The Countryside City Council had recreation in mind at its latest meeting.
Two parks – one new and one being renovated – were discussed and bills were paid.
Countryside officials will celebrate the completion of Larry Robb Park at 11 a.m. on Oct. 29, joined by officlas from the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The park at 10701 Fifth Avenue Cutoff features two rain gardens and a permeable parking lot designed to capture stormwater runoff. The project is expected to capture over 28,000 gallons of stormwater per rain event, according to the MWRD.
The city council on Sept. 9 approved a $78,350.54 payment to Schwartz Construction Group. Construction faced several weather-related delays during our rainy summer.
Robb, a Navy veteran who raced cars at Santa Fe Speedway, was a longtime Fifth Avenue Cutoff resident known for hosting large community picnics. He died on Oct. 31, 2021, at age 79.
“He was a really special guy and he loved the city of Countryside,” Mayor Sean McDermott said when the city council approved plans for the park in June 2025.
Meanwhile, the renovation of Srejma-Michalek Park is nearing completionwith a ribbon-cutting ceremony expected soon, McDermott said. A date is not set yet.
The city council approved a $151,767.72 payment to Maneval Construction Inc. of Ingleside on Sept. 9 for the work. In May, the council approved $622,147 total for the park upgrades, which will include firefighter-themed playground equipment.
The park, at the southeast corner of Forest View Road and Lorraine Drive in the 2nd Ward, is dedicated to Jerome “Jerry” Srejma and Gary Michalek, firefighters with the Pleasantview Fire Protection District who died on Oct. 26, 1981, battling a commercial building fire in Countryside.
The city dedicated the park to their memory in 1982.