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.
Complete this form if you would like to receive project updates or if you have any questions.
Two diseased trees will be removed as part of this project.
No, the racoon swings will remain. The post will be reused, and the swing seats will be replaced.
The 2-5 playground will have pour-in-place rubber surfacing. The woodchip surfacing at the 5-12 playground will also be replaced with new woodchips. In addition, concrete curbs will be added around both playgrounds.
The playground will be closed beginning in August of 2024 until November 2024.
The basketball court is scheduled to be repaved this year, and the Park District is taking the opportunity to reorient the basketball court. The basketball hoop will be shifted to the East side to improve playing experience. The Park District explored relocating the basketball court, but due to the ravine and topography of the park the District determined that the court is currently in the most suitable location.
The Park District understands that the game table is underutilized. The game table will be removed and replaced with seating..
The park pathway was scheduled for repaving this year and the Park District saw this as an opportunity to improve the path layout. The new path will loop around the park to improve circulation.
After careful evaluation of the 5-12 playground, the Park District identified that the playground equipment is in good condition and not in need of replacement. Though, as part of this project, certain elements of the 5-12 playground will be replaced to extend the useful life of the playground and to improve the user experience. Updates to the 5-12 playground include: replacement of the steppers/ground play feature with a new climber, replacement of the woodchip surfacing, the addition of concrete curbing and the replacement of the play panels on the playground structure.
The backstop is being removed because it has reached it’s useful life and was damaged in a storm last year. At this point, the District does not intend to replace the backstop because of limited use in its current location.
No, the sand play element will be removed as part of this renovation. Despite the diggers being a favorite element, feedback indicated support for removing sand play.
The design process has been completed for the Port Clinton 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 tot lot rendering here, and see the 5-12 playground updates here.
Construction is expected to begin in August and be completed by November.
On Thursday, November 16, the Park District of Highland Park held a community meeting to present the proposed playground updates for Port Clinton Park and collect feedback on playground equipment options for the tot lot.
Updates include:
• new pathway design to improve park circulation
• reorientation of the basketball hoop
• updates to the 5-12 playground (rather than a full replacement of the equipment)
• replacement of the tot lot (2-5) playground.
If you were unable to attend the meeting and would like to learn more about the project and/or provide feedback, please reach out to [email protected]. The planning team will be collecting feedback until Tuesday, December 5.
This past summer many of you participated in a survey to share your feedback on Port Clinton Park. The Park District of Highland Park will host a community meeting on Thursday, November 16, 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 park layouts, and project timeline. The presentation will outline the Park District’s decision to restore the existing 5-12 playground equipment instead of replacing the full structure. After the presentation, participants will have the opportunity to review the tot lot equipment options and share their preferences. Feedback collected will be used to guide the final playground designs.
Meeting Details:
Date: Thursday, November 16, 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 Port Clinton Park on Friday, July 7 from 9:30-11:30am 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 Port Clinton Playground Preliminary Planning survey. Follow this link to share your feedback in this brief survey.
Complete this form if you would like to receive project updates or if you have any questions.
Complete this form if you would like to receive project updates or if you have any questions.
Some trees may be removed as part of this project.
There is an opportunity to grow the tot lot’s footprint by removing a row of trees screening the playground that are just outside the playground’s fence. Whether or not these trees are removed will be determined by the community’s interest in a slight extension to the tot lot and the value of the screen of trees.
Yes, the project will include a landscape plan for the area surrounding the playground.
This process usually takes about two days.
Yes, the updated playground will include a new fence.
The plan proposes to use pour-in-place rubber safety surface, often referred to as the soft surface.
The playground construction is targeted to begin in the fall. The project schedule is subject to change. Any changes to the schedule will be posted on the website.
The District is considering two options to gain additional play area and is interested in the communities feedback.
One option will keep the fence line as is and remove the brick paver path and landscaping within the fence. Removing this path would extend the playground slightly, while staying within the same fence line you see at the park today.
The second option would further extend the playground area by removing the row of Arborvitae trees that directly surrounds the fence. In this option the District would also remove the interior path.
In both options, the playground area would expand slightly. Both options are only able to accommodate a tot lot playground.
No, the pathways will be closed for access, but the park will be open to visitors.
Complete this form if you would like to receive project updates or if you have any questions.
After 30+ years, the time has come to say farewell to what remains of the gazebo and fishing pier at Danny Cunniff’s pond. Once grander in scale, the fishing deck’s pier was removed in 2018, in an effort to prolong the gazebo’s life for a few more years. This extended lifespan has now reached its end and the gazebo and remaining deck has been removed by the Park District.
The week of December 4, shoreline work will take place at the pond where the fishing deck was removed.
The Fishing Deck and Gazebo have been removed. Some landscaping and site restoration still needs work, which will be completed in the fall.
A dumpster has been delivered and demolition work is expected to begin this week.
The Fishing Deck and Gazebo are scheduled for removal the week of May 22, 2023 (weather permitting).
Complete this form if you would like to receive project updates or if you have any questions.
