Four new pickleball courts, an expanded splash pad, a sensory garden and new playground equipment are coming to Longfellow Park in Oak Park.
A new shaded structure will be included in the remodeled park which will include renovated benches, according to information from the Park District of Oak Park.
The sensory garden will include a seat wall and benches surrounded by about a dozen different native plantings that help stimulate senses and connect with nature, officials said.
Construction at Longfellow Park, 610 S. Ridgeland Ave., began early March and renovations are slated to be completed in November.
“We’re really excited to get going on this project,” said Ann Marie Buczek, the director of marketing and community engagement for the Park District of Oak Park.
Officials said the additions and renovations will affect roughly 25% of the park’s 3.6 acres and will supplement the park’s baseball diamond, basketball court and sandbox.
The existing playground equipment is being donated to Kids Around the World, a nonprofit organization that refurbishes and donates old playground equipment to parks worldwide. That equipment dates back to 2008, when it was installed alongside a new splash pad. Officials said the new playground would be split into two “age appropriate” areas.
One playground will be designated for children aged 2 to 5, which will have a synthetic turf surface, sensory play equipment and will be ADA compliant. The other park will be for children between five to 12 years old. The playgrounds will include swing sets and climbing areas. The splash pad is set to be expanded by 800 square feet, making it 1,760 square feet.
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The total cost for the renovation is expected to be about $2.4 million, but after the Park District of Oak Park was awarded $600,000 from a state Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development grant, the project will cost the park district about $1.8 million. That funding was part of $55.2 million awarded in late 2024 to 100 park projects in Illinois, according to a release from Gov. JB Pritzker’s office.
Buczek said each district park’s site plan is revisited and updated at least once every 10 years in order to “identify amenities that our residents desire, allow us to budget strategically, and prepare for upcoming grant opportunities that may be available.”
In October 2023, the Park District held a community meeting to gather input from residents about what they’d like to see added to the park, Buczek said.
“Residents expressed a strong desire for the concept with the most pickleball courts as well as in interest in separate playgrounds for younger and older kids,” Buczek said in an email. “With this feedback, we moved ahead with the concept that included four, dedicated pickleball courts and the two age appropriate playgrounds.”
In the last round of improvements at Longfellow Park in 2016, the district rebuilt entry retaining walls and walkway ramps in alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Buczek said. Solar panels also were added to the park in 2017 and 2018, and a cistern was installed to collect water from the splash pad, which was repurposed for the irrigation of the sports fields.
With the rise of pickleball, local residents are looking forward to new pickleball courts, Buczek said, but the project in general has been well received by residents.
“We’re really excited, we’ve gotten good feedback from the community,” Buczek said.