Aurora area communities have received over $2.8 million in state grant funding for local park projects, including a plan to renovate Garfield Park in Aurora, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced recently.
The five area governments getting the funding – the city of Aurora, the Fox Valley Park District, the Sugar Grove Park District, the St. Charles Park District and the village of Elburn – will each be putting their cut of the state money toward improving or creating new parks.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources said in a news release that it distributed a total of $54.9 million for 111 local park and recreation projects throughout the state through the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development, or OSLAD, program.
The department distributes grants through the OSLAD program yearly and, since the program was established in 1986, has awarded nearly $585 million to local park projects, officials said.
The city of Aurora received $600,000 from the grant program recently, which will pay for phase one of a renovation project at Garfield Park, officials said.
The work would bring a renovated playground, a new splash pad, new sports facilities, better parking and improved amenities to the park, according to preliminary plans.
Garfield Park is in the Pigeon Hill neighborhood on the northeast side of the city.
Its new sports facilities would include an improved sand volleyball court, half-court for basketball and a street soccer pitch, early plans show. Plans also include a renovated picnic shelter, improved bathrooms and around 100 parking spaces.
The draft plan was developed using community feedback on the best use of the park’s land, according to city spokesman Tony Martinez. He said that a construction timeline has not yet been developed as the plans are still preliminary.
In total, the project would cost over $1.2 million over multiple phases, according to reports.
The Fox Valley Park District is also receiving $600,000 from the state grant program. The district will use two years worth of OSLAD grants to develop a new park in Montgomery south of Route 30 that will include pickleball courts, walking paths and a splash pad.
The park, to be called Blackberry Crossing West, is being constructed in two phases. The newly-announced grant will allow construction to seamlessly continue from the first phase to the second, according to Fox Valley Park District Director of Planning, Research and Grants Jeff Palmquist.
Construction is expected to be completed in the spring of 2025, he said.
Other planned amenities of the park include asphalt walking paths, a half-court for basketball, sand volleyball courts, restrooms and two shade shelters, according to Palmquist. He said that natural plantings around the park will make it a pollinator habitat.
“The intention is to fulfill a demand for a wide range of age groups in that southwest portion of the district which has grown considerably over the years,” Palmquist said.
The St. Charles Park District will also receive $600,000 through the OSLAD program.
The district will use the funding to update the East Side Sports Complex with four new pickleball courts, resurfaced basketball and tennis courts, upgrades to the skate park and more, according to a news release.
The East Side Sports Complex is at 3565 Legacy Boulevard off of Kirk Road in St. Charles.
Other planned updates to the complex include a new 40-yard dash practice area, sand volleyball court improvements, converting the softball field to turf, adding shade to the softball field dugouts and a new electronic, interactive play feature and seating plaza near the south playground, according to the release.
The upgrades to the park were a part of the park district’s master plan, the release said. Construction is expected to be completed by Memorial Day weekend 2026.
Also receiving a $600,000 OSLAD grant is the Sugar Grove Park District. An update to Black Walnut Park including a renovated playground, basketball courts and woodlot conservation will be funded in part by the grant.
The park has the oldest and the largest playground in the district, according to Sugar Grove Park District Executive Director Scott Nadeau. He said a grant was needed to update it since it is a larger project than other playground replacements the district has funded in the past.
The most unique part of the project is the woodlot conservation, Nadeau said. A large portion of the property is effectively forest, and the grant will allow the district to clear out invasive plants and plant native, edible plants for the underbrush.
“That is going to have, not just a conservation value, but it’s also going to have a recreation value because there are people out there who’s hobby it is to forage for native, edible food,” he said.
Garlic and cherries are examples Nadeau gave of the roughly 30 edible plant species the district is considering planting in the woodlot conservancy.
The district will also seek community feedback about the basketball court to decide whether to keep it as a whole court or convert it into half courts, according to Nadeau.
Additionally, the gazebo will be replaced and a new “multigenerational plaza” will be added to the park. Nadeau called the plaza a “fancy sidewalk” with games like hopscotch and bean bag toss built into the sidewalk.
In total, the project will cost $1.2 million, with the rest of the funding coming from the district itself. Construction is expected to take place in spring and summer 2025, according to Nadeau.
The village of Elburn is getting a $446,100 OSLAD grant. The money will help with an update of Prairie Park, one of Elburn’s oldest, which would get new playground equipment, outdoor exercise equipment and game areas.
The current playground equipment is around 25 years old, according to Elburn Village Administrator John Nevenhoven.
“It’s actually one of our more popular parks as well,” he said.
Site plans show that the park will retain many of its existing paths and will add a path to create a loop around the park. A shade shelter will also be placed on the new path.
The playground is expected to have four swings, a slide and various play structures. The game area will include a stone ping pong table, stone bean bag toss games and several game tables.
The park’s updates should be completed by July 2025, officials said.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
