation along the ground plane, it is likely that the slopes will erode over time if this highly disturbed area is not properly managed.

old field

Old Field consists of the open, old-field habitats located across a large portion of the FPDCC parcel and portions of the Cicero and Corner Parcels. The vegetation is dominated by a mixture of Eurasian grasses and forbs, plus various native species. Some scraped areas have poor soil condition and are dominated by Rough Dropseed and Plains Three-awn Grass. The central portion of the FPDCC Parcel (north of the open water and south of the east-west access road) has a bit of rolling topography. Along the lower district, numerous native wetland species are present, including sedges, rushes and various forbs. These areas presently do not meet the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers criteria of wetland habitat; however, it is likely that they can be restored to wet prairie/sedge meadow habitat with restoration and appropriate management of the surrounding upland.

Overgrown Thicket consists of various thickets of unassociated woody growth. These thickets are not natural timbered landscapes, but have arisen on disturbed, artificial ground. The dominant trees include Green Ash and Eastern Cottonwood. The understory vegetation is dominated by weedy shrubs such as Common Buckthorn and Tartarian Honeysuckle. The herbaceous ground layer is dominated

overgrown thicket Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

19


by Stickseed, Garlic Mustard and Hairy Aster.

quality assessments (FQA) for the Bur Oak Hillside, Old Field, Overgrown Thicket, and seven wetlands.

Wetland consists of seven delineated wetland habitats located across the Cicero and FPDCC parcels (see delineated wetlands map below). All but one of the delineated wetlands is an isolated wetland of poor to marginal quality, often containing invasive species such as Reed Canary Grass. Wetland 5 is especially noteworthy due its varied contents: open water (Pogie Lake), marsh, sedge meadow, wet prairie, cottonwood depressions, and two drainage channels. A small heron rookery is situated in the cottonwood trees along the south shoreline of the Pogie Lake. Refer to Appendix E: Ecological Inventory for additional information, plant Inventories, and floristic

wetland 3

4 3

6

5 5 7 1 2

delineated wetlands

20


2. site & regional analysis | hydrology

Hydrology Historical Hydrology Historically, the terrestrial ecosystems of North America, particularly in the tallgrass prairie ecosystems of the upper Midwest and what existed across most all of the Oak Forest site, were very effective at receiving and absorbing rainfall. Very little water ran off the surface of the land because it was infiltrated with the aid of native plants with deep, water-holding roots. On average, 70-90 percent of a prairie grass’s total mass existed below ground. The root systems could reach or exceed depths of 15 feet. Each year, approximately onethird of the extensive root system died-off and formed partially decomposed matter that was rich in organic carbon, an element accumulated through the process of photosynthesis. Prairie lands also stored large amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC). Prior to conversion to row-crop

agriculture and urban/suburban development, prairie soils on average contained as much as 15 percent or more organic matter. Depending on the dryness or wetness of any specific habitat, the average net accumulation rate of SOC throughout much of the region typically ranged from 0.5-2 tons/acre/year. In contrast, average annual agricultural systems or lawn landscapes result in an annual net loss of soil organic carbon. The combination of vegetation cover, fibrous roots systems, and soils with low compaction and high organic matter content created a regional ecosystem where most rainwater was absorbed, and very little water ran off the surface of the land. Most rainfall either transpired through the living tissues of hundreds of different species of plants or seeped through the ground at a constant rate, only to discharge finally in fens and springs far from where it fell. Surface water runoff and accumulation in local streams and rivers occurred in

typical lawn

prairie plant root diagram


21


spring snowmelt when the ground was frozen. Once the ground thawed, however, the plant systems sprang back to life and very little to no water ran off the surface.

Contemporary Hydrology at Oak Forest As with most places in Cook County, the hydrology has been significantly altered from the natural regime as described above. Pogie Lake, once a wetland system, was excavated to create open water. The landscape has been completely altered, and no longer includes the deeprooted native grass species that absorb and infiltrate rainwater, allowing much more to run off over the ground surface. Defined drainageways drain this surface water, discharging to the east.

Most natural wetland and aquatic systems, including lakes, streams, and rivers, were predominantly formed and sustained by constant sources of groundwater discharge, or from surface-water systems derived from steady, stable groundwater discharge. Discharge occurred anywhere along the spectrum from higher to lower gradients, depending on the relationship of geology, soils, surface and groundwater gradients, and other factors. Virtually all of our endemic terrestrial and aquatic species, both flora and fauna, are adapted to such stable patterns of infiltration, evaporation, transpiration, groundwater discharge, consistent hydrology, and stable water chemistry. Growing season floods comparable to the frequency and magnitude that we suffer today in late spring and summer would have been extremely rare or nonexistent. No matter how hard the rain, the prairie was very effective at absorbing the rainfall, and the region’s wetlands, streams, and rivers remained very stable throughout the growing season both in terms of water levels, and water chemistry.

As part of a largely urbanized watershed, the water levels in Pogie Lake fluctuate with rainfall runoff, and the site experiences flooding. The following watershed and hydrology exhibits indicate the one-year, 100-year, and 500-year stormwater surface elevations, floodplain boundaries, and the watershed boundary tributary to Pogie Lake. The hydrology of the Pogie Lake aquatic complex is still remarkably stable given the largely urbanized condition of the upstream watershed area and drainage channels directing stormwater into the system. This is due in large part to the size and flood storage capacity of Pogie Lake relative to the tributary watershed area.

historic hydrology diagram

contemporary hydrology diagram

22



STREET

EN

AVENUE 275.9 AC

CRAWFORD

ZONE AE

159TH

BR

4.1 AC

NORTH

0'

12

23


7.8 AC

28.7 AC

HWL=636.0

167TH STREET

57 RO UT E

ZONE X

201.2 AC

EO

ZONE X ZONE X

NWL=631.6 HWL=636.0

G

HW HI

NWL=637.4 HWL=643.0

32.5 AC

163.2 AC

G

ZONE AE

167TH

ZONE A

MAPPED FLOODPLAIN

CL

MIDLOTHIAN CREEK

LEGEND 100YR BASE FLOOD ELEVATION 1YR WATER SURFACE ELEVATION WETLAND DELINEATION WATERSHED BOUNDARY

MAPPED FLOODWAY MAPPED 500-YR FLOOD

NA

N

ZONE X

ZONE AE

LEGEND

100YR BASE FLOOD ELEVATION 1YR WATER SURFACE ELEVATION WETLAND DELINEATION WATERSHED BOUNDARY

MAPPED FLOODPLAIN

MAPPED FLOODWAY MAPPED 500-YR FLOOD

RG

E

AVENUE CICERO

AY

PULASKI RD

hydrology exhibit showing delineated wetlands, watershed boundaries, floodplains, and floodways.


existing topography, utilities, and infrastructure

24


2. site & regional analysis | cultural & archaeological findings

Cultural & Archaeological Findings A reconnaissance survey was conducted on the FPDCC and Corner Parcels to identify possible prehistoric or historic remains and help guide the development of the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan.

Previous findings Archaeological sites within the project area include two small but significant sites that were previously recorded by the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS) during a shovel test survey at the intersection of 159th Street and Cicero Avenue in 2010. Another site is a large Mississippian/Historic Native American village, the Oak Forest site, recorded in the northwest corner of the Forest Preserve Parcel in 1958. This excavation allowed archaeologists to map eight Native American houses and completely excavate one. The excavation included larger features, such as storage pits for maize or seeds, fire pits, house pits, and post holes, and a substantial amount of ceramic (prehistoric pottery), lithic (chert stone tools and by-products of stone tool manufacture, boiling stones for cooking, etc.), and faunal material (animal bone). An iron object and an unusual carved marine shell duck ornament, possibly from the contact

period (approximately 1600 – 1763) was also found. The houses uncovered are similar to others found at sites dating to approximately the same time period. The houses ranged from 25 to 47. 5 feet in length and from 12 to 15 feet wide and were outlined by a large number of small postholes with a few larger postholes down the center. The pattern of post suggests that these houses were made of slender saplings driven into the ground and bent over and tied together in the center, forming an oval, dome shaped structure. This framework may have been covered with matting or bark, although no evidence of the covering was found in the excavation. In 1978, during construction of two IDOT maintenance buildings just north of the site of the 1958 excavations, artifacts from those explorations were further studied and identified by Richard Maryonovich, then an assistant architect at the hospital. In 1979 a team of archaeologists from Northwestern University conducted further excavations on the IDOT property. The primary goals of these excavations were to collect a sample of plant and animals remains that might shed light on whether the site was used as a summer village or a seasonal camp. Over

19th century Native American dwellings Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

25


S. Cicero Avenue TB hospital

hog pens

W. 159th Street

Historic Poor Farm

newborn burials

pathology waste

Cemetery

concrete vaults

County Cemetery

Native American Oak Forest Site

Pulaski Road

stables poultry houses & yards

Pogie Lake

Fieldcrest Subdivision

Blue Park Sportsman Club

cemetery

Legend

pathology waste

potential lead contamination

archaeological findings

farm activities

600’

north

tuburculosis treatment

County Cemetery

Poor Farm Cemetery

400’

property boundaries

0’ 100’ 200’

existing cultural and archaeological findings

cow pens


TB cottages

Saint Gabriel Catholic Cemetery


26

57 e ut Ro


150 pit features were excavated and substantial amounts of ceramics, lithics, and plant and animal remains were recovered from the site, in addition to a few Europeanmanufactured trade items (one bead, several pieces of brass, and a piece of iron). Radiocarbon dates and artifacts suggest that the site was occupied sometime between A.D. 1425 and A.D. 1625, and that the site was a warm-weather agricultural village. Given the number of houses and pit features, it is quite likely that additional significant archaeological remains are present in the FPDCC Parcel.

2011 Survey During the 2011 Phase 1 Cultural Assessment as part of the background investigation for this Master Plan, Midwest Archaeological Research Services, Inc. (MARS) employed shovel probes as a means of surveying the land. Shovel probes are small, subsurface sampling units approximately 35 cm in diameter and 35 to 50 cm deep. Soils from shovel probes were screened through 1/4” hardware mesh. When screening was not possible due to clayey soils, soil was hand trowelled. This technique worked well as evidenced by the many very small artifacts recovered. Shovel probes were excavated at 15-meter (50 ft) intervals. When positive probes were found, unless circumstances called for an alteration in this protocol, additional testing was conducted at 2-meter intervals to better define the site boundaries and artifact densities.

2011 archeological finding locations


27


in good condition, but should be stored in a safe, dry room and at some point be curated in a professional manner. There are also two books of burial records and microfilmed copies of five other books that can be used to determine how many people were buried at the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve.

tool making debris found at the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve

A total of 411 prehistoric artifacts and 40 historic artifacts were recovered during the survey. All of the prehistoric artifacts are stone, either tools or the by-products of stone tool manufacture and/or resharpening. Nine new sites recorded with the Illinois State Museum and the increased boundaries for two of the previously recorded sites. In addition to the sites, 13 isolated finds were also recorded. These findings, in conjunction with the finidngs from the 1958 and 1979 excavations help to establish this area as a unique and valuable archeological site. Refer to Appendix A: Phase 1 Cultural Assessment for the full report and complete listing of archaeological findings.

