Construction on the city of Rochelle’s new “pocket park” at 517 W. Fourth Ave. is substantially complete, city Community Development Director Michelle Pease said Nov. 19.

The park includes a concrete path, brick, native plants, space for seating and food vendors, light poles and cafe lights. A custom bench will run along a concrete ledge. The bench and tables will be installed by January 2026 and a mural will be painted at the park in the first half of 2026.

At its June 9 meeting, the city council unanimously approved a $286,682 bid from DPI Construction, Inc. for the construction of the pocket park. The project will be paid for through Downtown TIF bonds.

In February 2024, the former Vinny’s Barber Shop building at 517 W. Fourth Ave. was purchased by the city and demolished due to structural issues. The cost needed to repair the building was more than it was valued at, Pease said.

In May 2024, Studio GWA shared site plans and cost estimates for a pocket park as a discussion item with the city council. The city chose the pocket park option to fill the space as part of its effort to “create an attractive, friendly, walkable downtown.”

“Construction went great,” Pease said. “We’ll have three tables installed on the north end for people to be able to gather. We will have cafe lights put up soon and we’re working on installing Christmas decor. It was a great project. It took a blighted property that was structurally unstable and turned it into a gathering place. I’ve already had two businesses reach out to me with requests to use it in the spring for community events.”

The city has contracted with Mat Steder of Steder Tattoo to paint the mural at the pocket park. Steder has painted two murals in downtown Rochelle in the past, on the back of the former Hub City Furniture Building and Rochelle VFW Post 3878.

The city received a grant from the Rochelle Area Community Foundation that will cover “a little less than half” of the mural cost, Pease said. The mural will be dedicated to RACF Founder Leonard Carmichael.

“We’ve had several meetings with Mat,” Pease said. “He’s in the process of creating some designs. He’s met with the Carmichael family, myself and RACF. He will put together some renderings, ideas and concepts. In the spring we’ll move forward. The contract we have stipulates the mural being done by June 2026. The park will be completely done by then or sooner.”

City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh said that the pocket park work saw no change orders and “turned out great.” He thanked Pease for her work managing the project.

“We’re continuing to invest in and beautify our downtown,” Fiegenschuh said. “I love how it looks. It looks fantastic. We stayed on top of the project and it turned out well.”

Pease thanked the city council for its support of the project that she said “created a gem” in the downtown Rochelle area. The space will be available for reservations through the city and has electricity and water available.

The pocket park is an example of a good outcome of a previously-blighted space, Pease said. The 517 W. Fourth Ave. property being between two buildings did not allow for a new structure to be built there. The project was financed through the city’s downtown tax-increment financing district, which generates funds to area business when improvements are done. Property values may rise as a result.

“It’s a nice contained area with everything people need for a small gathering,” Pease said. “We have a lot of ideas for the space. To be able to take that space and make a place where we can gather as a community is a good end goal. It’s a good example of our downtown beautification efforts. Our Downtown TIF is a perfect example of how a TIF is supposed to work. It is doing its job.”