Illinois Frees Up $21 Million for Parks and Open Space

"These kinds of projects help strengthen the fabric of local communities throughout Illinois," said Governor Quinn at the Illinois Association of Park Districts Legislative Conference in Springfield.

Fifty-nine projects are being funded by grants through the 2009 Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development, OSLAD, program facilitated through Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

"These grants are vital to the goal of leaving no child inside and helping to fashion future stewards of our natural resources," said IDNR Director Marc Miller.

The amount awarded each year for the OSLAD program is based on the condition of the housing market, because the grants are funded through a percentage of the real estate transfer tax.

The appropriation had been static for a number of years at $20 million before it skyrocketed to $31.8 million in 2007, and then fell to a low of $18 million in 2008.

With the 2009 grants, 10 of the projects will result in the purchase of new land and 49 will focus on outdoor recreation development.

Eight of the projects will include water play features known as "spraygrounds," and two projects will provide in-line skating and roller hockey or skateboard areas. Nineteen projects will provide new playground equipment.

Eleven of the projects will provide initial recreation development of park sites and eight projects will create water based recreation by constructing access to lakes, rivers or streams.

Finally, 12 development grants will go to facilities that promote environmental and wetland studies. Some projects are counted in more than one category.

NW corner of Lake Shore Drive and 47th Street in Chicago's Burnham Prairie Butterfly Garden (Photo by Curtis Locke)

Land purchase projects include one of the largest grants, $1.15 million to the Forest Preserve District of Cook County to acquire 77 acres adjacent to the Burnham Prairie Nature Preserve, one mile south of the city of Chicago. Future development includes a parking area, interpretive trail and prairie and wetland restoration.

In 1998 the Chicago Park District began nature area improvements at a one-acre site at 47th Street in Burnham Park with rehabilitation and enhancement of the wooded edge, the creation of a butterfly meadow, and the creation of a new prairie.

The Park District will receive $416,000 to develop a half-acre site at Albany and Whipple in Chicago and transform it into an engaging, safe and accessible park. Located in Logan Square, the neighborhood with the fewest parks, the development will include a new playground with rubber soft surfacing and a spray pool.

The Kane County Forest Preserve District will receive $750,000 to acquire 146 acres which includes a portion of one of the largest fen and wetland complexes in Kane County, in northern Illinois. The site will be developed with nature trails, picnic areas and fishing access.

St. Clair County will receive $750,000 to acquire 63 acres of the larger Engelmann Farm near Shiloh. Existing agricultural fields will be converted to native grasslands coupled with tree plantings to create a higher quality habitat.

The Vermilion County Conservation District will get $400,000.00, to construct a 32,000 square foot Environmental Education Center on a five acre site within Kennekuk County Park near Danville, Illinois.

The Environmental Education Center will serve as headquarters for the nationally recognized Middle Fork National Scenic River and will be a model for green technology. The building will utilize geothermal heating and cooling, solar energy, rain gardens, and a permeable paving system for parking facilities to accommodate present and future environmental education programs. The roof will feature a demonstration prairie.

The $21.2 million awarded throughout the state this year combined with the grantee’s minimum 50 percent share will result in more than $42.4 million of Illinois acquisition and development projects.

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