Bloomingdale's Mallard Lake Forest Preserve reopens

Closed for more than a year for a $2 million renovation project, Mallard Lake Forest Preserve near Bloomingdale re-opened Friday.

DuPage County Forest Preserve officials had hoped to have the 942-acre preserve open sooner, but a dry spring kept grass seeds from taking root. The preserve had to remain closed until now for new seeds to take hold. A wet summer helped the grass grow.

When the preserve closed, nearby residents with dogs complained that an off-leash dog park wasn't in the plans for the renovations. Forest preserve commissioners said they would look into adding a new off-leash dog area once the new renovations were done and a study was complete.

Meanwhile, the renovations include a entrance off of Schick Road that also has bicycle lanes. There's also a new 193-space parking lot, a boardwalk for bird watchers, a gravel boat launch and a number of ecological improvements to maintain the shores of the 82-acre namesake lake.

The project was initially budgeted at $3.2 million, forest preserve officials said.