Neighbors concerned about some Wheaton park improvements

The exclamation point in the headline of the news release said it all.

Wheaton Park District officials were thrilled to announce in February that the district received a $377,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to renovate Kelly Park.

The total $754,000 makeover of the 17-acre park at 1100 Main St., the statement read, is "based upon the desires and needs of area residents by way of neighborhood surveys."

But residents living around the park say some of the planned upgrades, including permanent bathrooms and a warming shelter with a fireplace, could cause headaches for their neighborhood.

"If some of the proposed changes take place, they would draw crowds to an already overcrowded park, add more cars to an already congested parking situation, add further noise to an already oversaturated play area and open the door for vandalism and misuse," said Cheryl Weber, who lives across the street from the park.

Topping the list of neighbors' concerns is a possible splash pad.

Park Director Mike Benard said plans call for "a water feature for kids to run and play though."

"What we are planning is simply an addition to the existing playground, which is very popular, that has a couple water components to it," said Benard, noting the water play area wouldn't be large.

Regardless of how small the splash pad is, resident Sue Kerby said she believes it's going to attract more visitors to the park. And the biggest concern is that they will drive to get there.

"If people come on bikes and walk, that's great," Kerby said. "But if they show up in minivans and SUVs, we have an issue. There's no parking at Kelly Park. People park on the street and traffic congestion already is an issue."

Neighbors say there's considerable traffic because the park is close to Roosevelt and Naperville roads and is along Main Street. At the same, there are no sidewalks in the area around the park.

Benard said he is working to address the residents' concerns before construction begins in late summer or early fall. He already met with dozens of neighbors last month. Another meeting is scheduled April 10.

"I am just doing my best to keep people informed, to take input and respond to it as realistically as possible," he said.

Neighbors say their hope is that park officials respond by making some adjustments while still keeping the positive aspects of the project, including expanded basketball courts, bike racks, skate rink improvements and renovations to the existing tennis court.

"There's definitely some parts of this plan that I think are great," Kerby said.

Weber said she agrees that change is a good thing as long the park district remembers the original purpose of Kelly Park.

"Over the years, with every change and with every improvement, Kelly Park has evolved from being a small local park into a residential park for all of Wheaton and for residents of nearby towns," she said. "The neighborhood in which it sits has long been forgotten."