Project Updates

As updates are provided we will post a description of each project with pictures

If you have questions about any of the projects listed on this page, please contact Amy Olson, Manager of Park Planning and Development at 815.459.0680, ext. 1217 or via email

Playground Resurfacing

Kamijima Park Playground

Brighton Oaks Park Playground

Lapins Park Playground

Haligus Road Park

Veteran Acres Tennis Courts

Fetzner Park

Sterne's Fen Restoration Project

Playground resurfacing

Questions?

Woodscreek Park, Veteran Acres Park, Woodland Estates Park

Update: May 10, 2022

Playground safety surfacing replacement begins Th, May 12 at Veteran Acres Park and Woodland Estates Park. Woodscreek Park playground surfacing will begin the week of May 16. The playgrounds are fenced and closed until the projects are completed. We do not anticipate it affecting splash pad operations at Veteran Acres or Woodscreek Park. This project is weather dependent and we are working closely with the contractor to make sure the playgrounds are safe and ready for play as soon as possible (approximately 8 weeks).

Kamijima Park Playground

Kamijima Park Info

Kamijima Park: 1294 North Ave, Crystal Lake

Update: May 12, 2022

Due to manufacturing delays, the Kamijima Park playground replacement is delayed until at least the end of August 2022.

Update: Jan 5, 2022

Four options depicting a variety of equipment types, styles and layouts were presented to the public at a meeting on November 8 that was attended by seven residents. The concepts were posted on the Project Update page of the Crystal Lake Park District website and on Facebook the following day. The existing playground was installed in 2005 and has reached the end of its useful life cycle. The new playground equipment will be situated in approximately the same location as the existing playground. New border, benches and safety surfacing will be installed in addition the play equipment itself.

Several questions were posted on Facebook inquiring about the park itself. Kamijima Park, originally named Edgewater Park, was obtained when the Grafton Township Park District merged with the Crystal Lake Park District in 1968. Because the six lots that comprise the park are flood prone, they were deemed unbuildable. Edgewater Park was renamed Naoki Kamijima Park in 2000 in honor of the manager of The General Store across the street. He was murdered in the store in what police called a hate crime.

Public comments received via Facebook, direct email and the in-person meeting favored one particular option which has been revised somewhat and is shown here. Numerous comments were made about the informal name of the park (Fishy Park) due to the large red fish that is integral to the existing playground. Working with the manufacturer, the playground designers were able to add two custom climbers to the design that are nice and fishy!

The park district will proceed with the public bidding portion of the project in February with the goal of installing the new playground in the spring of 2022.

Print Kamijima Park Playground Concept

Brighton Oaks Playground

Brighton Oaks Info

Brighton Oaks: 9818 Ballard Rd, Crystal Lake

Update: May 12, 2022

Due to manufacturing delays, there has been a delay in this project. Staff are waiting to hear from the contractor regarding Brighton Oaks playground equipment replacement.

Update: Jan 5, 2022

Seven options depicting a variety of equipment types, styles and layouts were presented to the public at a meeting on November 10 which was attended by two residents. The options were posted on the Project Update page of the Crystal Lake Park District website and on Facebook the following day. The new playground will replace existing equipment that is 24 years old and has outlived its useful life. The new playground will be in the same location as the existing playground.

Brighton Oaks playground is unique for a neighborhood park because the size of the playground area is large enough to include both a structure for 2-5 year olds and a structure for 5-12 year olds. Typically, only community parks have enough space to accommodate both age ranges.

Of the two options favored by the public, the option chosen and shown here provides the most value and the most unique experience. With a 12' high slide, this playground will feature the tallest playground in the entire park district.

The park district will now finalize the construction documents and put the project out to public bid for installation. The goal is to install the new equipment in the spring of 2022.

Print Brighton Oaks Concept

Lapins Park Playground

Lapins Park Info

Lapins Park: 6400 Scott Ln, Crystal Lake

Update: May 12, 2022

Due to manufacturing delays, there has been a delay in this project. Staff are waiting to hear from the contractor regarding Lapins playground equipment replacement.

