Suburban Skyview: Former Kerr-McGee site looks like a giant sandbox through drone's eye

From 325 feet in the air, this drone photo makes the former Kerr-McGee site in West Chicago look as if it could be part of a playground, possibly a children's sand box.

One day, it likely will be bustling with children as the city has approved a master plan to turn the property into a community park.

The plan calls for installation of amenities, including trails, parking lots, a sensory garden, a playground, a challenge course, a pickleball and tennis court, picnic pavilions and shelters, as well as a multiuse field.

Before that happens, groundwater contamination beneath the old factory site will be addressed using the $36 million left in a trust set up in 2011.

The groundwater treatment activities are expected to take three to four years, according to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, which is supervising the project. Groundwater treatment has started on a limited basis, IEMA says.

After remediation activities are completed and the site meets all regulatory requirements, Weston Solutions Inc., an environmental engineering firm that acts as trustee and licensee for the property, will be able to relinquish custody of the site to the city of West Chicago.

The factory, originally operated by Lindsay Light and Chemical Co., began producing thorium and rare earth compounds in 1932. The plant shut down more than 50 years ago.

If you have suggestions for something you'd like to see our drone pilots photograph, email skyviewailyherald.com with your idea.