La Salle awarded $300,000 grant for outdoor fitness, pickleball courts, sledding hill at Rotary Park

An outdoor fitness station is coming to La Salle, as well as other pickleball courts, a sledding hill and activities after the city was awarded a $300,000 state grant on Tuesday.

La Salle applied for an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Grant, a program administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for the fitness station, outdoor recreational activities and improvements at Rotary Park.

Economic Development Director Curt Bedei said he was ecstatic to receive the grant because they are competitive. La Salle’s grant was one of 111 issued across the state, totaling $54.9 million.

“We’re looking forward to making more improvements to Rotary Park,” he said. “(This is) as an attraction piece, not just for La Salle residents but for the region all together.”

In July, the city was awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign and Blue Cross Blue Shield for an outdoor fitness court.

The court will include different stations, including pull-up bars, weight stations and an open area similar to Ottawa’s outdoor fitness court, Bedei said.

Bedei said the city is responsible for matching the grant of about $300,000.

We obviously want to make Rotary Park continue to grow and be a central place and destination for families of all ages. We feel that these improvements that we’re getting through these grants will allow us to offer more amenities for the whole family.”

—  Jeff Grove, La Salle mayor

Mayor Jeff Grove said other projects covered in the grant include two pickleball courts, a sledding hill with stairs, tow rope and a lighting and snow maker. The lot by the soccer fields also will be repaved.

“We obviously want to make Rotary Park continue to grow and be a central place and destination for families of all ages,” he said. “We feel that these improvements that we’re getting through these grants will allow us to offer more amenities for the whole family.”

Residents, city officials and business owners placed Rotary Park improvements in their top 10 during the city’s strategic planning meetings, Bedei said this is one more step in the right direction.

“It’s good to see these things coming to fruition,” he said. “Certainly in some manners, they are being checked off, but I’m not going to check it off completely. It’s just one brick in the wall. We’re going to continue plugging along and doing more things, but it’ll never truly be checked off until we’re all satisfied.”

Gov. JB Pritzker’s office said in a news statement its his mission with these grants to support the health and well-being of Illinoisans. Established by the Illinois General Assembly in 1986, OSLAD is a cost-sharing program between state and local governments that helps communities fund land acquisition and development for parks and outdoor recreation projects. It’s become one of the most popular grant programs in Illinois, Pritzker’s office said.