Elburn learned recently that the village will receive an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to assist with plans to upgrade and make improvements to Prairie Park, which is one of the village’s oldest parks.

“My kids played there and [now] one is in high school and the other in college,” said Rob Reilley, chairperson of the Elburn Parks Commission.

Prairie Park is located near the Town and Country Library at North and Third streets.

The $446,100 grant, which provides a 50/50 match for the projects the IDNR approves, will be used to buy updated playground equipment that will include more equipment that is appropriate for younger children and accessible for every child, a bandshell, workout stations featuring fitness equipment and a looped walking trail that will be built where the old one used to be.

“The old one [walking trail] became overgrown,” Village Administrator John Nevenhoven said. “This one will be more durable. It’ll be made out of asphalt or concrete.”

The playground equipment that will be replaced will be donated to Kids Around the World, an organization that will repurpose it and organize global and U.S. outreach trips for volunteers to install it.

Upland Design, a local consulting group with a successful track record for park planning and grant writing, assisted the village in creating the plan and writing the grant that won the approval of the IDNR.

Once an agreement is finalized between the village and the IDNR, the design work can begin, Nevenhoven said at the Feb. 20 Committee of the Whole meeting. He said the plan is to have the improvements completed by July 15, 2025, in time for the annual Run with the Rails race and Elburn Days.

Reilley said he envisions the improvements will lead to more opportunities for people to gather in the park, such as for movie nights, concerts with local bands and other events. He said the park’s location is fairly central within the village.

Williams Ridge subdivision update

The Elburn Village Board wants stormwater issues resolved before considering variances requested by the Williams Ridge builder.

Three residents whose homes back up to the Williams Ridge subdivision attended the Feb. 20 Village Board meeting to express their displeasure about the requested variances being considered by the village.

“When I bought my home and built it here, I did my due diligence,” resident Paul Molitor said. “I looked into what’s going to be behind me. It was zoned the same way my home was. I was good with that. Now to have someone come in and change it and say they want to build bigger houses, less green space, to build on 45% of the land instead of 33%, it changes what I bought into. And considering that it was already zoned, I thought I knew what I was getting. To change it on someone doesn’t seem fair or right to do.”

The motion to consider approving variances for a number of lots owned by Silverthorne Development within the Williams Ridge subdivision for smaller side yards, smaller interior lot setbacks and bigger houses failed when no one seconded the motion.

“Can I make a comment?” Trustee Ken Anderson said. “I would like the stormwater stuff done first before we make the variance, if we’re going to make the variance.”

Anderson said allowing the variances would mean additional impervious surfaces then when the original subdivision plan was approved in 1997. At that time, the Kane County Stormwater Ordinance was different and now the layouts of the houses are different, as well.

“Controlling the stormwater is important,” he said. “We have enough issues [with stormwater] in different parts of our town. If they don’t do the study [to prove that the existing and approved variances would meet the Kane County Stormwater Ordinance standards], it goes back to the original plan.”

“It’s got to work before we do anything,” Anderson said.

Village President Jeff Walter and the other village trustees were in agreement with Anderson’s comments.

Later in the evening, Walter asked the three residents if they understood what had happened during the discussion about the variances. Molitor asked when the issue would be dealt with again.

“Not until they [Silverthorne Development] do the study,” Walter said. “It’s in their ballpark now.”