Evanston officials hoping for hole-in-one on mini-golf plan

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Updated: February 14, 2012 9:54AM

Evanston officials are taking a swing at one of the long missing pieces on the city’s recreation scene, inviting developers to design and build a miniature golf course.

City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz confirmed Monday night that officials recently sent out a request for proposals to potential developers to design, build, finance and operate a miniature golf course.

The course would be placed in the park area immediately west of the Chandler-Newberger Community Center, at 1028 Central St.

The project is moving forward with the knowledge of the Evanston-Wilmette Golf Association. Association members operate a conventional 18-hole golf course, though undersized, in the same general area, Bobkiewicz said.

City officials pressed the association, a private group, to make changes in their operation of the course after the private group ran up a water bill of more than $12,000 with Evanston, and roughly $8,000 with Wilmette, where some of the holes are placed.

Under the draft form of the city’s proposal, officials are inviting developers to design an 18-hole thematically designed miniature golf course for all ages.

The course would include associated support facilities and exterior improvements such as patio seating, perimeter fencing, site furnishings, lighting and landscaping.

The operations would include either a small independent building to include a ticket booth, concession stand and storage maintenance space; or reconfigured office space at Chandler-Newberger itself for ticketing and storage, with concessions handled on site through a mobile service.

If responses are forthcoming, officials are projecting to have the course up and running within a two-year period.

The course would be a long-awaited response to neighboring Skokie, which opened up a driving range and miniature golf course across the way from Evanston on Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Sanitary Channel land on Oakton Street west of McCormick Boulevard, creating a revenue generator for the village.