Renovations Ahead at Plainfield Riverfront Building

The Plainfield Riverfront Foundation is getting ready to begin a $20,000 renovation project to open up its headquarters, located near Riverfront Park at 24321 W. Lockport St., to the public.

President Rob Epley said the project will convert a section of the first floor into a concessions stand that can be used for community events. The other section will be used for storage, and a public restroom will be installed.

“This is going to happen quickly,” Epley said of the project, adding the foundation is in the process of securing permits from the village.

He said the $20,000 price tag comes thanks to discounts from project contractors. “Some of that is being donated by Bart Construction and TMZ Plumbing,” Epley said.

Once completed, the new facility can be rented out to community groups. “We want this to be utilized by the public,” Epley noted.

The second floor will remain a meeting room for the Riverfront Foundation, established four years ago to revitalize the DuPage riverfront. “We want to maintain it as a green space for the village, Epley said. 

The organization’s signature fundraiser, Plainfield Fest, will return this summer from July 19 to 21. This will mark the third year the foundation has organized the event, which in 2012 raised more than $75,000 for riverfront redevelopment.

“We are going to kick it up a notch,” Epley said. “We’ve got some real good entertainment,” he added, noting that Led Zeppelin cover band Kashmir is slated to play this year. “They bring crowds with them — we’re really excited.” More information on the fest is available on its website.

On Aug. 24, Midwest Brewers Fest will head back into town, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting the foundation.

Epley said another fundraiser, River Days, may be revamped this year. Typically held in September, the event could move to coincide with homecoming this fall, he said.

April flood giveth, and taketh away

The April 18 flooding rivaled the floods of 1983 and 1996 — and the evidence could be seen at the Riverfront Foundation headquarters.

The two previous floods are already recorded with high water level marks on the side of the building. Now, the flood of 2013, which reached a height of about four-and-a-half feet at the building, will join it, thanks to the handiwork of volunteer Ed Arter.

Using a massive log that washed up on the property, Arter hung a handmade sign in commemoration of the latest flood. The log, which Arter estimated at about 200 years old and 6,000 pounds, remains in the spot where it washed up on April 18.

“That’s where it landed, and that’s where it stayed,” Epley said. “We’re calling it the gift from the river.”

The flood also swept away two of four brand-new picnic tables purchased with Riverfront Foundation fundraiser money. The foundation recently placed the four tables along the riverfront, and residents had been using them to enjoy lunch along the DuPage, Epley said.

“It’s certainly become a destination within the village, which is want we want,” he said. “If anybody downstream finds [the tables], we’re looking for them.”

The Riverfront Foundation is also looking for the owners of a wooden jungle gym that washed up on the property. “If anyone’s looking for their gym set, we’ve got it,” Epley said.

For more information on the Plainfield Riverfront Foundation, visit www.plainfieldriverfront.org.