Plainfield has more plans for its already expanded riverfront

Riding on the newest addition of the DuPage River trail front extension, Bruce Wilczynski had already meandered about 12 miles on his bicycle from his home in Crest Hill before heading north under the Lockport Street underpass in Plainfield.

Adding more than 1,000 feet of trail in a key part of the village, the project, which had its official opening with a ribbon cutting in late June, also included the creation of a stone council ring, a river overlook with seating and a pollinator garden.

Lockport Street is unique because it serves as the “central nucleus” to historic downtown Plainfield which has seen a large resurgence over the last decade.

Biking several times a week, Wilczynski said, “I hope they continue to expand. It is a plus for a city to be bicycle and pedestrian friendly. It attracts new people to the community.”

The project also reestablished native plant species which will be more resilient when water levels rise.

Future expansions, based on the Plainfield’s Riverfront Master Plan, would “loop around the wastewater treatment facility, connect to the Pace Park and Ride, and eventually connect to the DuPage River Trail,” according to Amy De Boni, community relations director, with the village of Plainfield.

Adopted in 2021, the master plan calls for the “soft development” of the riverfront aimed at drawing people of “all abilities and interests” including “active recreation users, passive recreation users, river-based users, cultural and commercial users, and eco-heritage users.”

“Why? Why do we do these things? Why is this important?” Plainfield Mayor John Argoudelis shared in a recent Facebook post. “There is something in us, something innate. A longing to return home and home is the natural world. It brings us peace, tranquility, a mental respite from the human world where we can transcend the mundane and renew ourselves. This is the importance of these projects for all the residents of Plainfield. To preserve and create natural spaces for our physical and mental health – our quality of life, here, at home.”

Plainfield received two grants to fund the project — a $325,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and a $10,000 Green Region Grant from ComEd and Openlands.

The village has even more plans for the riverfront area.

To the south, De Boni said, “We are currently applying for a permit, and we will be connecting to Mather Woods and Settlers’ Park underneath the railroad at the south end of the river front park.”

This work will be done by a private developer, she added.

“We are really excited about all the work we have done and also our future expansion,” she said.

In 2024, construction of pergolas with seating, trail connections and interpretive signage will be added just south of Lockport Street on the west side of the DuPage River, based on a $284,500 Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant.

The addition of local businesses like Plainfield River Tubing, which shuttle tubers from West Electric Park to Eaton Preserve for a float back down the DuPage River, is serving to increase Plainfield’s visibility as a destination or hub for new water uses.

For its part, the Lower DuPage River Watershed Coalition, which is comprised of the municipalities adjacent to the river, has provided the funding for the water restoration part of the project, according to Jennifer Hammer, director of Watershed Programs for the group.

“The focus of the project is to improve the instream habitat for fish and the macro invertebrates of the river,” she said. “Part of the plan is diversifying the flow. A whole section of the DuPage River is flat, wide, and uniform due to years and years of urban development.”

“It is a slow and even flow across the channel,” Hammer said.

When looking at the needs of fish and macro invertebrates, she said creating a more diverse type of habitat will result in a “more diverse types of fish and bugs which will create a healthier stream and a better aquatic community.”