OREGON — Gov. JB Pritzker announced Jan. 30 that two Ogle County entities received grant funding through the Open Space and Land Acquisition Development grant program. Nearly $55 million in state grants were awarded for 111 local park projects throughout Illinois to help communities acquire land and develop recreational opportunities.
Both the Village of Mt. Morris and the Oregon Park District were recipients in Ogle County.
The Oregon Park District is the recipient of $600,000 in OSLAD grant funding from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The Oregon Park District is excited to utilize these funds to improve the existing recreation amenities at Oregon Park East, OPD Superintendent of Recreation Tina Ketter said.
Plans for improvements began in 2019 with development of a park master plan. The process included solicitation of community input, inventory assessment, valuation of expected trends and a needs assessment. The final document was utilized to submit the grant application for the 2023 OSLAD program. The grant submitted in 2023 focused on the inland side of Park East.
Improvements to the inland side include a new playground, basketball court, nine-hole disc golf course, a quarter-mile paved trail that will also connect to the Lowden Trail project, ADA improvements, expanded parking lot and interpretive signage. Additionally, the district plans to add lighting to the existing baseball field and replace the field fencing and complete drainage improvements.
“Receipt of the OSLAD funds allows us to complete the necessary recreation improvements with reduced impact on the park district budget. The improvements will be a welcome addition for our residents, and we look forward to completion occurring simultaneously with construction of the ITEP trail,” Erin Folk, Oregon Park District executive director, said.
In addition to the OSLAD project at Park East, Oregon Park District will be working toward construction of the 1.8-mile trail connecting Illinois Route 64 to Lowden State Park. $3 million in grant funding was awarded for the completion of the trail in 2023.
Construction on both Park East and the trail is slated to begin in 2025.
The Oregon Park District has obtained $5.9 million in grant funding since 2009 for park improvements and trail development.
The Village of Mt. Morris received $152,600 in grant funding for its Zickuhr Park project, Village Parks & Recreation Trustee Jim Hopkins said.
Since the village didn’t qualify as a distressed community this year, it was only eligible for a 50-percent grant. The village will use $150,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for the balance of the work after the grant.
The plans for Zickuhr Park include a picnic shelter, existing play structure, swings with ADA options, accessible playground components, half-court basketball, a dog park with double-gated entry, game tables, a pollinator garden with interpretive signage, and a future walking loop. Projects had to include five new recreation features and added green space.
Hitchcock Designs of Naperville assisted the village with the grant application. The next step will be meeting with Hitchcock to work with contractors to get bids on the project. The work will start in 2025 once the final plan is put together.
