State grant will help renovate Willow Stream Park

The Buffalo Grove Park District will get $400,000 from Illinois Open Space Land Acquisition Development program, to help pay the cost of redeveloping Willow Stream Park. Buffalo Grove is one of 45 park and recreation agencies in Illinois to get a portion of $15 million made available in OSLAD grants. Willow Stream Park will get new pathways through wooded areas and the far east side of the park, a nature playground, shelter and storage areas, new lighting, a shelter with a performance stage, and a warming house/shelter near the ice skating rink winter. This will cost about $818,000. Park District Executive Director Dan Schimmel said the grant “will allow us to make significant improvements to one of our largest and most heavily used parks.” The project will begin in spring 2014 and be finished in summer 2015. Representing the park district at Gov. Pat Quinn’s announcement were Schimmel, park board President Larry Reiner, Commissioners Jack Schmerer and Adriane Johnson and Director of Recreation and Facilities Ryan Risinger.