Carpentersville seeking Riverboat grant for Carpenter Park renovation

While state grants remain frozen for park projects across Illinois, Carpentersville is seeking funding elsewhere for improvements to its flagship park.

The village is applying for a $100,000 grant from Kane County's Grand Victoria Riverboat Fund Program that would go toward the installation of already-purchased playground equipment at Carpenter Park.

Last year, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources awarded Carpentersville with a $400,000 matching grant to help fund a roughly $1 million project in Carpenter Park. Plans included replacing the playground, adding a 9-hole disc golf course, creating a sand volleyball court and improving the basketball courts.

But the project was suspended when the state froze the grant money in March 2015, leaving the village-owned park nearly empty.

The public works department had already removed trees, restroom shelters and all recreational equipment in anticipation of the renovation. They also purchased $45,000 worth of playground equipment but couldn't install it themselves because of liability issues, Village Manager Mark Rooney said.

"A park without playground equipment is not serving the public and our citizens properly," he said.

Now, about a year later, Carpentersville officials still have not heard from the state whether the funding will be reinstated. So they're taking matters into their own hands.

The riverboat program, which helps nonprofits and local municipalities fund eligible projects that benefit county residents, is expected to announce grant winners this summer, Rooney said. He anticipates construction would take less than two weeks.

The cost of installing the playground equipment, the rubber playground surface and landscaping features is estimated at $150,782, according to village documents. If Carpentersville is awarded the maximum $100,000 grant, the remaining construction costs would be funded by the village.

A path from the parking lot to the playground is also included in construction costs, Public Works Director Bob Cole said.

Village President Ed Ritter said he doesn't want residents to get their hopes up, as riverboat grants are becoming more difficult to get.

"I would say our chances are not real high," he said. "But it's worth a try. It can't hurt."