It is recommended to hire a conservator to assess the collections prior to curation. Until a conservator is contacted, it is suggested to collect and store all of the documents, blueprints, and photographs in one location. Attempts should be made to locate the five missing cemetery record books, and microfilmed copies should be acquired from the South Suburban Genealogical and Historical Society where they are being stored. All items should be stored in a secure, dry, climate-controlled location. Local colleges or universities may be interested in conducting educational archaeological excavations at some of the smaller sites or in the area of the animal pens in the historic Poor Farm. Artifacts relating to the construction of the pens, care of the animals, and processing the animals for consumption may be present

Curation of Historic Records Archaeological artifacts collected during the Phase I Cultural Assessment in 2011 will be inventoried and curated at the Illinois State Museum in Springfield, Illinois. It is recommended to also inventory and curate all non-archaeological items in the possession of the OFHC and Cook County employees, such as historic photographs, interment records, and historic patient records. A wealth of information on 20th century disease as it relates to occupation, sex, age, and native country is preserved in these record books. They are generally historic cemetery record books

28



and can provide information about daily life at the Poor Farm. These excavations would have to follow accepted professional standard and be supervised by a qualified archaeologist.

Environmental Assessment A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Report was prepared as background for this Master Plan, which reviewed the conditions of the FPDCC Parcel and the areas surrounding the Oak Forest Health Center in the Corner and Cicero Parcels. The assessment has revealed evidence of several Recognized Environmental Conditions (RECs) and recommends further investigation of these areas prior to detailed design and construction: On-site Recognized Environmental Conditions

Buried waste Buried waste—primarily cement nibble—has been found within the FPDCC parcel. Further investigation of the type, quantity, and location should be conducted.

Gun club activity area The Blue Park Sportsman Club, located just outside of the southeastern corner of the FPDCC parcel, historically shot into the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve land for trap and skeet shooting. Although no physical evidence of the activities is apparent above ground, there is a potential for lead contamination from the shots within the soils. As such, it is recommended that this section of the property be investigated and tested prior to construction. Historical Recognized Environmental Conditions

Cemetery Historical Recognized Environmental Conditions are RECs which have been corrected or are otherwise determined not to represent a threat. The historic cemetery and burial of medical waste in the FPDCC parcel, as it stands, does not require further environmental investigation. As a historic cemetery, the Illinois Historic Preservation Act and the Human Skeletal Remains Protection Act offers protection from all disturbances of

Cemetery

Buried waste

Gun Club activity area

Environmental RECs Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

29

2. site & regional analysis | site analysis summary

Oak Forest Metra Station pedestrian entrance

vehicular entrance


5-min ute w alk ( 1,32

W. 159th Street

pedestrian / service vehicle entrance

pedestrian / service vehicle entrance

traffic noise

Pogie Lake

feet)

Midlothian Meadows

lookout

lookout

e walk 5-minut

IDOT facility

10-m inute

ffic

walk (2,64

feet)

vehicular entrance

Native American Oak Forest Site

(1,320

tra

historic timber

heron rookery existing fishing dock existing gazebo

k (2,640 ute wal 10-min

0 fee t)

Fieldcrest Elementary School

ic

or

st

hi

La ke

ca

Ch i

go

rid

e

lin

ge

Blue Park Sportsman Club

Legend

lake plain

historic cemetery / pathology waste

potential lead contamination

archaeological findings

historic Poor Farm

0 fee t)

Pulaski Road

oak savanna

sedge meadow/wet prairie

wetland

600’

north

delineated wetland boundary

significant trees

stormwater discharge

400’

property boundaries

0’ 100’ 200’

site analysis summary

historic rail li ne

TB Hospital Fieldcrest Park

Fieldcrest Subdivision

ry da un Bo an di ic

In or

be

r

St. Mihiel Reservation TB Cottages

existing 4’ sidewalk

H

ist


30

e

57 ut Ro

tim ic or st hi

S. Cicero Avenue

noi se


unregistered graves including excavation and removal. It is recommended that the graves be left undisturbed as design and construction move forward. No permanent structures or developments are planned for land within the known extents of the historic cemetery.

Cook County’s indigent population until 1971. Evidence of the Poor Farm outbuildings remains visible in the east half of the Corner Parcel. These features give the Preserve a unique identity within the FPDCC system. •

Refer to Appendix B for the full environmental assessment report.

Site Analysis Summary

The FPDCC recognizes the unique nature of the character of the Preserve and supports its enhancement and recognition.

Challenges

The following is a brief summary of the strengths, challenges, opportunities, and future management needs of the Preserve and adjacent properties. This list was formed through the site analysis and investigation process, and was generated in an early project workshop meeting. The discussion from that meeting was used as one of the first steps in the formation of the Master Plan.

•

As a result of the water source of Pogie Lake and the historical lack of ecological stewardship, the vegetation in the wetland systems on the property consists almost entirely of the invasive wetland species Phragmites (Common Reed) and Reed Canary Grass. These areas will require intense, long-term management to restore.

•

There is currently no access to the Preserve except through the existing entrance for the Oak Forest Health Center. While using this location avoids permitting delays and costs required by a new, separate, entrance off 159th Street, it also requires a new road alignment once on campus to more clearly separate traffic patterns.

•

The property is large enough that a separate entrance on the east side would facilitate access to that part of the site, however, access points are limited and remote.

Strengths •

The site includes rolling topography, open water, and wetland systems that will support restoration of a broadly diverse matrix of native ecosystems.

•

Pogie Lake is large enough to serve as a significant focus within the landscape and provides a direct historical connection to Oak Forest Health Center. Water quality in the lake appears to be good and positive fish species have been noted, however, the balance is fragile and does not support it serving as a fishing amenity for the Preserve.

•

Positive wildlife populations have been found on site, including rare animal species and nesting grounds for herons.

•

The property contains a number of culturally significant features that tie to various aspects of the Preserve’s history. They include a significant Native American site in the northeast corner, and the cemetery that served as the burial site for

Opportunities •

A number of Cook County health initiatives would be a compatible use with the Forest Preserve District activities. The adjacency of the Preserve and the Oak Forest Health Center strengthen the potential for shared use programs, such as recreational therapy/trail use, sustainable urban agriculture tied to the interpretation of the historic Poor Farm agricultural operations, and interpretation of the history and legacy of healing


31


opportunities that may exist for partnership. They have been most helpful in making historical records and photographs available. These resources are tremendously valuable for their contribution to the interpretive program for the Preserve.

at the Oak Forest Health Center. •

•

32

The County is embarking on a space utilization study of its properties. Because of its timing, the Master Plan established for the Preserve can help inform the County regarding mutually beneficial relationships that may be established between these adjacent land uses and sustainable site redevelopment practices both entities can benefit from. The Corner Parcel, evaluated as part of this Master Plan, includes a wooded area in the northwest corner and south along Cicero Avenue. The tree cover in this area consists primarily of oak species and appears to be relatively undisturbed, except by mowing and historical wood harvesting. This area is one of the most significant natural and cultural areas evaluated as part of the planning process, and may be an ecological remnant of a preEuropean landscape. The ecological landscape restoration of this area would be consistent with the historical nature of the property, and would preserve the visual character of the entrance to the Oak Forest Health Center and the 159th Street frontage along the property.

•

The Preserve property is located between Midlothian Meadows on the north and the St. Mihiel Reservation to the west. Its geographic location provides an opportunity to strengthen the physical and ecological connections between these preserve lands.

•

The 159th Street and Cicero Avenue intersection is a major entrance point to the Village of Oak Forest from the southeast and includes a Metra station that is currently being renovated and improved. This provides convenient transit access from the greater Chicago area, and a regional connecting point for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

•

The leadership and administrative staff of the Oak Forest Health Center are extremely supportive of the work done for the Master Plan and the

•

One of the historic buildings belonging to Oak Forest Health Center, such as the OFHC’s physical plant buildings have been initially identified as an ideal opportunity for renovation as a Visitor/ Interpretive Center where the public might learn about the rich history of the combined properties.

Future Management Needs •

Future development of the Cicero Parcel may result in an incompatible adjacent land use. Stormwater management for any future site development on this parcel should be designed to ensure avoidance of negative impacts to Pogie Lake or adjacent wetlands.

•

Two large, highly-urbanized subwatersheds drain to the site from the south. The west half of the Fieldcrest subdivision and adjacent property north of Route 57 drains directly into Pogie Lake through a channel. A second area including the east half of Fieldcrest and light industrial developments between Route 57 and Pulaski Road drains into a swale cut further east, and is causing significant erosion of the swale’s sidewall near Route 57.

•

A high population of deer and small predatory mammals that adapt well to more intensive development, like skunks, opossums, and coyotes, are negatively impacting key avian and amphibian species that use the site. The high deer presence will be significantly detrimental to successfully establishing new plantings.



33

alternate pedestrian crossing farmsted

pedestrian and wildlife crossing

2. hospital

cemetery 3. visitor center

5. cemetery

museum / visitor center and restroom parking (40 cars)

8. oak forest site 7. ongoing archeology

temporary restroom

6. wetlands

temporary parking (12 cars) 12. restoration: water/hydrology

existing dock existing gazebo 10. restoration: vegetation & biodiversity

9. restoration: geology & soil

11. ongoing archeology

Fieldcrest Park parking lot

The Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan proposes new public amenities like the community gardens shown in this photo collage.

34


3 The Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan is intended to guide the evolution of the property from an inaccessible, environmentally disturbed site with a hidden past, into a preserve that is beautiful, culturally and biologically rich, accessible, and educational. The plan includes ecological, cultural, recreational, and interpretive elements that uncover the site’s fascinating history, and help to define a new future—one in which the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve is a valued, well-utilized amenity embraced by the community of Oak Forest, Cook County, and the region.

the vision

“A populous solitude of bees and birds, And fairy formed, and many colored things.” - Steele (1841)

The Preserve presents an unparalleled opportunity to offer an array of recreation, learning, and healing experiences in one location. The Preserve—with the adjoining Oak Forest Health Center campus—has sheltered, fed, employed, and healed people for countless generations. This Master Plan identifies and recognizes the vast wealth of resources that exist here today, and strives to integrate them with leadingedge ecological practices to best serve the needs and aspirations of the community. This comprehensive, integrated approach serves as a catalyst to nurture and develop the reincarnation of this land to provide inspiration, celebration, and the next generation of healing for Cook County residents and visitors. The elements of the Master Plan are inextricably interwoven; one element relies on the stability and performance of the others to meet its full potential. However, to better communicate the intent of the plan, the components are organized into five categories:


35

3. the vision

2. health center complex

3. visitor center

museum / visitor center and restroom parking (40 cars) temporary restroom temporary parking (12 cars)

4. poor farm

farmsted

5. historic cemetery

alternate pedestrian crossing

11. restoration: water/hydrology

existing dock existing gazebo

Fieldcrest Park parking lot


6. wetlands

7. ongoing archeology

10. restoration: vegetation & biodiversity

8. oak forest site

relocate, stabilize, and combine channel

native oak savanna

native woodland

native prairie

fence

boardwalk

tertiary path (3’ mowed or gravel)

secondary path (8’ gravel)

primary path (12’ gravel)

Pulaski Road

low profile prairie

path intersection treatment

parking (24 cars)

rainwater enhancement area

resting spot/overlook

9. geology & soils

wetland

interpretation

57

pond

wayfinding

e ut Ro

major green screening

“You Are Here” signs

Legend

minor green screening

master site plan

W. 159th Street

1. oak savanna


proposed property easement

existing road new road


36

upgraded sidewalk

new signal at intersection

S. Cicero Avenue

3. the vision | infrastructure improvements

•

Infrastructure Improvements

Vehicular Access

•

Landscape Restoration

•

Feature Areas

•

Healthy Environment

•

Interpretive Plan

Vehicles will access the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve through a shared route from the existing entrance drive off of 159th Street (currently used for the Oak Forest Health Center) with separated, secure entrances for the OFHC and FPDCC activities. A roundabout, which slows traffic and eases navigation, will be added with three entrance roads: the existing OFHC drive that leads to the guardhouse, the existing OFHC parking lot located on the north side of the campus, and a new entrance drive leading to the Preserve property. The drive leading to the FPDCC parcel will direct traffic southeast, leading to a new 40-car parking lot that is connected to the proposed visitor center and the primary path through the site. This parking lot could include green infrastructure practices, such as permeable parking and driveways and bioretention, which would help manage stormwater falling on the site.

