West Cook News

The Maywood Village board provided an update on the Park District's plans during its Nov. 1 meeting.

The Park District is working with the city government to ensure that all local parks are under its jurisdiction as they were under previous administrations. It is now focused on improving and revitalizing the village's parks to provide residents with ample green space and amenities.

"Everybody else has good parks. Everybody else has good amenities. So it's our turn and our time for us to start making our amenities look like everybody else's," said Parks District executive director Lonette Hall.

The Park District also gave updates on major upcoming projects. First, the district plans on making upgrades to Connor Heise Park, which is considered outdated but still holds local historical importance. Suggested improvements included turning the tennis courts into pickleball courts, making them more likely to be used. The district is also seeking approval for a new playground unit, as the current one is over 20 years old.

Second is Water Works Park, which is considered to be the worst park in Maywood and has received multiple requests from city officials to be demolished. The Park District proposed tearing it down and replacing it with the village's first dog park. The project's funding is dependent on a time-sensitive grant, which meant that the project needed rapid approval.

A third project involved Burton Park, which has been partially closed for years due to an abandoned building on the premises. Plans include demolishing the building to make space for a new one, making the area more appealing, and preventing children from getting injured in the current building.