Naperville Park District receives ninth grant from Illinois Department of Natural Resources since 2001

The Naperville Park District recently learned that it was awarded its ninth Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant from Illinois Department of Natural Resources since 2001. The $400,000 grant will provide local construction jobs by way of a project that will see improvements made to Knoch Park in Naperville, a central hub for local sports and community events. End Quote

"We don't take this kind of funding for granted, especially in these economic times . . ."

Chicago, IL (1888PressRelease) February 03, 2010 - On January 29 the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) awarded the Naperville Park District its ninth Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant since 2001. The $400,000 grant will add local construction jobs and bring needed improvements to Knoch Park, a central hub for baseball and football, and home of the annual Ribfest event, which is hosted by the Exchange Club of Naperville.

The Naperville Park District's grant was one of 49 grants announced by IDNR totaling $16.9 million for park development and land acquisition projects across Illinois.

"These grants will help create a better quality of life in many communities throughout Illinois, while also creating jobs in this tough economy," said Governor Quinn. "By investing in parks and playgrounds, we are also investing in the lives of children and families who need more opportunity to play outdoors."

The project, which involves the redevelopment of the southern section of Knoch Park on Martin Avenue, will include renovations to the following amenities: two, 60-foot baseball fields, one 80-foot baseball field, two softball fields, a playground and a restroom building. New park features will include a picnic shelter and a half-mile loop trail.

Sustainable features will help reduce future maintenance costs and will continue the District's improvements in environmental stewardship. These features include the addition of solar lighting in the parking lot, native prairie grasses along the path, and a cistern for collecting rainwater to be used for irrigation. Interpretive signage that details the "green" features of the site will be installed.

"We were very excited to hear that we were awarded the OSLAD grant to support renovations and development at Knoch Park," explained Ray McGury. "We don't take this kind of funding for granted, especially in these economic times, and we're pleased that our residents and visitors will be able to benefit from the worthwhile improvements we have planned."

Last spring, the Naperville Park District received a $400,000 OSLAD grant for improvements to Seager Park. Past OSLAD projects have included three phases of development at Frontier Park, two phases of development at Commissioners Park, the development of Country Lakes Park, and the redevelopment of Winding Creek Park.

For more information on the Naperville Park District, its programs and services, please visit www.napervilleparks.org or call 630-848-5000.

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