Palos Hills officials held a public meeting last week to present planned upgrades to Krasowski Park as part of the city’s application for a state park improvement grant.
Parks and Recreation Commissioner Kristin Violante led the August 14 presentation, joined by Public Works Commissioner Nick Oeffling and Mayor Gerald Bennett.
The meeting fulfills a requirement of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Open Space and Land Acquisition Development program, which provides matching funds for park projects.
“This is part of the grant process, we have to show the state that we had this meeting,” Violante told attendees. The OSLAD program is a 50/50 matching grant, meaning the city must fund half of the project cost. Violante said that Palos Hills has successfully used this type of grant before for Bennett Park and Indian Woods Park.
During the presentation, Violante detailed the proposed improvements. Plans include two fenced pickleball courts that will close at dusk, picnic tables near the existing concession stand for shade, and a drinking fountain.
“Our intention is not for there to be any type of tournaments, it is strictly for individuals to come and play pickup games,” she said.
Additional features would include two outdoor game tables for chess, checkers, or tic-tac-toe, and a permanent cornhole (bags) area, and a renovation on the current bathroom, which will be locked at dusk.
“All of our parks are from dawn to dusk, There will be gates that close at dusk,” Violante said, adding that the courts would have eight-foot fencing with windscreens and security cameras.
As part of the grant’s requirement for multiple elements, the plan also calls for a prairie-style native planting area with benches and an asphalt walking trail around the site.
“One of the first things that people request in the city is more trail space,” Violante said. “People in wheelchairs need to have accessibility and there are people in wheelchairs in town who would be able to utilize the walking path.”
A new playground is also part of the plan, two designs were displayed, both have swings (including one that can hold a wheelchair), climbing elements, and slides. One blueprint features a tire swing, while the other includes a picnic table and seesaw.
The playground will use wood-chip surfacing, a cost-effective alternative to the rubberized flooring at Bennett Park, which was designed for wheelchair access.
“Not every park can have that [ADA] level of investment,” Violante said, directing residents with accessibility needs to Bennett Park. Violante invited residents to participate in the decision.
“I will put these up at the community center. I will put on Facebook that we have these – if you want to bring your kids after school and have them mark which one they like better, I would be all for that.”
After the presentation, residents asked questions and some raised concerns about the project.
One resident expressed concern about late-night use. “We have teenage kids in our neighborhood, 10 or 11 o’clock at nighttime, doing what they are going to be doing.”
Violante responded, “We cannot guarantee there are always people that play by the rules, but we are going to do our best to make sure it is a positive experience for the people who live around the park.”
Another resident asked whether the new facilities would attract people from outside Palos Hills. “What is going to stop people from coming from other cities into our thing?”
Violante answered, “It is a public park, so we really cannot restrict somebody from another community coming to it.”
One attendee asked if other parks would get pickleball courts.
Violante said “no,” explaining the location was chosen because of available space and existing infrastructure.
A question was raised about whether pickleball or game equipment would be available for use. “Are you going to have it available at the community center?” the resident asked.
Violante said it had not been decided, but it was possible.
Concerns about speeding traffic near the park were also voiced.
Mayor Bennett said residents should contact the police and noted that similar concerns had been raised before the Bennett Park improvements but had not become a problem there.
Oeffling addressed questions about space and the scope of the work. “The existing asphalt footprint is not changing,” he said.
He explained that using in-house crews helps control costs and minimize disruption.
“Public Works will be doing most of the work. We try to make sure trucks are parked where they do not interfere with the neighbors.”
He pointed to Bennett Park as an example where the shelter and landscaping were completed in-house.
Mayor Bennett explained the grant timeline. “The grant application deadline is September 1. We usually find out towards the end of the year and then we can start next year, probably by next spring and summer,” he said.
If the city does not receive the grant, “this probably gets put on hold until we can finally apply for a grant again.”
Bennett also discussed a potential partnership with Moraine Valley Community College.
“They had several tennis courts and that might be something possible as we go forward to change some of the courts to pickleball.”
He said the discussions are ongoing but move slowly, if the grant is awarded, Oeffling’s team would handle most of the construction.
Bennett said, “All of our park and recreation is provided basically free by the city, we think it is going to be a great enhancement to an existing park already, but again, it is all predicated on the grant.”
Violante closed the meeting by encouraging residents to stay engaged and invited residents to take copies of the handouts for neighbors and said she would notify those who provide their email addresses if the city receives the grant.