Ready, Set, Play -- Two New Park Facilities Just About Finished

Despite battling record heat, record rain and a construction strike, the Plainfield Township Park District is close to finishing two major park projects that should be ready for public use this month.

Clow Stephens Park, a new 33-acre facility at 16608 Lily Cache Road, features such amenities as a fenced-in dog park, trail with fitness stations, picnic shelter and soccer fields.

And the Village Green Park, just south of downtown at Fox River and Chicago streets, has undergone a major "facelift," with restrooms, tennis court and half basketball court completely rebuilt and a new children's splash pad, sidewalks and benches added, said Cameron Bettin, the district's superintendent of planning.

"There is a lot going on here, but we've had a lot of opportunity, too," Bettin said. "If we didn't get Clow Stephens deeded over to us, it would have never happened."

Not to mention the boost the project received from a $400,000 Illinois Department of Natural Resources grant, which is funding about half of the work done, Bettin said. Village Green also received a state grant for $250,000.

For the most part, the latter project is finished, with hay covering the seeded grass filling in along the new pathways. While some parts of the 2.7-acre site stayed the same – namely, the picnic shelter (although it was power washed) and playground – much was completely rebuilt.

Perhaps the biggest change for those familiar with the park is the half basketball court, which was redesigned and relocated closer to the tennis court, Bettis said. In its place is a new children's splash pad, the water from which will feed a nearby, newly created rain garden.

"This fall there will be a volunteer effort to plant (the garden) through Conservation Plainfield, which educates and does local projects revolving around environmental issues," he said.

The park's tennis court was resurfaced, and new light fixtures, drinking fountains, benches and a bike rack were installed, Bettis said. Near the playground area are tables with embedded checkers/chess boards for outdoor play.

Interestingly, the Village Green -- built in 1834 -- has had myriad uses over the years, according to park district history. There was once a swimming pool on the site as well as a croquet field, baseball diamond and outdoor amphitheater.

Clow Stephens is located in a more undeveloped area, going in on what had been an old farm/homestead and taking advantage of the Lily Cache Creek which passes through it, Bettis said.

A new playground near the Parkview Meadows subdivision was one of the first parts to be finished, and has been accessible for several weeks to area residents who can access it on foot or by bike, he said.

One of the park's key features will be a dog park – the village's second – that will be split so one portion is limited to large dogs and the other set aside for smaller ones, Bettis said. It will be open once the turf gets established and, unlike the Will County Forest Preserve District dog park in Hammel Woods in Shorewood, there will be no fee or permit required to use it, he said.

The bulk of Clow Stephens, however, will be taken up by four new soccer fields, which will double as softball fields, Bettis said. Those eager to use them will need to be patient, however, because it will take anywhere from a year to a year and a half for the sod to take root, he said. They may also rotate fields usage so the wear and tear on the grass is limited, he said.

The benefit of getting these fields into play is that it should take some of the strain off Van Horne Park, which is "overutilized" by team play, he said.

The rest of the Clow Stephens will be more passive, with a small fitness station path, walking trails, picnic area, restrooms and restored prairie area, Bettis said. Ultimately, the trails will be tied into a larger network of trails but that is still far in the future, he said.

Because only a small portion of the 100-plus-acre site is being developed, there will be a lot of open park space, Bettis said. That's a good thing given how developed the areas are that surround it, he said.

"It's nice to have a more natural area, to have green space," he said.

The only undecided factor about the park is what to do with the old farmhouse that remains on the site. Although the district looked at potential uses and ruled them out as cost-prohibitive given the amount of work they would require, Bettis said, local preservationists have asked that it be saved.

The final call is up to the park board, which has not yet made a decision on the request, he said.