Naperville Park District to begin work this month on improvements at Seager Park
Work on a new interpretive center for education programming and nature exploration is set to begin the week of Oct. 25, 2010 as part of park improvements at Naperville's historic Seager Park, 1163 Plank Road on Naperville's north side.
The Naperville Park District Board of Park Commissioners approved a construction contract for the project at the park district board meeting on Oct. 14.
The plan for Seager Park improvements has been developed with input from residents and other stakeholders to preserve and enhance the natural beauty and recreational amenities of Seager Park, with its 24-acre woodland, open fields, wetlands, and diverse plant and animal life.
Seager Park now serves as a home for summer camps, pick-up soccer, basketball, and volleyball games, hayrides, corporate and family picnics, and quiet walks in the woods.
“Adding an interpretive center with a classroom will allow the park district to offer nature-based classes year round, including preschool classes, for which the demand continues to grow,” said Director of Recreation Brad Wilson. “Additionally, local schools will be able to bring students to the park to actively explore a rich, natural environment close to home.”
The interpretive center will be built according to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, including a natural ventilation system, natural and energy efficient lighting, dual flush toilets, sensor faucets, air hand dryers and native plantings to filter and slow storm water.
The site plan ensures minimal disturbance to the park's trees and landscape by locating the interpretive center on the existing basketball court and moving the basketball courts to an existing paved parking area. The reconfigured parking lot will include permeable pavers, designed to filter stormwater on site, minimizing stormwater runoff and ultimately improving the water quality in our watershed.
Other new amenities will include a wildflower garden, detention basin with native plantings, new trees and shrubs in the landscaping, and an ADA accessible exercise and walking trail through the woodlands. A small backstop will be installed for pick-up games, t-ball and coach-pitch practice. The existing picnic pavilion will remain, a council ring will be added, and the current restroom building will be converted to storage.
The park district was awarded a $400,000 grant from the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) program at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to assist in funding the renovations. The park district also applied for grant funding still pending from other sources to support the educational signage, native plantings, and permeable pavers.
The Seager Park improvements are expected to be completed by late fall of 2011.
To view the site plan and project updates for the Seager Park renovation, or to learn more about the Naperville Park District, visit www.napervilleparks.org or call (630) 848-5000.