Turf fields, renovated tennis club coming to Arlington Heights next year

The Arlington Heights Park District has $4.5 million worth of upgrades planned for two of its facilities in 2016.

The two football and soccer fields at Sunset Meadows park, near the intersection of New Wilke and Kirchoff Roads, will get artificial turf fields and Heritage Tennis Club on the north end of town will have its entire indoor space renovated next year, said Steve Scholten, Arlington Heights Park District executive director.

The turf field project at Sunset Meadows is expected to begin in the spring and be completed for the fall football season Scholten said.

The $2.1 million project will be paid for out of the park district's capital projects budget, which was approved by the park board earlier this week. "With the natural turf fields there right now, they get pretty beat up from heavy use," Scholten said.

The Arlington Cowboys Youth Football program makes heavy use of the fields in the fall, but with artificial turf, the park district is hoping to increase their use for soccer and lacrosse in other seasons, Scholten added. "We want to get significantly more year-round use out of it," Scholten said.

At Heritage Tennis Club, 7 W. College Drive, the $2.4 million project will include complete renovation for the interior space including the lobby, offices and locker rooms to increase accessibility, Scholten said.

The project will also add a multipurpose room for fitness classes, camp programs, other general programs, parties and rentals, Scholten said.

The club's tennis courts were previously renovated and will not be a part of the project, which is expected to be completed by November 2016.

"We will try to do as much construction as we can while the tennis playing moves outdoors," he said.

The cost of the project will be paid out of the proceeds the Heritage Tennis Club collects from operations, he said.