Buffalo Grove Park District receives grant to expand gardens
The Buffalo Grove Park District's Raupp Museum will welcome an additional infusion of state money to expand its educational gardens at The Nature Classroom at Mike Rylko Community Park, 1000 N. Buffalo Grove Road.
The gardens, located on the park's northeast end near the skate park and the new pickleball courts, opened last summer with funding from the Illinois Public Museum Capital Grants Program for its first phase of construction. The gardens attracted 417 walk-in visitors and made programs available for 130 third-graders. It will be expanding the summer hours and programming this year and will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
Now, the district announced, it will receive $226,500 for Phase 2 of the gardens' development. This phase will include more garden beds, a pollinator hotel, a water feature, a wind sculpture, more native plants and additional seating and picnic tables.
The new amenities will exist on the other side of the path from the current site of the gardens.
Construction is scheduled to begin this month (weather permitting) and end in July. The park district plans a grand opening from 1 to 2:30 p.m. July 29.
“The Raupp Museum is thrilled to receive this grant that helps us build on what we've already done. The educational gardens have been a huge hit with the community, so we are really happy that we're going to be able to make it even better. Having it all in Mike Rylko Community Park makes it available to all residents all the time,” said Debbie Fandrei, curator of the Raupp Museum, 901 Dunham Lane, the repository of the village's social history.
The Raupp Museum was one of 36 Illinois museums to receive $19.7 million through the Illinois Public Museum Capital Grants Program to improve their facilities and develop new exhibits. The program is funded through the Rebuild Illinois multiyear state capital program.
“Rebuilding Illinois means investing in all types of infrastructure that improve communities and the quality of life for local residents. That includes an investment in the museums that protect our cultural heritage, and offer unique programs and events for visitors to enjoy,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a news release. “I am pleased to see the array of improvements and exhibits that will happen as a result of our 2022 Public Museum Capital Grants, made possible through the Rebuild Illinois capital program.”