Updates
August 27, 2025
Landworks has provided an updated construction schedule. Please note, all project targets are weather dependent:
-Landworks will be onsite completing site prep work beginning September 2
-Ballfields will be graded and infield mix will be installed starting the first week of September.
-Landworks will begin the installation of the concrete and asphalt base for the playground approximately September 15
-Paving for the tennis, pickleball, and basketball courts will also begin around September 15.
-Concrete pathway work will start in early October
-Playground equipment installation will begin in early October
-Ballfield fencing will be installed in late October
-Sport court lines will be installed in late October
Planting and seed installation will be evaluated based on weather conditions.
Updated Sport Court and Playground Opening: Spring of 2026
Updated Ballfield and Soccer Field Opening: Spring of 2027
August 25, 2025
IDNR approved the Change Order for Yena Park in the amount of $150,027.41. Landworks Ltd., released subcontractors to work on the site.
August 11, 2025
The Community Park District Board of Park Commissioners approved a change order not to exceed $160,000 contingent on INDR approval.
August 8, 2025
The Village of La Grange Park approved the Phase III Permit. Receipt of this permit requires a change order exceeding $10,000. Due to the grant funding, the change order must be approved by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Change order was submitted to IDNR
August 6, 2025
Permitting and Work Schedule
PHASE II (APPROVED) The Village of La Grange Park approved a Phase II Building Permit late in the afternoon of Monday, August 4. This permit has been delivered to Landworks and allows them to activate subcontractors to continue MWRD work.
PHASE III (PENDING) The Community Park District anticipates receiving the Phase III Building Permit from the Village tomorrow afternoon (August 7). Once we have this permit, our team will hand deliver it to Landworks and it will greenlight the completion of underground plumbing and electrical work, installation of all remaining park elements, structures and fencing. Once received, Landworks can begin the process of re-activating subcontractors to complete electrical and plumbing work, Residents can anticipate seeing these contractors onsite intermittently as early as next week. You may also see delivery of additional materials such as stone and gravel.
Landworks will also begin prepping to re-mobilize their crew. This includes refreshing existing dump tickets, additional haul-off, and remarking for utilities. This being the height of construction season, there is an extended timeline for these services. For example, JULIE is currently estimating a 98-hour response time instead of 72 hours. Landworks is also in contact with MWRD to inform them that work is resuming onsite, which requires a new site review. Landworks also estimates a 3-4 week lead time for fencing delivery, and most subcontractor work mentioned above must be completed before they can begin asphalt work or site furnishings installation. We anticipate Landworks' full crew to be reactivated in the next 3-4 weeks (Between August 28 and September 4).
SITE MAINTENANCE Due to the project being outside the scope of the original timeline, the Community Park District staff has worked out an agreement with Landworks to take over the interior and exterior maintenance (mowing) of the project site for the next 3-4 weeks. Our team will be onsite on Friday, August 8 to mow. Residents can expect the park district to perform this maintenance on a weekly basis.
Project Scope and Timeline Changes The Community Park District is subject to the same regulatory Village review and permitting as any resident in La Grange Park. The Village requires structural engineer reviews for all fencing and backstops, which required the park district to engage with a Geotechnical Engineer to test the soil where the existing structures were installed. The requirement for structural engineer calculations and review also prevents the park district from utilizing pre-fabricated, industry standard backstops for the ballfields. Ultimately, the park district had to redesign the fencing from the new industry standard of pile-driven posts to concrete footings. The structural engineer review indicated that footings need to be 24" in diameter and 56" in depth - which is 6"-12" wider than industry standard and significantly deeper than the frostline here in Illinois. We anticipate a minimum of 50 additional yards of concrete to be needed for the required footings. We were unable to get approval on the remaining park elements until design and review of the custom fencing was completed. It has taken time to work through the required structural engineer review and custom design. Additionally, the Village needed additional time to review to ensure the design was in compliance with their code.
The Park District is proud of the work it has done with the Village to ensure the quality and local compliance of this project. We are working with Landworks to update the revised project schedule and will publish that as soon as we have it.
FAQs The following are frequently asked questions we have received from residents over the past few weeks:
Q: Has project funding for Yena Park been allocated to the acquisition of the YMCA? A: No. The Yena Park project is funded with a $600,000 OSLAD Grant, which requires matching funds from the park district. The Park District Board of Commissioners allocated matching funding for Yena Park in 2021, and it has been invested and accruing interest per our financial policy since.
