A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place Monday night to unveil the upgraded Lewandowski Park in Oak Lawn. Isabel White, 5, was chosen to cut the ribbon as (from left) Dan Johnson, president of the Oak Lawn Park District Board of Commissioners, and Tom Hartwig, executive director of the Oak Lawn Park District, look on. (Photos by Joe Boyle)
Upgraded Lewandowski Park is Oak Lawn’s newest jewel
The revamped Lewandowski Park in Oak Lawn now features new plants, flowers and paved walking paths throughout the four acres of land. Fifteen LED lights have also been added.
By Joe Boyle
Oak Lawn Mayor Terry Vorderer recalled that a long time ago the land where Lewandowski Park now stands was once a drive-in movie theater.
“I used to live at 102nd and Tripp and I used to look out the window and could see the bright lights from the movie theater,” Vorderer said. “But this is great. It’s always been unused land so this development is really great for the area.”
A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place Monday night at the revamped Lewandowski Park, 89th Street and 49th Court, as park district officials and the mayor were on hand to view the improvements.
Lewandowski Park, which is Oak Lawn’s lone arboretum, has added new eight-foot-wide paved walking paths, 15 LED lights, and trimmed trees.
Dan Johnson, president of the Oak Lawn Park District Board of Commissioners, said the new park was a major improvement.
“They have been talking about this for some time,” Johnson said. “This has been in the works for a while.”
Established in 1966, Lewandowski Park has several different varieties of trees that have been upgraded throughout the four acres of land. The paved walking path now makes it easier for residents to walk, ride their bikes and jog through the park.
According to park district records, Lewandowski Park and arboretum has a number of different trees, along with newly planted flowers and plants.
“This project has been on our radar thanks to feedback from our community,” said Tom Hartwig, executive director of the Oak Lawn Park District. “Our team has been hard at work the last few months to finish this up and we are very excited to show it off.”
Apparently, residents agree with that assessment.
Before the ribbon cutting took place, several parents and their children were walking through the park. A couple of other residents strolled through walking their dogs.
“For the longest time there has been nothing here,” Hartwig added. “There was nothing really here but we listened to the residents and surveys were taken at what they would want to see here. They wanted more trails for walking.”
But Hartwig also stressed that the park is also an arboretum and that soon kiosks will be placed at specific locations describing what trees and plants are in Lewandowski Park.
“It was kind of a challenge with the design because we had to make sure we got around some of these trees,” Hartwig said. “We have wanted to do this for a long time. I think people are going to really like this.”
Lewandowski Park was not that well known in the village, Vorderer admitted. He believes that will change.
The old drive-in movie theater is long gone but the upgraded Lewandowski Park will be a benefit to the community, Vorderer said.
“Now, I heard that a house was for sale across the street and the (real estate agent) talked about this wonderful park right across the street,” Vorderer said. “It’s already done wonders for property values.”
1 Comment
Local News
District 128 teacher joins Golden Apple Accelerator Program
Spread the loveBy Kelly White A Palos Heights School District 128 educator was selected to be a part of the Golden Apple Accelerator Program. Also, a District 128 alum, Moira Touhy, a paraprofessional at Independence Junior High School, 6610 W. Highland Dr., Palos Heights, will be participating in the 15-month online program specifically geared toward…
Crossroads plans approved in Orland Park despite adding apartments
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Crossroads did not hit a roadblock. Despite not wanting to bring more apartments to the village, the Orland Park Village Board approved plans for the Crossroads of Orland Park at its May 6 Committee of the whole and regular meetings and it will indeed feature 132 apartments. The Crossroads project,…
New mural may be coming to viaduct
Spread the love. By Mary Stanek Your correspondent in Archer Heights and West Elsdon 3808 W. 57th Place • (773) 517-7796 . We are now half way through May. I hope the month is treating everyone a-May-zing! The CAPS Beats 822/824 meeting was held on May 7. I did not attend because I had just…
The big airport with the neighborhood vibe
Spread the love. By Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . Happy 98th Birthday to Chicago Midway International Airport. Back in 1923 it was called Chicago Air Park with one runway. The city of Chicago leased it on May 8, 1926 and officially dedicated it as Chicago…
Good golfing is par for this course
Spread the love. Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 . As indicated by the full parking lot and adjoining parking spaces along Mann Drive, the Marquette Park Golf Course is open for the season. The unique, 36 par course with elevated trees, greens and fairways…
‘Anything that gets flushed’
Spread the love. MWRD shows how it treats wastewater . By Dermot Connolly What better activity for a sunny spring day than touring the world’s largest wastewater treatment plant—which many people did during the open house held Saturday at the MWRD’s Stickney Water Reclamation Plant in Cicero. To celebrate Chicago Water Week, the Metropolitan Water…
