Naperville Park District aims to bring popular south side amenities to Nike Sports Complex
The Naperville Park District is gathering more public feedback on plans to upgrade the Nike Sports Complex, an outdoor recreational hub along Mill Street near the Mayneland Farm stand.
Concept plans call for a new shade shelter near the existing cricket pitch, a new asphalt loop trail, native plantings with interpretive signage and a new challenge course — an amenity offered at Wolf's Crossing Community Park in southwest Naperville.
“So this way, we can bring something like that north at Nike Sports Complex,” Eric Shutes, the agency’s director of planning, said in the State of the Naperville Park District podcast series.
The plans include renovating the playground and adding new water play features. The district now has splash pads at the 95th Street Community Plaza at Frontier Sports Complex and Wolf's Crossing.
“Again, it's really nice to bring those water play features to the north side of town, as well as the new picnic shelter overlooking the existing cricket pitch area,” Shutes said. “We heard over the years, for patrons who utilize that area and play cricket matches, it'd be great to have more shade and sitting areas, and so that can all be accommodated.”
New synthetic turf infields also would not only provide a more consistent playing surface, especially after heavy rains, but “also is much, much easier for our staff to maintain,” Shutes said in the podcast episode earlier this year.
The proposed project is estimated at more than $4 million. The cost estimate involves all proposed improvements, including the amenities identified on the Nike Sports Complex Site Master Plan — Concept Plan and Playground and Water Play Enlargement Plan graphics displayed on the park district’s website.
Almost 15 years ago, the park district completed a 20-acre expansion of the sports complex.
The planned improvements are based on feedback received in 2024. Interest and opinion surveys show “time and time again” the top outdoor recreational amenity is walking and biking trails, so “we can add more of that at Nike Sports Complex,” Shutes said.
The park district is offering another chance to weigh in on the future of the sports complex with a short, online questionnaire. The comment form is available now through Aug. 8.
According to the questionnaire, the park district intends to resubmit the planned improvements for a state grant from the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development, or OSLAD, program in hopes of being selected this year to receive grant funding for the project.
A resolution authorizing the OSLAD grant application is expected to be presented to park district commissioners for their approval in August, before this year’s submission deadline of Sept. 30.