Walker Park Improvements Project

Lake Carriage Way Park Improvements

December 2020

• Inspection of playground by Nutoys Leisure Products.
• Finishing touches on electrical installation for shelter.
• Shelter construction has commenced.

November 2020

• Plaza paver area behind the backstop has been completed.
• Landscape seeding/blanket and plant materials have been installed (Landscaping review including additional seeding, fertilization, and installation of supplementary plants will be conducted in spring ’21)
• Final excavation and grading around the entire park was completed.
• Plumbing completed and drinking fountains installed.
• Poured in place surfacing completed.
• Sand added to volleyball court.
• Cornhole game boards installed.
• Concrete finishing work completed.
• Asphalt pathwork completed.

As of the beginning of December the overwhelming majority of the project has been completed. The major items to be finished are the installation of the picnic shelter, benches, and bike rack.

October 2020

• The concrete slab for the picnic shelter has been poured along with the bags (cornhole) area and a portion of the new sidewalks.
• Majority of the asphalt path around the park has been completed. There are some small areas to complete that are within the main construction zone.
• Playground and challenge course equipment installation has been completed. The sub-surface has been compacted and is ready for installation of poured in place surfacing.
• Excavation and grading has continued around various parts of the main construction zone as well as the 3-4 grade soccer field.
• Final grading and seeding of naturalized area in the NE corner of the park was completed.
• Paver installation in plaza area behind the backstop and adjacent to the picnic shelter has begun.
• Sand volleyball court has been installed and we awaiting a review of that installation process.

September 2020

• The footing piers for the picnic shelter have been installed
• Concrete subcontractor was finally secured and large portions of concrete have been poured including the mudslab in the playground area, new path connections, perimeter of the challenge course, perimeter of the sand volleyball court, and pad behind new backstop
• Blacktop path around the majority of the park has been prepared for installation of new asphalt
• Playground equipment as well as challenge course equipment installation has begun
• Required excavation around the challenge course has commenced
• Electric service to shelter area has been installed

August 2020

• The revised engineering designs for installation of picnic shelter have been approved by the village. We are now awaiting approval from the shelter manufacturing company to confirm the engineering as well as guarantee of warranty.
• Construction company is experiencing difficulty securing a concrete contractor. A majority of the project cannot proceed until concrete work begins.
• Approval of path replacements has been submitted to construction company and we anticipate pathway work to begin in early September.

July 2020

• Revised engineering designs from construction company have been created and are being reviewed as solution to issues in the picnic shelter area.
• Excavation in playground area is finished and the site was prepped for drainage installation
• Drainage system in playground area and drainage connection to sand volleyball area has been completed
• Playground area base level of stone has been installed
• Portions of asphalt path have seen demolition and preparation for installation of new asphalt
• New water lines for drinking fountains have been installed
• Manhole and sewer connections by south parking lot have been completed

June 2020

As noted in prior updates, the major issue in the project has dealt with the suitability of the soil in the playground as well as the new picnic shelter area. The goal from the beginning has been to ensure that we find a safe solution that is fiscally responsible. We believe that appropriate plans can now commence. The park district Board of Commissioners approved 4 change orders at their regularly scheduled June 10, 2020 meeting. These change orders addressed demolition of the northern portion of playground equipment, furnishing a mud slab for installation of new playground equipment, installation of additional subgrade stone, and revision of subgrade excavation in picnic shelter area and Spina Field plaza area.

• The playground equipment scheduled for demolition has been removed.
• The additional excavation in the playground area has commenced.
• Additional excavation in picnic shelter area and plaza area has begun.
• Spina Field backstop installation has been completed.
• New playground equipment ordered.

May 2020

• Excavation in the challenge course area continued
• Underground drainage installation has started
• Still trying to work through best solutions for soil suitability questions encountered in the playground and picnic shelter area

April 2020

• Baseball field improvements have taken place-regrading of home plate area and pitcher’s mound.
• Excavation and pathway prep continued.
• Encountered some delay concerning soil suitability. Landscape architects have been confirming with engineering consultants as well as geotechnical engineers to confirm plans moving forward.

