S. Elgin to pay for inclusive playground install after state grant suspension

The village of South Elgin has decided to pay for the installation of a playground accessible to kids with disabilities as the fate of state funding remains uncertain.

The $1.3 million project at SEBA Park along the Fox River was halted last month after a $400,000 grant from the state's department of natural resources was frozen, following a decision by Gov. Bruce Rauner to suspend all grants for park district construction projects. The playground was slated to open in mid-July.

The playground equipment - special-ordered before the grant suspension - was delivered this week, so the village board decided to move forward with the installation, Village President Steve Ward said.

"This project to us is way too big not to continue and finish," he said. "Hopefully, Gov. Rauner will lift it (the suspension)."

The grant is still frozen and under review, said Catherine Kelly, Rauner's press secretary.

Drainage work at SEBA Park will be completed within the next two weeks, weather permitting, and the playground equipment will be installed sometime after that, Parks and Recreation Superintendent Kim Wascher said Friday. "My hope is that the playground will be usable by RiverFest on Aug. 13," she said.

The equipment - representing the first phase of the project - was delivered by four, 48-foot flatbed trailers and includes a climbing wall, two slides, a swing and a treehouse, Wascher said. A sensory log had already been purchased thanks to a Kane County grant, she said.

The equipment is sitting in a fenced, locked area at the edge of SEBA Park. The installation will cost about $160,000 to be funded by money set aside for village park improvement projects, Wascher said.

That also means that if the state grant is not reinstated, the village might not be able to tackle all the projects it had budgeted for the fiscal year starting May 1 and beyond, she said. Much-anticipated improvements at River Ridge Park will not be affected, she added.

The FUNdation of South Elgin raised $400,000, which paid for the playground equipment valued at more than $310,000, Wascher said. The project also got a grant from the Mary E. Gardner Foundation.

Efforts are continuing to fundraise for the remaining $400,000 to complete the project - or more if needed, Ward said. "If (the state money) doesn't come through, we'll continue to do it like we have - with donations and fundraisers," he said.

One such event, the Kenyon Woods Care Walk, takes place today. All proceeds from the 3-mile walk will go to the playground project. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. and the walk starts at 9 a.m. at SEBA Park, 151 S. Water St. in South Elgin.

Also, anyone interested in contributing to the project can do so online at gofundme.com/oy0jzk.