A state grant of more than $500,000 will cover the Peoria Park District’s expenses for a host of upgrades at Chartwell Park on the city's northwest side.
The funding comes from this year’s $36 million package of statewide awards by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources through its Open Space Land Acquisition and Development [OSLAD] program.
Park District Executive Director Emily Cahill said the $600,000 award for Chartwell Park will pay for a new inclusive playground, improved walking paths, a new picnic shelter, and removal of invasive plants.
“Every year when that grant application comes out, we take a look at our inventory, and one of our primary focuses over the last couple of years is to look at parks that have some of those older playground equipment pieces in them,” said Cahill.
“Chartwell is a park that, as one of our neighborhood parks, it is well used, and it is on a shorter list of those playgrounds that do need to be addressed.”
OSLAD is a cost-sharing program between state and local governments that helps communities fund land acquisition and development for parks and outdoor recreation projects.
“Local parks are essential in community building, especially in a time when it is more common for adults and children alike reach for a phone instead of racing to the swings,” said state Sen. Dave Koehler in a news release. “By revitalizing the park, we hope to see a renewed sense of excitement in spending time in the outdoors and meeting your fellow neighbors.”
Cahill said it will take a while before the upgrades at Chartwell Park get underway.
“Most likely, the way the timing of this works, it will be sometime next year before you see those improvements as we work through design and then putting a project out to bid,” she said.
“Especially with a playground included in the project, we have a public input effort that takes place as part of this, where we ask the community to help to vote on elements that should be included.”
Cahill said with all the steps involved in the process, it’s likely to be late summer or fall of 2027 before the Chartwell Park projects are completed.