Q: Why didn't you wait to break-ground before you had all the permitting in place?
A: The park district anticipated a linear permitting process and began work as we had the correct permissions in place. The park district has very specific legal spend-down requirements it has to meet as set by the IRS as well as required by the OSLAD Grant terms. Entering into a contract and encumbering the funds needed to complete the project helps to satisfy these spend down requirements (and prevents funding for this project being spent elsewhere). Delaying the project unnecessarily could jeopardize project grant funding and subject the park district to arbitrage.
Q: Why haven't you provided more updates to the residents?
A: The park district has provided information as it has received it. A project of this scope requires working with our project manager (JSD), our outside general contractor (Landworks), the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD), the Village of La Grange Park, a geotechnical engineer, JULIE, subcontractors, structural engineers, the Park District Risk Management Agency (PDRMA), and more. The park district has worked with each of these organizations to expedite their review of this project to the best of our ability.
Q: Why can't you do more to prevent the site from being an eyesore?
A: Once the park district entered into a contract with Landworks, insurance and liability requirements prevented the park staff from doing any work inside the construction fence. The park district has worked to explore solutions and will be taking over maintenance of the interior of the worksite beginning this week until Landworks' full crew is back onsite.
Q: The equipment has been sitting outside for a long time. Will that damage it before it is installed?
A: No. The playground equipment and shelter are designed to be installed outside. Storing them out of doors in a secure location will not jeopardize their structural integrity or quality.
We want to thank the residents of La Grange Park and neighbors of Yena Park for their patience as we work to improve Yena Park. This project will provide a perimeter walking path for our community, additional pickleball, a new playground, upgraded ballfields, and more. We know that the improvements have been a long-time coming, and this project has been a priority of our board and staff since 2021. We are working diligently to make sure it is done right, and within budget.
June 27, 2025
The Community Park District has been working through the permit process for this project with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) since early March. The Village of La Grange Park has worked with the park district's contractors to develop phased building permits so we can complete as much as possible.
We are fortunate that our contractor, Landworks Ltd., has additional work locally, so they are able to remobilize as additional work is released at Yena.
The Park District received the final MWRD permit on Wednesday, June 25.
All playground equipment has already been delivered to the site and we anticipate full crews to be onsite after the 4th of July.
In project planning, the park district does plan for contingent delays. In this specific project, the athletic turf on the fields need a year to establish in order to provide a high quality, durable playing surface for the community. We still anticipate the majority of the work to be completed by the spring of 2026 (playgrounds, pickleball court, hard surfaces, etc.), but the athletic fields will not be available until fall of 2026. As of this update, the permit delays have not impacted these targets.
Funding for this project comes from a $600,000 OSLAD Grant Fund, revenue from a GO bond, and additional capital funding. It is NOT impacted by the park district's current feasibility study for the acquisition of the fitness facility on 31st Street.
Residents are always invited to contact Executive Director, Jessica Cannaday, at jcannaday@communityparkdistrict.org or 708-354-4580 for project updates.
February 25, 2025
Yena Park will be closed the first week of March for a full renovation!
-During the week of February 25, you will see Village staff removing dead or declining trees from the Village right of way
-Construction fencing will be installed between March 3 and March 5
-Demolition will begin in March
-Construction will begin this spring!
-We anticipate re-opening the hardcourts and playgrounds in the spring of 2026.
-Athletic fields will re-open in the Fall of 2026
Please note: The contractor will be installing security cameras onsite to protect the park and equipment
November 11, 2024
The Community Park District Board of Park Commissioners approved a $1,297,608 contract with Landworks Limited for a full renovation of Yena Park at its Regular Meeting on Monday, November 11.
The Community Park District has set a preliminary budget of $1,613,436, and will purchase play equipment, site furnishings, and the new park shelter through its cooperative buying consortium.
November 4, 2024
Seven companies attended the Yena Park Project Bid Opening. The lowest base bid came in at $1,297,640 and the highest base bid came in at $1,676,818.
October 18, 2024
Community Park District of La Grange Park went out to bid for the Yena Park project.
