April 19, 2024
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Algonquin unveils $800,000 reconstruction of Stoneybrook Park

Renovations include new playground with a zip line; courts for bocce ball, pickleball and gaga ball; new pavilion and walking trail

By Kevin Schmit - Daily Herald Media Group

After being closed since the fall for an $800,000 reconstruction, Stoneybrook Park in Algonquin has reopened to the public. The park includes pickleball courts, sand volleyball, bocce ball, bags, a half basketball court, picnic area, gaga ball pit and playground equipment. (Paul Valade / Daily Herald Staff Photographer)

Algonquin officials recently unveiled an $800,000 rebuild of Stoneybrook Park that was partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The $400,000 grant, secured through the state’s Open Space Lands Acquisition Development program, allowed the village to construct a new facility with updated amenities on the 3-acre site at 1200 N. Huntington Drive. Stoneybrook Park was closed during construction in the fall and winter, but Village President Debby Sosine and others officially opened the park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony last weekend.

“We understand construction can sometimes be disruptive, and we appreciate your support and patience with projects like this one,” Sosine told the audience at the ceremony. “In just a few short months, Stoneybrook Park was transformed into a space that has amenities for people of all ages to enjoy.”

The park’s previous playground was constructed almost 30 years, Assistant Village Manager Michael Kumbera said, adding that there also was an aging volleyball court that needed to be replaced.

The rebuild allowed Algonquin officials to create a unique space in the village, Kumbera said. Not only was a new playground with a zip line added, but courts for bocce ball, pickleball and gaga ball also were built. The project also included the addition of a new pavilion, walking trail, sand volleyball court and basketball court.

Visitors previously had to rely on street parking to use the park, but now there’s a 15-space parking lot.

Kumbera said Stoneybrook Park is mainly a neighborhood park, but the added amenities will make it popular with people across the village.

“It has something for every member of the family, and I think that’s the appeal of the site,” he said.