Each of these categories is described briefly, along with key elements, strategies, and considerations. Illustrations, precedents, and a palette of materials are provided to help communicate the overall design intent of each category.

Infrastructure Improvements The intended use of the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve as a public forest preserve mandates that it support safe and convenient access by FPDCC staff, researchers, and visitors. Green infrastructure, the development of infrastructure using high-performance, leading-edge green practices, provides the basic needs of resilient surfaces, accessibility, support facilities, and shelter, while at the same time providing sustainable solutions and long-term cost and environmental benefits. Roadways, trails, rest facilities, and other structures that are engineered, built, and maintained as green infrastructure provide an opportunity to leverage and combine planned capital expenditures with funding support, and serve as green demonstrations towards the support of the mission and goals of the FPDCC. Some of the benefits green infrastructure can provide at the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve over time include rainwater infiltration, water conservation, durability, lower long-term operations and maintenance costs, reduced reliance on fossil fuels, and support of local economy. This will also serve to foster a connection to place and support an authentic, beautiful setting that will draw in and inspire all who visit.

Signage that identifies the Preserve and its entrances should be incorporated on both Pulaski Road and 159th Street to ensure ease of navigation to the site. Refer to the Interpretive Plan section for additional suggestions about signage and wayfinding. Future opportunities: 1.

Should the FPDCC purchase the Blue Park Sportsman Club property in the Preserve’s southeast corner, there is an opportunity to retrofit the existing parking area and building into an entranceway and parking lot, as well as house the Forest Preserve Police or an operations facility.

2.

If the triangular property between the old 159th Street and the current 159th Street just north of the historic cemetery were to be acquired, there is an opportunity to use this property as an alternate vehicular entrance on the north side of the site.


37

3. the vision | infrastructure improvements new signal at intersection

S. Cicero Avenue

W. 159th Street

parking (40 cars)

museum / visitor center and restroom

temporary parking (12 cars)

alternate pedestrian crossing


parking (24 cars)

existing road

Legend

new road or parking

primary path (12’ gravel)

primary path - enhanced

existing secondary path (8’ gravel)

tertiary path (3’ mowed or gravel)

600’

north


400’

property boundaries

0’ 100’ 200’

infrastructure & circulation plan

temporary restroom

proposed property easement

Pulaski Road

Legend


38

57 e ut Ro


Trails Two new trails are proposed to loop through the FPDCC parcel and around the OFHC campus. The existing path leading southeast from the corner of 159th Street and Cicero Avenue that follows the alignment of the historic rail access will be reopened and intersected by a new pedestrian path through the oak savanna. The loop path around the OFHC is 1.65 miles long and will move north of the proposed FPDCC drive to meet up with the FPDCC loop directly east of the OFHC. The loop connects with the Cicero Avenue sidewalk, which will be enhanced (widened), southward to the proposed pedestrian crossing at 163rd Street. This enhanced sidewalk would allow bicycles and pedestrians to comfortably share the path. The trail loop around the FPDCC parcel is 1.5 miles long. The path follows the rolling topography of the site and passes through or is adjacent to each type of plant community on the site. The path encircles the wetlands

and Pogie Lake, providing ample views of the entire site and two points of access to the water’s edge. The path incorporates sections of elevated boardwalk to cross wetlands and water channels or drainageways, providing a varied pedestrian experience. A connection between the primary path and the Fieldcrest neighborhood is proposed through two southward spurs: one would connect to the existing parking lot at Fieldcrest Park, and the second would connect to an extension of the sidewalk at Fieldcrest Elementary School. These two loop paths are the most direct routes to experience the site and would be appropriate for shared uses by bicyclists, runners, and walkers. A number of secondary paths offer a more intimate, slowerpaced pedestrian experience, and provide access to the delineated character zones, cultural amenities, and interpretation (see the Feature Areas and Interpretive Plan sections). Tertiary paths – the narrowest of the paths – offer the least formal route for Preserve visitors

typical primary path section Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

39


typical secondary path section

to reach other portions of the site, and are described throughout the following sections. Where paths intersect, a special treatment is suggested to identify the significance of the location or feature the path leads to. Intersections where interpretive elements are proposed should be set apart from those where resting spots or connections to the larger path network are made. It is recommended to differentiate the path intersections by using alternate paving materials or contrasting border materials that help indicate special elements or features. Potential materials include inlaid flagstone or limestone and/or cobble borders for these pathways. Refer to the Interpretive Plan for additional suggestions.

Adjacent Connections The primary path connects the two adjacent Forest Preserves: Midlothian Meadows and St. Mihiel Reservation, in an effort to join these fragmented open spaces. A pedestrian crossing over 159th Street is proposed on the northeast side of the FPDCC Parcel

40

path intersection treatment examples



to allow for a safe, grade-separated crossing over 159th Street for people, bicycles, and (potentially) the many wildlife species that live here, including deer, raccoon, and coyote. This connection would require a new path alignment within Midlothian Meadows to connect the two preserves. A vehicular and pedestrian traffic signal is suggested for the 163rd Street and Cicero Avenue intersection to provide a connection from the Preserve site to the St. Mihiel Reservation and the Twin Lakes. A traffic signal would provide safe and direct access between the preserve. It is recommended that the FPDCC retain an easement on the Cicero Parcel in order to maintain a pedestrian connection to Cicero Avenue, regardless of what the future use of the parcel is.

Structures The proposed Visitor Center would ideally reuse an existing building on the OFHC campus to house an interpretive museum, and provide information on health, wellness, and nature. Green building practices, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) techniques, could be employed during the renovation and construction of the center and the surrounding landscape. Refer to the Interpretive Plan for a detailed description of the Visitor Center and related interpretive elements. The Master Plan includes a restroom facility near the main entrance to the Preserve. The restroom could become a “green” facility that meets LEED certification requirements. Sustainable building features could

Infrastructure materials palette:

green restroom

asphalt path (primary path - alternate)

gravel path (primary and secondary paths)

mowed path (tertiary paths)


41


Infrastructure materials palette, continued:

cobble-lined path (path intersection treatment)

bioswales (parking lots)

flagstone path (path intersection treatment)

boardwalk/swale crossing

permeable pavement (parking)

wildlife crossing

42


3. the vision | landscape restoration

include a green roof, solar energy, and rainwater harvesting.

started as soon as a detailed plan, budget, and priorities are agreed upon and funded.

Landscape Restoration

The Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan has identified five general plant community types that would be appropriate to establish or reestablish on site, based on initial field observations of existing conditions, historic cultural use, and intended use of the land. These plant communities would be further refined through the ecological restoration/rehabilitation and long-term stewardship planning process. The communities are as follows:

While the overall landscape on the Preserve is largely naturalized, it has been heavily impacted by past uses and is generally not in a stable, healthy condition. In order to achieve a natural landscape that is in harmony with the site, virtually the entire property will need to be re-established with native plant ecosystems appropriate for the climate, geology, hydrology, and other conditions of the overall habitat. The landscape will need to be restored and managed long-term in accordance with ecological knowledge and expertise, following a detailed Ecological Landscape Restoration, Management, and Stewardship plan that would be articulated as one of the first steps of Master Plan implementation. This is the key to realizing a landscape that is truly authentic to the site. This Master Plan recommends that ecological restoration/rehabilitation and long-term stewardship be

•

Native prairie

•

Native woodland

•

Native oak savanna

•

Rainwater enhancement areas

•

Wetland

A healthy, restored native landscape will provide a beautiful setting for the recreational and educational

The Corner Parcel could be restored to an oak savanna, an ecosystem that dominated this area before European settlement. Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

43


u ue enue en Aven Avenue eroo Av er icer Cic Cic S. Cicero

native oak savanna


159th Street W. 15 W

Pogie Lake

Pulaski Road

native prairie

Legend

woodland

oak savanna

low profile prairie

ecological features

low profile prairie

native prairie

wetland woodland

major screening minor screening

600’

north


wetland

pond

major screening

minor screening

400’

property boundaries

0’ 100’ 200’


44

57 e ut Ro


activities to come, a habitat to support a much broader array of native flora and fauna than exist on the site today, and a wonderful opportunity to connect the past with the future in a visible, didactic way.

Restoration/Rehabilitation Restoration, in general, involves a set of activities such as invasive species removal, soil improvement, and species enhancement that attempt to renew, repair, and re-establish an ecosystem to a previous condition with respect to health, integrity, and sustainability. The ability to restore a habitat or ecosystem to a previous state, such as pre-European settlement, is dependent upon the present condition of the ecosystem (i.e. presence of remnant habitat), extent of damage and degradation, and threats and constraints of the current circumstances. Similarly, rehabilitation of a landscape, sometimes referred to as de novo restoration (literally “from new”) is performed in portions of the site where all remnant of the original ecosystem has been lost. This also involves a set of activities that resemble many of the same practices as a restoration that are implemented to recover or heal an appropriately adapted native landscape system. The trajectory of the rehabilitation may not necessarily be toward a pre-European settlement condition, but rather toward an ecological state that increases the native biodiversity and viability of a landscape to the extent practical and sustainable given the present-day opportunities and constraints. Based on the General Land Surveyor notes from the early 1800s, the majority of the FPDCC parcel likely consisted of prairie—wet to wet-mesic prairie along the lower elevation with a mesic to drier prairie across the higher elevation of this moderate rolling topography. The Corner and Cicero Parcels likely consisted of an oak savanna habitat. Much of the landscape, particularly on the FPDCC Parcel, has been disturbed by previous activities including excavation to create Pogie Lake and the drainageways, cultivation activities, and other various disturbances to the soil structure and hydrology.

In addition to past land uses, current stormwater flow from off-site and an extensive on-site deer population will affect the ability of a site-wide restoration to achieve the species diversity of a truly “pre-European settlement” condition. In fact, even if it were ecologically feasible, it may not be the desirable to attempt to achieve open prairie on the entire site; while not native, the existing tree cover provides valuable habitat and other benefits. The recommended approach is to restore authentic native landscape ecosystems to the extent practical, and stabilize the remainder of the site with appropriate native and adapted plant species that contribute to the overall health and vitality of the site. There are many indications that imply the potential for an extremely high-quality, authentically Cook County native landscape restoration for much of the site over the long-term, such as the presence of various native wet-prairie and prairie species. Some areas, primarily the overgrown thickets, have been degraded to the extent that will not allow repair or renewal of the previous prairie ecosystem; however, in lieu of restoration, these areas can be rehabilitated to provide a viable habitat that will complement the adjacent restoration.

