Wheeling’s renovated Northside Park reopens

A renovated Northside Park reopened in Wheeling recently after a three-month construction project that added new equipment and turf for residents to enjoy before the snow falls.

The park features updated playground equipment, including a 20-foot slide, said Jan Buchs, executive director of the Wheeling Park District. A gazebo will be added when the weather warms and before a spring dedication ceremony.

The project, which began in 2009 with discussions with residents living near the 3-acre park at 220 Glendale Ave., cost just under $250,000, said Larry Raffel, superintendent for planning at the Wheeling Park District.

“It was done entirely through a public process with the neighbors and the (nearby Hawthorne Early Childhood Center),” Raffel said.

Ball fields near the park also were upgraded and a volleyball area will be added in the spring.

“We’re very happy with how well it came out,” Buchs said. “A lot of the work was done by the Wheeling Park District.”

The park, which has been in the district since 1970, is one of several in Wheeling going through upgrades.

A renovation of Malibu Park, at 1500 Chippewa Trail, is expected to be complete in June. And the planning for a redevelopment of Heritage Park, the largest park in the district at 97 acres, is ongoing.

Despite falling temperatures, officials say they aren’t worried about park attendance, and believe residents will still visit Northside throughout the winter.

“It’s a pretty outstanding park,” Raffel said, “There will be kids out there in the cold weather, it’s that amazing.”