The Lockport City Council approved contracts Wednesday for the construction of a new playground south of Heritage Village with help from the Lockport Women’s Club.

The Boatyard Park will be located on land south of 2nd Street and adjacent to Heritage Village and will connect to the canal walk/bike trail between downtown and the Star Innovation District.

After receiving bids from three companies earlier in February, the city approved a contract with Schwartz Construction Group, Inc. for a cost of $431,396.24 for building the park.

The construction includes installation of the foundations for the play equipment, curbing, sidewalks, fencing, landscape, drainage, and grading.

The City Council also approved a separate contract with Kompan, to purchase the play equipment for the park. The equipment is all custom designed and will resemble two halves of a canal boat with play areas between them when complete.

The price of the custom equipment is $258,594.84, bringing the total cost of the project to $689,991.08.

Director of Community and Economic Development Lance Thies said that with the rising costs of construction materials the city was “very pleased with the number we got” for the construction bid.

The project is being funded in part by a 2023 Tourism Attraction and Programming grant from the state of Illinois for $348,907, which will be reimbursed after construction is complete.

Additionally, the Lockport Women’s Club has contributed $40,000 to the project which it raised through initiatives including its “Spooky Night Out” last fall.

“We would like to thank the Women’s Club for driving this project,” said Mayor Steven Streit to members of the women’s club present at City Hall to present the check. “This is a bold, exciting project, and we’re glad you had the tenacity to stick with it. We’re very excited about this park.”

The remaining funding for the project is coming from the city’s cell tower funds.

The city originally budgeted $623,000 for the project, which fell short of the final cost estimate.

Following the Women’s Club’s donation, the overage was left at $26,991.08, which will also be paid out of the cell tower funds, according to city documents on the project. The majority of that overage consists of engineering costs.

When completed the park will include not just the boat climbing structures but also seesaws, a zipline, log scramble crossing structures, a dynamic bar, and numerous play barrels, crates, and rope structures.

The park will also include sitting area benches and access to the nearby walking and biking paths.