Restoration Management Plan The first step for an ecological restoration/rehabilitation effort is the development of a site specific Restoration Management Plan (RMP). A RMP includes short- and long-term management activities, evaluation techniques that assess the re-establishment and recovery process, adaptive management approaches to direct it toward the desired outcomes, and costs associated with the restoration/rehabilitation process. The ecological restoration/rehabilitation on the FPDCC Parcel would include control of invasive species, which may require various approaches to stabilize hydrology in addition to actual removal. Controlling Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea) will require implementation of water quality improvement techniques to pre-treat off-site surface water before active herbicide treatment should


45


be implemented. Herbicide treatment of established populations of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) can and should be implemented as soon as possible. In addition to the control and eventual removal of invasive species, actions should be applied in specific portions of the site to ensure healthy, robust native ecosystems. These steps will likely include: •

Recovery of the landscape soil structure, which is the foundation of an ecosystem restoration/ rehabilitation;

•

Selective removal of woody plant material; tree and shrub cover that is too dense reduces sunlight to the ground plane and inhibits establishment of native grasses and herbaceous vegetation within the overgrown thickets;

•

The installation of a nurse crop (select native grasses) to aid in rebuilding organic matter, and

•

Implementation of indigenous management practices.

ecological

Only a few desirable native tree species are present on the FPDCC Parcel. These should be preserved and protected during the restoration/rehabilitation. Incorporation of additional native tree species across the rehabilitated landscape, such as Bur Oak and Swamp White Oak (Quercus macrocarpa, Q. bicolor), should be part of the long-term restoration program. Augmentation or enhancement of the prairie with additional varieties of native grasses and herbaceous species over time is an important aspect of an ecological restoration/rehabilitation. The intensity and timing of the augmentation will vary across the landscape and should be based on assessment of native recruitment after annual burn management has occurred for a minimum of two consecutive years. For areas that contain little to no native plant structure, installation of a few select species is recommended to provide a foundation in order to build that native structure.

46

Restoration of the Bur Oak hillside would require similar management techniques of selective tree removal to increase light levels and installation of a native grass matrix to stabilize the slope and assist with re-building the soil structure. Introduction of native herbaceous species would be part of a long-term management program. Initial restoration/rehabilitation within the Corner Parcel would consist of halting the regular mowing under the existing oak trees. A growing season inventory of the herbaceous species should then be conducted to determine if a remnant structure is present, if augmentation is needed, and to what extent it is necessary. Subsequent management recommendations can be made based on the findings and desired trajectory of the restoration/rehabilitation.

Rainwater Enhancement Areas Healthy natural water and wetland systems are fed by base flow, or rainwater that has percolated into the ground and then moves laterally to open water. This allows the water to be cooled and cleaned; rainwater that falls onto deep-rooted native landscapes like prairies and woodlands will behave this way. However, rainwater that falls onto impervious surfaces such as roadways, parking lots, rooftops, and even traditionally shallow-rooted lawns will be unable to adequately infiltrate. Sitting on the surface, this water absorbs heat in the summer months and picks up contaminants and debris. Sediment, grease, oil, detergent, herbicides, pesticides, de-icing salt, pet waste—whatever is on the surface—becomes mixed with the water and is sent downstream. The drainage channels entering the Preserve from the south are likely carrying materials such as these into Pogie Lake. The Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan incorporates stormwater treatment areas—bioinfiltration and naturalized swales—that help to cool, cleanse, and infiltrate this water through the establishment of native



S. Cicero Avenue

W. 159th Street

stormwater treatment

57 e ut Ro

swale

stormwater treatment

Legend

wetland

pond

stormwater discharge

400’

600’

property boundaries

0’ 100’ 200’

north

hydrology improvements

47


Pulaski Road


plant communities. These treatment areas replicate the function of the site’s historic hydrology and will increase the quality of Pogie Lake and the surrounding wetland complex. By also incorporating green practices like permeable surfaces in structures, roads, parking lots, and trails, the Master Plan will enhance infiltration and provide better, longer-lasting, more beautiful infrastructure.

Vegetative Screening Major and minor vegetative plantings along the edges of the site and between some of the Feature Areas are proposed throughout the Preserve. Screening helps

farm

landscape restoration

ensure separation between conflicting uses and serves as noise and visual buffers between the Preserve and the adjacent roads and land uses.

Cultural Landscapes While the vast majority of the site is proposed to be preserved and restored as natural/native landscape, some feature areas and edges are planned as cultural landscapes, using adapted, compatible plant species. The farmstead, historic cemetery, and other places programmed for cultural landscapes are described in the next section.

cemetery

landscape restoration Oak Forest Health Center

wetland / aquatic systems

Cicero Parcel

landscape and feature areas

48


Oak Forest site


Landscape Restoration palette, continued:

native prairie

native prairie

native woodland

drainage swale

wetland

naturalized water edge


49

3. the vision | feature areas

Feature Areas As described throughout this Master Plan, much of the site contains physical evidence of past uses, some of which are still visible. It is the intent of the Master Plan to transform the site into a living museum where past uses are evident, interpreted, and honored, in harmony with current (passive) recreational uses. To help achieve this quality, several “feature areas” that align with different eras of prior human use and activity on the site are identified and described below.

Farmstead The historic Poor Farm will be “restored” to create the feeling and aesthetic of the working farm and diverse agricultural activities of the site’s past. Remnants

from the historic Poor Farm—concrete foundations and trenches—will be used as planting bed boundaries and will provide an interesting opportunity for interpretation. The landscape could consist of prairie grasses and perennials, an ornamental orchard, and vegetable and herb plots that could become an active farming or community gardening practice associated with the OFHC’s horticultural therapy practices or a local gardening organization. Mulched or mowed tertiary paths will be oriented in a grid around the site, following the delineation lines between the Poor Farm buildings and livestock pens. A meandering secondary path loops around the farmstead to provide access and enhance interpretation of the farmstead (see the Interpretive Plan for additional information).

A community garden in the Corner Parcel farmstead utilizes the remaining cement infrastructure from historic livestock pens.

50



A grid of paths planted with low-profile prairie grasses reflect the layout of unmarked burial plots beneath.

Historic Cemetery Although the physical boundaries and extent of burials within the historic cemetery on site are unclear, the Master Plan sets aside a cemetery space in the general location of the historic burials as a place for reflection and memorial within the Preserve. The landscape treatment in the cemetery will create a unique and striking landscape. It is characterized by a grid of mass plantings of either low profile prairie grass species, such as Little Bluestem, or vibrant flowering perennials typically found in a prairie, such as Black-Eyed Susan or Blazing Star. Careful selection of these native plant species would help to associate the cemetery with the restoration/rehabilitation efforts throughout the site, yet allow it to stand out as a unique space through planting design and organization. Narrow mowed paths between each grid of plants will create viewsheds and provide a private, reflective

pathway for one to wander. The organization of the paths in a grid is reminiscent of the layout of cemetery plots and creates a strong contrast to the rest of the site—delineating this as a unique and special spot. A secondary path makes a loop through the cemetery and leads to seating and reflection points within the grid. The cemetery provides numerous opportunities to enhance the space through additional means of memorialization. Names carved in a wall or in stones along the path would provide context to the number of those buried here without grave markers or headstones. There is also an opportunity to engage the families of those buried here; people could be invited to bring a stone or brick to line the walking path with, giving them ownership over this special place to preserve the memory of their loved one. Additional interpretive opportunities in the cemetery are described in the Interpretive Plan.


51


Oak Forest Site The Native American Oak Forest site, perhaps the most culturally significant place on the property, should stand apart as a unique part of the Preserve. The 17th century Native American dwellings that were uncovered during archaeological excavations in 1958 and 1979 could be marked on the ground using stones or temporarily recreated 3-dimensionally using invasive trees removed from the site during restoration. The orientation, size, and approximate location of these houses would help tell the Native American story on this land in a 3-dimensional manner. The houses would serve as a supplement to the interpretive elements proposed in the Interpretive Plan.

map of 1958 excavation of Native American houses

Pogie Lake The history of Pogie Lake as a fishing spot for residents and patients is an indicator of the importance of the lake to the hospital. Restoring the shoreline of Pogie Lake will help to highlight the wildlife that is already present, draw more species to the site, and ensure the long term health of the lake. The proposed overlooks on the water’s edge will allow for wildlife viewing and educational opportunities about aquatic plants, birds, turtles, fish, deer, and many more species, while limiting public access to only two locations. The nearby existing gazebo will make the lake edge a popular viewing spot. Due to the close proximity of the Twin Lakes and the limited lake size and fish stock, Pogie Lake will not be open to the public for fishing.

52

Pogie Lake



Feature Areas Palette:

farmstead: agriculture

farmstead: native plantings

cemetery: mass plantings (little bluestem - summer)

cemetery: mass plantings (little bluestem - fall)

cemetery: entrance memorial

cemetery: entrance archway


53

3. the vision | healing environment

Healing Environment The Oak Forest site has always been a place of physical, spiritual, and emotional rejuvenation and healing. The Master Plan anticipates that these qualities will be enhanced by allowing public access to an everincreasingly stable, healthy, and diverse landscape. The ability for thousands of people to reconnect with their past in different ways on the site will further augment the healing quality of the Preserve. The adjacency and shared infrastructure with the Oak Forest Health Center provides an ongoing opportunity to explore how the myriad of amenities and resources within the Preserve can more directly support community health. farm plots at Oak Forest Hospital

Due to the close proximity and the value of the partnerships that may be built between the OFHC and the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve, connections between the two should be maintained. For safety and security purposes as the implementation of the Master Plan moves forward, the two will have separate vehicular entrances. Screening along the east side of the OFHC and the west side of the Preserve will allow each to operate as separate entities, however, maintaining the pedestrian connection toward the southeast side of the hospital near the existing gazebo and dock will encourage controlled access between the two. Even further cultivating this connection will be the Visitor Center, which will tell the stories and histories of both the OFHC and the Preserve.

nurses purchase fruit at the produce stand

residents participate in horticultural therapy

54


3. the vision | interpretive plan

Interpretive Plan An essential aspect of this Master Plan is the integration of access, controlled views, artwork, landscape, and educational and interactive features into the landscape. The addition of informational signage, interpretive elements, and wayfinding helps to provide an interesting and rewarding experience for visitors.

a. What Is an Interpretive Plan? It is a study of the interpretive potential of a site through a review of its human and natural history, including recommendations for locations and methods for telling stories to the site’s future visitors.

b. Issues which Affect Storytelling on this Site i. Navigating the site The site is now accessed from one point, on 159th Street near Cicero Avenue. This entrance is convenient to the OFHC complex, but not to the FPD parcel or its historic and interpretive focuses, which lie to the east and south of this entrance. The site is large (approximately 1 mile x ½ mile) with no pedestrian paths. The network of paths

Oak Forest Heritage Preserve

Aerial showing size of the site, current entrance and land ownership

developed in this plan will allow visitors to explore the site’s natural features and interpretive stops by foot.

ii. Adjacency to Other FPD sites and Public Expectations Two other FPD sites are in close proximity to this one, with Midlothian Meadows directly across 159th Street to the north and Midlothian Reservoir (a.k.a. Twin Lakes) to the southwest. This is a unique site within the Forest Preserve system, with historical, geological, archaeological, natural history, and habitat restoration stories to be told. Because of these unique stories, a visit to this site will be an experience different from what visitors have come to expect at most other Forest Preserve locations.

iii. Health Center Complex Separate from FPD Site Historically (since 1907), the FPD and OFHC parcels were one, under the ownership of Cook County. The history of the OFHC is intimately linked to the FPD parcel and has had significant impact upon it since 1908. Recognizing the relationship between the Oak Forest Poor Farm and Infirmary and its successor institutions to the land surrounding it is important to understanding the history of this land.

Oak Forest Forest Heritage Preserve Preserve site area site overlaid FPDCC Oak areaon overlaid onmap FPDCC map Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

55


Full-scale, three-dimensional mammoth icon at Hidden Oaks Nature Center

iv. Few Remaining Visual Landmarks While the history of this site is rich and surprising, there are few if any easily recognizable visual landmarks or identifiers of that history on the site. To a visitor with no archaeological, geological, or ecological preparation and no previous knowledge of the site’s history, the site is for all intents and purposes, mute. This fact, combined with the size of the site, makes for a challenging interpretive experience in spite of the unique stories that lie hidden just below the surface. In light of this, these recommendations for the site’s development include both an interpretive visitor center and human-scale, three-dimensional icons along the visitor path.

