Hawthorn South to get some breathing room for athletics

Students at Hawthorn Elementary South on Aspen Drive in Vernon Hills are in line to receive some much-needed outdoor space to roam.

Hawthorn Elementary District 73 and the Vernon Hills Park District are splitting the cost of removing stumps and leveling two acres across the street from the school for what eventually will become usable green space.

For the school, it means gym classes that have been wedged onto a narrow strip of grass nearby will have a more than ample area to spread out in the near future.

Superintendent Sue Zook said having the green area south of the Family Aquatic Center will be a "tremendous help" for the school.

"One thin, little strip and they use it to death for PE (physical education) classes," she said of the available space at Elementary South.

Two of the three District 73 schools south of Route 60 have adequate space but Elementary South was hemmed in when the building was expanded and parking reconfigured.

The new space, which is about the size of a football field, will not be outfitted with goals, backstops or other features of traditional athletic field.

More so, it represents a cooperative effort between the school and park districts. The park district, for example, has taken over the District 73's after-school enrichment programs.

"It's a $17,000 project so we're splitting the tab on it," said Jeff Fougerousse, executive director of the park district. "It's a two-acre site that will just be green grass when all is said and done."

Crews are scheduled to finish their work in a week or so. The former tree farm will be seeded and covered with straw, with the grass ready for play next May.

"The site was an old tree farm," Fougerousse said. "When they excavated the site, there were dozens of stumps - it's not a real nice place to play."

The area is part of a larger parcel that a few years ago had been considered for more amenities. Instead, it remains one of the few spaces within the park district that hasn't been developed.

"There were some drawings and some dialogue with the board to build a field house there. That's all been removed from our planning," Fougerousse said.

"We're working on updating our master plan for the next five years. That nine-acre parcel may come into play with our master plan."