Willow Stream Park Redevelopment to Begin in 2014

A grant will cover almost half the cost of the first construction phase.

A state grant awarded this month to the Buffalo Grove Park District will help cover the expense of redeveloping Willow Stream Park. The park district is the receipient of a $400,000 Open Space Land Acquisition Development grant. The money will go toward Phase 1 of the redevelopment of Willow Stream Park, which is estimated to cost $818,000.  Phase 1 of the park redevelopment project will include improvements to the pathway system, including new pathways through wooded areas and the far east side of the park near the baseball fields; a nature playground, shelter and storage areas; new lighting; a shelter with a performance stage; and a warming house/shelter near the area where the ice skating rink is constructed during the winter. The plans…

• Documents (1)

Park District Seeks Input on Park Improvement Ideas

What should the future hold for Willow Stream Park and Mike Rylko Community Park?

The Buffalo Grove Park District is inviting public input on its recently developed master plans for its two largest parks. At the 76-acre Mike Rylko Community Park, plans include the addition of two soccer fields, an “adventure play” area with climbing apparatuses, a small nature center, horseshoe courts, a bean bag toss area and game tables. The plans also include an expansion of the splash park, new pedestrian bridges over the creek and a new concession and restroom facility Plans for the 54-acre Willow Stream Park include adding a bandshell and seating area, realigning a walking path to create a “woodland walk” area, repositioning some disc golf holes to reduce conflicts with pedestrians and replacing a playground with a sand volleyball…

•  6 Comments
• Documents (3)

National Night Out is Tonight

Join the community for a fun night out at Willow Stream Park South.

Park District Seeks Public Input

What improvements would you like to see at Willow Stream Park and Mike Rylko Community Park?

The Buffalo Grove Park District invites residents to a special information night May 10 designed to gather input on the master plans for Willow Stream Park and Mike Rylko Community Park. These parks are two of the heaviest used parks in the community, and the opinions and suggestions of residents are important, as they will help guide the park district develop the final drafts of plans that will guide park improvements for the next five to 10 years. Park users, neighbors and other interested community members are invited to view these plans and to help shape the future of these parks. The meeting will take place from 6:30-8 p.m. May 10 at the Buffalo Grove Fitness Center. A presentation will begin at 7 p.m., and there will opportunity for …

•  12 Comments
• Photos (1)

Bunny Bonanza Draws Record Turnout

Fine weather draws about 1,200 parents, kids to Willow Stream Park.

Thanks to some eggs-cellent spring weather, an estimated 1,200 people — many of them basket-totting youngsters — descended upon Willow Stream Park Saturday for the Buffalo Grove Park District's Bunny Bonanza. Crowds of parents and excited kids began jamming the parking lot at 9:30 a.m., a full hour before the scheduled start of the event, which featured three Easter egg hunts set up by age groups, rides, face painting and photo opps with the Easter Bunny. Recreation Supervisor Erika Strojinc said 25 volunteers — students from Stevenson School — spread more than 8,000 brightly colored plastic eggs on three soccer fields set up for the egg hunt. As the start of each hunt drew near, eager children and their parents formed a line that …

• Photos (11)

2012 Egg Hunt Schedule

Hunts will be held March 31 in Wheeling and April 4 and April 7 in Buffalo Grove.

Want to get a jump start on Easter or just enjoy some fresh air and sweets? The Buffalo Grove and Wheeling park districts, which both serve Buffalo Grove residents, have three egg hunts scheduled this year. Participants in any of the hunts should bring their own baskets to collect their findings. Do you know of another nearby egg hunt that's not to be missed? Tell us about it in the comments section below.

• Photos (1)

Snow Brings Sledders to Willow Stream Park

"Anxious" kids hit the slopes on sleds, snowboards.

The real arrival of winter in Buffalo Grove, heralded by six inches of snow and single digit temperatures, made Willow Stream Park's sled hill a popular hangout this weekend. About a dozen children, many of them bundled in heavy coats, hats and scarves, along with their parents, braved 20-degree temperatures and cloudy skies Saturday morning to get the true taste of winter 2012. They raced down the hill on plastic sled and snowboards, squealing in delight as they either made it safely down the hill or ended up in a heap at the bottom. “They’ve been waiting to get out into the snow,” said Jeff Pease of Buffalo Grove, as his daughter Elli, 8, son Jarrett, 11 and his friend, Timmy Spaeth, also 11, rode snowboards and a plastic sled. “They …

• Photos (9)

Storm Cuts National Night Out Short

Hundreds attended the annual event at Willow Stream Park, despite high heat and threatening storms.

Hundreds gathered for Buffalo Grove’s National Night Out event Tuesday at Willow Stream Park for family-friendly entertainment before the event was shut down due to impending thunderstorms. The event, originally planned from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., ended at about 6 p.m. Buffalo Grove Deputy Fire Marshal George Michehl said fire department officials decided, in conjunction with Buffalo Grove police and park district officials, to end the event early upon learning that storms were heading toward the village. “We had to get everything shut down before the storm,” Dan Schimmel, executive director of the Buffalo Grove Park District, said. Within 20 minutes, most of the vendor tents were cleaned up and removed, and event participants were headed to…

• Photos (11)

BG Park District Seeks Votes On New Playground

Westchester Park’s playground will be completely replaced; votes on the new design will be accepted through Friday.

After 17 years, Westchester Park’s playground will be removed, and a new playground will replace it in the same location. The new playground has a scheduled construction start in either late June or early July. “The Buffalo Grove Park District has a plan in place to replace playgrounds. The playgrounds only have so long of a life, and they get worn out,” Mike Terson, the park district’s public relations and marketing manager, said. “It’s time to replace the playground at Westchester.” The playground, which opened in June 1994, was selected on a rotation basis, based on the age of the park. Westchester was scheduled for a new playground last year, but according to Dan Schimmel, executive director of the Buffalo Grove Park District, the …

•  4 Comments
• Photos (7)

Alan Danenberg

1:25 pm on Wednesday, June 8, 2011

I have to give kudos to the Park District for their responsiveness on this issue. Yesterday I made a couple of suggestions about how to communicate to the community about this playground project, and how to make it easier for the community to weigh in with opinions. Within a short time, they added the issue and voting options to their web site, and this afternoon a flier appeared at my door …   more ›

Willow Stream Pool to Reopen June 4

Residents can expect a full season at the Buffalo Grove Park District pool, which was closed all last summer.

Construction is underway at Willow Stream Pool, which is expected to open for the season on June 4. On Monday, the pool still had the appearance of a construction zone, with concrete being poured and the blue liner partially installed. However, the new water slide is in place and the project is progressing on schedule, according to Buffalo Grove Park District spokesman Mike Terson. “Everything’s going well,” Terson said. “The weather is trying to set us back, but we’ve stayed on schedule.” Willow Stream Pool closed in the fall of 2009 for federally mandated safety improvements. The pool was expected to reopen last summer, but delays in state construction permits kept the facility shuttered all season. The work did not begin until fall. The…

• Photos (6)