Park District plans projects citywide

Using a blend of state, private and local tax dollars, Springfield Park District is undergoing an aggressive program to upgrade its 34 parks, Leslie Sgro told Illinois Times.

Sgro, who has been president of the Park District Board for 32 years, said several factors have resulted in the district becoming more aggressive in improving its infrastructure.

“We’ve been very conservative financially for the last several years, getting on a solid footing,” she said. “We are still conservative, but now we have a little bit of saved up funds that we can put into some of these projects. The other thing that is of a critical importance is the partnerships that we’ve put together.”

For example, in July the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes baseball team started a private foundation to help raise money for repairs and improvements at Robin Roberts Stadium. The Park District recently completed a study on converting the tennis courts north of the stadium to parking.

“It looks like we could add 107 new parking spaces, which would be just terrific,” said Jamie Toole, an owner of the team. “They would be over the top of the tennis courts. The study would require minor alterations to the batting cages and clubhouse because we would put an entry over that way. The anticipated cost is approximately $200,000.”

Park District executive director Derek Harms said he envisions the new parking lot being paid for with tax money provided by the Park District as well as private funds raised by the foundation.

Such public/private partnerships are commonplace within the Park District.

The Springfield Zoological Society is helping fund new fencing along the Henson Robinson Zoo’s perimeter.

“They were able to fund $50,000 toward helping us get a little further along in that project,” Harms said. “They helped us fund some improvements to the spider monkey exhibit a couple years ago.”

But the biggest ongoing project at the zoo is the construction of a new lemur building, which is entirely being paid for with a $750,000 state museum grant.

Another example of private dollars assisting with a Park District project is the replacement of the conservatory dome at Washington Park.

The Conservatory Dome replacement project will include demolition of the current acrylic conservatory dome and construction of a new one that is the same size and shape within the same location, replacement of entryway windows, and replacement of all heating and cooling systems.

The total cost of the project is $750,000. The Springfield Park District received a $370,000 grant from the Tourism Attractions and Festivals Grant Program of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The remainder, $380,000, is coming from the William Ed Quarry Trust.

Projects at Iles, Kiwanis and Gietl parks also received state grants.

Iles Park received a $400,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The remainder is being funded with local tax dollars.”

The project we just completed there was about a $1.2 million project,” Harms said. “We put in a new play system – kind of a community-sized playground – which has been very popular. It’s accessible for people of all ability levels in the community.

“We regraded the softball diamond there and we put in a skate park. … We put a looped walking path throughout the entire park, which was just a great addition,” Harms said.

Kiwanis Park also received a $400,000 grant from IDNR for $800,000 in improvements. The rest of the project is being paid for with local tax dollars, Harms said.

“This project is ongoing,” he said. “When it’s done, we’re going to regrade two soccer fields and upgrade the lighting for the fields, too. We’re going to remove an old, small, dated playground and put in a new state-of-the-art play system. It’s a heavily residential area and I think the need for a larger, modern playground system is absolutely there. We’re also going to resurface and expand the parking lot.”

Gietl Park received a $600,000 IDNR grant to convert Veterans Pool to a splash pad. Another $200,000 in local tax money will be applied toward this project.

“Veterans Memorial Pool is an old, dated pool. It’s 60-plus years old,” Harms said. “We proposed demolishing the existing pool. … We knew we wanted to do something unique and something fun for that neighborhood. So, we’re going to construct a modern splash pad that will be fully accessible for people with mobility challenges. We kept Veterans Pool open this season for one last hurrah.”

In a negotiated agreement between the Park District and the city of Springfield, both Enos and Gehrmann parks received tax increment financing dollars for upgrades.

“The playground equipment in Enos Park was in bad shape,” said Caleb Payne, president of the Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association. “Foot traffic of families and kids in the park has at least doubled since the new playground has been installed.”

Scott Reeder, a staff writer for Illinois Times can be reached at sreeder@illinoistimes.com.

This article appears in Renovation revelations.