FPD with the opportunity to expose that hidden evidence by stripping away the layers of soil and plants that keep it hidden. The means and methods of achieving this “stripping away” will be explained in Interpretive Stop #3 of the section called “Recommended Interpretive Stops.” Second, it would be helpful to have a space where the FPD could provide visitors with an overview of the site, introduce all of its themes and stories, and give the visitors a preview of where evidence of those stories can be found out on the paths. The ability to provide an introduction, background, and context is more achievable if a full set of storytelling tools is at hand, including some (like audiovisuals) that are best housed indoors.

v. Need for an Indoor Interpretive Space An indoor interpretive visitor center would be a significant asset to interpreting this site and to the visitors’ experience on it. First, there are few recognizable landmarks, either natural or historic. The major pieces of the story of this site lie below the surface. A visitor center provides the

56

And third, some of the historic materials that have surfaced in the process of researching this project, such as the extensive Burial Records held by the Health Center, historic architectural drawings, and archaeological artifacts, need to be exhibited indoors for reasons of conservation and security.



vi. Sensitivities of the Site Added to the challenges of storytelling on this site is the fact that there are several sensitive issues which will demand a great deal of care in how and where interpretation takes place. Archaeology is one. There has been extensive archaeological research conducted on this site over a period of about 56 years, as described in Chapter 2. 3. Further archaeological research on this site may take place in the future, both to expand the research into heretofore unexplored areas of the site and to expand exploration in areas which have already yielded valuable evidence. In either case, it would be prudent to be cryptic about the exact location of previous archaeological finds in order to avoid destructive exploration by amateur archaeologists and others. The history of burials on the site is another area of sensitivity. Records exist of tens of thousands of burials on site. In addition, another area of the site is reputed to have been the site of burial of biological waste. With the exception of one marker for the County Cemetery placed in 1959, which itself is not on an actual burial area, the other burial areas on the site are unmarked. The potential sensitivities around this issue are twofold. First, the prospect of exploring a cemetery may be uncomfortable to some of the public. Second, there

Oak Forest Cemetery Burial Records

can be a perceived stigma attached to being buried in this kind of cemetery. There are reports of families who managed to claim their relatives and take them elsewhere for burial rather than suffer what to them was the indignity of a burial at the Poor Farm Cemetery. In spite of the proposed ways to recognize, dignify, and memorialize those who are buried on the site, these feelings may well persist today among some. The wildlife on the site presents another area of sensitivity relative to opening the site to the public. There is at least one threatened animal species that resides on the site. Similar to the risk of calling attention to the points of archaeological significance on site, there is the potential danger of poaching by collectors associated with calling attention to a specific threatened species on site.

Man with goats at Oak Forest Poor Farm, 1926

Shoemaker at Oak Forest Poor Farm, 1910 Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

57


c. Interpretive Themes and Messages i. Vision and Innovation Beginning in 1907, when the Cook County Commissioners began the process of acquiring this site for development as a Poor Farm and Infirmary, the attitudes expressed toward its development were remarkable in their vision, optimism, and desire to set the standard for facility design, quality of care, and efficiency of construction and operation. The same entities who created this facility and affected this land over 100 years ago – Cook County and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County – are today looking at the future of this site with a vision and interest in innovating that harkens back to the original vision for the site in 1907. This vision and commitment to the quality of care is further evidenced in recent interviews with long-term employees of the Oak Forest Health Center.

ii. The Site and Institution as a Lens and Mirror by which to View Changes in Public Attitudes and Policy over Time The history and evolution of the site, from the Poor Farm and Infirmary to today’s Health Center, offer the chance to reflect on changes in public attitudes and government policy toward health care and the treatment of the poor.

iii. Who Was Poor in America in 1907? The Burial Records of the Oak Forest Poor Farm and Infirmary offer a wealth of information about who was coming to America and populating Chicago, one of its biggest cities, at the time. Where these people came from, what their trades and skills were, and what they succumbed to all are in the records of thousands interred here throughout much of the last century.

Dorothea DiGuido, Kathie Cunningham and Steve Szany, former long-time staff at Oak Forest Health Center, formerly Oak Forest Hospital

vi. Mystery – What Lies Beneath the Surface? The fact that virtually none of the active history of this site is visible from the surface makes the exploration of the site one of “uncovering” evidence and solving mysteries. Presenting the history of the site in this way to the visitors may be a way to pique curiosity and encourage exploration.

vii. Lessons from 10,000 Years of Living on the Land This land was hunted and foraged 10,000 years ago and was later the site of small-scale, seasonal agriculture before the Native Americans were moved off the land and out of the area. The history of the occupation of, and use of, this land over time holds valuable lessons. The evolution from nomadic foragers to mechanized farming represents a move toward maximizing the yield of the land in the short term with less regard for the long-term consequences. The degraded site that now exists is the result of that evolution. What are the lessons that can be found in earlier ways of living on and understanding the land that can be applied to a vision for the future of this site?

iv. Healing There is a model of understanding and care of patients and residents that is evident in the Poor Farm and Infirmary from its conception. Now may be the time to apply that philosophy to the healing of the land that these institutions have occupied for the past 102 years.

58

Native American harvesting squash



d. Recommended Interpretive Stops The following recommendations suggest 11 distinct locations or stops at which the history and natural history of the site could be interpreted to the visiting public. These stops are located throughout the combined properties on site and could consist of a combination of interpretive signage, wayfinding, sculpture, and other storytelling tools. One stop (Stop #3) might also include a visitor center to help introduce visitors to the site. For a more detailed discussion of the interpretive possibilities at these stops, please see Appendix C.

i. Oak Savanna W. 159th Street

1. oak savanna

surprise from advancing enemies, and generally have a longer view from their encampments. As the Native Americans were pushed out of this area by the federal government, new land management practices evolved and fire-suppression, rather than regular prairie burns, became the norm. Bur Oaks Bur Oaks, with their thick, fire-resistant bark and prolific production of unique acorns, were able to withstand these intentionally-set prairie fires and flourish. The story of the oak savanna and bur oaks is also an entry point to such stories as the history of lumbering in the 18th and 19th centuries, plank roads, and degraded woodlands.


3. visitor center

museum / visitor center and restroom

Situated in the northwest corner of the site, this is the first interpretive stop on the visitor path. It appears to be a remnant oak savanna and, if not, at least suggests that this habitat type preceded what is present now. As a historically prevalent and significant habitat type in Illinois, this location sets the scene for a discussion of the history of this land and how and why it changed over time from the retreat of the glaciers to the onset of farming to its present condition. Fire The history of the oak savanna is an entrée to the discussion of Native American life in this region, one that goes back thousands of years. The relationship between Native Americans and fire is an interesting one, with a direct connection to oak savannas. These cultures practiced regular burning of prairies and savannas in order to thin out the understory, encourage new growth, lure wild hoofstock to come and graze on the new shoots that sprang up after a burn, minimize the element of

Oak savanna

Cooper’s Grove to Oak Forest This corner of the site was its historic entry point. It was from here that the railroad spur was built from the Cooper’s Grove Station (later changed to Oak Forest Station) into the Poor Farm and Infirmary to bring in supplies and new residents and haul out produce and manufacturing from the Poor Farm. In addition to the railroad, this corner was the entry point for all vehicular traffic that served the Poor Farm and Infirmary.

Oak Forest railroad station


59


ii. Health Center Complex W. 159th Street

1. oak savanna


3. visitor center

museum / ter i it

This interpretive stop is adjacent to the current vehicular entrance to the site and in full view of the Oak Forest Health Center complex. It provides an opportunity to present to the public the 102-year history of this facility, the vision of its founders, and the lessons that can be learned from its innovations in health care and commitment to the dignity of its residents. The Vision of the County, 1907-1910 Reading the proceedings of the Cook County Board

from 1907-1910, the spirit of the planners is evident. Their commitment to excellence in the design, construction, and management of the facility is clear, as is their desire to set new standards for the care of tuberculosis patients and the treatment of Poor Farm residents. The architectural history of the facility is a rich one in itself. It sheds light on the spirit, innovation, and care that went into its design and operation and can be illustrated by a discussion of some of the unique architectural features of the facility and what motivated the planners and designers to include them. Evolution of the Health Center 1910-Present Tracing the history of the Health Center from its inception in 1910 as a Poor Farm and Infirmary to the present tells a story that connects the visitor to a number of other stories that are relevant at other locations on the site and that have bearing on current issues such as immigration, social welfare, and health care.

Oak Forest Poor Farm and Infirmary dining room

60



architectural drawings, Burial Records held by and the archaeological Health Center, artifacts, historic need to be exhibited indoors reasons of conservation architectural drawings, andforarchaeological artifacts, and needsecurity. to be exhibited indoors for reasons of conservation and security.

iii. Visitor Center 2. health center complex 4. poor farm 3. visitor center

museum / visitor center and restroom parking (40 )

A visitor center could provide an overview of the site, A visitor center provides the FPD with the opportunity to introduce all of its themes and stories, give the visitors a “expose” hidden evidence by “stripping away” the layers preview of where evidence of those stories can be found of soil and plants that keep it hidden, and a space where out on the paths, and provide information on current the FPD could provide an overview of the site, introduce health and nature programs. Ideally, the Visitor Center all of its themes and stories, and give the visitors a would re-use an existing building on the OFHC campus, preview of where evidence of those stories can be found such as the maintenance shed depicted on the site plan, out on the paths. The ability to provide an introduction, subject to a determination of whether maintenance background, and context is more achievable if a full operations can be used. set of storytelling tools is at hand, including some (like audiovisuals) that are best housed indoors. Some of the historic materials that have surfaced in the process of researching this project would be helpful Some of the historic materials that have surfaced in the to have on hand and visible in interpreting the site’s process of researching this project would be helpful history. Most of these materials, such as the patient, to have on hand and visible in interpreting the site’s death, and burial records held by Cook County, historic history. Most of these materials, such as the extensive

The maintenance shed at OFHC is an example of an existing building that could potentially be renovated as an Visitor Center

Conceptual sketches showing Oak Forest Visitor Center possibilities


61


iv. Poor Farm 2. health center complex 4. poor farm 5. h cem

3. visitor center

museum / visitor center and restroom parking

producing a range of products from brooms to shoes and there was an active farm program which included the raising of livestock. The products of these workshops, fields, and animal pens were consumed by the resident population of the Poor Farm and Infirmary and excess products and produce were sold outside of the facility. Telling this story, of immigrants and indigents, trades and a philosophy of work, is important for the interpretation at this stop.

Like the founding philosophy of the Poor Farm and Infirmary (and later the Hospital and Health Center), the county’s approach to the housing and treatment of the poor at this facility appears to have been exemplary. As evidenced in part by the Burial Records, many of the residents at the Poor Farm were recent immigrants to America and Chicago and many arrived with old world skills. The philosophy and business plan of the Poor Farm included work. There were a variety of shops

The evolution from the Almshouse to the Poor Farm and the effect of the Depression of the 1930’s on the Poor Farm population are also relevant topics for this interpretive stop.

Poor Farm resident Carl Gale tending chickens, 1914

Remnants of the Poor Farm today

62

A secondary trail loop could spring from this interpretive stop and wind through the wooded area where the foundations of the 1910 Poor Farm animal buildings are still visible.



v. Historic Cemetery enter

4. poor farm 3. visitor center


/ ter om

g )

7 ar

Any plan for the future development of this site should include a fitting recognition of all who were buried here. The site of the majority of these burials is on the northern edge of the property east of the historic Poor Farm. In this area, those who lie buried here could be memorialized and the cemetery could be interpreted to the visiting public.

