By Laura Katauskas | Bugle Staff
Early planning to keep a new park project in the plan for Romeoville despite state budget cuts is proving fruitful now that state grants are being awarded.
In January, the village was awarded a $400,000 grant for Discovery Park, a 31-acre park to be located on the southwest side of Romeoville near Weber and Airport roads. However, the State of Illinois Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant was in limbo due to budget constraints by the state.
Knowing the grant would not cover the entire cost of the project, the village had anticipated its own contribution of $125,000 and had budgeted accordingly for design purposes and in hopes to keep the project moving forward.
Rather than place the entire project on hold, the village opted to continue with design services and master plan for Phase 1 of Discovery Park, entering into a contract with Hitchcock Design Group and Robinson Engineering.
Romeoville is now ready to move forward with a major park and recreation expansion starting in 2017, adding a total of 38.5 acres of park space, having been recently notified that the grant would be released for the Discovery Park site. The total budget for the project stands at $6 million with $3 million dedicated to the first phase. The $400,000 grant will be used for the first phase and the village will pick up the bulk of the cost with available cash on hand.
Construction will include various athletic fields including soccer, football, lacrosse as well as three half-court basketball courts, two sand volleyball courts, a baggo playing area, an interpretive trail system and the road extension of Highpoint Drive.
“The development of this site has been a top priority for the Village. It is very important that we provide facilities to the residents in which they can participate in a variety of sports,” said Mayor John Noak. “This facility will create needed space for sports that continue to grow in the community such as soccer and flag football.”
The final and future phase of Discovery Park will include a playground, shelter, maintenance building, concessions/restroom facility.
In addition to Discovery Park, the village is working to develop approximately 7.5 acres of open space adjacent to Volunteer Park and the Joliet Junior College’s North Campus. It is anticipated that the open space will be usable for a variety of activities, including practice fields by 2018.