Village of Elburn awarded $400,000 grant to build park in Elburn Station

ELBURN- Elburn officials were notified on Feb. 4 that the village has been awarded a grant to develop a park within the Elburn Station development. The grant was announced at that evening's village board meeting.

The village and the Shodeen Group partnered in applying for the grant, and the Hitchcock Design Group, a park-planning firm with a successful track record in obtaining grant money, wrote the grant.

The Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) Program of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is the agency from which the grant money will come.
The grant is for $400,000, a 50 percent match for phase one of the park, which is an $800,000 project. The village and Shodeen are each responsible for half of the remaining $400,000.

According to the concept plan for the 20-acre parcel, phase one of the park, located north of Keslinger Road and east of Liberty Drive, includes a tennis court, three pickle ball courts, two half-court basketball courts, a playground, shelter and parking lot.

The concept design for the entire park, with a total construction cost of $1.9 million, includes soccer, lacrosse or football fields, a multi-purpose sports court, an ice-skating arena and several additional amenities.

Shodeen’s Dave Patzelt said he is “excited and thrilled” to be part of the grant process with “teammates” from the Village of Elburn and the Hitchcock Design Group.

“It’s a great addition to our Elburn Station development, and will be good for the community as a whole,” he said.

The park, although it would be located within the Elburn Station subdivision, would be available for use by anyone in the village. According to Patzelt, much of the cost to maintain the park can be paid for with Elburn Station’s Special Service Area money.

Village President Jeff Walter said the next step will be to include plans for the park in the village’s upcoming budget process. In order to receive the grant money, the village will need to use it within a two-year time frame, Walter explained.

Discussions during the budgeting process, beginning with the March 4 Village Board meeting, will include where the money will come from. The village’s proposed increase in sales tax revenue is one possibility, Walter said.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Village Administrator John Nevenhoven said of the grant. “I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes.”