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Spring Valley seeks grant to acquire land for future sports complex near JFK school

Plans call for four baseball/softball fields, walking paths, a playground, parking on a 10-acre site

An aerial view behind JFK School on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025 in Spring Valley.

Spring Valley is seeking state grant funding to potentially acquire land for a future baseball/softball complex north of John F. Kennedy Elementary School.

Earlier this week, the Spring Valley City Council voted unanimously to apply for two grants, including an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Grant. If awarded, the grant would allow the city to purchase about 10 acres of property stretching from just north of JFK School to Terry Street, measuring about 300 by 1,446 feet.

Mayor Melanie Malooley-Thompson said the proposed 10-acre site would be used in the long term to construct four ball fields, walking paths, a playground and parking as part of the city’s completed park master plan.

Malooley-Thompson stressed that the city is not buying the property now, but rather, it is applying for funding that would enable the purchase if the grant is approved.

OSLAD Grants are typically awarded in February, meaning the city could learn the outcome of its application by early next year.

Bill Freskos

Bill Freskos is a multimedia journalist based in the Illinois Valley. He covers hard news, local government, sports, business enterprise, and politics while contributing to Shaw Local Radio stations for Shaw Media across La Salle, Bureau, and Putnam counties.