Conceptual sketch showing memorial markers at Cemetery site

burial vaults in the cemetery Concrete burial vaults in County Cemetery on site Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

63


vi. Wetlands

Interpretive signs could tell some of the facets of this story: 8. oak forest site 7. ongoing archeology 6. wetlands

The wetlands on this site provide a number of interpretive opportunities. A feature of the site for over 12,000 years, when the most recent retreating glacier deposited moraines which determined the hydrology of the site, these wetlands have been attracting animals, plants, and humans for all of that time. From the time of the Paleo-Indians to the present, the health and stability of these wetlands and the plant and animal communities connected to them has been, and continues to be, affected by changes in attitudes toward management of natural resources. This area of the site offers a case study with valuable lessons for the visiting audience.

Geology t Formation of the site t Formation of the wetlands Botany t Wetland flora t Invasives t Plants harvested by Native American residents for food and medicinal purposes Animal Life t Animal life supported by a healthy wetland t Interconnections among animals t Interconnections between animals and plants t Threatened animals indigenous to the site Degradation t Continued stormwater drainage into wetlands t Diminished native plant community t Invasives t Compromised habitat limits options for reproduction of threatened animals Restoration t The plan to restore this habitat t How it relates to a site-wide restoration plan t Lessons to visitors from the restoration plan

wetland at Pogie Lake Pogie Lake

64

Workers restoring a marsh



vii. Ongoing Archaeology

viii. Oak Forest Site


8. oak forest site

8. oak forest site 7. ongoing archeology

7. ongoing archeology 6. wetlands

6. wetlands

relocate, combin

The archaeological findings which are summarized in Chapter 32 indicate possible locations along the visitor path for interpretive stops focusing on ongoing archaeological investigation. This recommended location is near a site of successful archaeological investigation. Interpretation would be mindful of the sensitivity of the precise locations of archaeological finds and not make specific reference to them, but the goal and process of archaeological site research would be spelled out and illustrated along with a general discussion of those who lived on the site and the evidence they left behind. Audio interviews with a site archaeologist would help explain the process and the evidence found.

On this site, at one of the highest elevations on the property, archaeologists have found physical evidence of human activity approximately 10,000 years ago and extensive archaeological evidence of habitation and seasonal agriculture approximately 400 years ago. It is the site of two extensive archaeological research projects between 1950 and 2000. The evidence of settlement at this location includes remains of support posts for a dwelling and detritus from human habitation, and it is at this site that archaeologists were able to map evidence of an entire pre-historic village in northeastern Illinois for the first time. The fact that such a well-studied and documented site exists on this property offers the opportunity to explore it in the interpretation and to make connections to other subjects to which it is directly linked. Among some examples are:

Archaeological dig-site

Paleo-Indians hunting a mammoth Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

65


History tIndian cultures on and around this site t Euro-American settlement and farming t Native Americans and Euro-American interaction t Federal government and the Indian Boundary Line Archaeology t History of archaeological research on the site t Illustration of the process of archaeological research on the Oak Forest Site and throughout the larger site t Site plan of Oak Forest Site archaeological digs and their findings t Evidence of eight oval houses, firepits and middens How Native Americans Lived on this Land t Geology and resulting topography and relevance to site selection and desirability for settlement, agriculture, foraging and hunting t Use of fire for managing the land t Seasonal vs. permanent settlements t Indigenous plants and animals that native cultures raised, hunted, and foraged for t How they prepared and used the animals, plants, and crops they harvested

ix. Geology and Soils


9. geology & soils

te

66

57

This is a site with little in the way of dramatic topographical features, but what there is is visible from this location. And it is subtle changes in the topography that have determined where humans have chosen to set up a dwelling, where certain plant communities have taken root and flourished, and, consequently, where certain animal species can be found. Understanding this topography and the forces that shaped it gives the visitor an important insight into this land and the interconnections between geology, topography, flora, and fauna on any given piece of land.

19th century Native American dwelling in Illinois

Map of the Oak Forest Site

parkin (24 car

Moraine map showing the Oak Forest area Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan


x. Restoration: Vegetation and Biodiversity

xi. Wetlands: Water and Hydrology orary oom

6. wetlands

orary king cars)

11. restoration: water/hydrology


9. geology & soils existing dock existing gazebo

10. veg b

Efforts to restore the site to health should be visible to the public and part of the interpretation. At this location the focus would be on the importance of biodiversity in habitat restoration and the FPD’s mission of land management and habitat restoration, including fire management and invasive species abatement programs.

Not far from the other Wetlands Interpretive Stop, Stop #6, this one would focus on water and hydrology, with an emphasis on sources, drainage, changing water levels, pollution, and interconnections between wetland plant and animal species. The location of this stop would also provide an opportunity to discuss the Health Center’s innovative wheelchair fishing program.

Diagram of habitat distribution

Controlled burn

Fishing at Pogie Lake Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan

67

ribbon cutting at the Oak Forest Hospital

68


4

implementation & phasing

Project Phasing The Master Plan for the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve presents a comprehensive, ecologically and culturally sustainable transformation for the site that will occur over many years. The realization of the vision described in this Master Plan is contingent upon the identification and allocation of funding and resources from a variety of sources (as outlined in Funding Strategies), and therefore a specific timeline cannot be set at this time. For the purposes of planning and budgeting, the proposed master plan elements and amenities have been grouped into phases to guide the development of the Preserve. Each phase has been evaluated based on initial cost estimates, prioritization related to the Master Plan guiding principles and project goals, and parcel ownership. Each phase identifies the components, required connections, considerations, and partnerships, and projected costs. Refer to pages 80-85 for the cost estimates.

“When the sun f looded this Mosaic f loor with light, and the summer breeze stirred among their leaves the irridescent glow was beautiful and wondrous beyond any thing I had ever conceived. . . . The gentle undulating surface of these prairies, prevent sameness, and add variety to its lights and shades. [.. ] Oak openings also occur, green groves, arranged with the regularity of art, making shady, alleys, for the heated traveler. - Steele (1841)

Initial Phases The first phases (1a through 1d) focus on the restoration and enhancement of the hydrology and landscape of the current FPDCC Parcel. These are the first steps in achieving the Master Plan, guided by the following priorities: 1.

Make the Preserve accessible to the public

2.

Create safe vehicular and pedestrian access to the Preserve

3.

Begin initial landscape restoration

4.

Implement initial interpretation


69

4. implementation & phasing | project phasing

In order to implement this initial step, detailed design and engineering of sub-phases 1a through 1d would need to be developed, and the permitting process begun. The phasing and sequencing of these steps could be done in such a way as to allow public access as early as Fall of 2012.

Phase 1b – Initial Site Improvements Components of Phase 1b: •

Initial landscape restoration, including removal of invasive species.

•

Planting of the cemetery area.

•

Vegetated screening.

•

Hydrological improvements: channel stabilization, replacement of existing culverts, and stormwater treatment areas.

•

Installation of primary and secondary paths.

Addition of entrance pathways from the Fieldcrest subdivision at Fieldcrest Park and Fieldcrest Elementary School.

•

Removal of existing access road.

•

Removal and replacement of existing fence.

•

Site clean-up.

•

Utilization of the vehicular access on the Oak Forest Health Center property, and access parking at either (1) the existing loop path around the gazebo, or (2) addition of a small parking area off of the OFHC drive.

•

Initial interpretation and wayfinding, including introductory signage, directional signage, “You are here” maps, and interpretive stops 6 (Wetlands), 8 (Oak Forest site), and 10 (Restoration: Vegetation & Biodiversity).

•

Secure access gates at all entrance points.

•

Temporary “Under Construction” and wayfinding signage at entrances.

Phase 1a – Public Access Components of Phase 1a: • •

Utilization of the existing access road within the FPDCC Parcel as a pedestrian pathway.

This phase will require: •

70

Operational agreement with the Oak Forest Health Center and Cook County Health and Hospital System for access to the Preserve through the use of the OFHC entrance road and guard gate.

•

Coordination with the Fieldcrest subdivision, City of Oak Forest, Oak Forest Park District, and the Prairie-Hills Elementary School District 144.

•

Permitting coordination through Cook County Department of Building and Zoning, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.


Restoration Management Plan.

•

Phase II Cultural Assessment.

•

Phase II Environmental Assessment.

•

Design development of all paths, design features, and interpretive stops.

•


•

Establishment of a fundraising plan.

•

Wildlife management plan to be established and coordinated with restoration and construction activity.



Phase 1c – Initial Improvements on the Cook County Properties

Phase 1d – Initial Improvements on the Oak Forest Health Center Campus

Components of Phase 1c:

Components of Phase 1d:

•

Primary pathway through the Corner Parcel and Cicero Parcel, around the OFHC, including upgrading the Cicero Avenue sidewalk.

•

Primary pathway around the OFHC, including upgrading the Cicero Avenue sidewalk.

•

Landscape restoration.

•

Restoration of oak savanna in the Corner Parcel.

•

•

Stormwater treatment area establishment in the Cicero Parcel.

Stormwater treatment area establishment in outflow from parking area and Cicero Parcel wetland.

•

Temporary “Under Construction” and wayfinding signage.

•

Temporary wayfinding signage.

•

Initial permanent interpretation and wayfinding, including introductory signage, directional signage, “You are here” maps, and interpretive stops 1 (Oak Savanna), 2 (Health Center Complex), and 4 (Poor Farm).



•

Coordination with Phase 1d—improvements on the Oak Forest Health Center Campus.

•

Coordination with the Oak Forest Health Center and Cook County Health and Hospital Systems.

•

Coordination with the FPDCC regarding trail connections and shared vegetative communities.

•

Coordination with the design development of the farmstead area.

•




•

Coordination with Phase 1d—improvements on the Cook County parcels.

•

Coordination with Cook County.

•

Coordination with the FPDCC regarding trail connections and shared vegetative communities.

•



71

4. implementation & phasing | project phasing - phase 1a

S. Cicero Avenue

W. 159th Street

trail connection to Fieldcrest Elementary

secure gate access

Legend

existing path

primary path connection to Fieldcrest subdivision

phase 1a - Public Access

parking alternative 2: construct new 10-15 car parking lot

parking alternative 1: use existing loop path

trail connection to Fieldcrest Park

“Under Construction” signs

600’

north

temporary wayfinding signs

400’

property boundaries

0’ 100’ 200’


72

57 e ut Ro

Pulaski Road

4. implementation & phasing | project phasing - phase 1b

S. Cicero Avenue

W. 159th Street

6. wetlands


8. oak forest site

57 e ut Ro

native prairie

Legend

73


native woodland

cemetery planting (low-profile prairie)

stormwater treatment area

wetland

pond

major green screening

minor green screening

primary path (12’)

secondary path (8’)

boardwalk

split rail fence

600’

north


interpretative stops

resting spot/overlook

directional wayfinding

“You Are Here” signs

property boundaries

400’

additional elements: three entry signs at access points—locations to be determined

0’ 100’ 200’

phase 1b - Initial Site Improvements

Pulaski Road

4. implementation & phasing | project phasing - phase 1c

2. hospital

159th Street W. 15

Note: Trail connection and stormwater treatment area to be coordinated with Phase 1d and the Oak Forest Health Center

native oak savanna

Legend



interpretative stops

directional wayfinding

“You are Here” signs

“Under Construction” signs

600’

north


property boundaries

400’

additional elements: three entry signs at access points—locations to be determined

0’ 100’ 200’


74

57 e ut Ro

phase 1c - Initial Improvements on the Cook County Properties

1. oak savanna

S. Cicero Avenue

Pulaski Road

4. implementation & phasing | project phasing - phase 1d

ue enue en Aven Avenue eroo Av er icer Cic Cic S. Cicero

native oak savanna

Legend



600’

north


400’

property boundaries

0’ 100’ 200’

75


W. 159th Street

Note: Trail connection and stormwater treatment area to be coordinated with Phase 1c and Cook County. 57 e ut Ro

phase 1d - Initial Improvements on the Oak Forest Health Center Campus

Pulaski Road


Future Phases The following phases are categorized as “future phases” due to the uncertain availability of funding, additional partners, and required resources for each phase. The implementation of each future phase should be evaluated based on the potential opportunity for grant assistance, potential partnerships, and cultural and recreational value to the FPDCC, Cook County, and the community. It is recommended to form a partnership committee to jointly pursue funding for future phases, and begin identifying potential funding sources for the future phases immediately.

