OAK PARK – State Senators Kimberly A. Lightford and Don Harmon are pleased to announce $400,000 in state funding for the Park District of Oak Park’s continued renovation of Maple Park. 

“Parks are an invaluable community resource,” Lightford said. “They encourage our children to play outside and lead active lives, and they give adults the opportunity to get healthy exercise.”

“Our parks provide wonderful gathering places for outdoor recreation to improve public health and welfare and enhance the well-being of the entire community,” Harmon said. “It is a pleasure to support these projects.”

Specifically, renovations include the upgrade of the existing ball fields and play equipment and creation of new junior-size grid fields, a picnic shelter, rock climbing structures and a continuous walking path within the park. The park district will also add pickle ball lines to the existing tennis courts for multi-use play and enhance park landscaping. 

The project funding is provided through the state’s Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development program (OSLAD), administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.  Grantees are required to contribute to total project costs, and in total the state will fund $16.5 million for 46 local park projects across Illinois. 

Jan Arnold, Executive Director of the Park District of Oak Park said that “OSLAD grants have allowed the park district to stretch our available tax dollars while making a sufficient impact on our park system. We greatly appreciate Senator Lightford and Senator Harmon’s continued support.”

The $1 million project is slated for construction in the summer of 2016.