Winfield moving toward creation of riverwalk

Winfield Trustee-elect Jim Hughes says residents were skeptical when he wanted to kick-start a long-discussed plan to build a Riverwalk along the west branch of the DuPage River in town.

During last year's Taste of Winfield, some people told him the project would be rife with obstacles.

He understood the sentiment because downtown development has been talked about in Winfield since the 1950s. But that didn't stop him.

“When someone says, ‘No, it can't be done,' I take it as a challenge,” Hughes said. “My question is always, ‘Why can't we?'”

His persistence has slowly paid off. Hughes said environmental studies should be done in June and construction of the project's first phase could start next year.

The not-for-profit Winfield Riverwalk organization has received support from several area agencies and has become a cause even political rivals can rally around. Village President Deb Birutis and her political nemesis, Trustee-elect Tim Allen, both support the plan.

When Trustee Joel Kunesh died in February, his family asked donations be made to the organization in lieu of flowers.

Hughes said the goal is to keep the project privately funded through donations and private grants.

Once complete, the path will travel through town and into unincorporated areas toward Blackwell Forest Preserve. Arterial paths will branch out to incorporate area bikeways as well as Cantigny Park in Wheaton.

Because the path travels outside Winfield, the village will enter into an agreement with DuPage County and the DuPage Forest Preserve District, Hughes said.

At last count, $237,000 has been raised. Hughes said the goal is to get $278,000 to fully fund the project's first phase, which will build the walk from the Illinois Prairie Path near Geneva Road to High Lake Road just west of downtown.

Hughes said he hopes the Riverwalk ties in with future development on the northwest corner of High Lake and Winfield roads.

“It'd be such a beautiful place for commuters to live,” he said. “There have been small things done at Town Center but it's some things most do not notice. When we put the riverwalk in, this is something everyone will notice.”

Hughes said he expects to remain in a somewhat-permanent fundraising mode as he seeks to deliver on his goal of keeping it 100 percent privately funded. And he has won some fans with his diligence.

“I can't say enough about what he has done,” Allen said. “He has been the heart and soul behind it. ... they have a committee, but he's the guy who gets past the obstacles.”

The project should alleviate flooding concerns, Hughes said, because the latest engineering technologies would be used to increase water capacity in the area by 60 percent.

Allen said the path would be a welcome addition.

“It would be an outstanding amenity for Winfield,” he said. “And anything that helps with flood abatement is a good idea.”