Fox Lake officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the village’s new Lakefront Park on May 28, but almost two months later portions of the site remain unfinished and the beach unopened.
Ongoing construction on adjusted site plans, combined with permitting and water right-of-way issues, have pushed the project’s tentative completion date to next year.
The Memorial Day weekend ceremony coincided with an anticipated timetable, set a year earlier at an official groundbreaking event. Both ceremonies were attended by U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-10th District, who secured $750,000 in funds earmarked for an ADA-compliant boardwalk, which is one of the park’s components yet to be built.
“The amenities currently open include the playground, the amphitheater, shade structure, walking paths, benches, and other accessory structures,” Village Administrator Jessica Chernich said. “The outdoor pickleball courts are anticipated to be ready for use in early August, weather dependent.”
The park has been in the works since 2018, as part of a comprehensive master parks plan. Budgeted at $12.5 million, the amount was grown into an $18 million package with other general obligation bonds, over a 20-year term, for a lower interest rate.
“As construction progressed, there were unknowns such as soil conditions, and showers for the beach, that were encountered,” Mayor Donny Schmit said. “This added to the cost, and since the budget was fixed, adjustments to the scope of the renovations were made to stay on budget. The money came from utility taxes and gaming proceeds.”
The beach area along Nippersink Lake, the park’s centerpiece, has Adirondack chairs and umbrella stands for use. However, plastic netting was strung at the water’s edge to deny access.
At issue are water sampling, inspection and construction permitting for the beach under the jurisdiction of the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The Lake County Health Department provides the operational license for the beach, after the state has finished its processing. It also oversees the bathhouse and showers. The county will conduct sampling once every two weeks from Memorial Day to Labor Day, along with a beach inspection during the summer.
“The county health department has recently assisted IDPH, with the initial sanitary survey for the prospective beach,” health department spokeswoman Emily Young said. “(We) are responsible for their operational license, after IDPH reviews and approves the construction permit application. Finalization is post-construction.”
Another issue plaguing the beach is a village request for an expanded no-wake zone, which comes under the authority of the Fox Waterway Agency.
“There are several options for the board to consider at their July 24 meeting,” the agency’s Executive Director Joe Keller said. “This includes a village of Fox Lake request to extend the no-wake zone that runs parallel with the Lakefront Park, anywhere from 300-450 feet. We are awaiting replies from other stakeholders.”
Those parties include the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois Department of Natural Resources and property owners adjacent to the park.
“They are seeking a zone, effectively from the low-side entry of the bridge to that first southward curve, where the businesses are,” Keller said. “This means wave action and wake action will be increased in that area, which also has boat launches.”
Chernich noted the village is working with the various regulatory agencies. “We are adhering to all the guidance provided,” she said. “It is anticipated that the beach and splash pad will not be open to the public until the 2025 season.”
