Community Park District Wins a $150,200 State Grant

The Community Park District of La Grange Park’s desire to enlarge its smallest park took a giant step forward recently. On May 11th Governor Quinn announced that the Community Park District will receive a matching grant of $150,200 towards the purchase of a residential property adjacent to Beach-Oak Park. Funding is by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources through a grant program called the Open Space, Land and Development (OSLAD) fund.

Purchasing the property has been the subject of several Park Board meetings and public hearings for over one year. Beach-Oak Park is the smallest park in the district but due to its proximity, it serves a large residential area. Acquiring the property at 534 Beach Avenue will enlarge the park area by about 33%. The new parcel will help square off the park to allow a better design tentatively scheduled for development in 2015.

The OSLAD fund is a dedicated fund, which has thus far invested over $380 million in park development and land acquisition projects. It is funded with a portion of a real estate transfer tax and can only be used for projects that comply with OSLAD guidelines. This year over $15 million was distributed among 45 Illinois parks and recreation agencies and forest preserve districts. There were 69 applications requesting funding.