Future Phase – Farmstead Components: •

Design development of the Farmstead.


Coordination with Oak Forest Health Center community gardening initiatives.

•

Coordination with Cook County.

•

Potential opportunity for collaboration with a local community garden organization.

Future Phase – Oak Forest Site Components: •

Design development of Oak Forest Site.


Coordination with archeological findings.

•

Coordination with interpretation.

Future Phase – Cemetery Components: •

Design development of the Cemetery, including memorialization.


76

Coordination with the Oak Forest Health Center and Cook County Health and Hospital System.



•

Potential opportunity for collaboration with a local genealogy or historical society.

•

Registration as a historic cemetery with the State Comptroller’s Office.

•

Coordination with the Illinois Preservation Agency (IHPA).

•

A potential need for an Unexpected Discovery Plan through IHPA

Cook County. •

Potential opportunity for collaboration with a local genealogy or historical society or OFHC volunteers.

Historic

Future Phase –Interpretation Components: •

Introductory signage

•

Interpretive stops 5 (Historic Cemetery), 7 (Ongoing Archaeology), 9 (Geology & Soils), and 11 (Restoration: Water/Hydrology).

•

In-trail icons.

•

Information boxes.

Future Phase – Southeast Parking Lot Components:


Coordination with the Phase 1b improvements.

•

24-car parking lot at southeast corner of site.

•

Trail connecting the parking lot to the primary loop path.


Coordination with the Blue Park Sportsman Club or current land owner.

•

Evaluation of existing building and parking area if the Blue Park Sportsman Club is acquired by the FPDCC.

Future Phase – Visitor Center Components: •

The visitor/ interpretive center and subsequent interpretive exhibits.

•

Inventorying and curating historic documents.


Coordination with the Oak Forest Health Center,


77



Coordination with the City of Oak Forest, Oak Forest Health Center, Cook County, and IDOT.

•

Coordination of trail connection at St. Mihiel Reservation.

Future Phase – Entrance Circle and Parking Components: •

Retrofitting of existing OFHC entrance drive to include a traffic circle with separated entrances.

•

Driveway to FPDCC property.

•

40-car parking lot for FPDCC access.


Coordination with Cook County and a potential easement or purchase of the Corner Parcel.

•

Coordination with the FPDCC and pathways implemented in Phase 1b.

Future Phase – Pedestrian Crossing Over 159th Street Components: •

Above-grade pedestrian crossing.

•

Trail connection to the primary path.


Coordination with IDOT and the City of Oak Forest.

•

New trail alignment in Midlothian Meadows.

•

Coordination with Phase 1b trail improvements.

•

Coordination with Phase II Cultural Assessment findings.

•

Coordination with the Illinois Historic Preservation Act and State Comptroller’s office.

Future Phase – Traffic Signal at Cicero Avenue Components:

78

•

Traffic signal at Cicero Avenue and 163rd Street.

•

Sidewalk improvements including ramps and detectable warning strips.


4. implementation & phasing | cost estimates

Cost Estimates Phase 1 Item

QTY

Unit

Unit Price (low)

Unit Price (high)

Extension (low)

Extension (high)

Detail

Phase 1a - Immediate Access Infrastructure Primary path (12') - connection to Fieldcrest subdvision

5,200

SF

$1.90

$3.75

$9,800.00

3

EA

$1,500.00

$3,000.00

$4,500.00

Temporary "Under Construction Coming Soon" signs

5

EA

$4,176.00

$4,176.00

$20,880.00

Temporary Wayfinding signs

2

EA

$3,887.00

$3,887.00

Secure gate access

Includes a range of options $19,500.00 including gravel, green asphalt, and two-track. Assumes permanent gate at two locations. Includes range of $9,000.00 material and construction options.

Interpretation

$7,774.00 LOW

PHASE 1a TOTAL

Signs last up to 3 years. $20,880.00 Includes design, fabrication, footings, and installation. $7,774.00 HIGH

$42,954.00

$57,154.00

$10,800.00

Accomodates a range of $23,000.00 sustainable materials, sub-grade, and site prep.

$53,754.00

$80,154.00

Phase 1a - Alternative 2 Parking alternative 2: new 10-15 car parking lot PHASE 1a TOTAL with parking alternative 2

2,700

SF

$4.00

$8.50


79


Phase 1b - Initial Improvements Item

QTY

Unit

Unit Price (low)

Unit Price (high)

Extension (low)

Extension (high)

Detail

Infrastructure Assumes removal and $35,000.00 replacement of 7 culverts with boardwalk bridge. Includes realignment, $55,000.00 stabilization, and vegetation. Includes a range of options $438,000.00 including gravel, green asphalt, and two-track. $77,000.00 Assumes gravel material. Accomodates a variety of options for treatment, including $28,000.00 embedded flagstone and cobblelined paths. Includes materials, footings, and $262,500.00 railings. $60,000.00 $175,000.00 Assumes 8,500 linear feet $11,000.00 Includes removal of footings. Includes excavation, grading, $105,000.00 and soil and seed restoration.

Culvert upgrades

7

EA

$4,000.00

$5,000.00

$28,000.00

Channel stabilization

1

LS

$35,000.00

$55,000.00

$35,000.00

Primary path (12')

117,000 SF

$1.90

$3.75

$222,000.00

Secondary path (8')

30,800

SF

$1.90

$2.50

$58,500.00

435

SY

$30.00

$65.00

$13,000.00

Boardwalks

1,500

LF

$125.00

$175.00

$187,500.00

Benches Fence - split rail Removal of existing fence

20 7,000 1

EA LF LS

$900.00 $15.00 $9,000.00

$3,000.00 $25.00 $11,000.00

$18,000.00 $105,000.00 $9,000.00

Removal of existing access road

3000

CY

$25.00

$35.00

$75,000.00

10,300

LF

$15.00

$25.00

$154,500.00

$257,500.00

$252,000.00 $15,000.00 Initial planting in the cemetery $101,250.00 $94,500.00 $165,000.00 Includes minimal live plant plug $253,000.00 installation Does not include excavation and grading, includes minimal live $59,500.00 plant plug installation and partial erosion control blanket $24,000.00 1 year management period. $24,000.00 1 year management period. $16,000.00 1 year management period. $33,000.00 1 year management period.

Path intersection treatment

Restoration + Vegetation Green screens Prairie restoration Cemetery planting (low-profile prairie) Woodland restoration Woody species removal Invasive species removal

84 12 27 27 220

acre acre acre acre acre

$1,750.00 $950.00 $3,000.00 $2,500.00 $450.00

$3,000.00 $1,250.00 $3,750.00 $3,500.00 $750.00

$147,000.00 $11,400.00 $81,000.00 $67,500.00 $99,000.00

Wetland restoration

46

acre

$4,000.00

$5,500.00

$184,000.00

Stormwater treatment/bioretention areas

7

acre

$7,000.00

$8,500.00

$49,000.00

Stewardship/management of prairie Stewardship/management of woodland Stewarship/management of wetland Controlled burn management

12 12 8 220

DY DY DY acre

$1,500.00 $1,500.00 $1,500.00 $90.00

$2,000.00 $2,000.00 $2,000.00 $150.00

$18,000.00 $18,000.00 $12,000.00 $19,800.00

3 4 6 2 1 2

EA EA EA EA EA EA

$8,437.00 $3,637.00 $4,037.00 $20,337.00 $32,387.00 $25,900.00

$8,437.00 $3,637.00 $4,037.00 $20,337.00 $32,387.00 $25,900.00

$25,311.00 $14,548.00 $24,222.00 $40,674.00 $32,387.00 $51,800.00

Assumes primarily vegetative screening

Interpretation Wayfinding- Intro Signs at Entry Points Wayfinding- Directional Wayfinding - "You Are Here" Maps Interpretive Stops 6, 10 Interpretive Stop 8 Outdoor Sculptures

LOW

PHASE 1b TOTAL

80

$25,311.00 $14,548.00 $24,222.00 $40,674.00 $32,387.00 $51,800.00 at Interpretive Stop 8 HIGH

$1,801,142.00


$2,730,192.00


Phase 1c - Initial Improvements on Cook County Property Item

QTY

Unit

Unit Price (low)

Unit Price (high)

Extension (low)

Extension (high)

Detail

Infrastructure Primary path (12')

93,000

SF

25.8

Includes a range of options $800,000.00 including gravel, green asphalt, and two-track.

$1.90

$3.75

$403,000.00

acre

$3,000.00

$3,750.00

$77,400.00

$96,750.00

1

acre

$7,000.00

$8,500.00

$7,000.00

$8,500.00

Temporary "Under Construction Coming Soon" signs

1

EA

$3,000.00

$3,200.00

$3,000.00

Temporary Wayfinding signs Wayfinding- Entry Signs Wayfinding- Directional Wayfinding - "You Are Here" Maps Interpretive Stops Outdoor Sculptures

3 3 3 4 2 1

EA EA EA EA EA EA

$2,200.00 $6,205.00 $2,100.00 $2,500.00 $13,500.00 $21,500.00

$2,400.00 $7,452.00 $2,600.00 $3,000.00 $23,500.00 $25,900.00

$6,600.00 $18,615.00 $6,300.00 $10,000.00 $27,000.00 $21,500.00

Restoration Woodland restoration Stormwater treatment/bioretention areas

Does not include excavation and grading, includes minimal live plant plug installation and partial erosion control blanket

Interpretation

LOW

PHASE 1c TOTAL

Signs last up to 3 years. $3,200.00 Includes design, fabrication, footings, and installation. $7,200.00 $22,356.00 $7,800.00 $12,000.00 $47,000.00 1, 2 $25,900.00 at Interpretive Stop 1 HIGH

$580,415.00

$1,030,706.00

Phase 1d - Initial Improvements on Oak Forest Health Center Property Item

QTY

Unit

Unit Price (low)

Unit Price (high)

Extension (low)

Extension (high)

Detail

Infrastructure Primary path (12')

$1.90

$3.75

$42,000.00

Includes a range of options $83,000.00 including gravel, green asphalt, and two-track.

acre

$3,000.00

$3,750.00

$25,200.00

$31,500.00

2.5

acre

$7,000.00

$8,500.00

$17,500.00

$21,250.00

1

EA

$2,200.00

$2,400.00

22,200

SF

Woodland restoration

8.4

Stormwater treatment/bioretention areas

Restoration Does not include excavation and grading, includes minimal live plant plug installation and partial erosion control blanket

Interpretation Temporary Wayfinding signs

$2,200.00 LOW

PHASE 1d TOTAL

$2,400.00 HIGH

$86,900.00


$138,150.00

81


Future Phases Future Phase - Oak Forest Site Item Oak Forest Site

QTY 1

Unit LS

Unit Price (low) $15,000.00

Unit Price (high)

Extension (low)

$75,000.00 LOW

OAK FOREST SITE TOTAL

Future Phase - Farmstead Item Agriculture Garden/Farmstead Interpretive Stops

QTY 1 1

Unit LS EA

Unit Price (low) $20,000.00 $13,500.00

Unit Price (high)

HIGH

Extension (low)

$150,000.00 $23,500.00

Memorial in-Trail Cemetery Markers

In-Trail Icons

Information Boxes Brochures

1

100

Unit LS

EA


$1,000.00

Unit Price (high)

Extension (low)

$2,500,000.00

82

$173,500.00

Extension (high)

$5,000.00

$1,200.00

This is a place holder for engraved handwritten names in some all-weather material like stone set into the paths. $120,000.00 INSTALLATION NOT INCLUDED in these costs. Installation can be folded in CDFs costs since they are doing the paths.

