New playground, upgraded ball fields, ‘challenge course’ on the way to Algonquin park

Construction for Algonquin’s Presidential Park is expected to start this spring, including a new playground, upgraded soccer and baseball fields and a so-called challenge course.

The Algonquin Village Board approved the purchase of nearly $333,000 worth of playground equipment for Presidential Park Tuesday.

The new playground at the park, located on the east side of the village along Highland Avenue, will have “multiple areas of play” for ages 5 to 12, plus an area for ages 2 to 5, Algonquin Recreation Superintendent Katie Gock said.

Some of the playground is customized specifically for Presidential Park, like the climbers shaped like larger-than-life baseball mitts and bats.

“We’re going into that sports-themed route,” Gock said. “Red, white and blue for presidential and sports because that’s what the complex is.”

By purchasing directly from the manufacturers, the village is able to save time and money with discounts, Gock said.

The village received a $400,000 grant from the Illinois Open Space Land Acquisition and Development program in 2022. Total costs of the entire park renovations are estimated to cost about $7 million.

Renovated bathrooms, rebuilt baseball fields with artificial turn, a storage building, renovated soccer fields, fitness equipment and an updated walking path will be added to the 18-acre park, according to village documents.

A new “challenge course” will also be added that resembles a kid-friendly version of the game show “American Ninja Warrior,” Gock said.

In order to fulfill the grant requirements, the village must complete playground construction by October, Gock said. The baseball fields may take a little longer, but the village aims to have everything completed at the same time, she said.

“We’re trying to make it really a premier place for baseball and really draw in some teams,” she said.

The playground’s footprint will be much larger that its 30-year-old predecessor and will be moved farther away from the parking lot, Gock said.

More major park upgrades are coming to the village, as construction for Angel Towne Park starts this spring. A new playground, bandshell, renovated bathrooms and picnic areas will be added to Angel Towne Park, which also received an OSLAD grant of $600,000.

Construction for the estimated $4.3 million project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025, Algonquin Deputy Village Manager Michael Kumbera said.

“It’s really a great project and I will be happy when the shovel goes into the ground and we’re sliding down the slides,” Gock said.