Update: Jan 5, 2022

Seven options depicting a variety of equipment types, styles and layouts were presented to the public at a meeting on November 9 attended by 6 residents. The concepts were posted on the Project Update page of the Crystal Lake Park District website and on Facebook the following day. The new playground will be in the same approximate location as the existing playground which contains equipment that is 20 years old and has outlived its useful life. New shade trees, playground border, safety surfacing and benches will be installed along with the playground itself.

It was unanimously agreed at the in-person meeting that the new playground should be designed for 5-12 year olds, unlike the current playground that is designed for 2-5 year olds. Three of the options each received two "votes" each, leaving a tie. Staff worked with the playground designers to incorporate other comments received from the meeting and online to adapt one of the preferred options to a playground appropriate for the older age range.

The park district will be finalizing the construction documents for the project and put the project out for public bid in February. It is our goal to have the playground installed in the spring of 2022.

Views 1 & 2 of Lapins Playground Concept

Print Lapins Concept

Haligus Rd Park

site location on google maps

Future Park Site: just south of the Village of Lakewood Public Works facility on Haligus Road

The Crystal Lake Park District has moved into the next phase of planning for a new community park on Haligus Road in Lakewood. Your input is needed again. Please join us for our second community input session on Tu, March 1, 7 pm at Main Beach, 300 Lakeshore Dr, Crystal Lake. All Crystal Lake Park District residents are welcome to attend.

The meeting will include:

• Concepts developed after the first planning session will be presented based on ideas and feedback to date
• Opportunities to offer feedback on the evening's presentation
• Question and answer time

The park site is 10 acres in size and located just south of the Village of Lakewood Public Works facility on Haligus Road. Hitchcock Design Group has been hired to design a master plan for the park and will be leading the public input session. There will be additional opportunities in the future to provide input as the planning phase proceeds over the next six months. In the meantime, if you have specific questions, please email Jason Herbster, Executive Director at jherbster@crystallakeparks.org

The contractor providing ongoing maintenance of the natural areas along the creek and in the detention basins at Fetzner Park will be on site this Thursday, August 5 or Friday, August 6. The work will include mowing and spot herbiciding areas where invasive species are present.

Veteran Acres TEnnis Courts

site information

Veteran Acres: 431 N Walkup, Crystal Lake, IL

UPDATE: May 12, 2022

The color surfacing of the tennis and basketball courts at Veteran Acres is tentatively scheduled for May 16-20.

UPDATE: Nov 2, 2021

Reconstruction of the tennis courts at Veteran Acres Park is well underway! In addition rebuilding the courts themselves, a handicap accessible sidewalk is being added to join the tennis courts, basketball court and restroom building.

UPDATE: Sept 29, 2021

The tennis courts at Veteran Acres will be closed for the season beginning Mon, Oct 4. The early closure this fall is to begin a major reconstruction project of the courts that will include new surfacing, nets, fencing and lights. Work is expected to continue through the winter as weather permits, with the final color surface and lines being applied in the Spring of 2022. We apologize for the inconvenience but look forward to the new and improved tennis facility next year!

UPDATE: JUNE 18, 2021

Inspections are complete, the construction fencing has been removed and Ladd Playground is officially open.

UPDATE: JUNE 10, 2021

Work is coming to an end on the new playground for Ladd Park! The equipment and safety surfacing are completed. The contractor will be cleaning up the site over the next few days. When the fence is removed, the playground will be officially open!

UPDATE: MAY 28, 2021

After a shipping delay from the manufacturer, work will resume soon on the playground project. The safety surfacing is scheduled for installation the week of June 7, so watch for the playground to reopen soon after that!

UPDATE: APR 26, 2021

The new playground equipment is beginning to rise! The concrete pad in these pictures will be a patio with a picnic table and bench.

Update: Apr 15, 2021

It may not look like much right now, but work is well underway for the installation of a beautiful new playground at Ladd Park. The old equipment has been removed and underdrains have been installed. The site is now being prepared for a new concrete sidewalk and concrete curb edging around the new playground. Keep an eye out over the next few weeks - the new equipment is on its way and installation will begin soon!

