Cary unveils new pavilion at Rotary Park, part of mine-to-park transformation
Outdoor pavilion can be rented out by residents
Once a mining area, Rotary Park at Cary Lake has been transformed into a natural park with a kayak launch, fishing pier, grills, walking trails and now a pavilion.
Equipped with a wood-burning fireplace, the open-shelter pavilion has chairs and tables with concrete cornhole boards that sit nearby on the grass. The village of Cary hosted a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday for the pavilion at the village-owned park at 1300 Klasen Road.
“We are thrilled to have this space as a way for our residents to utilize the great outdoors,” Mayor Mark Kownick said. “Not many people know that this is here, but we’re going to make it known.”
The village aims to use the pavilion to host future events, which still are being planned, Village Administrator Erik Morimoto said.
Officials currently are looking for anchors such as food trucks and event programmers to book at the park. Kownick said he would like the park to become the “gem of the community.”
“We hope people see this as an anchor and an attraction in our community,” Morimoto said.
Cary residents will be able to rent out the pavilion for their personal use and events. The village is finalizing the application forms, which should be ready “any day now,” Morimoto said.
Construction for the pavilion cost about $443,000, Morimoto said.
Cary took possession of the park in 2019 after mining by Meyer Material concluded. Meyer first added a 3-mile gravel walking path around the 75-acre lake created by the excavating and also built a parking lot. The village aims to convert the gravel into a paved path within the next couple of years, Morimoto said.
This park is one of three surface-mining areas the villages of Algonquin and Cary plan to transform into recreational, residential or commercial spots in collaboration with the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. The Algonquin Cary Subarea Plan was adopted by both villages in 2021 to create new spaces while protecting natural resources and maintaining a buffer for existing neighborhoods.
The plan cost $100,000 to put together, with an $80,000 grant coming from CMAP and $10,000 apiece contributed by Algonquin and Cary.
Subarea 2 will be available when mining finishes in the next five years, and Subarea 3 won’t be ready for at least a decade, according to the Algonquin Cary Subarea Plan. Part of the overall goal is to connect the three subareas, including Hoffman Park, the Fox Bluff Conservation Area, the Fox River and Cary Lake at Rotary Park.
The pavilion partially was funded through the Community Foundation by a $500,000 donation made by Greg and Dana Gliniecki of Cary. The donation also funded construction for the future downtown community plaza, a police drone and village entry signs.
Greg Gliniecki said it’s great to see progress being made on the projects that his family helped fund. The village plans to start construction of the downtown community plaza with a gas fireplace and a pavilion for live music in September, Kownick said.
“It’s great to see movement and progress one step at a time,” Greg Gliniecki said.