Chicago Park District wants your ideas for improvements
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Playground at Smith Park in Ukrainian Village. Photo: Carrie Shepherd/Axios
The Chicago Park District is giving residents the chance to weigh in on park projects and improvements.
The big picture: For the first time, the park district is hosting a participatory budget process in which Chicago residents can submit ideas for projects and improvements at the city's more than 600 parks.
- Nine projects will be selected: three each in the North, Central and South regions.
Why it matters: Parks are foundational for community connection, serving as places to experience nature, play sports, participate in arts and cultural programming and meet neighbors. The participatory process allows residents to tell park leaders what they actually want — and would use — at their neighborhood park.
Driving the news: The public has until March 31 to weigh in.
By the numbers: Standard park improvements can range from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, officials said in a statement.
- Tree planting: $600–$800
- Drinking fountain: $10,000
- Bleachers: $25,000
- Ball field rehab: $50,000
What's next: Once ideas have been collected after March 31, the Chicago Park District will determine the viability and cost of ideas and residents will be invited to vote on the broader project categories.
- Next, a new round of voting on those ideas will happen online and at various regional voting stations. Project awards will be announced later this year.
Changes at Northerly Island
The latest: Last month, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced Northerly Island will receive $600,000 as part of $36 million in statewide park grants. It's the only Chicago location on the list.
Between the lines: Some argue Northerly Island has never quite lived up to its promise as a natural urban oasis, with critics finding it somewhat inaccessible.
- In the summer, concertgoers struggle to find parking, but the lakefront path provides a good option for biking. Other times of the year, it's pretty desolate, as noted by the Chicago Tribune in 2022, despite having one of the best views of the skyline.
State of play: The money is slated to be used for "construction of a multi-use pavilion and new pathway segments, as well as the installation of an adaptive boat launch … fencing to protect areas of sensitive habitat, and native plants," parks spokesperson Michele Lemons tells Axios in a statement.
- "The new pathway segments that will connect to an existing multi-use trail will create an accessible looped trail for hikers, walkers, runners, and cyclists," Lemons adds.
Finalists to replace Columbus statue at Arrigo Park
A notable Italian American will soon take up commemorative space at Arrigo Park in Little Italy.
Driving the news: The park district and Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events are currently reviewing the results from a citywide vote that closed Sunday.
- The ballot included eight Italian Americans who have been deceased for at least 10 years, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia; University of Chicago scientist Enrico Fermi, the creator of the world's first artificial nuclear reactor; and Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, who served poor Italian immigrants in Chicago.
Flashback: The new statue will replace the Christopher Columbus statue that was removed in 2020 after widespread protests.
- The Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans sued the Park District over the removal, but the two sides reached an agreement last year: The city would loan the Columbus statue to the committee for display at its building, and a new work would be erected in its place.
What's next: Once a final selection is made, DCASE will request artist proposals for the statue, according to parks spokesperson Irene Tostado.