A Community Needs Assessment Survey for 2023 will hit homes in mid-May. We have partnered with the Carol Stream Public Library to include a print version of the park district survey in their mid-May newsletter along with a postage-paid return envelope. The survey will also be offered digitally by email, website, microsite, and social media. Look for it and share your thoughts about park district services and offerings.
Read the May Enews for more!
Thank you to all who came out to this groundbreaking event!
Present: Commissioners Powers, Bird, Gramann, Jaszka, Jeffery, and Commissioner Elect Witteck.
Staff: Executive Director Reuter, Deputy Director Rini, Directors Bachewicz, Hamilton, Superintendents Adamson, Quinn and Scumaci, Managers Kenny, Kucharski, Mondlock; Supervisors Chapman, Eidukas, Falco, Maxey, Executive Assistant Greninger, Parks Foreman Slanker and Intern Wascher.
The following from the state, county and village: Michael DeLazzer from Senator Lewis’ office; Representative Amy Grant; Representative Jennifer Sanalitro; Justin Burau from Representative Sanalitro’s office; DuPage County Commissioners Schwarze and Zay; Carol Stream Police Social Services Officers McNamara, Marina Hernandez and Budier; Village Engineer Greg Ulreich; Robert Ijams and Patty King from Wight & Company; and Mercy Housing Manager Mary Anselmo.
This project is possible through a grant from the DuPage County Community Development Block Grant, a land donation from the Village of Carol Stream, and the District’s Park Board commitment to bringing recreational opportunities and space to this area of the community. We are excited to begin construction for a park that will be enjoyed for years to come!
See groundbreaking photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/csparkdistrict/albums/72177720307599361
See groundbreaking video: https://youtu.be/Q6JqW03twQM
See Pre-Renovation photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/csparkdistrict/albums/72177720307674096
Monday, April 17, 6:00 pm
On behalf of the Carol Stream Park District Board of Commissioners and Staff, we are excited to invite you to join us for a Groundbreaking Ceremony to kick off the Community Park Renovation Project.
This project is possible through a grant from the DuPage County Community Development Block Grant, a land donation from the Village of Carol Stream, and the District’s Park Board commitment to bringing recreational opportunities and space to this area of the community. We are excited to begin construction for a park that will be enjoyed for years to come!
Please share this news with your staff, friends and neighbors. All are welcome.
Click “Message from Jim Reuter” above to view video message about Walter Park.
We have some very exciting news! The Carol Stream Park District is a recipient of an Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant in the amount of $400,000 for the Walter Park renovation. The amount funds 50% of the renovations planned for the park, which will take place over two years, beginning in late summer of this year.
“Walter Park is an important asset to the neighborhood and is in need of improvements, and our Board and Staff are extremely pleased to have received this grant,” says Jim Reuter, Executive Director of the Carol Stream Park District. “We look forward to this park project, which affects numerous homes in the neighborhood; and the park is just off the Lies Road Trail, making it accessible to all residents.”
Gerald L. Walter Sr, the park’s namesake, was one of the first Park Board Commissioners. His tenure was from 1964 to 1973. Mr. Walter, who no longer lived in Carol Stream, passed away last month.
Back in May 2022, all Carol Stream residents and especially neighbors of Walter Park, located at 970 High Ridge Pass, were invited to a couple of Community Input Meetings. With Walter Park due for renovation, the Park District wanted resident feedback about what people would like to see at the park. At that time, architects and staff guided participants through some exercises to list the amenities they would like to see at the park, and then they were asked to prioritize or rate them. The kids were involved too!
Some of the suggested amenities include a baseball field with dugouts and bleachers, soccer field, playground with synthetic turf, outdoor pickleball court, bike rack, a quarter mile asphalt path, portable restroom and new parking lot.
Once the plans were being refined for Walter Park as a result of the community input meetings, the Carol Stream Park District Board of Commissioners approved a Resolution authorizing the application of an OSLAD Grant for improvements to Walter Park.
Supplementing park improvements through grant funding opportunities allows the District to update more parks, increase amenities, and enhance recreational opportunities for more residents.
Obtaining a government grant can be a difficult task. The application process is lengthy and extremely detailed. With the help of our Walter Park design architects, we wrote a convincing proposal and are very proud to have received this OSLAD grant.
