August Batavia Park District Dish: Park & facility improvements

During this unique spring and summer, the Batavia Park District has been busy improving park and playground spaces for our residents. Many projects continued throughout the Stay-At-Home Order, which provided essential construction workers with jobs. This also allowed the Batavia Park District to receive very competitive pricing.

The Batavia Park District is proud to have a Playground Replacement Program in place. The program allows for the replacement of each playground on an average rotation of 15 years. Each year, a public input meeting is held in December, allowing residents to vote on which playground design they prefer for their neighborhood park. In 2020, Levi Newton Park and Wind Energy Park received new, vibrant, and colorful playgrounds.

“The playground replacement program is one of the cornerstones of the District’s Capital Development Plan. The Board of Commissioners and staff of the Park District are committed to providing safe, accessible, and fun play equipment for the enjoyment of our residents,” says Jim Eby, Director of Capital Projects and Contractual Services.

Levi Newton Park, located at 1S020 W. Mallory Drive, Geneva, is also known as the ‘Fish Park’ to the neighbors. During the demolition of the previous playground, workers found a note from neighborhood kids asking the Park District not to remove the fish from the playground.

We hope the kids were happy to find not only one but three fish among the playground equipment! This playground also boasts a ten foot tall mega tower, electric piano panel, animal sound board, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, and fish ladders to make climbing a new experience.

Wind Energy Park, located at 850 Wind Energy Pass in Batavia, has several climbing features to make it stand-out. The Jax Star Climber is great for several age groups with larger climbing surfaces, and the Cyclo Cone Plus Climber allows for climbing and spinning at the same time. This puts a new twist on the traditional merry-go-round. Inclusive sensory panels and swings are also included.

At Big Woods Park, 1063 S. Raddant Road, neighbors have been seeing a lot of trucks and dirt moving the past few weeks! Here the softball field is being renovated to provide better drainage and play ability. A new backstop has also been installed. Portions of the walking path have been replaced, and the road and parking lot received repairs.

Neighbors at Woodland Hills Park are enjoying a new asphalt walking path around the perimeter of the park. This path provides a sidewalk that connects Meadow Rue with Woodland Hills Drive. Adding to our trails is always a popular request from the residents. The District is happy to add this to the list of paths we maintain! This project was bundled with Big Woods Park improvements for better pricing on excavation and blacktop installation.

The Eastside Community Center is undergoing a second summer of improvements before staff prepares for a new school year of New Horizons Preschool. When the preschoolers start in September, they’ll enjoy new flooring and lighting in their classrooms and hallways. Kemp Hall, located next to the Eastside

Community Center and primarily used for dance classes, received all new hardwood flooring and a small office for staff use.

Finally, the Peg Bond Center flooring is squeaky clean! New floors were installed in July to this popular rental facility, located at the Batavia Riverwalk. These floors will provide a fresh look for all our programs and rentals for many years to come.

For a complete list of Batavia Park District parks, playgrounds, and amenities, please visit bataviaparks.org/amenities-listing.