Hoffman Estates' South Ridge Park to get splash pad, other upgrades

Hoffman Estates Park District officials have won village approval to embark on a $1.2 million improvement to South Ridge Community Park, for which they have been awarded a $400,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The central feature of the planned changes at 1450 Freeman Road is a 4,000-square-foot splash pad with spray effects, waterspouts and interactive squirting displays. The pad was requested through a petition signed by nearly 200 residents on the north side of the park district.

The state's Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant, received last January, also will help fund the replacement of the park's playground and outdoor fitness equipment area, as well as construction of an outdoor shelter able to accommodate group events.

The new Fitness Challenge Course will allow adults and children to cross-train via a series of challenging obstacle-course stations.

Another aspect of the improvement will be an upgraded fishing pier and kayak launch, and the parking lot will expand from 19 to 47 spaces, including three handicap spots.

The current entrance to the parking lot on Freeman Road will be closed and replaced with another just north of the intersection with Michael Court. A turnaround area will be built in the parking lot to improve the flow of traffic in and out.

Other parts of the project include replacement of the existing asphalt path, enhanced connections to the sidewalk on Freeman Road, new landscaping and a bathroom facility located near the splash pad.

Dustin Hugen, the park district's director of parks and facility services, said construction is expected to last from the spring through the fall of 2020. Pedestrian access to the ample, passive recreation areas of the park should be uninterrupted, he added.