Master Plans for the expansion of Glos Memorial Park and the development of Centennial Park were approved at the June 28 Park Board meeting. Open houses and surveys were conducted in spring 2021 for both projects, requesting feedback from the community regarding initial concepts. Another round of open houses were offered to give the community a chance to see the Master Plans before they were presented to the Board.

At the Monday, May 10 Park Board meeting, incumbents Kevin Graf and Carolyn Ubriaco were sworn in along with new Commissioner, Meghan Scarsella.

Scarsella’s interest in joining the Board stemmed from her family’s many years of participation in Park District programs, including Sunbeams & Rainbows Preschool, swim lessons at East End Pool and participation in the Impact Dance Company.

Glos Memorial Park has provided open space and formal gardens in downtown Elmhurst, the community’s most densely populated area, since the 1970s. In 2017, the District acquired 135 Palmer Drive, a building adjacent to Glos Memorial Park. This year, the goal is to demolish the building and parking lot, which are in poor condition, and return the area to open space for the community.

Improvements at the newest District park and expansion of green space are just some of the proposed capital projects District staff is planning for in 2021.

Details about potential capital projects were presented at the January 25 Park Board meeting as part of an overview of the 2021 proposed budget.

The Elmhurst Garden Club announced a donation of $1,000 to the Elmhurst Park District at the November 9 Park Board meeting.

The Garden Club has made donations to the Park District for several years, using money raised at their annual Garden Walk and Faire fundraiser. The Garden Walk also funds the club’s scholarship program. However, due to the pandemic, the Garden Walk was cancelled this year, making the Garden Club's donation especially significant given this year's challenges.

Join us as we safely celebrate the grand opening of the Crestview Park Pickleball Courts! We’ll celebrate with a ribbon cutting and a pickleball demonstration on the brand new courts. Stop by Crestview Park on Saturday, September 26 at 10 a.m.

Friendly reminder of the 3Ws: Wear a mask, watch your distance, and wash your hands.

Plans are coming together for the redevelopment of Eldridge Park’s east playground, which Elmhurst Park District intends to replace in 2020. The Park Board approved playground concepts at the Monday, January 13 Park Board meeting.

In order to gather feedback and engage the community in the playground’s concept, the Park District performed in-person surveys at Eldridge Park during the spring and summer of 2019 and held a Party in the Park Input Meeting last August to see what changes the community was interested in seeing at the park.

At the October 14 Park Board meeting, the Board approved a contract with V3 Companies Ltd. to perform additional assessments at 837 S. Riverside Drive. The property located at the intersection of Route 83 and Riverside Drive, also known as the Kieft Brothers property, is 16.4 acres divisible over two adjacent lots and is the planned location of a potential indoor sports facility.

Addressing park drainage and standing water issues is a project Elmhurst Park District intends to tackle in 2020. Steps toward achieving that goal were made at the most recent Park Board meeting.

Community feedback gathered in 2016 and 2017 rated District parks in “fair” condition overall on maintenance and upkeep. The District’s Vision 2020 Plan, formed based on that feedback, includes improved condition and maintenance of parks and amenities as one of its primary goals. The improvement of drainage would substantially improve park conditions for visitors.