Goodwill Park officially open, though some worry about safety

Goodwill Park at 700 E. Chapin St. is officially open after undergoing around a year of construction, though some mentioned at the Morris City Council meeting that it needs more swings and better benches.

Alderman Sarah Mettille said the park is open and semi-operational, but the grass is still coming in and there are a few small details being worked on. City workers are sprucing up the bathrooms and adding signage.

Renovations at Goodwill Park were made possible thanks to grant money, and the City of Morris approved a $585,000 bid in Aug. 2023 for work to begin on the park. Included in the improvements were a new ADA-compliant, handicap accessible playground, upgraded ball diamonds and a new shelter.

The park is getting use in its first days of being open: Kids were still running around the playground even after the City Council meeting Monday night.

There are still some concerns, though. Art Hornsby, a resident in the neighborhood, is concerned that a swale in between the playground and bathrooms is a fall-risk for the disabled and elderly. A swale is typically smaller than a ditch but performs the same task: It’s used to channel stormwater from a street or sidewalk. He said he was told all he’d have to do is go over to Chapin Street and walk down the rest of the corner to avoid walking in the swale.

“That might be legal, but that isn’t good,” Hornsby said. “I think there’s a better cure to it. I was always informed in the 70s that if you come up with a swale with no traffic, the traffic will be there.”

Hornsby said the city should put in a drainage pipe with holes all the way around to cover it up with dirt, leading the water to an open area down the way. Hornsby also expressed concern that benches in the park are too small for parents and grandparents to sit in safely.

Alderman Alex Clubb said he’s received calls on the park with similar complaints about the swale. Residents would also like to see more swings and more playground equipment, as the playground fills up quickly during baseball games.

Mettille said the city has had many engineers and architects go over the design.

“We did a very methodical process to this, which was taking polls from the public and we put together public meetings where people could come in and voice their concerns and ideas,” Mettille said. “From there, we chose Goodwill. We thought it was important. It was in the biggest state of disrepair for the fact that it was used a lot, and then the experts came in and put together the plan we asked them to design. It’s a small area, not a huge area for play equipment.”

Mettille said the city adhered to code for the project and the park is accessible.

“I am confident that we brought in the right experts to advise the plan to build and execute on what we put together as our parks plan,” Mettille said. “We don’t have a parks district, so we’re doing our very best to make it the best we can for the city.”

Mettille also gave an update on West Side Park, which is currently undergoing preparations to have the new concrete poured for the new skate park.