$100,000.00

Unit

Unit Price (low)

Unit Price (high)

Extension (low)

6 5 2

EA EA EA

$6,000.00 $13,500.00 $21,000.00

$7,500.00 $19,500.00 $26,000.00

$36,000.00 $67,500.00 $42,000.00

36

EA

$115.00

$150.00

$4,140.00

EA

$1,400.00

$1,700.00

$16,800.00

EA

$0.25

$0.30

12 10,000

$2,620,000.00

Extension (high)

HIGH


Detail

$45,000.00 $97,500.00 5,7,9,11,12 $52,000.00 At Interpretive Stops 4, 5 INSTALLATION NOT INCLUDED in these costs. $5,400.00 Installation can be folded in CDFs costs since they are doing the paths. To hold brochures at points $20,400.00 along the trail. 8 1/2 x 11 full color tri-fold, $3,000.00 double-sided

$2,500.00

$168,940.00

Detail

$2,500,000.00

$105,000.00

QTY

Detail

$150,000.00 $23,500.00 4 HIGH

LOW

FUTURE PHASE INTERPRETATION TOTAL

Extension (high)

$33,500.00

FUTURE PHASE - CEMETERY TOTAL

Future Phase - Interpretation Item Wayfinding - Entry Signs Interpretive Stops Outdoor Sculptures

$75,000.00

$20,000.00 $13,500.00 LOW

QTY

Detail

$75,000.00

$15,000.00

Farmstead TOTAL

Future Phase - Cemetery Item Cemetery/Memorial space

Extension (high)

$15,000.00

$223,300.00


Future Phase - Visitor Center Item Interpretive Center Visitor Center Exhibits Interpretive Stop Outdoor Sculpture

QTY 1 1 1 1

Unit LS EA EA EA

Unit Price (low) $1,000,000.00 540,000 $13,500.00 $21,000.00

Unit Price (high)

Extension (low)

$5,000,000.00 1,300,000 $19,500.00 $26,000.00 LOW

Interpretive Center TOTAL

Future Phase - Southeast Parking Lot Item SE parking lot

$1,574,500.00

QTY 13,000

Unit SF

Unit Price (low) $4.00

Unit Price (high)

Extension (low)

$8.50

71,000

Unit SF

Unit Price (low) $4.00

Unit Price (high)

Extension (low)

$8.50

Extension (high)

Detail Accomodates a range of $603,500.00 sustainable materials, sub-grade, and site prep.

HIGH

$284,000.00

Future Phase - Traffic Signal at Cicero Avenue Item QTY 1

Unit LS


Unit Price (high)

Extension (low)

$300,000.00

$603,500.00

Extension (high)

TRAFFIC SIGNAL TOTAL

HIGH

$200,000.00

Future Phase - Pedestrian Crossing over 159th Street Item QTY Unit Unit Price (low)

Unit Price (high)

Extension (low)

1

LS

$1,500,000.00

$2,000,000.00

$1,500,000.00

11,000

SF

$1.90

$3.75

$42,000.00

1

EA

$2,500.00

$3,000.00

$300,000.00

Extension (high)

Detail

$2,000,000.00 Assumes pedestrian bridge only Includes a range of options $83,000.00 including gravel, green asphalt, and two-track. $3,000.00

$2,500.00 LOW

PEDESTRIAN CROSSING TOTAL

Detail

Includes addition of sidewalk, $300,000.00 signal, construction engineering, construction, and permitting.

$200,000.00 LOW

Wayfinding - "You Are Here" Maps

$110,500.00

$284,000.00

ENTRANCE CIRCLE TOTAL

Primary path (12')

Detail Accomodates a range of $110,500.00 sustainable materials, sub-grade, and site prep.

HIGH

LOW

Above grade crossing

Extension (high)

$52,000.00

Future Phase - Entrance Circle and Parking Item QTY

Traffic signal

$6,345,500.00

$52,000.00

SOUTHEAST PARKING TOTAL

Detail

$5,000,000.00 $1,300,000.00 Approx. 1800 sq ft area $19,500.00 3 $26,000.00 At Interpretive Stop 3 HIGH

LOW

Entrance circle, additional drive, and northwest parking lot

Extension (high)

$1,000,000.00 $540,000.00 $13,500.00 $21,000.00

HIGH

$1,544,500.00

$2,086,000.00

PROJECT GRAND TOTAL LOW

ESTIMATED GRAND TOTAL

HIGH

$6,488,851.00


$16,493,502.00

83

construction of the main entrance off 159th Street

84


5 Potential Funding Support The Master Plan for the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve represents a long-term, comprehensive vision for this truly unique property. While the capital development costs are substantial, the potential benefits to Cook County residents and others are truly significant. Capital costs for a project such as this typically come from monies allocated in the Forest Preserve District’s capital improvement budget combined with other sources of funding from programs that set up to provide the kind of facility and benefits envisioned for the Preserve. The extensive array of features and attributes that have been identified in the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve warrants a comprehensive funding strategy and on-going initiative that seeks the creative integration and combination of resources and partnerships with public, private and educational institutions and programs. This Master Plan will serve as the basis to describe the project attributes to a wide variety of potential supporters.

Public Agencies There are a number of local, state, and federal agencies that promote and support many of the strategies and tactics outlined in the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan. These agencies offer grants, tax incentives, and other forms of financial incentives for projects such as this to lead the way in implementing and applying sustainable practices. While these programs vary considerably, many of them have provided significant cost sharing or other financial benefits to capital projects that: •

Improve water quality, habitat, and air quality;

•

Demonstrate leading-edge practices;

funding strategies

“On the right hand and on the left stretched the boundless prairie, dotted with leaf less groves and bordered by gray wintry forests, scorched by the fires kindled in the dried grass by Indian hunters, and strewn with the carcasses and the bleached skulls of innumerable buffalo. The plains were scored with their pathways, and the muddy edges of the rivers were full of their hoofprints. . . . At night the horizon glowed with distant fires, and by day the savage hunters could be descried at times roaming on the verge of the prairie.” - Sieur de La Salle in Parkman (1891)


85

5. funding strategies

•

Support jobs, especially manufacturing area;

in

the

green

•

Are shovel-ready (or could be implemented quickly) at time of grant/funding request.

Following is a partial list of current programs and funding sources that may be applicable to the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve:

dollars annually. This is a reimbursement program. Grant recipients must perform the work, pay project costs, and submit invoices periodically throughout the project period with supporting documentation before Illinois EPA will reimburse recipients for any approved costs. Under IGIG, the Illinois EPA will accept proposals for the following three program categories:

USEPA Section 319 Program Traditionally, one of the most effective and innovative grant programs that support the design and implementation of water-based green infrastructure is the Section 319 Non-Point Source Water Pollution Control Program. This is a USEPA funded program, but it is administered at the state level, and each state selects the appropriate agency and gives them great latitude as to how they utilize the funds. As stated above, in Illinois the 319 program is administered by the IEPA, and they have been very supportive of sitespecific development projects that showcase the creative integration of green infrastructure. It is not unusual to receive funding support in the range of $500,000 to $1,500,000. In most cases, funding goes to projects that are part of a watershed that has an approved “watershed management plan.” One of the advantages of the 319 program is that funds can support both the detailed design and engineering aspects of the project, as well as project implementation.

Illinois Green Infrastructure Grant Program for Stormwater Management (IGIG) IGIG grants are available to local units of government and other organizations to implement green infrastructure best management practices to control stormwater runoff for water quality protection in Illinois. Funds are limited to the implementation of projects to install best management practices (BMPs). The total amount of funding available under IGIG is approximately 5 million

86

1. Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Rehabilitation Category •

Maximum IGIG amount is $3,000,000 or 85 percent of the eligible project cost, whichever is lower.

•

Minimum local match requirement is 15 percent.

•

Illinois EPA anticipates awarding up to 10 of these grants per year.

•

Typical grant range is $300,000 - $3,000,000 of IGIG funds (total grant funds available $3 million).

•

Project length ranges from 6-36 months.

2. Stormwater Retention and Infiltration Category •

Maximum IGIG amount is $750,000 or 75 percent of the eligible project cost, whichever is lower.

•


•


•

Typical grant range is $100,000 - $750,000 of IGIG funds (total grant funds available $1.8 million).

•


3. Green Infrastructure Small Projects Category •

Maximum IGIG amount is $75,000 or 75 percent of the eligible project cost, whichever is lower.

•




•


•

Typical grant range is $15,000 - $75,000 of IGIG funds (total grant funds available $200,000).

•


Open Space Land Acquisition Development Program (OSLAD) The Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) Program is a state-financed grant program that provides funding assistance to local government agencies for acquisition and/or development of land for public parks and open space. The federal Land & Water Conservation Fund program (known as both LWCF and LAWCON) is a similar program with similar objectives, described below. Both are managed in Illinois by the Department of Natural Resources with concurrent application due dates, equal grant maximums, and similar general rules. Projects vary from small neighborhood parks or tot lots to large community and county parks and nature areas. The state program is financed by a percentage of the state’s Real Estate Transfer Tax. The federal program is financed nationally by revenue from OSOD leases. Under both programs, funding assistance up to 50% of approved project costs can be obtained. Grant awards up to $750,000 are available for acquisition projects, while development/renovation projects are limited to a $400,000 grant maximum.

Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) LWCF is a long-standing federal program that provides funds to states to support conservation initiatives including land acquisition and development. A variety of on-site restoration and recreation initiatives from ecological restoration to trail corridor and interpretive

signage development can be funded by the program. Each state determines where and how to deploy funds. In Illinois, these funds are routinely administered through the Department of Natural Resources in their OSLAD (Open Space Land Acquisition & Development) program. Access to these funds would require a partnership with a local park or conservation agency.

Private Foundations A growing number of local, regional, and national foundations and organizations offer support and assistance to help provide capital costs and other resources in support of projects and initiatives such as the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve. In addition to the substantial ecological and recreational benefits the Preserve will provide, an array of natural and educational and cultural learning and research opportunities should be appealing to many of these groups. An essential component of the implementation strategy is the presentation and exposure of the Master Plan and its’ intent to leadership of these organizations, and to align elements of the plan with their vision and purpose to the degree practical.

Kresge Foundation Green Design and Bricks and Mortar Grants The Kresge Foundation is one of the strongest supporters of sustainable, green development initiatives in the country. Only governmental entities and non-profit organizations are eligible for funding. Building and site development projects must have a sustainable focus to be eligible for funding; building projects must be eligible for LEED Certification. Design grants can be awarded in the range of $50,000 to $100,000, and bricks and mortar grants have no limits. Educational development and outreach is mandatory for consideration. Initial letters of inquiry are accepted year round. If accepted, full project applications can be submitted at any time.


87


Other Opportunities Due to the unique nature of the site, and the potential for on-going learning, research, and education in a variety of areas, there is the potential to provide opportunities for local, regional, and even national or international educational, research, health-related, and corporate institutions. In addition to potential funding support for capital expenditures to implement the plan, there are opportunities to seek support for on-going research, education, interpretation, and recreational therapy that the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve site could be conducive to over time. These uses and activities are not the core purpose of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, but could lead to beneficial partnerships and positive public exposure for the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve and the FPDCC.

88


oak forest heritage preserve

master plan & vision Forest Preserve District of Cook County Cook County Real Estate Management Division

July 2012