One of Downers Grove Park District’s flagship outdoor athletic facilities, McCollum Park, is set to be renovated this spring, thanks in part to a grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The total cost of the project is estimated to be $2 million with an Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant covering $600,000 of the project.

Based on a 2017 community survey, McCollum Park ranked as the most visited park by Downers Grove residents with 66% of respondents indicating they had visited the park within the past 12 months, said Paul Fyle, the park district’s director of planning and construction.

“We have done renovations project there over the last 15 years,” Fyle said. “The playground itself is the last piece that needs to be updated.”

In 2012, the athletic complex was updated, and in 2022, the tennis courts were renovated, and a splash pad was added, Fyle said.

Now, the park district has turned its attention to the “space in between.”

The playground, which was installed in 2005, is set to be replaced with new play equipment with synthetic turf safety surfacing.

Other renovations include a new shelter adjacent to the playground, a renovated adult fitness area, horseshoe courts, a new game table plaza and shade structures over the concession seating area.

“The horseshoe courts have not been renovated since they were built in the mid-1980s,” Fyle said. “We are also adding a picnic shelter between the two play areas.”

The work went out to bid in the fall, and demolition should begin “as early as possible in the spring,” Fyle said.

“We are intending for them to get going by mid-February,” he added.

The park district mailed a survey seeking input about the park to more than 300 households within 500 feet of McCollum Park and made an online version available to all residents.

Based on the feedback, two preliminary concepts were presented in 2024. And based on public input and staff feedback, the consultants developed the final plan.

Due to the relatively high cost of equipment compared to other playground projects, the park district announced plans to purchase major items such as play equipment, the shelter and shade structures directly from manufacturers and supply them to the contractor for installation.

The work is anticipated to be completed by mid-July 2026.

The park district has also done some rennovatons at Prince Pond, previously known as Grove Lake. It was constructed in 1892 as part of the E. H. Prince subdivision that surrounds it.

As part of the project, the existing playground equipment will be replaced, the current modular block retaining wall will be upgraded to a manufactured pre-cast concrete wall and synthetic turf safety surfacing will be installed for a safer, modern play experience.

Fyle said the roofing on the warming shelter is still to be completed.

In addition, the park district currently is replacing the playground equipment at Fishel Park that was installed in 2005.

As part of the project, the existing mulch will be replaced with synthetic turf grass, and the existing pre-cast block playground edge will be replaced with a more permanent concrete curb to be consistent with other curbs at park district playgrounds.

The funding for the playground equipment replacement comes out of the park district’s capital budget, Fyle said.