River Corridor Foundation taking on Langum Park project in St. Charles
The River Corridor Foundation of St. Charles has its next major project slated for Langum Park along the eastern bank of the Fox River.
A popular outdoor location for years, Langum Park will receive a jolt of more than $100,000 to improve accessibility for nonmotorized boats and fishing enthusiasts, and upgrade benches and other features in an area that attracts more than 90,000 annual visitors, according to officials.
The city of St. Charles, the St. Charles Park District and the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley are helping the River Corridor Foundation fund the first phase of the multiyear project, although River Corridor Foundation Director John Rabchuk said the $115,000 price tag is just an estimate. Depending on bids, funding may need be reevaluated and donations sought.
Rabchuk - who said $30,000 is coming from both the city and the park district, $15,000 from the Community Foundation and $40,000 from the River Corridor Foundation - hopes the first phase can be completed this fall.
"We're hoping to go out for bid by August and we'll see how many contractors are available," Rabchuk said. "We have some bids from a year ago but it's hard to say whether those are still valid or how much they've gone up."
Five benches will be replaced - and complemented with shade trees - to be ADA compliant with concrete pads that can incorporate bike racks and accommodate strollers and walkers. A bicycle repair station also will be upgraded with a concrete pad.
A limestone outcropping with a concrete approach, similar to what exists at Ferson Creek Park, will be built to allow for an easier launch of kayaks and canoes. Fishing enthusiasts can use that spot without having to fish from the dirt or interfere with the nearby trail.
Within the next three to five years, the city will replace a wastewater station at the site and move it east so it's out of the floodplain. Once that happens, the River Corridor Foundation can move on to the next phase at Langum Park.
"I've sat on those benches and talked to people about what we're proposing," Rabchuk said. "Everybody was 100 percent in favor of all of it. Very enthusiastic support."