‘Spend a little more time outside’: Grant Township Center Park expands with pickleball courts and a lot more
The first grand opening at Grant Township Center Park in Ingleside was about 15 years ago in recognition of the original ADA playground just off Molidor Road.
The park east of Route 12 adjoins the township office and expanded with fields for baseball, football, soccer and lacrosse.
A grand reopening and ceremonial ribbon cutting was held Thursday for the latest batch of amenities installed over the past year in a $1.5 million project, fueled with a $600,000 matching state grant.
Planning began about three years ago and construction has been ongoing the past year with the new offerings opening in phases in July and August.
Those include a sport-themed splash pad as an extension of the playground; three pickle ball courts and a tennis court; a nine-hole disc golf course; paved accessible walking path around the pond on the west side of the property, a bocce ball court and, an ADA fishing station to come.
Part of what has grown to an athletics campus now includes an outdoor fitness court funded with a $50,000 grant through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and its national Fitness Campaign.
The township already had applied for the state grant but not being sure it would be awarded pursued this and was accepted immediately, said Supervisor Nancy Rogers.
The fitness court at Grant Township Park is among nearly two dozen in Illinois.
“As an insurer, we do a lot to promote public health,” said John Simley, communications director for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois.
The Fox Lake Lions Club rounded out the donor list contributing $35,000 for landscaping and signage.
Rogers was joined at the event by current and former township leaders, designers, contractors, representatives of various organizations and elected officials including state Rep. Tom Weber.
She said living a healthy lifestyle and taking preventive measures can reduce the risk of developing chronic, yet preventable disease.
“We encourage everyone to walk, jog and cycle around our park and spend a little more time outside everyday,” she said.
About 30 of the township's 41 acres are dedicated for recreational use by residents. The township shares space with the highway department. Fox Lake Fire Protection District also owns about 3.6 acres fronting Molidor Road, separate from the township facilities.
Grant Township encompasses all of Ingleside, the majority of Fox Lake, and parts of Round Lake, Lakemoor and Volo in northwestern Lake County.