Mount Prospect pumps TIF, grant funds into Lions Park improvements

Mount Prospect trustees this week approved an intergovernmental agreement with the Mount Prospect Park District and Mount Prospect Elementary School District 57 to help fund up to $2 million in improvements at Lions Memorial Park.

The village has committed $250,000 to the project: $59,000 from the Prospect and Main Tax Increment Financing district and $191,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds.

The $1.8 million to $2 million project, which also has funding from District 57 and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, will include:

• A playground with areas for 2- to 5-year-olds and 5- to 12-year-olds• A court for half-court basketball, four square and hopscotch• Adult fitness stations with concrete surfacing• Refurbished tennis courts and baseball fields• A picnic grove with picnic and game tables• A prairie detention area with pollinator plants• An eight-foot wide asphalt walking loop with bench seatingThe park district is targeting September 2024 for completion.Mount Prospect Community Development Director Bill Cooney said the improvements will be beneficial to the downtown district. Trustee Colleen Saccotelli praised the use of TIF funds and said the project points out the importance of working with other local governments.