Bloomingdale residents want play date with proposed park

If you build it, they will play. Every day.

That was the message dozens of Bloomingdale residents sent to their park district Tuesday evening during an informal park board meeting held under a tree in the district's newest acquisition on the village's east side.

Some of the approximately 150 homeowners in the Dartmoor Homes Eastgate subdivision have been waiting more than six years to use the park and playground they were promised when the subdivision was constructed in the early 2000s.

The park district just recently acquired the double lot on the southwest corner of Erie Circle and Salt Lake Drive through a previous land agreement with Dartmoor.

By October, Parks director Stephen Scholten said the vacant lot will be home to a playground suitable for 2-through-12-year-olds, three benches, a picnic table, walking path and an open play area for pick-up games of catch or flag football.

"We've always had plans to develop this spot as a playground but we had to wait for the developer to turn it over to us before we started any work," said Scholten of the estimated $1,000 in improvements.

Some residents asked that the playground area be moved from its projected location near Erie and away from some nearby homes.

But nearly everyone agreed they've been waiting for the park.

Amit Patel lives across the street from the park at 357 Erie Circle and said his three young children will be there every day.

"We moved in almost three years ago with the expectation that a playground would be here so we never installed a swing set in the yard," Patel said. "My youngest child is still five so we're really excited to see this finally begin to take shape."

Scholten said the residents concerns about placement would be addressed before the final plan is brought before the park board at it's Aug. 21 meeting.

"They have to live here so that's why we come out here, to their park, to see what they're thinking," he said. "This was helpful."