The Naperville Park District will spend nearly $400,000 to renovate Naperbrook Golf Course’s driving range and practice greens, requiring that both be closed in August.
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A contract with Hollembeak Construction was one of six to be approved Thursday by Park Board commissioners for park improvements scheduled for this year.
Work on the 22204 Hassert Blvd. course is the largest of the improvement projects being undertaken and will include a new concrete all-weather tee, regraded and expanded grass tee area and practice putting green, a new practice bunker, and drainage and irrigation improvements.
The areas being renovated will close to the public when work begins in August, said Kevin Carlson, the park district’s director of golf. The driving range is expected to reopen sometime in September, but the others won’t be ready for use until May 2022.
Carlson said the driving range averages about 10,000 visits a year, and the free practice green is popular with golfers who want to warm up before hitting the links. Golf lessons are taught there and local high school and college golf teams use it to practice, he said.
Park Board member Bill Eagan was the only commissioner to vote against the renovations. Naperville needs only one golf course, he said, and that should be Springbrook at 2220 W. 83rd St.
“I appreciate the improvements and I know they will be wonderful but I still stand that we should sell this golf course and put the money to what people demand, which is an indoor pool,” Eagan said.
The other contracts approved Thursday by the park board were:
$192,912 to be paid to Innovation Landscape Inc. to renovate Brighton Ridge Park, including new playground equipment;
$193,435 to be paid to D&J Landscape Inc. to renovate Brush Hill Park, including new playground equipment;
$32,300 to be paid to V3 Cos. for architectural and engineering services needed to replace the DuPage River Park pedestrian bridge;
$58,868 to be paid to Innovation Landscape Inc. to install a picnic shelter at Hobson West Ponds;
$62,500 to be paid to Innovation Landscape Inc. to install a shelter at the Nike Sports Complex’s pickleball courts area.