Pickleball courts, an adult challenge course and more are on tap for Primrose Farm Park in St. Charles thanks to a state grant.
In early March, the St. Charles Park District learned it was the recipient of a $600,000 Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Funds from the grant will help assist in funding a number of renovations and new amenities at Primrose Farm Park.
“The park district was thrilled to be listed as one of the parks and recreation agencies receiving OSLAD grants,” said Holly Cabel, director of parks and recreation for the St. Charles Park District. “This $600,000 grant for renovations at Primrose Farm Park will allow the district to continue to meet its community’s needs.”
OSLAD grant funding will go a long way toward fulfilling a particular portion of the park district’s master plan, which calls for upgrades at Primrose Farm Park based, in part, on the history of current amenities, as well as community feedback.
Among the list of new amenities the grant funding will go toward are the addition of three pickleball courts, an adult challenge course, a picnic shelter, and increased parking area.
Renovations will include installing fencing and shade structures at the park’s existing baseball fields, and adding a connecting trail between Primrose Farm Park and nearby Primrose Farm.
“This grant will allow us to both renovate existing amenities within the park, such as the baseball fields, and bring new amenities and opportunities to our community,” Cabel said, “New amenities such as the adult challenge course will allow our community to experience opportunities not currently within our park system. Additionally, the location of Primrose Farm Park in our northwest quadrant allows us to continue our addition of pickleball courts geographically spread out within our boundaries. The parking lot enhancements will be a welcome addition to all park users to make visiting Primrose Farm Park easier and more convenient.”
Additional upgrades at the park will include building out accessibility features and vaulted restrooms.
Completion of the upgrade project is expected by Memorial Day weekend 2025, said Laura Rudow, superintendent of parks and planning for the St. Charles Park District, adding that construction-related work would be scheduled with regard to planned activities.
“We need to be sensitive to the current programming out here,” she said.
Although it has received various other grant funding in recent years, the St. Charles Park District had not been the recipient of an OSLAD grant since 2019, stated Rudow.
This year, however, the park district’s Primrose Farm Park project was one of 118 state projects selected for nearly $60 million in OSLAD grant funding, the largest round of such funding in the 36-year history of the program.
Being named a recipient of an OSLAD grant is one of the best days of the year, Rudow said, noting the park district is thankful to receive significant funding from the state that will benefit local residents.
“We know the trend with active older adults, and we’ve accommodated that with trail connections, pickleball, shade, ADA accessibility improvements, and the adult challenge course,” she said. “We’ve got to accommodate the constituents, and I think this project helps accomplish that.”
1 Comment
Will the renovation include a playground for the littles? A lot of families are moving into the area and most of them have small children that would greatly benefit from swings, slides and climbing structures.