Ottawa celebrates renovated Allen Park with ribbon-cutting

As she scanned the view west to east from the top of Allen Park, Ottawa Commissioner Marla Pearson smiled and uttered a heavy sigh.

The renovation of the city’s south riverfront park was finally complete and she was elated with the results of the lengthy process.

“This is a park that everyone uses, it’s visible from our downtown and our bridge, so it should showcase our city and these improvements definitely do.”

—  Ottawa Mayor Robb Hasty

The $1.1 million transformation of Allen Park – using a $506,000 Open Space Land Development and Acquisition grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to create an upper playground level to the often flood-damaged now improved lower park – was made official Thursday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by city and park board officials and held at the top of the reshaped hill a stone’s throw from Hitt Street.

“It is a relief that it is finally over, after so many meetings with architects, public meetings, picking out equipment, picking out colors, I’m glad it’s done and I’m very happy with the whole project … It’s great for the citizens and it’s great for the people that come to visit, maybe stay for the weekend with their kids at an Airbnb on the south side, go to a festival and see there’s a park on the other side they can take their kids to and enjoy,” Pearson said.

“I had fears that this was never going to come to fruition because this was such a big job for Vissering Construction to actually make this playground happen, but they did an excellent job. The hill climb and the playground are definitely my favorite part of this project.”

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The city of Ottawa held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at Allen Park in Ottawa. Commissioner Marla Pearson (center) cuts the ribbon on a $1.5 million dollar completion of a playground and other improvements to the park. The project was funded in part by a $506,000 Illinois Department of Natural Resources Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant. (Scott Anderson)

Mayor Robb Hasty noted the meeting to pick out the equipment was his first meeting as mayor last spring and was “surprised what all this stuff costs.”

“I’m more used to it now and I feel that Marla, Tami (Koppen, Community Development specialist) and the recreation board have done a phenomenal job” Hasty said with a smile. “As Marla said, this is a park that everyone uses, it’s visible from our downtown and our bridge, so it should showcase our city and these improvements definitely do.”

Because of frequent flooding along the Illinois and Fox rivers that damaged amenities so often that the park fell into disrepair, the project has created a two-level venue.

That lower level now has four bag-toss stations, two tables with chess/checker boards on them and two ping pong tables and a new shelter, all made completely of concrete. Now should they go under water for any length of time, Pearson said, they can be simply hosed off and be ready to use.

The park now has a modern playground and hillside play area, plus a concrete staircase and series of sidewalks allowing visitors to make a slower, steadier climb to it. The sidewalks also serve as a quarter-mile walking path for those who prefer to measure their exercise or just stroll in the evening air.

At the top, there is a modern play area with a safe, poured-in surface for children with all abilities and a bench swing with views of the river.

Pearson said that there still a few minor details that have to be handled, such as the painting of the two Mary Meinz-Fanning steel beam sculptures that will take place next spring, some additional seating in the council ring at the east end of the upper level, and the grass that’s been planted on the slope, now covered with protective straw and netting.

Asked what’s next, Pearson said the focus will now be on finishing Bill’s Barking Lot, the dog park on East Lafayette Street named for city benefactor and businessman Bill Walsh Sr.

“When I first started as commissioner,” Pearson said, “the all-accessible park up by Lincoln-Douglas (park) was just in its second phase, starting with Commissioner (James) Less. Since then, we’ve done the east side park, the fitness park, Walsh Park got a new train, Thornton Park got a completely new renovation and just recently Peck Park, with the largest splash pad in town. Now Allen Park, this was a big project and I didn’t know if we’d get this one done, but I’m very proud of it.

“I’m super happy to have good people behind me, the recreation board, the commissioners and the mayor. It’s been fun and everyone did a great job.”