Here is a clip of the press release from the Governor announcing the winners of this prestigious grant:
From Illinois State press release: Governor JB Pritzker along with state and local leaders and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced nearly $60 million in state grants are being awarded for 118 local park projects throughout Illinois to help communities acquire land and develop recreational opportunities. The grants represent the largest round of Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grants in the 36-year history of the program, which was designed to help communities fund land acquisition and development for parks and outdoor recreation projects.
Read the release and the list of all park district recipients: https://www.illinois.gov/news/press-release.26122.html
March is “Burn” Month
3/2/2023 – Sometime over the next few weeks, the Park District is conducting prescribed burns of our native planting areas located at Tedrahn Pond (around the perimeter) and Evergreen Lakes. Prescribed fire is one tool in native area management. It is used to control weeds, recycle nutrients and to encourage stronger native plant growth.
Burns are carried out by a trained and equipped prescribed burn contractor. Burn permits are secured through the Illinois EPA upon review of a written burn plan specific to each site. The fire is contained around the perimeters of the prescribed burn areas by prior mowing, use of wet lines (spraying the vegetation along the edge with water) or back-burning.
The local fire department is notified prior to and upon completion of the prescribed burn on the day of the burn. The local fire company is not on site during a prescribed burn. They are notified in advance so if anyone calls in to say they see smoke the fire department is aware of the prescribed fire at the specified location.
Wind and smoke management are important considerations in any prescribed burn. An attempt is made by the burn contractor to minimize smoke drift whenever possible. Prairie fires usually burn very quickly and any smoke usually dissipates quickly. Heavy smoke is usually a result of landscape debris and leaves being dumped in the native areas.
Let’s chat about what’s becoming a serious topic – the shortage of referees and why.
This short, informative video from Good Morning America, entitled “Parenting Alert”, nails it. It addresses why youth sports is facing a referee shortage and the impact on kids.
If you do not play the very traditional game of cricket, you may not know that the Carol Stream Park District’s McCaslin Park is home to a cricket field. The field is located just northeast of Coyote Crossing Mini Golf. The American Cricket Conference of players are often seen playing for hours on the field.
Just what is the game of cricket? It’s a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the center of which is a 22-yard pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising of two bails balanced on three stumps. One team takes a turn to bat a ball and score, while the other team will bowl and field the ball to restrict the other team from scoring. The main objective in cricket is to score as many runs as possible against the opponent. It is similar to baseball except it has different rules, terms and organization. (Credit: Google)
The park district typically aerates and overseeds the field annually and treats it with various weed control measures during the growing season. The park site currently has a clear dropoff in the field of about 18 inches, meaning from east to west there is an 18-inch change in the grade which isn’t conducive for competitive and safe game play. We plan to level the entire cricket field in April to make it a better overall player experience for the cricket leagues.
How are we doing this? Remember the renovation of the Bierman Park/Heritage Lakes trail early last fall? By the way it’s a beautiful trail now! Well the dirt we removed from the renovation of the trail was stockpiled at the southwest end of McCaslin Park, adjacent to the cricket field. If you drive down North Avenue often, you may recall seeing these dirt mounds. With the help of a contractor and in-house labor, the cricket field will be graded with this “recycled” dirt. Our parks staff will fine grade, removing rocks, and then seed the area.
We plan to start as soon as the weather breaks, anticipating mid April. The work will take a couple of weeks to complete, and then we can sit back and watch the grass grow. The cricket season begins in May. If you are interested in the game of cricket, contact Sohail Bari, President at the American Cricket Conference. Here’s is Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/231860493599819
Did you know that Carol Stream has been on the annual Monarch butterfly’s migration route of thousands of miles from Mexico to Canada? Did you also know that over the last three decades, the monarch butterfly population has decreased by more than 80%, designating the beautiful insect an endangered species? The decrease is due to climate variations and the use of herbicides in the US that kill the milkweeds essential for the butterfly’s reproduction.
What is Carol Stream Park District doing to save the monarch butterfly? At the Park Board of Commissioners meeting on December 12, the Board passed Resolution 22-05, authorizing the Executive Director to enhance and expand available habitat for monarch butterflies and other native pollinators with, but not limited to, the following actions:
Carol Stream Park District
Resolution No. 22-05
DuPage Monarch Project
A Resolution Authorizing the Executive Director to Enhance and Expand Available Habitat for Monarch Butterflies and other Native Pollinators.
