Proposed plan with legend for Waiola park renovations (photo courtesy of LGPD webpage).

The Park District of LaGrange hopes to receive the Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development Grant (OSLAD) that will fund the renovation of the 3.6-acre Waiola Park. Waiola Park, located at the intersection of 47th Street and South Waiola Avenue, hasn’t been updated since the 1990s.

When the Park District completed its comprehensive master plan, it was clear Waiola Park needed an update, Jenny Bechtold, the Executive Director of the Park District of LaGrange, said.

“[OSLAD] is a matching grant, so we are hoping to put in $600,000 and have them cover an additional $600,000,” Bechtold said. “The renovations will cost approximately $1.2 million.”

The community of LaGrange had input on the plans for the improved park, Bechtold said. Wight and Company aided with the design; however, the citizens had a much larger role in the process.

“We had community meetings where the residents came and gave feedback on the plans,” Bechtold said. “Wight and Company is the one who assisted with putting together the plans, but the residents really helped drive the plan.”

According to the Park District website, the new design is planned to include a new playground, shaded areas, and a new half-court basketball court, alongside other things. However, this is still a conceptual plan as the village doesn’t have the grant yet.

Residents of the area are generally in support of this updated park. Poppy Graber ‘24 has been visiting Waiola Park since she was little and continues to go there with the kids she nannies. Through the years the park has deteriorated; kids, especially older kids, are bored of Waiola Park, and will greatly benefit from this renovation, Graber said.

“One of the boys I babysit is starting to get a bit older and getting a little bored with the park,” Graber said. “I think that they could add a few more elements that aren’t so simple and allow older kids to also engage with the park.” 

The village will receive news of the grant in the next few weeks.