LITH's Sunset Park gets new amenities

Thanks to a pair of state grants, improvements are now underway at Lake in the Hills' Sunset Park that officials say will help make it a better place to play.

A $400,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources is helping to pay for a football field and baseball/softball diamond, a portion of a bike path, a picnic shelter and a splash pad, said Trudy Wakeman, director of parks and recreation.

The village matched the grant, giving parks officials a total of $800,000 to spend on the project.

A splash pad features water that sprays out of the ground and onto people standing on a concrete pad.

The one at Sunset Park will include water shooting out at different levels and buckets that pour water onto park visitors standing underneath them.

For an extra fee, people can reserve the pad for parties.

"It's just a neat water feature that'll cool people off," Wakeman said.

Work on the project already is under way and officials hope to have the majority of it complete by the end of June.

Meanwhile, a $45,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will fund a picnic shelter and tables, as well as recycling containers, Wakeman said.