Giannoulias urges REAL ID signup
Spread the love Flanked by TSA Illinois Federal Security Director Jim Spriggs (left), Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias is launching his office’s “Get Real Illinois” campaign to encourage Illinoisans to obtain a REAL ID. The campaign will raise awareness about the May 7, 2025 deadline and encourage residents to apply early to avoid problems…
Charge Garfield Ridge man with March murder
Spread the love. From staff reports . A 29-year-old Garfield Ridge man was charged with murder in connection with a slaying that occurred back in March. Alberto Rosas, of the 5200 block of South Central, was apprehended May 7 in the 6800 block of West Archer. Police said Rosas shot and killed 27-year-old Gustavo Suarez…
Beware, piano lovers, BBB says
Spread the love. By Better Business Bureau staff . If you’re in the market for a piano, then you know that the instrument can cost a hefty price and is not easy (or cheap) to transport. Scammers are targeting music lovers, businesses, schools, and churches with a new scam that claims to offer a piano…
Neighbors
House GOP advances 2 human trafficking victim protection bills as others remain in limbo
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com After Illinois received another failing grade from a national advocacy group, state House Republicans have introduced legislation aimed at further protecting victims and prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking. Shared Hope International, an advocacy organization that works to prevent sex trafficking, said in its 2023 Illinois report card that…
Hundreds of bills pass, including changes to state’s biometric data privacy law
By HANNAH MEISEL COLE LONGCOR & ALEX ABEDDUTO Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Lawmakers passed more than 200 bills this week ahead of their scheduled May 24 adjournment. Many of the measures will soon head to Gov. JB Pritzker, including a bill that changes how damages accrue under Illinois’ first-in-the-nation biometric data privacy law.…
Pritzker pledges to expand access to mental health care in Illinois
By DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois draju@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – In the middle of Mental Health Awareness Month, Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton hosted a panel in Springfield this week at which he pledged to expand the state’s behavioral health services. With several dozen services providers from around the state in attendance, Pritzker…
With 1 week left in session, Pritzker admin says all revenue options remain on the table
By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com While the governor’s office instructed its agency directors to prepare for $800 million in potential budget cuts last week, all facets of his plan to raise $1.1 billion in revenue to avoid those cuts remain under consideration. Read more: ANALYSIS: ‘Significant enough’ opposition to Pritzker’s revenue plan leads to…
Illinois launches summer food assistance program
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The state is launching a new program to provide food assistance during the summer for families with children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school. Gov. JB Pritzker joined other state officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Thursday to announce that Illinois will…
Lawmakers consider tax break for news publishers, state-sponsored journalism scholarships
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – A new measure being debated in the Illinois General Assembly would create a tax credit for certain news publishers based on the number of reporters they employ. The proposal from Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, is part of a package of policies that he…
House gives OK to new state agency focused on early childhood programs
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House gave final passage Thursday to a bill establishing a new cabinet-level state agency whose mission will be to provide a kind of one-stop shop for services focusing on early childhood development and education. By the time it’s fully operational in 2026, the new…
As vacated Centralia funeral home prepares for new tenant, owner makes a startling find
By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com In the basement of a Centralia funeral home in a dark hallway off the embalming room, tucked inside a nook behind two steel plates and a door, a visitor found three disembodied, neatly wrapped human legs, two of them marked with names and dated to the 1960s. The…
Illinois Supreme Court considers expectation of privacy in hospitals
By DILPREET RAJU & ANDREW ADAMS Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – While Cortez Turner was in a hospital room being treated for a gunshot wound to his leg in 2016, police took his clothes. Now, the Illinois Supreme Court is weighing whether that action violated Turner’s expectation of privacy under the Fourth Amendment. The…
Capitol Briefs: House OKs program for student teacher stipends – but not the funding for it
By PETER HANCOCK & ANDREW CAMPBELL Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois House approved a bill Tuesday to allow student teachers to receive stipends while earning their education degree, even though the money needed to fund those stipends is unlikely to be included in next year’s budget. House Bill 4652, by Rep. Barbara…
[…] Read More from the Source http://www.southwestregionalpublishing.com […]