PARK RIDGE PARK DISTRICT AWARDED $400,000 STATE GRANT
July 15, 2022 - The Park Ridge Park District is pleased to announce that we have been awarded a $400,000 grant for Hinkley Park from the State’s Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) program, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR). Gov. Pritzker announced on Friday, July 8, that the Park Ridge Park District’s Hinkley Park project is one of 87 local recreation projects, representing $30.3 million in funding assistance, approved for 2022 OSLAD grant funds.
Improvements at Hinkley Park, located at 25 Busse Hwy in Park Ridge, will include the addition of a picnic pavilion, accessible pathways, improved batting tunnels, game area, rain gardens, resurfacing of the basketball court, and a new playground. The project budget is estimated at $945,100. The $400,000 grant received is the maximum amount awarded by OSLAD for development projects, and requires the Park District to match the grant amount received. The District will provide the required matching funds from their Capital Projects Fund.
In the past five years, the Park District has completed a number of improvement projects at Hinkley Park including renovations of the tennis courts, resurfacing of the Northwest Highway parking lot, renovations to the restrooms, the addition of a Community Garden, and upgrades to the athletic field lighting. These improvements will further enhance this heavily used park.
“We extend our gratitude to all the State legislators in our District who recognize the value of these grants in our communities and support our OSLAD Grant requests, in particular 10th District State Senator Robert Martwick and 20th District State Representative Brad Stephens for their help in securing these valuable capital funds that will improve Hinkley Park,” stated Executive Director Gayle Mountcastle.
View the Proposed Master Plan
Project Timeline:
- Design Development: November 2022 - January 2023
- Construction Documents: January 2023 - March 2023
- Permitting: April 2023 - May/June 2023
- Bid: June 2023 - July 2023
- Construction: August 2023 - July 2024
Project Updates:
April 19, 2024 - The playground has been removed along with selected trees that were in decline. This will make way for the new playground and rain garden.
Concrete installation around fields 2 and 3 began and will be ongoing over the next week.
February 28, 2024 - Demolition, site preparation, and excavation has begun on the project. The playground is closing to the public on Monday, March 11.
February 21, 2024 - The contractor is back on site. The batting tunnels have been removed along with other sselective demolition. New poles for the new batting tunnels and the baseball netting along Busse Highway have been installed.
November 8, 2023 - The final permit was issued on November 6. Scheduling is being worked out with the contractor.
October 19, 2023 - The permit has been approved and is awaiting signatures for official issuance. All permits are expected to be received by end of next week. The project start date is still to be determined, and will be established once the permit is formally issued.
September 6, 2023 - We are still awaiting on all the permits for the project. We anticipate they will be received by the end of September. The contractor is ready to begin work the second week of October.
July 27, 2023 - The project was approved by the City as part of their Site Plan Review process. Additionally, the Park Board has approved Hacienda Landscaping as the low bidder for the project.