The Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District presented a concept plan for improvements at Tilton Park, which houses three baseball fields utilized by Rochelle Little League, at a public meeting Wednesday, Sept. 10.

The total project is estimated to cost $1.1 million, and depends on an Open Space Lands Acquisition Development grant that the park district plans to apply for that could yield a maximum of $600,000 in matching funds.

The meeting was led by Park District Executive Director Jackee Ohlinger. Tilton Park has been identified in the park district’s master plan as in need of maintenance projects in the next several years. Potential receipt of the OSLAD grant would allow those projects to be done sooner and together.

“We’ve been working with the community to brainstorm ideas on how we can improve this property, not only for Rochelle Little League but for the entire community,” Ohlinger said. “We’re working on the grant application and it will be submitted at the end of the month,”

In recent years, the park district received an OSLAD grant for improvements at Spring Lake Pool, which included a new splash pad, shade structure, landscaping and renovation of existing facilities.

Ohlinger said that for the past three years, the park district and its capital improvement committee have met with Rochelle Little League regarding issues and suggestions for potential improvements to the park, which houses a senior league field, a Little League field, a minor league field, a concession stand, basketball court and playground. The softball field and tee ball diamonds in the area are on Rochelle Elementary School District property.

Much of the potential improvements revolve around the senior league field on the south end of the park. Work would include replacement of the dome-style backstop with new netting, and adjustable infield artificial turf that would make the field usable for different age groups and to attract tournaments to the park.

“It’s a large field that many of our park-goers don’t utilize to its fullest now,” Ohlinger said. “So we’re trying to make that south field multi-use for many age groups.”

The project would also see new covered chainlink dugouts and benches along with new press boxes. Fields could be raised due to drainage, and tile work would be done to improve drainage from the park to the Kyte Creek.

New perimeter fencing and foul poles would also be included in the work, which would provide a larger centrally located area between the three fields that would see the addition of two batting cages and a playground.

“The batting cages would be ideal for practices and things like that where the fields are in use and kids can still utilize the batting cages for warming up or skills testing,” Ohlinger said. “It can also be utilized by the community.”

The plan also showed the addition of concrete in spectator areas around the fields and near the basketball court to improve handicap accessibility. An asphalt trail would be run throughout the park and toward the softball and tee ball areas. A new shade structure would be added near the current concessions area. Other work includes the moving of the flagpole location due to a tree. New lighting for fields is also in the works.

Ohlinger said the potential improvements would shore up Rochelle Little League’s home for years to come and attract potential revenue from events like area tournaments.

“Bringing in tournaments would be ideal not just for the park district, but for the community as a whole,” Ohlinger said. “People who came to town for that would fill up with gas, stop for food and more here.”