Village Profile® Home Page | About our Company | Sales Opportunities | Community eStore | vpmobile.us®

Parks & Recreation

The Three R's

The Village of Lake Zurich has been fortunate enough to receive grant money through Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) matching grants program from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources—and they have put the grants to good use. Three parks have been the primary beneficiaries of this funding: Paulus Park, Staples Park and Bristol Trails Park.

According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ web page, “The Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) Program is a state-financed grant program that provides funding assistance to local government agencies for acquisition and/or development of land for public parks and open space.”

Financed by a percentage of the Real Estate Transfer Tax in Illinois, this program has assisted tremendously in upgrading the Lake Zurich parks. Grants for development and renovation projects are capped at $400,000.

Paulus Park, 200 S. Rand Road, Lake Zurich has already completed the first phase of improvements with the help of a $400,000 matching grant from this program, and the Village is hopeful that the second phase of planning will be able to move forward this year. The improvements made to this park include an improved entry area, ornamental fencing and a lifeguard building. Activity areas were also added for horseshoe pits, a bocce ball court and a water “sprayground.” Other master plan features that were implemented with the help of these funds include beach area play equipment, lakeshore restoration work and a lakeshore pathway.

Staples Park, 510 Red Bridge Road, Lake Zurich has benefited from the OSLAD grant funds as well, receiving $400,000 of its own through the program. The improvements here have primarily focused on upgrading Staples Park Playground by adding a variety of new features and upgrading existing ones. Tennis courts, basketball courts and a gazebo are now available on site, and the fields that were already in place were renovated. The parking area was expanded and perimeter pathways were also added.

Bristol Trails Park, 1130 Bristol Trails Road, Lake Zurich, has also received funding from the OSLAD grant program. The $239,000 matching grant is allowing for new additions to be made to the facility, including a playground, pathways, fitness par course stations, basketball courts, off road parking and the construction of a shelter/ pavilion on the grounds. Changes to the park should be finished this spring.

Michael Perkins is the director of the Park & Recreation Department for the Village of Lake Zurich and he says, “The Village has been fortunate in attaining the OSLAD grants to make these park improvements. The OSLAD grant funding in collaboration with the Park Improvement Fund have allowed for additional park amenities that benefit the community and make our parks look spectacular.” Perkins adds, “We hope the residents of Lake Zurich have the opportunity to take advantage of them.”

The three parks are not the only facilities that have seen improvement. In 2007, the Village replaced the playgrounds at Braemar Park, Quail Run Park and Countryside West Park. In 2008, plans called for replacing the playgrounds at Chestnut Corners/Hunters Creek Park, Sparrow Ridge Park and Warwick Park as well.

The Village has already submitted an application for the phase two work that they would like to begin at Paulus Park this year. If it obtains funding through the OSLAD grant program, the Village plans to include such aspects as a new playground and pathways as well as construct a larger pavilion. Additional details on the planned upgrades can be seen on Lake Zurich’s website at www.volz.org/parkandrec.

Kids Need Heroes

The Foglia YMCA provides over $200,000 worth of scholarships each year through their “Kids Need Heroes Campaign,” which is funded through donations from the United Way, private foundations, corporations and donations from the community. The charitable fund allows the Y to provide educational, social and physical development services to members of the community by providing a waiver or a reduction of fees based on demonstrated need and program capacity.

Here are some examples of how these funds have been used to help families in the Village:

• Foglia YMCA provided membership for 126 families who were in need of a safe, healthy place for their family to go.
• Foglia YMCA gave away 250 scholarships to families that needed assistance so that their children could participate in activities at the Y such as day camp, youth sports leagues and swim lessons.
• Foglia YMCA had over 500 people volunteer their time, which made sure that programs such as youth sports leagues and swim team could run.

To make a pledge or to find out more information on how you can volunteer for the Foglia YMCA’s Kids Need Heroes Campaign, please call Sean Nelson, Executive Director, at 847-410-5384 or snelson@ymcachgo.org.