Fishing, Disc Golf Possible Parts of Park Grant Application

After landing a 2011 grant to bring a skate park and tennis courts in New Lenox, the is looking for the next way to improve local recreation. 

The Park District Board met April 17 to discuss a couple ideas that would better the parks and stand out in a grant application. 

In 2011, the Park District was one of 36 to be awarded the 2011 Open Space Lands Aquisition and Development grant, which is financed by part of the state’s real estate transfer tax. The Park District matched the $372,000 grant to enhance  and Royal Meadows parks, which sit on 16.5 acres of adjacent land. 

The focus for 2012 seems to be between two parks: , which is next to Liberty Junior High, and . 

A grant application must be submitted by July 1. Board members wrestled with which features would stand out and make the application shine, so many said it was a tough call between the two parks.

Walker Country Estates

The one hangup board members had was that the Park District has submitted three previous grant applications for Walker Country Estates, and those failed for various reasons. Would the state get tired of another application for this site? 

Besides that, the plans here are fluid because of the space. A fishing station would be likely, as would the option of a three-hoop basketball court or a splash pad. Archery could also be put there.

The cost of Neufairfield would be about $450,000. The cost for Walker Country Estates could be about $550,000, but board members said they wanted to aim for half a million.

Walker also has a concession stand and more space for recreation programming.

Neufairfield Park

This park opened in July 2011 in the Neufairfield subdivision, off our Gougar Road and Route 6, with the help of homeowner funding.

This site is smaller and doesn't have much parking, but the ideas tossed around by the board included a three-hole disc golf, a fitness station and a rain garden. But board members noted a couple of those things could also possibly work at Walker. 

Board members liked that park improvements would have the full backing of the homeowners, but there were also concerns. 

"It's truly a neighborhood park. We can't really program there, there's no parking," Parks Director Greg Lewis said. "In my mind ... at Walker we could make something unique out of it."