September 18, 2024
La Grange Park Little League has pledged $34,900 to help fund upgrades to the softball field infrastructure. We are incredibly grateful for their continued support and partnership in making La Grange Park the very best place to live, work, and play.
Community Park District of La Grange Park Awarded $600,000 for the Renovation of Yena Park
Thursday, February 1 2024
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources awarded the Community Park District of La Grange Park a $600,000 OSLAD Grant for the renovation of Yena Park. “This grant will be transformational for our parks,” says Sara Earhart, Superintendent of Parks for the district and a La Grange Park resident.
In 2021, the district conducted a comprehensive park inventory and assessment as part of its long-range planning process and the quality of Yena Park received the second lowest rating in La Grange Park – the lowest rating belonged to Beach Oak Park which will celebrate a grand re-opening in the spring of 2024.
Through an existing debt refinance and the issuance of new non-referendum bonds, the district had generated approximately $600,000 to allocate to park improvements outside of Beach Oak Park. An amount that would cover less than half of the essential park improvements outlined in the Yena Park conceptual plan. This was the district’s second attempt at acquiring matching state funding for Yena Park through the OSLAD program.
“We know the incredible impact the Yena Park project will have on our entire community, and we weren’t going to give up on it,” says Executive Director Jessica Cannaday. According to Cannaday, the district received an outpouring of letters of support for both grant applications from residents and groups including La Grange Park Little League, School District 95, School District 102, La Grange Park Chamber of Commerce, the Arbor Advocates, and many more.
The district worked with the community to refine its conceptual plan, adding designated pickleball and increasing nature-based play spaces for the grant resubmittal. The plan also calls for the preservation of existing trees, the addition of water fountains, ADA accessibility improvements, athletic field renovations, playground replacement, tennis court renovations, and the addition of a perimeter walking path around the entire park. “This grant allows us to address a huge number of resident needs and requests and better serve people of all ages and abilities,” says Park Board President Bob Corte.
“I appreciate Governor Pritzker’s continued efforts to ensure funding for the OSLAD program, which is a vital tool for communities to build safe, engaging, and accessible outdoor spaces for their residents,” said IDNR Director Natalie Phelps Finnie.
With the funding now available for Yena Park, the Community Park District says residents can look forward to celebrating the grand reopening of Yena Park in 2025. Executive Director Cannaday says that residents should keep their eyes open for additional input meetings. “As we move towards finalizing construction plans, there are still important decisions to be made and we are committed to working with residents and stakeholders to make sure we get the details and project timing just right.”
Nearly $55 million in state grants are being awarded for 111 local park projects throughout Illinois to help communities acquire land and develop recreational opportunities, Gov. JB Pritzker announced today. For the second year in a row, the governor ensured funding was set aside for economically distressed communities, resulting in 32 underserved locations receiving $18.7 million in grants from the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development, or OSLAD, program. This is the 37th year for the program, which is administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Established by the Illinois General Assembly in 1986, OSLAD is a cost-sharing program between state and local governments that helps communities fund land acquisition and development for parks and outdoor recreation projects. It’s become one of the most popular grant programs in Illinois. Since it was established, OSLAD has awarded nearly $585 million for park projects throughout Illinois (including the awards announced in 2024).
Project Budget: $1,676,818
This Budget Includes: Perimeter pathway, renovated ballfields, renovated natural grass athletic turf, upgraded dugouts, new tennis court, new play equipment, new playgrounds (specific structures for kids ages 2-5 and 5-12), new swing bank, nature play area, new half basketball court, drinking fountain, new shelter, and more.
The Community Park District is currently evaluating this budget as the pickleball court development will cost an additional $122,654.00.
Where is the funding coming from?
$600,000 OSLAD Grant
$600,000 in General Obligation Bond Proceeds
$39,400 contribution from La Grange Park Little League
$437,418 in additional capital reserve funds
The Community Park District is currently evaluating interest earnings and surplus recreation program revenue to fund the pickleball court development. If you would like to help support this initiative with a donation, please contact jcannaday@communityparkdistrict.org.
How has your input impacted this design?
- Prioritized the preservation of trees
- Identified and preserved two Memorial Trees
- Refined the playground equipment selection
- Ensured the installation of additional basketball hoops in the tennis court (similar to Stone Monroe Park)
- Prioritized the installation of a perimeter pathway
- Increased the number of swings from four to six