Elmhurst Park District to build new park with help of state grant

Gov. JB Pritzker recently announced the Elmhurst Park District is a recipient of an Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant in the amount of $340,300 to be used to fund half the cost of the planned $680,000 development of a new park in the Pick subdivision called Pick Park.

The district expects completing design development and engineering this year, with the new park opening in 2024, according to a news release.

“The board and staff of the park district are very pleased to have received this OSLAD grant and look forward to developing another brand-new park in Elmhurst,” park district Executive Director Jim Rogers said in the release. “We’re hopeful that Pick Park will be just as well received by the community as Centennial Park was upon its opening last year.”

Pick Subdivision Park District consolidated with the Elmhurst Park District in 2015 at the request of neighbors in the subdivision. In 2016, as part of the district’s Vision 2020 Plan, the Pick subdivision was identified as one of several areas in the community known as a park desert, where homes are not within walking distance of a park.

To address this, the park district acquired ownership of a 0.11-acre parcel of property at 151 Monterey Ave. in fall 2021. In fall 2022, the park board and Elmhurst City Council each approved an ordinance transferring ownership of three 0.30-acre parcels previously owned by the city of Elmhurst to the park district. This consolidated 1.01 acre is suited for a mini or neighborhood park.

The park board approved the name of Pick Park in September 2022, reflecting the original owner of the land, Albert Pick, for whom the subdivision was named.

In September 2022, a master plan for the park was approved that was created based on feedback gathered from Pick Subdivision neighbors through open houses and surveys. It includes playground equipment for 2- to 5-year-olds and 5- to 12-year-olds, soft surfacing, game tables, a bean bag toss, shade shelter, adult fitness equipment, bike repair station and bike racks. The plan also includes a split-rail fence to serve as a buffer to the Salt Creek Greenway Trail, along which the park sits.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources administers the OSLAD grants, which are funded by a percentage of Illinois’ Real Estate Transfer Tax, to help communities acquire land and develop recreational opportunities.