Two playgrounds set for eventual removal are spared in Lake Zurich

In part because of the pandemic, the playground equipment at two small parks in Lake Zurich that had been scheduled for eventual removal will now be maintained by the village.

During the Lake Zurich village board meeting this week, trustees told the village staff that equipment at Jonquil Park, at 519 Carolian Drive, and Warwick Park, at 858 Warwick Lane, should stay put.

Lake Zurich Recreation Director Bonnie Caputo said in 2016 her department and the park advisory board made a playground renovation plan.

The group looked at the 22 playgrounds maintained by the village and decided that when the playground equipment at the two parks had exceeded its useful life, it would make sense to remove it rather than replace it. She said part of the rationale was that both parks were small and near other parks.

But in light of the pandemic and how essential outdoor spaces have become, the idea to revise that plan went before the board on Monday.

"Right now we are seeing such an uptick in recreation activity," Caputo said. "The world we were living in in 2016 was much different than the world in 2021."

Based on the board's action, the two playgrounds will be added to the playground renovation plan and eventually be repaired, Caputo said.

Mayor Tom Poynton voiced his support for preserving the playgrounds as a service to local residents.

"These people bought their homes with that park there and a lot of them have grown up with that park. I'm very comfortable with keeping that park there," Poynton said. "They like those parks,"