WHEREAS, the Carol Stream Park District recognizes the importance of protecting open land and park space for the recreational use of Carol Stream residents; and
WHEREAS, a wet area located inside the large dog area at the Bark Park was transformed from turf grass to a Monarch Butterfly Weigh Station with additional native plantings; educational signage was added in 2019 and the area has received ongoing management; and
WHEREAS, the parking lot islands at the Simkus Recreation Center have been designated monarch butterfly weigh stations and subsequently planted with milkweed and signage was added in 2022 to denote the weigh stations; and
WHEREAS, Jan Smith Park continues to be the model of the District’s native areas by bringing together volunteers and District staff to create a well maintained showcase area for the residents of the District to enjoy; and
WHEREAS, a Natural Area Master Plan is being put together for Park District properties to guide the maintenance, construction and overall management of native areas; and
WHEREAS, many of the 4,000 species of native U.S. bees providing critical pollinating services to food, ornamental and wildflower species have experienced significant decline; and
WHEREAS, the Carol Stream Park District, located in northeastern Illinois, has long been on the annual monarch butterfly’s migration route of thousands of miles from Mexico to Canada and has provided monarch caterpillars with native milkweed species, their sole source of food; and
WHEREAS, Illinois designated the iconic monarch butterfly as the official state insect in 1975 as the result of lobbying by Illinois schoolchildren; and
WHEREAS, scientific studies point to the rapid decline of the monarch butterfly due to the loss of milkweed habitat needed for laying their eggs and for the caterpillars to eat, resulting from development, land management practices, and chemically-aided agriculture in the United States and Canada; and
WHEREAS, because the decimation of pollinators, including the eastern migrating monarch, which serves as an iconic species, has potential negative consequences for natural ecosystems as well as for human food production, in 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that adding the monarch butterfly to the list of threatened and endangered species was warranted but precluded by work on higher-priority listing actions. With this decision, the monarch becomes a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and its status will be reviewed each year until it is no longer a candidate; and
WHEREAS, the Mid-America Conservation Strategy has identified a monarch habitat restoration target of an additional 1.3 billion stems of milkweed by 2038 which will sustain a resilient population size; and
WHEREAS, the Illinois Monarch Project developed a state-wide monarch conservation plan calling for 150 million new stems of milkweed, Illinois’ share of the Mid-America Conservation Strategy; and
WHEREAS, because there are many different species of milkweed in the U.S., it is important to recognize that only native milkweed is vital to the recovery and survival of the monarch butterfly in Illinois; and
WHEREAS, the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, River Prairie Group of the Illinois Sierra Club, The Conservation Foundation, and Wild Ones of Greater DuPage, a native plant advocacy group, are collaborating as the DuPage Monarch Project to encourage communities to plant native milkweed and valuable nectar plants where appropriate;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS OF THE CAROL STREAM PARK DISTRICT, DuPage County, Illinois, as follows:
SECTION 1: The Recitals set forth above are incorporated herein and made a part of this Resolution as if set forth fully herein.
SECTION 2: The Board of Park Commissioners hereby authorizes the Executive Director to increase and improve available habitat for Monarch butterflies and other native pollinators with, but not limited to, the following actions:
SECTION 3: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage and approval by a majority of the Board of Commissioners.
Dated:
Board President of Carol Stream Park District
ATTEST:
Secretary of Carol Stream Park District
We are renovating Park on the Green, a neighborhood park located at 1N547 Bob O’ Link Drive in Winfield, which is in Carol Stream Park District boundaries.
Park on the Green construction is on pace with anticipated completion date of early November. An Oodle swing, low playground interactive panels and low level play opportunities like a connect-the-dots feature enable fully inclusive play for kids of all abilities.
Reconstruction of the Bierman Park-Heritage Lake Trail is complete!
Come to walk, run, skate, walk the dog, fish! Access points to the park/trail are at Bierman Park – 1253 Woodlake Drive; or enter at Kent Park – 955 Woodhill Dr.
Trail Completion photos 10-2-22
