February 18, 2025
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Yorkville invests $35K for new lightning detector unit for parks

Evans: ‘It will give us better and more accurate information’

By Joey Weslo
The Yorkville Parks Department said they are looking to continue expanding softball opportunities in their athletic leagues. Pictured, the 3rd/4th Division Spring Softball League competes in Beecher Park in 2023.

Yorkville City Council is investing over $35k to install a new lightning detector unit at Beecher Park, Riverfront Park, and Yorkville Intermediate School. Pictured, the 3rd/4th Division Spring Softball League competes in Beecher Park in 2023. (Provided by the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Dep.)

To improve safety at its parks, Yorkville city officials are addressing the issue of faulty and outdated lightning detectors. For the playing fields at Beecher Park, Riverfront Park, and Yorkville Intermediate School, City Council is investing $35,400 to install a new state-of-the-line lightning detector system made by Perry Weather.

“Hopefully, this will be a little more accurate, after 15-20 years the technology has been updated, the software is better,” said Tim Evans, director of parks, during the Feb. 11 City Council meeting. “It will give us better and more accurate information.”

The city currently has seven lightning detector units placed throughout the town’s parks. The current software and equipment is at least 15-years old in each of the sites. With the aging equipment, the prior lighting detection unit near Beecher Park was deemed obsolete for the upcoming 2025 outdoor sports season, according to city documents.

Over time, the rest of the city’s original six lightning detector units at other locations will have to be replaced with newer equipment as well.

Each lightning detector unit is designed to notify staff and the public of possible lightning strikes in the area. When the sirens go off, park users are encouraged to cease their activities and to seek immediate shelter.

A well-functioning detector unit makes lightning detection more of a science and enables city staff to maintain safety by quickly notifying all residents about incoming potentially hazardous storms.