Old Elm’s 2-5 and 5-12 playgrounds are scheduled for replacement in 2024.
The Park District of Highland Park began planning the playground update in 2023. The planning and design process was collaborative, and the Park District is thankful for all the feedback collected throughout the process. Feedback collected from the community was used to guide the final design for Old Elm’s playground renovation.
Project Details:
Other Projects Happening at Old Elm in 2024:
Thank you for your patience during the construction phase.
We are excited to announce that the fence is scheduled to come down on Tuesday, May 27, and the playground will officially be open for play on Tuesday afternoon!
Check it out
Restoration work has started and a few new trees have been planted.
The path around the playground has been installed.
Next the crews will be moving on to restoration work.
Crews are installing the playground surfacing
The curb around the play areas has been poured and crews are preparing to begin installing the paths.
The top layer of surfacing around the tot lot hillside slide has been installed.
The winding slide is being installed on the elementary structure.
The climbing circuit is nearly complete on the elementary structure.
The we-saw has been installed in the elementary play area.
The hillside slide has been installed in the tot lot play area. The base layer of surfacing around the slide has also been installed.
The roof has been attached to the elementary structure.
The climbing pieces are being added to the elementary structure.
Work is underway and the elementary structure continues to grow.
Spring is on the horizon and construction has started again at Old Elm Park!
The elementary play tower is starting to grow.
The Park District is working with the contractor to continue construction throughout the winter and construction will occur weather permitting.
Progress has been made on the elementary tower installation.
The new drinking fountain has been installed.
The curb around the tot lot play area has been installed.
Installation of the elementary play area tower has started.
Most of the tot lot play equipment has been installed and installation of the concrete curb around the play areas has started.
Installation of the playground equipment has started!
The site has been prepared for installation of the new playground equipment.
Installation of the new playground equipment is expected to begin today!
The North backstop has been painted and both fields have been restored to grass.
The new playground equipment has been delivered
Painting of the Old Elm Park shelter has been completed.
Demolition of the playground has been completed.
Restoration of the ballfields to grass is nearing completion.
Installation of topsoil in the ballfields is nearing completion.
Clay removal at the ballfields is nearing completion.
Installation of topsoil and seed is expected to begin on Monday 9/16.
Construction fencing has been put up, the playground will remain closed until construction is complete.
During construction, the playground area will be closed. Restoration work on the ballfields may begin the week of September 2, and the ballfield area will be closed during that time.
During construction, the tennis courts and basketball courts will remain open. Tennis courts can be accessed through the southern gate.
Thank you to the 71 respondents who selected their preferred paint colors for the Old Elm Shelter. The winning combination is the darker grey (D) on the bricks and the blue (A) on the panels.
The shelter is expected to be painted before the end of the year.
The roof on the Old Elm shelter has been replaced.
Take this survey to vote for your color preference before the survey closes on August 23.
The shelter roof is expected to be replaced on Wednesday, August 7.
The design process has been completed for the Old Elm Playground Renovation Project. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback through the survey, listening sessions and community meeting, to help shape the final design for the project. See the playground renderings here.
Construction is expected to begin in August and be completed by November.
Thank you to everyone who attended the Old Elm Park Playground meeting on Tuesday, November 14 and providing your preferences on the playground equipment options presented.
The feedback collected will be used to further refine the designs. Once designs are finalized, they will be posted to this page and the project will be bid out.
This past summer many of you participated in a survey to share your feedback on Old Elm Park. The Park District will host a community meeting on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at Oak Terrace Elementary School to share the proposed playground design and two playground equipment options.
The meeting will start with a brief presentation providing an overview of the feedback collected this summer, the proposed layouts, and project timeline. After the presentation, participants will have the opportunity to review the equipment options and share their preferences. Feedback collected will be used to guide the final playground designs.
Meeting Details:
Date: Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Time: 6-7pm
Location: Oak Terrace Elementary School, Multi-Purpose Room
See the survey results from the preliminary playground planning survey here.
We will be at Old Elm Park on Friday, July 7 from 1-3pm to collect your feedback on the playground renovation.
The Park District of Highland Park would like to hear from you!
There will be several opportunities for the community to participate in the design process and the first is the Old Elm Playground Preliminary Planning survey. Follow this link to share your feedback in this brief survey.
