Central Park Improvements

Universal Playground

The new Universal Playground will feature equipment designed to increase social and play interaction among people of all ages and abilities. From parents and grandparents that have limited mobility with typically-abled children to families that have a child with special needs, the park will provide a fun, interactive environment where everyone can experience the benefits of play together. This spring, the park district worked with the Rockford based nonprofit organization-Kids Around The World-to remove the existing play equipment at the location of the Universal Playground. The organization will restore the equipment and find a new home for it overseas.


Baseball Fields

Ball field improvements include making the fields safer for players and spectators. The Ballfield 1 light poles will be removed from the field of play and relocated to safer locations surrounding the field. The renovated fields will also greatly increase recreational opportunities. Currently, the park district fields are not conducive for fastpitch softball, which means Oak Brook girls have to go elsewhere to play. Once the 2018 Oak Brook Little League season ends, the park district will skin, or remove the grass, on fields two and three. The modifications will accommodate both baseball and softball and make it easier for different age levels to play on the fields by allowing for multiple base path distances.

Walking Paths and Parking

The paths around the baseball field complex will be rerouted/regraded to improve their accessibility and improve flow to different parts of the park. A permeable paver parking lot extension will be added by the Tennis Center to allow patrons of the playground to have a convenient location for their vehicles while using the park.

Other Park Enhancements

Sled Hill
The Central Park Sled Hill, located on the west wide of the park, will be receiving the earth fill removed from the ballfields to improve the sledding slope, making it more effective for wintertime fun.

Gabion Weir/Ginger Creek
Replacing the east gabion weir with rock vanes and restoration of the south shoreline of Ginger Creek from east weir to west weir, and the north shoreline from the east weir approximately halfway to the west weir.

Trees
Many ash trees that were killed by the Emerald Ash Borer insect have been removed/marked for removal from Central Park. These will be replaced with diverse native species. The chips from the removed trees are used in our disc golf course.