UPDATE: JAN 12, 2021

The new playground at Ladd Park is one step closer to reality! After receiving a lot of great feedback from neighbors and users of the park, the conceptual designs were refined and shown here is the final plan for the playground. Keep in mind this is a computer image, so doesn't look completely lifelike! What is not shown in this image is the safety surfacing under the playground which will be a brightly colored solid rubber surface, and a stand-alone handicap accessible swingset. A paved walkway will connect the playground to Coventry Lane near the baseball field and a bike rack, benches and trash cans will also be installed.

Installation of the playground is currently "out to bid". Plans are to have a contract finalized in February or March so that the job can begin as soon as weather allows. Watch here for more schedule updates!

Overall View
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STERNE's FEN RESTORATION PROJECT

Update: April 13, 2022

As part of our ongoing ecological restoration efforts at Sterne's Woods and Fen several large trees will be removed from the wetlands in the northwest corner of the park on Friday, April 22. While we don't anticipate any interruption to the recreational opportunities available at the park, we ask that you try to plan your activities to avoid this area between the hours of 9 am-4 pm. For more information please Erik Jakubowski at ejakubowski@crystallakeparks.org.

Update: August 4, 2021

Efforts to control invasive species at Sterne's Fen Nature Preserve will be expanded during the month of August and early September to include isolated stands of phragmites. This troublesome wetland plant, that looks like a very tall grass, can easily outcompete and replace native plants. Control of this species will include a herbicide application (typically by swiping individual plant stems) by licensed herbicide applicators approved by the Crystal Lake Park District. Visitors to Sterne's Fen Nature Preserve are encouraged to stay on the established paths during this time.

Update: Oct 6, 2020

Work continues at Sterne's Fen to maintain the restored fen and remove invasive species throughout the park. This work is done by both contractors and volunteers and is essential to keep the natural areas healthy.

Update: Feb 12, 2020

The contractor has finished with the tree removal at Sterne's. There are two pile of logs remaining to be removed from the parking lot, but the cutting is complete. They made to the "priority II" trees. The trail is now open for use.

Update: Feb 6, 2020

At this point the contractor is about half way through moving east to west. They are estimating being done by the end of the day on Mon, Feb 10. They have also started hauling out the timbered logs from the parking lot and hope to have the pile down to a minimum by the end of the day, Feb 7.

Update: Feb 3, 2020

A portion of the Sterne's Fen trail will be closed this week to remove unhealthy trees.

Update: Jan 25, 2020

Due to recent snowfall and ice coverage, work will resume once snow melts from path.

Update: Jan 16, 2020

Upcoming Restoration Work in Sterne's Woods and Fen

The Crystal Lake Park District will be removing several trees located along the trail system at Veteran Acres and Sterne's Woods and Fen. As a result, portions of the trails will be closed for the safety of our visitors while the work is being performed. At no time will the entire trail system be closed to the public.

Beginning next week, large aggressive trees that were allowed to establish in the absence of fire will be removed from Sterne's Woods and Fen as part of the ongoing Sterne's Fen Restoration project. This work should last approximately one week, weather permitting, and will only impact the portion of the trails at Sterne's identified in the map below.

The work at Veteran Acres will take place over the next three months and will involve the removal of several large dead or dying trees along the trail north of The Nature Center. These trees pose a potential threat to the safety of our visitors, volunteers, and staff and will be removed as weather and time permits. Detailed information regarding the schedule and location of the removals will be posted as it is available.

Please direct questions to John Fiorina, Manager of Natural Resources and Interpretive Services at jfiorina@crystallakeparks.org or 815.321.9080.

Update: Nov 1, 2019

Update: December 7, 2018

Work continued all week in the fen. A crew is busy removing buckthorn and other invasive trees from the fen. The material is being piled and then burned so there is a few constant plumes of smoke over Sterne's every day. Four of the six check dams have been installed.

Crew at work at Sterne's Woods		Work continues at Sterne's Woods

Update: November 28, 2018