During the summer, Harmony Park in downtown Arlington Heights is a vibrant entertainment center and meeting place for concerts — surrounded by a number of successful dining venues. However, Harmony Park is a small venue that requires people to fill the closed streets of Arlington Alfresco during popular concerts.
Additionally, the outdoor concert noise at Harmony Park interferes with nearby commercial music venues, such as Hey Nonny and the reception hall at Metropolis Ballroom.
What if Arlington Heights canceled the beleaguered Arlington 425 project, and created a larger summer concert venue at the location in the summer, and an ice rink in the winter?
Rosemont, Illinois has Parkway Bank Park a vibrant outdoor entertainment space that offers a variety of concerts, activities and events in the summer, fall and spring; and provides a free public ice rink during the winter months — from the end of November to the end of January.
In Rosemont, Rockin’ in the Park Concert Series, a free summer concert series features classic cover bands and food and beverage tents on the park’s great lawn — much larger than the small lawn available at Harmony Park in downtown Arlington Heights. In Rosemont, many more people can sit on blankets on the lawn. In Arlington Heights, the majority of people listening to concerts have to stand in the streets nearby (if they don’t rush to get their blankets on the small lawn in time).
The Rosemont park, with its expansive lawn, also hosts other seasonal events, such as festivals and various entertainment programs throughout the summer months.
When the park is idle, visitors can enjoy the park’s great lawn for picnics, relaxation, and general enjoyment of the outdoor space.
Similarly, Arlington Heights could enhance events, such as the Santa Run, and introduce new events on land developed as a park with a band shell in the northeast corner of the beleaguered Arlington 425 project property located at Campbell Street and Highland Avenue (the southwest corner of the intersection). In addition to concerts, the band shell could host outdoor theater events, serving as a stage for the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre a half block away. Taste of Arlington Heights could be enhanced with a larger space, and Arlington Heights could see the return of art shows right in downtown.
The heart of Arlington Heights downtown has Arlington Alfresco and summer music concerts at Harmony Park in the summer, but when the warm weather ends, activity diminishes in downtown Arlington Heights. What if Arlington Heights enhanced downtown with the addition of an ice rink in its downtown area? As the chill of winter sets in, the concept of an ice skating rink not only offers a recreational activity, but also serves as a community gathering spot, enhancing the local cultural scene — year round.
Benefits of an Ice Rink:
Community Engagement: An ice rink would provide a central, inclusive space for residents of all ages to gather, promoting physical activity and social interaction. Events like public skating sessions, learn-to-skate classes, and holiday celebrations could enhance annual traditions, improve community spirit, and keep downtown Arlington Heights as an attractive alternative compared to the future Arlington Park development — especially if the Chicago Bears develop an NFL-class stadium and develop the surrounding property with entertainment venues, residential properties, and hotel properties at the former Arlington Park.
Downtown Arlington Heights could enhance the hometown experience while the Chicago Bears development would become an enhanced world-class experience. Shuttle buses and Metra trains could provide easy transportation between Downtown Arlington Heights and Arlington Park, allowing people to choose between the best of both worlds.
Economic Boost: An enhanced concert series in the summer, and an ice rink in the winter would sustain the attraction of visitors to downtown Arlington Heights, boosting local businesses like cafes, restaurants, and shops. During the holiday season, an ice rink could serve as a magical magnet for skating enthusiasts, holiday shoppers, and diners, who would have enjoyable sights to see on a walk after a meal.
Sports Attraction: There is plenty of room for an outdoor 200-foot by 85-foot standard North American hockey rink.
Cultural Attraction: Whether functioning as a great lawn in the summer and fall, or an ice rink in the winter, there is great potential for hosting art shows, ice shows, figure skating competitions, themed skating nights, outdoor theater themed events, themed food festivals year round in addition to Taste of Arlington Heights at summer’s end, and outdoor concerts.
Considerations for Implementation:
Location and Space: The 435-foot by 270-foot property bordered by Chestnut Avenue, Campbell Street and Highland Avenue is the perfect spot in downtown Arlington Heights for a great lawn, concert and theater venue, event location, and ice rink. A large park at Campbell Street and Highland Avenue in downtown Arlington Heights would provide a much better buffer to the single-family residential neighborhood to the west — compared to a crammed in multi-story high-rise multi-family building at the location that barely fits in the spot and is experiencing complications with underground utilities in the area.
Maintenance and Operations: The property design with modern functional features, and the upkeep of an ice rink — including ice quality, safety measures, and staffing for various programs — would require careful planning and implementation. Hopefully the Arlington Heights Park District and the Village of Arlington Heights would be up to the task.
Potential Challenges:
Cost: Establishing and maintaining an ice rink involves significant initial and ongoing expenses. Funding could be sourced from park district budgets, municipal budgets, profits and fees from events, local business donations, or community fundraising efforts.
Climate: Arlington Heights, like much of Illinois and the Midwest, has variable winter weather. Ensuring the ice rink can operate reliably under the conditions of a warm winter would require investment in technology or design to adapt to unusually warm winter days, rain, heavy snow, or extreme cold. A large Glass Cube similar to the Westfield Old Orchard Mall Glass Pavillion could serve as an enticing warming area and lounge area.
Community Impact:
Cultural Identity: An ice rink could become a symbol of winter in Arlington Heights, an attraction of pride and identity for residents.
Youth Development: Programs for youth hockey or figure skating could provide educational and competitive opportunities, encouraging physical fitness and discipline among youth and continued fitness for adults.
Public Health and Fitness: With rising concerns about health, fitness and wellness; a dedicated space for outdoor activity could contribute positively to the community’s health profile.
Well that’s it …
Arlington Heights municipal leaders need to avoid unnaturally forcing the relevance of downtown Arlington Heights foolishly; and leaders need to avoid trying too hard to create empty Instagramable moments in a cheesy attempt to appease downtown business owners worried about the Chicago Bears development. Instead village leaders: You must actually create attractions that are relevant so that they become Instagramable moments organically.
Village leaders: Stop with your addiction to property tax income with dense multi-family buildings in downtown Arlington Heights. Make something attractive and enjoyable — year round. There will be plenty of locations and spaces (and property tax revenue) at the Arlington Park development.
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