Prospect Heights Park District will receive $600,000 grant for Country Gardens improvements

The Prospect Heights Park District was awarded a $600,000 OSLAD grant to support redevelopment and expansion of Country Gardens Park; the total project cost is about $1.2 million and will be matched with local funds.

The Prospect Heights Park District has been selected to receive a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant from the state of Illinois to support improvements at Country Gardens Park. Country Gardens Park is a nine-acre site at 901 N. Schoenbeck Road that connects to the community’s four-mile bike path system. The award is part of a statewide distribution in which Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources provided $55.2 million to 100 communities. The local share will match the grant to cover the project’s estimated $1.2 million cost. Key details: - The grant is a $600,000 OSLAD award to the Prospect Heights Park District for Country Gardens Park. - Country Gardens Park is a nine-acre park located at 901 N. Schoenbeck Road and links to a four-mile community bike path. - Planned improvements include a looped walking path, pickleball and other courts, a permanent picnic shelter, new playgrounds for ages 2–5 and 5–12, shade structures, bike racks and benches, a seating area with a pollinator garden and native landscaping, and upgrades to sand volleyball and basketball courts. - The project’s total estimated cost is approximately $1.2 million, with the $600,000 OSLAD grant matched by local funding from the park district. - Construction is anticipated to occur over a two-year period. - Existing amenities such as mature trees, the bike path, soccer field, tennis court, and portable restrooms will remain in place. Summary: The OSLAD grant will support redevelopment and expansion to create a more accessible, multi-use Country Gardens Park that serves a range of recreational needs and connections within the neighborhood. Construction is anticipated over a two-year period; the specific start date is undetermined at this time.