March 2020

Excavation of sand volleyball court has continued and the stone base has been laid. The new pathways adjacent to Spina Field have been excavated.

The large poles for the new Spina Field backstop athletic netting have been installed along with the smaller fence posts that extend down each baseline.

Excavation has started in the challenge course area.

The CXT restroom has been delivered and installed. The new picnic shelter has been delivered as well.

February 2020

Excavation for the naturalized/pollinator area in the northeast corner of the park continues. Excavation of sand volleyball court has begun. Truckloads of dirt continue to be transported to the south end of park.

Initial backstop supplies have been ordered. Tentative installation for backstop and new fencing is scheduled for mid-March, as weather cooperates.

           

January 2020

• CXT restroom ordered
• ICON picnic shelter ordered
• New playground equipment/installation plan finalized
• Excavation for the naturalized/pollinator area in the northeast corner of the park has continued and many truckloads of dirt have been transported to the 3/4 soccer field
  
• Grading on the 3/4 grade soccer field continued (This area is remaining a soccer field and is not being converted to a parking lot or anything else. Our MWRD permit was dependent on designated some area outside of the flood plain as a retention area. That is the reason for the re-grading.)

December 2019

• Demolition of existing backstop is 90% completed
• Excavation for the naturalized/pollinator area in the northeast corner of the park has continued and many truckloads of dirt have been transported to the 3/4 soccer field
• Grading on the 3/4 grade soccer field continued (This area is remaining a soccer field and is not being converted to a parking lot or anything else. Our MWRD permit was dependent on designated some area outside of the flood plain as a retention area. That is the reason for the re-grading.)

November 2019

• Construction entrance to the park has been built along the north side of the park
• Additional quotes for the backstop have been requested
• Excavation for the naturalized/pollinator area in the northeast corner of the park has begun
• Grading on the 3/4 grade soccer field continued

October 2019

• MWRD final permit approval was received
• Building permit revised to now include electric at CXT restroom and picnic shelter
• Finalize updated design for new backstop and fencing on Spina Field
• Surveying continued, tree removal and grading has begun on 3/4 grade soccer field in south part of park
• We did experience some delays due to issues in the existing playground area along with developing updated plans to rectify which now includes new play equipment
• Due to the weather and expected temperatures, the poured in place surfacing at playground and challenge course will not be completed until 2020.

September 2019

What began as a smaller project to install new equipment two and a half years ago has grown into a larger project that will improve many areas of Walker Park. As almost of the park resides within the floodway and/or floodplain, permitting through MWRD (Metropolitan Water Reclamation District) has been quite an ordeal. We started the process in February 2018 and as of the first week in September, we are eagerly awaiting final approval. We were just given permission from the Village of Burr Ridge to begin minimal construction to start on areas not within the floodplain. We hope to have final MWRD approval within the next few weeks. This project will be paid for in part with budgeted capital improvement funds as well as a $400,000 OSLAD grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Highlights of Planned Improvements:

• Poured in place rubber surfacing at the 5-12 yr old playground and swing area
• New Challenge Course equipment along with poured in place rubber surfacing
• Large Picnic Shelter
• Renovated sand volleyball court
• New cornhole/bags area
• Plaza area behind Spina baseball field along with improvements to backstop
• Natural area/pollinator plants in NE corner of park
• Walking path renovations
• New outdoor bathroom facility
• Regrading/new drainage on 3/4 grade soccer field

As different parts of the project are completed, construction fencing may be moved in order to open up parts of the park that are currently closed or impacted by construction fence which is erected to keep park visitors safe.
As weather and various project details can impact construction schedule, we do not have a date of completion but we are hoping to be done in 2020.

We appreciate your patience as we work to improve your park!