Identifying priorities. Downers Grove Park District embarks on new comprehensive plan

Only a few short years after completing its last comprehensive plan, the Downers Grove Park District is embarking on a new one to help further guide the future of its recreational spaces.

Residents are invited to participate and help shape the future of the district by taking an online survey that will be available until Dec. 22 on the park district’s website, dgparks.org.

“We’ve done this process a few times throughout our history,” said Paul Fyle, the district’s director of planning and construction who is overseeing the master plan project. “Our last one was completed not too long ago and was adopted by the board in early 2019. Obviously, a lot has changed since then so we felt like we wanted to take this opportunity to confirm our priorities and identify any new priorities that may come up.”

The district’s most recently completed comprehensive plan led to the creation of its first sprayground. Set to open this spring at McCollum Park, located at 6801 S. Main St., the Adventure Falls Sprayground will feature three splash pads and a shaded area with seating.

“We were able to identify a need in the community through the last master plan and that became a key priority,” Fyle said.

With the new plan, the park district seeks to continue the positive momentum.

“We’re wanting to get a broader look at everything we offer to the community,” Fyle said.

Programming will be one priority of the new plan.

“That hadn’t been a big component of the last one so we want to take a deeper dive into looking at programming,” Fyle said.

This component will include assessing program offerings and identifying opportunities to expand and diversify them to cater to the changing interests and needs of all age groups and demographics.

Besides the survey, the development of the master plan will include engaging focus groups and hosting collaborative workshops to capture the diverse perspectives, recreational needs and desires of residents, stakeholders and community partners.

Bob Kotula, president of the Downers Grove Park Board of Commissioners, said the district is “embarking on an exciting journey to shape the future of recreation and parks.”

“This master plan will not only reflect the current needs of our community but will also be flexible and adaptive, ensuring it evolves in sync with the changing desires of our diverse population,” Kotula said.

Park officials are looking forward to engaging the community in the planning process.

“This gives our residents an opportunity to shape the future of the park district and help us find out if any of their priorities have changed and how,” Fyle said.

Some of the questions on the survey ask what people like and dislike most about the Downers Grove Park District, how frequently they have visited the parks or facilities or participated in programming in the past year and what programs and events would increase their household’s participation.

“Then we’ll be gathering and analyzing that information we’ve gotten and identifying the needs and goals and having information to share with the community in late spring or early summer of next year,” Fyle said.

To take the survey, visit dgparks.org.