Wilmette residents chose a prairie scene for the sound barrier wall surrounding the new cooling tower at Centennial Recreation Complex.
Design Option D pulled 207 votes, the most among six concepts the Wilmette Park District put before the public, the district announced. The winning design features a navy background with a yellow prairie scene. It reflects the district's branding and draws inspiration from the Centennial Prairie on the property, according to the announcement.
The vote closes one chapter of a larger infrastructure project and opens another. The district said it will use the results to guide the final design but has not locked in how the artwork will appear on the wall. A vinyl wrap, a painted mural and other methods are under consideration. Budget, materials and long-term durability will drive that decision, the district said.
The cooling tower replacement project is expected to continue through spring and early summer, according to the district. The design would cover three visible sides of the barrier: south, east and west.
Why the tower moved
The new cooling tower replaces an aging unit that sat on Centennial's roof for roughly 13 years. A 2023 structural survey found significant deterioration of roof components around the old tower's location, according to the district's project page.
The district's project page also notes that the old tower extended only a few feet above a five-foot parapet wall, restricting airflow. Over time, that reduced operating efficiency and contributed to premature wear on the system.
Josh Wallace, the district's superintendent of parks and planning, wrote in a memo to the Park Board that the tower had reached the end of its useful life. The district initially planned to keep the tower on the roof. That proved impossible because of insufficient clearance to meet current engineering standards, Wallace wrote. The new tower was relocated to the southwest parking lot at ground level, which triggered the need for a sound barrier wall to comply with village noise ordinances.
Funding and scope
The Record first reported in June that the Wilmette Park Board unanimously approved a $1.3 million contract with ProTemp Mechanical of Westchester for the installation. District officials said at the time that the bid came in under the $2.05 million budgeted.
The project also received a $250,000 Build Illinois Bond Fund grant through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO). The grant was sponsored through legislation introduced by Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, according to the district.
Chris Lindgren, the district's executive director, said at a May Park Board meeting that site work would run through August and probably into September. The project was not cheap. Commissioner Mike Murdock said at the time that "it was a lot of money, and it's still a lot of money, but it's a lot less than it could have been."
The district said it will provide updates as the project progresses. The cooling tower supports both ice rinks at Centennial, one of the district's most heavily used facilities.
