RiverEdge Park, which opened in June to host the annual Blues on the Fox Festival, is the highlight of Aurora's recent redevelopment efforts along the Fox River through its downtown.
Scott Sanders/ssanders@dailyherald.com
As towns along the Fox River have heightened their efforts to revitalize their shorelines and nearby downtowns, here are the main completed projects and some still in the planning stage.
Aurora
Completed: The Music Garden at RiverEdge Park, an amphitheater-style music venue
Upcoming: A new main branch of the Aurora Public Library
North Aurora
Completed: Water Wonders interactive stream
Envisioned: Sculpture garden in Riverfront Park
Batavia
Completed: The Batavia Riverwalk with a wildlife sanctuary, warming house and band shell
Envisioned: Streetscape improvements on First, Houston and Water streets and Shumway Avenue
Geneva
Completed: Geneva on the Dam commercial complex
Envisioned: Redevelopment of the former Mill Race Inn and Geneva Bottling Works
St. Charles
Completed: Bob Leonard Memorial River Walk and a canoe launch
Envisioned: Gardens, boat docks, pedestrian bridges and more outlined in a decade-old master plan for the river
Elgin
Completed: The Centre of Elgin recreation facility and the Gail Borden Public Library
Coming soon: Riverside Drive reconstruction
Carpentersville
Completed: Main Street Bridge renovation
Envisioned: Drainage improvements and demolition of abandoned huts
Algonquin
Completed: Cornish Park and Riverfront Park improvements
Envisioned: Study river recreational opportunities
North Aurora Trustee Chris Faber says his town sees the potential of the Fox River, although much of it is hidden behind shops facing Route 31.
Daily Herald file photo
Batavia officials know there still is much work to do along the Fox River, where remnants from a bygone era, such as the Challenge Windmill factory, still sit.
Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
The Fox Valley Folk Music and Storytelling Festival is one of the few large events hosted along the Fox River in Geneva, where officials have identified opportunity sites for redevelopment, but the river flows about a third of a mile from the heart of the downtown.
John Starks/jstarks@dailyherald.com
The Fox River flows right past St. Charles city hall, hosts events such as Pride of the Foxs annual Riverfest, and bisects the community, but some involved with the River Corridor Foundation are frustrated with the lack of progress made on a river-centered master plan approved more than a decade ago.
Daily Herald file photo
Justin Hodges Blue Hippo Pedal Boats owns one of at least two businesses to open recently in downtown Elgin, taking advantage of the beauty of the Fox River to attract business.
Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
The largest employer in Carpentersville, Otto Engineering, has sparked redevelopment efforts along the Fox River, which have included reconstruction of the Main Street Bridge and completion of Tim Mackers McNamee Park.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
Riverfront Park and Cornish Park are highlights of Algonquins efforts to better utilize the Fox River, which the village hopes to continue by collaborating with several other groups to seek funding for a study of how to enhance riverfront recreational opportunities.
Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com