South Elgin park receives award, seeks more help

South Elgin's SEBA Park is being recognized as an outstanding facility just as efforts to raise money to finish building its all-inclusive playground start gearing up, officials said.

The Illinois Park and Recreation Association selected the park for its outstanding facility and park award, which recognizes unique achievements in design and development, said Kim Wascher, the village's parks and recreation director. The association is expected to present the award next month.

"We are pretty honored that we were able to put (an application) packet that received the highest (rating)," Wascher said. "This is something that our peers were judging us on."

Award categories are based on the size of park districts and their equalized assessed value, Wascher said. South Elgin competes against districts including St. Charles and Geneva, she said.

The playground was funded by a $400,000 state grant and fundraising by the FUNdation of South Elgin in partnership with the village; the overall project is estimated at $1.3 million.

The award is "exciting," said Karen Cluchey, playground committee chairwoman for the FUNdation. "It's a great project," she said, "and the more exposure we can get, hopefully the more people can know about it, and come and enjoy the facility."

The committee is preparing to fund raise for the second - and final - phase of the playground's build out starting with its January meeting, Cluchey said.

That will include tot swings and a tot area for kids up to age 5, a water and sand play table accessible to wheelchairs, and a spinner also accessible to wheelchairs, at a total cost of about $385,000, she said.

The committee has applied for three grants and will look for more grant opportunities as well as private and business donors, she said.

The playground has received a lot of use since its grand opening, Cluchey said. "It's been wonderful to watch all the families use the facilities this fall, right up until the weather change."

School groups, comprising mostly special education students, from as far as West Chicago and Bloomingdale regularly visited the park through early December, Wascher said.

"It was getting some really heavy use until the snow and the cold," she said. "The amount of garbage in other parks dwindled (while it increased at SEBA park), so we know the residents are taking their children to SEBA park as well."

To contribute to the initiative, visit southelgin.com and search for "FUNdation" or call (847) 622-0003.